Johan Bornman

You don't address anyone in particular. Do it. Any wheelbuilder that doesn't recognize the symptoms of a bent rim needs more experience. There's nothing glib about stating that fact. Finally, you infer, I allude. In other words, when I make a statement, I can't infer. Only the interlocutor can infer. That's you in this case, even up to now the interlocutor was anonymous. Thanks for coming out.

I am no expert on Momsen's range. In fact I know zip about their range except that they're professing to be Saffrican, local and cleverly sourced from cheaper countries. Nothing wrong with that. Who cares about patriotism in that way, in anyway? Having said that, I think Theo (Momsen) made a mistake by putting his name to too wide a range of bikes. You cannot compete in the sub-economical range whilst also playing around at the top end. Crudely put, there is no Colnago with a Shimano sub-Altos gruppo on the market or, there are no Hyperama-quality Morewoods to be had. Leave that bottom end of the market to Axis and Dunlop and the likes. A Momsen with a single-wall rim is rubbish in anyone's eyes and a quality brand shouldn't be there. Theo, nothing personal but don't put anything on the market with anything lower than Shimano Deore, a quality square taper BB (not worse than UN52), Deore brakes, SLX shifters and RD, Deore FD, Shimano HB-5XX series hubs, brand-name tyres, non-Alex rims, Suntour Raidon fork ,10-speed drivetrain and Momsen frame. Leave he rubbish components to the saddle, seatpost and stem. Play in a different price-point or, if you want to play in this price-point, come up with another brand.

A good wheel mechanic doesn't need to know the wheel's history. A rim that's permanently bent cannot be straightened by fiddling with the spokes. It takes an experienced wheelbuilder to determine this situation quickly. It takes a not-so-experienced wheelbuilder to determine this slowly. It takes a fool to not determine this at all and continue to attempt to true the wheel. A wheel that is bent and then straightened by fiddling with the spokes is a dangerous wheel that WILL collapse. A permanently-bent rim will still be bent when all spoke tension is released. A good rim will return to straight when all tension is released. To determine this before starting to work on the wheel requires a bit of experience. In my view, it is not the user's obligation to know this, the wheelbuilder/mechanic must know this.

Ja, the Spruit is lekker (the water too, as you say), but thanks for the pic. I've never seen it during the day. We always do that section at night.

Shimano brakes are dual pivot brakes. Dual pivot brakes cannot centre themselves and are not spring-loaded so that they can follow a buckled rim. Campagnolo rear brakes are single pivot and can centre themselves (within reason) and can follow a buckled rim without getting in the way. Dual privot brakes need careful adjustment so that both pads contact the rim at exactly the same time. If not, they will move the rim over to one side, thereby slackening the spokes on that side and potentially, the nipples can shake loose. They are adjusted using a screw as Drew above said. Unfortunately this adjustment screw on Shimano is really crappy. Try using a flat screwdriver rather than the Philips. It will slip less. On Campag, this screw is a 2mm allen key - nice. Note that these adjustments don't open or close the caliper - that's done via cable tension. The screw merely keeps the jaws in their position relative to each other but moves them over to the left or right - both at the same time. Also, as Droo says, you can also centre them using the anchor bolt and of course you should do the large adjustments there. The adjuster is merely to fine-tune it. Here's the Shimano adjustment screw. You can clearly see why a flat screwdriver works better. I think the Philips head is completely fake.

OK, after all this flat pedal talk I went and got me a pair. I considered all opinions but in the end my decision was based on: 1) Red is nice 2) Seems to be some nice CNC work in there. 3) I'm bored with my bike Lets see if I can still bunny-hop. But first...some flat-soled shoes.

Apparently he's doing another Fork Service Workshop, on aid of the DIY Foundation, on Saturday the 7th of September. There may even be beer afterwards.

Weinmann single wall rim.

Ping Patches.

I understand that number 380 something at this year's Epic was tested and banned. There's even a discussion about it somewhere here. But I get your point. Thanks.

No. I didn't intend it to go like that. It dawned on me (thanks to scull breaker's nice post) that a true pro will know his stuff. If I'm a tax auditor, I can't be forgiven for making an error on my tax return. Me as an amateur, it is possible and perhaps even excusable. OK perhaps tax is a bad example but still. I didn't take the argument further...I simply haven't given that side of it any thought.

Without the bike in front of me it is just a guess, of course. But the reason I suspect a worn sprocket is because it happens with high torque - you alluded to high torque when you said only small chainring. Often the big doesn't produce enough.

I get it and agree with you. Not because of the paragraph about cracking my head but the word professional in there. That changed it for me.

Hola Kamil my new Polish friend. Where is Poland? Somewhere near Mexico? A nut whacker is a Yellow Saddle invention. It is basically a blunt plastic chisel. The reason for using this rather than a plastic hammer is for accuracy. I make nut whackers from nylon rods which I buy from our local engineering plastics supplier in lengths and then cut them to size on a lathe. They don't saw all that nicely but it will do. I hope you find something suitable. You could also use a hard broomstick cut to size, but it will split, so make two or three before you start the job. Don't use metal. BTW, I'm only joking about Mexico. I know Poland is somewhere near the north pole.

Your 11 sprocket is worn out. You push big gears and use that sprocket a lot. An easy cure is to find an 11 from some other discarded cassette. Most people don't ever wear those.

I can comfortably say that this image will remain with me all day.

