goatman

More Wood thanks for that informative link! There are a number of mtb manufacturers that will use Dave Weagle's patented Split Pivot concentric rear dropout pivot. De Vinci is one, look here I am interested in the geometry of the new Split Pivot "All mountain" bike(like the white prototype on the Vital mtb video link). The current Shova has an effective top tube of 580mm for the Medium and 610mm for the Large. That puts a number of average sized riders(like me) "in between" sizes. I am hoping that the new bike's geometry will fill that gap! Morewood seem to have the knack of getting the geometry and angles just right...........

Ask your LBS to order it from the Fox agents (Omnico, based in Cape Town)

The Bicycle portraits project by Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler about everyday South Africans and their bicycles is now 90% funded with only 30h to go to their deadline. A worthwhile cause: look here Almost there, but the deadline is tomorrow!

Get some antibiotics, asap

If at all possible test ride an Anthem X and a Zula.

I just tell my wife that I could be riding some 20 year old bimbo with big boobs instead of my bike...she's happy with that Brussel could you pm me that 20 year old's number, see my bike's out of action at the moment and wife overseas..........

What was import duties like on the shorts? You are looking at 40-45% clothing import duty, as well as VAT of 14% on 110% of the value of clothing. Possible handling fee from Post office of R25, depending on postage/courier option. UPS couriers charge a handling/customs fee too. Endura baggies are great but I would strongly advise you to try them on first as some models have weird sizing. Best to try and find them locally at a Felt dealer I guess... good luck.

Stumpyrider go to your LBS and ask them to retape the rim with Stans yellow tape. Johan I wait in anticipation for your post on rim panelbeating 101...........

A better rule of thumb than anecdotal evidence would be to choose he heaviest rim. The heavier, the more metal. However, heavy is a swear word around here. I'm sure admin will put it on his censor list after this post. LOL, well said Johan My most durable rims ever were Sun Ditch Witch...now these were heavy, wide mothers but allowed me to ride over stuff that I should have gone around on my old hardtail.....

+1 Have been to a number of local bearing suppliers in the past and also ordered bearings from the UK and US before. It's good to take one of your old bearings along; makes getting the correct replacement that much easier.

I recently performed the same procedure as described by Brighter-Lights on my dented Stans Flow rim. Doing this may leave a small stress crack in the rim afterwards as aluminium does not like being bent and straightened again. Even with a small stress crack you can still ride, obviously if you hit that exact same spot hard again on a rock or solid object the rim could be toast. I have also straightened my Mavic 819 UST rim this way. There is probably a better procedure out there but I am no panelbeater. I am happy to learn from the experts...

recommended sizing *

Beautiful! Hope it will pay for itself over time.

Nothing but good service from Omnico in my experience (Fox shock, Easton seatpost)

Poor staff, the trauma of watching that game was probably too much for them.........................

No. They would have to clearly mark it as gift on the outside of the parcel, what the contents are as well as an approximate value. Go for it. My wife has sent me such items from the UK before. There is a theoretical maximum amount in value that you are allowed to receive as gifts and only 3x a year or something, saw that on another thread on the hub.

Welvanpas rocks! Some steep bits, some switchbacks but all on a superb trail surface. Riding the trail for the first time it's probably safer to go a little slower.... If you don't arrive back at your car grinning from ear to ear then go ride the Yellow route too (bit of a climb to start off) You'll have to look far and wide to find such long,long stretches of flowing singletrack. I can't wait to go back there....

Thanks jagwil. Must get the wife to bring a frame in a big box on the plane and make it look inconspicuous as she passes customs.......

Is there an agency distributing ORANGE bikes from the UK in South Africa? I don't think I can convince the wife to bring one back from the UK as "hand luggage"

Pleasure Hannes. The valves don't come cheap at round about R100 a pop....(don't quote me on that price though!) The valve cores are replaceable. In my opinion it is better to use proper UST or Tubeless ready tyres with Stans rims as these tyres have a different bead design to normal tyres. These tyres also tend to be more expensive....especially in South Africa. This bead then fits better into the bead socket interface ("BST") that Stan's rims use. Bead Socket Technology * By eliminating the bead hook and lowering the sidewall by 2-3mm we reduce the weight of the rim. Some of this material can be used in the center part of the rim making it stronger and stiffer. * The curve of the rim sidewall is the same shape as the bead of the tire so they fit together like a ball and socket joint. This design will help reduce the strain on the tire bead while creating a tighter seal. * By lowering the sidewall of the rim we also reduce the mechanical leverage the tire has on the rim. This will make the rim stiffer and last longer by eliminating flexing that can cause cracking. * With these short sidewalls the tire should not hit the rim and pinch flat as often as standard rims, either with or without tubes. This design will allow you to run lower pressures and use 4mm more of the tire than ever before. The tire will have larger air volume giving you better traction.

Hannes, Yes, the Velox tape can be removed easily. Your LBS should have a roll of the 25mm diameter Stan's yellow tape to fit your rim so you can ask them nicely and they should tape the rim up for you: For ZTR Olympic, ZTR 355, ZTR 355 29er (21mm) or For ZTR Flow, Flow 29er, Arch, Arch 29er only (25mm) • Weight per Rim 7g (25mm) • Can do 5 rims with one roll (if you buy your own roll you can order 4 more rims ) Then you just need to buy the correct Stan's Olympic valve, fit that and away you go: This is a custom Presta valve stem to be used with our ZTR Rims only! It will not seal in a Mavic UST rim. This valve stem features a removable valve core which allows for easier application of our tire sealant. • This valve stem is specifically for the Olympic, ZTR 355, ZTR 355 29'er, Arch, Arch 29er, Flow, Flow 29er. No other valve stem will fit!

Hannes, The Hope Pro 2 standard alloy freehub body is quite soft, so it is best to use more expensive cassettes like Shimano XT or SRAM PC 990. The reason is that these cassettes have an alloy spider on the largest 4 or 5 cogs (forgive me if my terminology is not correct) so the cogs don't dig into the splines of the freehub body. Cheaper all steel cassettes like SRAM PC 970 wear into the splines of the hub; making removal of the cassette somewhat of a mission (I've been through that experience) Hope do a steel replacement freehub body whch is heavier but rather expensive. I would use Stan's yellow rim tape instead of Velox cloth if it is an option. By adding a Stan's Olympic valve you have a tubeless compatible wheel. That's how I run my Stan's Flow on the rear. This is slightly off topic but just Hope the info helps!

It is possible to cut/damage UST tyre sidewalls by pinching them between the rim and a hard object (usually that rock that you just looked at down the trail!) Conti Race Kings are lightweight with relatively thin sidewalls. This is more likely if you run low pressures. Sometimes you lose pressure during a ride due to puncture/s that have been sealed by sealant but you still lose some air as it seals. Also some holes seal partially and leak slowly (especially if on sidewalls)

I carry one or sometimes two tubes...the stranded rider at last race I rode got my second one! You can easily remove the tubeless valve, whether Mavic or Stans "Olympic" valves, so the bike shop doesn't have to get involved here. You then put in your Presta valve tube after wiping out the slimy mess of Stans/sealant goo(carry a rag for this) if you run that in your UST tyres. I also carry plugs, a piece of rubber & cut up toothpaste tube for sidewall cuts. Also standard tube patch kit. Last but not least a little Stan's bottle filled with my own sealant goo mix. I have managed to squirt that into a cut tyre and get it to seal again using my Blackburn mini pump.