Mtbiker404

Just don`t go buy all the Ray stock up now.

I am using the Ray on the front and it is excellent, I will replace it with the same for sure. The Ralph I have not used but I am sure it will be an excellent rear. The Ralph might just not be the longest lasting rear tyre, or any Schwalbe because it is softer rubber.

No, its me, Andri.

The Cape Epic dumb rule to take the time of the second rider. So much Nino magic lost because of this...

Is this better at not breaking when hitting a rock at 50km/hour down a mountain? Mtb derailleurs is not something I enjoy spending money on, it in the \"easily disposable\" category.

Every day lube: Epic clean ride Long distance/event dry lube: Rock n roll gold Long distance/event muddy ride: Rock n roll blue This is the way.... I did try squirt a few times but it just seemed to completely vanish off my chain with the mere thought of wet fynbos. If you need a real potent chain cleaner use squirt and wipe it with wet fynbos.

SID > SID Brain. Evo > Epic for marathons. They should have dropped the brain a long time ago. Cool bikes (non-Brain), great riding, but yes Brain sucks, plain SID is the best.

I agree, long slack is better for steep down, but I think worse for any steep up. Steep up the front will tend to lift and hairpin turns become more difficult. Bombing down a straight rough trail is also better with long slack. But the part that I enjoy most is twisty singletracks, up or down, and I think a "twitchy" short wheel base bike is more fun and faster for this. I do not want a longer slacker bike and loose the responsive handling of an short steep bike. I know the pro XC tracks are becoming more technical and needs bikes that are capable of this, but to me it seems my local trail are always becoming easier, so I don`t need more slack, stability, or travel in my bike.

Yes, I agree, for me, "twitchyness" equals playfulness and quick responsive handling. They can keep their overly long slack frames. The slack long thing is completely overdone. There is always a trade-off, but for me, I prefer to have a short wheel base quick handling bike to throw around twisty singlestick and hairpin turns.

Great gadget for armless cyclists!

Yes it`s new. For me I would go for that Spark with the Spline 1200 wheels and 110mm SID. But if money was no option and wanted a boutique bike, the Exie is probably my 1st choice bike. These are all good bikes but the Exie has something special about it.

Errm error, I think you meant this Ibis:

Easy choice, Scott Spark, and leave those wheels on.

I would like to know if the vertical play is specific to Shimano or all SPD pedals. I suspect all SPDs suffer this, but then Nino was using Ritchey SPDs, and I doubt that the mtb master will be found pushing pedals with vertical play.

We avoid it by not properly pedaling in circles. I have even read marketing material stating the vertical play as a feature. To me, vertical play at the cleat is catastrophic failure in pedal design, and I have never felt a Shimano pedal with no vertical play.

The problem with XTs is the vertical play, not having a connection to the bike that feels solid. I am not able to pedal in circles without being annoyed by the play. I do not think this is a worn cleat issue, more like a design flaw that is present out of the box. I will try again with new cleats, but I have little hope that this will resolve the vertical play problem.

I am looking to buy new mtb pedals. I have used Shimano XT and XTR, as well as Look S-Track. Here are the problems that I have encountered with these pedals: Shimano: - vertical play and just way too much of a detached loose feel (try to properly pedal in circles, very annoying with Shimano pedals) - regular maintenance Look S-Tracks: - play at the axle out of the box, becomes worse with time - regular maintenance I prefer the Looks since the play at the axle is less worse as the detached vertical float of Shimano pedals. I also like the fact that the Looks are lighter, but now I need new pedals. Does all spd pedals suffer from the same flaw of not having a secure connection to the pedal? (KCNC and Ritchey, new Look). What mtb pedal would you recommend that has no play in axle and has a secure connection, is light, and is not too bad to maintain? The most important thing for me though is to have a solid connection.

Get a Rook

How people still think they can safely cycle on SA roads I don`t know. People need to stop cycling on roads and urban cycle paths, it is not safe, it is not worth the risk, it is EXTREMELY dangerous.

I mean all vehicles on mtb trails that put down power onto to it that is not natural poep-krag.

I find the newsletter to be slightly entertaining. As for trashing the corners, I blame ebikes. Ebikes are heavy and goes very fast and has large knobbied tyres. This lends to ripping trails apart much more than normal mtbs. I have even seen ebikes rip up trails on climbs. If you want to spend less time on trail maintenance, ban ebikes!

I want 1: https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2022-san-quentin-3

Yes! 11 speed for the win, both my bikes still have 11 speed Sunrace cassettes with XT shifting. My bike with the SRAM bb has gone through 3 bbs and my Shimano bb is still going strong. SRAM bb is also double the price. I know this might not be normal, I am sure SRAM bbs are supposed to last longer, but for me it looks like my SRAM bb is ending up costing 5 times more than the Shimano. I suspect it might be something similar for SRAM brake pads and servicing. Edit: I am talking about the SRAM GXP bb, I read that it has a design flaw on the non-chainring side, this is also the side where my bbs are breaking. It just seems like Shimano is always the safer bet in terms of things like design flaws creeping through, then also SRAM is also very pricey

From my experience, for the best value for a performance setup Brakes: Formula Suspension: Rockshox Cranks: XTR or Raceface (or equivalent to avoid a SRAM bb) All other parts Shimano and/or Shimano compatible cassette. I prefer Formula brakes over Shimano and SRAM. To me it has always seemed that SRAM is more pricey and more prone to issues than other brands (except for Rockshox which I think is not originally a SRAM company). Edit: And I do not like the vertical play Shimano pedals, avoid it like the plague! I use Look pedals which is far superior to Shimano pedals.