OK, I understand. But.... there is still the issue that the Phentermine is not a performance-enhancing drug. Hypothetically speaking: I receive R60k back from the Receiver of Revenue and my friend and I enter the Epic. We are nobodies by anyone's standards. We hope to finish. I take Phentermine because I want to enter the race at 74kgs instead of 80. I pee, get caught and am banned for two years. Fair? Consider the question rhetoric since there are too many ifs and buts. Hopefully someone in charge is thinking this through very well - philosophically and scientifically.

No don't be shocked. Be outraged... at the system. I think it has gone too far and people that aren't cheats are tainted with the same brush as LA and co. What happened here is not the same as Lance and I find it hard to associate it with cheating.

I think this is a reasonably easy repair. I've done similar jobs on carbon steerers with great success. The trick is to make a lug that fits inside. In this case, a single round(ish) lug will do. Aluminium is best. The lug should fit tight but have flutes along its length so that the epoxy can flow through. Expoxy works best with a 2mm layer and nice deep flutes, maybe even criss-crossed, will do the trick. Once the expoxy has made a structural bond it will take just a bit of finishing on the outside, with a few drops of fresh resin, to smooth the outside off so that it doesn't interfere with the clamp. They beauty of a lug is that it will give you plenty of warning should it fail, whereas a direct bond not.

Lots of high-horsing with this topic but I look at these drugs which are dubious performance enhancers and I wonder if things haven't gone too far? Surely if someone wants to cheat he won't take appetite suppressants? EPO is the drug of choice in this sport and the drug that gives most people the most benefit. It is also impossible to detect outside the "glow". Yes, it is expensive and Phentermine is cheap (I imagine) but that's certainly not the motivation that drove Pieter to taking a diet pill. I imagine he took it 'cause he was feeling a bit tight in his pants and tries to eat less. He may even be unaware of the effects of high-carb diets and supplements on your appetite and the very stuff that fuels him is making him constantly hungry. We could of course argue that he wanted to loose weight to win but I find it difficult to relate that to cheating. Boxers de-hydrate before weigh-in. Arguably cycling is not about the actual number on the scale and less weight is an advantage. However, if this was a calculated move and Pieter took one look at the list of nasty side-effects, many of which are counter-productive to cycling, he would have chosen another cheating drug, not Phentermine. I think we're in madness territory.

OK, looking at the Wikipedia description of Phentermine, I notice that it is an appetite suppressant. No performance-enhancing benefits are listed. Why end someone's career because of this drug? Why is it illegal? Am I missing something?

Very funny. But thanks.

What is Phentermine?

Thanks Eldron. Just a comment on the wood. I find that with wood, if I whack too hard, the dent goes the other way. The wood is too flexible - but I understand that it is fine for a once-off. For the nut-whacker, nothing beats it. We can't do without our nut whackers here in the workshop, Again, wood works bit looses too much energy in the blow and then when you give it gas, it splits. The nut whackers are really hard and most of the hammer's energy reaches its target and accurately at that.

Dear Johan, In 2010 you wrote in this topic: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/81195-dented-tubeless-mtb-wheel-what-to-do/ You would take some photos and public them on Tech Q&A how to properly straighten the rim. “I find that hammering the dent out is a far more effective way of getting it almost perfect. However, don't take hammer to rim quite yet, I'll take some photos and show the technique in a separate posting in Tech Q&A. You'll need only three tools and with some understanding and patience anyone can fix a rim. In fact, this skill is a very useful one to have if you ride over rocks. “ Last weekend I’ve made a dent in my new Alexrims Evo Super Comp. I would like to fix them. Could you provide me with some hints how to do it? Best regards Kamil Dear Kamil, that thread is now archived and I cannot add to it. But here's the process. 1) Distinguish between a bead lip dent and a cavity dent. If you look at the photo above, you'll see that the one rim has a longer bead lip than the other. The one with the short lip is the popular Crest rim with what they call Bead Socket Technology. The difference is evident. Unfortunately this short lip doesn't absorb impact as well as the long-lip rims and a dent on a Crest goes into the cavity itself whereas a similar bump on the long-lip rim tends to keep the dent in the lip itself. 2) Do NOT attempt to fix a dent with a shifting spanner or vice-grip. The result will be poor and almost certainly leave tool marks where it is unsightly and unwanted. It will also not produce an evenly repaired wall. This photo shows a typical shifting spanner result. The result is localized, uneven and sharp. Remember that aluminium work hardens. At the dent, the material is harder than next to it and trying to work on the dent will produce a bend in the soft section. This is not what you want. 3) Tools required: a) Ball Peen Hammer, B) Nut whacker (20mm x 200mm Nylon rod c) Flat anvil with 90 degree corners. 4) Have a helper hold the rim flat on the anvil. Make sure the plane of the rim is parallel with the anvil's surface. Position the rim so that the end of the lip lines up with the end of the anvil. Not even 1mm back, not even 1mm must hang over. 5) Position the nut whacker in your non-dominant hand so that it is centred on the bulge (the dent's inside) and as upright as the position allows. Whack it with the hammer. 6) Now whack the rest of the dent, always aiming closely before positioning the whacker and whacking it. 7) Resist the temptation to turn the rim over and panelbeating it from the other side. If it is a cavity dent, you may now want to GENTLY whack out the bulge. Use considerably less force than you used on the other side. The cavity is soft If the bulge here is large or, you think you'll hit it more than once, relax the spoke tension in this area first. If you don't do this the rim overcompensates and settles is a new position which will leave a radial dent in the wheel. What results can you expect? 1) It won't be cosmetically perfect. Live with it. 2) It will seal perfectly with tubeless installation. 3) On a road rim you may have a slight pulse as you brake. No problem.