Johan Bornman

I've disabled PM. Too many people asking weight-related questions. johanatyellowsaddledotceeodotzeda

Where are these tests? I don't believe that any test that shows that disc brakes on a roadbike can give the advantages stated above, exists. Such a test would defy physics. I say it again: the limiting factor in stopping faster is not the force applied at the brake, but the high centre of gravity that causes a fast-braking cyclist to go over the handlebars. We have to improve that before we can brake faster.

bull****.

Walk over to your bike, move the wheel. Notice the flex. Tell us how it is relevant. Where have I made that claim? Nevermind, it really doesn't matter what you or the other matrons in Sandton think.

I have lots of people walking into the workshop asking about flex. They take the wheel, move it sideways and notice a bit of flex and want something done about it. All wheels flex and it is totally irrelevant unless of course it touches the fork.

I don't understand this. How did he space the fork out? Did he do that to fit a wheel with an over locknut dimension (OLD) of more than 100mm?

You meant to say what a VALID question. You seem to have issues. The statement was made that there was flex in the FS. Lots of people imagine flex, hence my request for more information. Some 24-spoke wheels easily touch the fork sides and it bothers people because it either makes a noise or scrapes the paint or both. If it doesn't touch anything, flex is just about irrelevant. If it touches, then corrective action is required. I suspect you know all this but just feel a bit vexatious this month. Or is it this year?

If it says DYNASIS anywhere on the derailer, it is not compatible with 9spd.

How did you discover the flex and why does it bother you?

Just retrofit an 8spd freewheel body to that wheel and you're all good to go.

There is nothing wrong with Deore's quality. It shifts as good as XTR. If you ride with a properly adjusted Deore and you don't know it, you can't tell what's on there. I'm phrasing this badly.... In a blind test, you cannot tell. The more expensive derailers have more aluminium parts on and are machined nicely. But they all shift the same.

On Tuesday I had the privilege to be shown around the Torqzone bike workshop in the Doornkloof Mall. Wow! Dirk, Dirk, Marcell and Marco have done a fantastic job in setting up what I consider to be the nicest workshop in the country. Have a look for yourself: http://www.torqzone.co.za/ During the last two years the two Dirks received technical training from Yellow Saddle with the aim of setting up a dedicated bike workshop and I thus knew something was in the pipeline. However, I never foresaw the sheer ambition and dedication that I witnessed when I saw the end result of the team's work. Congratulations guys. It looks fantastic and with dedication like that I'm sure your workshop with go from strength to strength.

Hot you say? I humbly disagree. The finishing is only half done. Only the facing side of the lever is chamfered, the back is sharp-edged. The brass bushing has more friction than a religious discourse and spring...well, that was designed by a fairy. But I have to admit, they do come in pretty colours and a very nice cardboard box.

Once you read the a proper skewer manual (check out the Shimano skewer manual online) and you understand that bearing preload is partly supplied by skewer tension, you'll realize that your skewers are not nearly tight enough. This means that you have too little bearing preload and premature wear. Then, once you try and tighten your Hope/Zipp/Mavic skewer to the right tension, you'll find that the friction and handle ergonomics make it nigh impossible to get the correct tension. Some skewers have some flimsy handles that they break, as I alluded to in an earlier post. I think it was a Bontrager IIRC. What Shimano knows about bearings and bearing preload, other companies must still learn. Also, 90% of creaking rear wheel problems emanate from poor skewer tension which is directly related to poor skewer design. Good enough has never been good enough.

Shimano sells all its skewers separately but the local distributor doesn't have stock of front skewers and some rear models at the moment. It is a real pain since I try and fit those skewers to all the Hope wheels I build. Hope's own skewers are sub-standard. I have limited stock if you are interested. I probably won't match front and back with exactly the same colour.

I've also had a run-in with Dr Evil who criticized me for something via all sorts of channels bar face-to-face. This was before the days of Twitter though.

Don't fart around with fancy pantsy skewers. If it has an external cam and doesn't say Shimano or Campagnolo on the side, then avoid it like a roadblock. Cheap and fancy skewers creak and make the simple process of closing a QR a mission. Most of these with the external cams are lethal, to boot. If you attempt to tighten them as tight as they're supposed to go, the lever can break and cut you. Come see my scars.

Yes, you do get screw-on banjo fittings and any good bike shop should have a kit of such fittings, banjo, in-line etc etc. If you don't get sorted, contact me.

Why is the year important. The owner's manual will show you where the various adjusters are (red is usually rebound and blue compression). It will give you an approximate SPV pressure and tell you to put heavier springs when needed. In fact, all you need to know is printed right there, including the spring strength.

It is very seldom that the creak comes from the bearing itself. It usually emanates from the cup/frame interface. Obviously greased bearings are happy bearings, but my post was intended to address the creak, not bearing happiness.

Yup, it is the way it is. Myuddy water gets in between the frame and BB and eventually evaporates, leaving the dust behind. This creaks. With conventional screw-in BBs we can take them off, clean and replace. With press-fit BBs the removal process is usually destructive so bike shops are reluctant to offer that they will remove and replace. Progress is not always progress.

Would you care to explain and quantify this "huge" difference?

Brake fade is something very specific and generally can't be cured by bleeding. I say generally, because there is one instance and I'll mention it later. The term brake fade is descriptive - as you apply brakes, they start to require more and more brake force to provide the same stopping as before. The extreme end of brake fade is sudden zero brakes. Brake fade happens on rear brakes before front brakes because rear brakes don't stop you and people scared of their front brakes then drag the brake over long distances in an effort to control the descent. The cure for this is to learn how to use your front brakes properly. Nevertheless, we're taking brake fade. There are three types. 1) Fluid fade, This is when the brake fluid boils with the result that the liquid column in the system becomes gaseous and spongy. It usually feels like complete absence of brakes. Not nice. The way to prevent this is to not drag your brakes so much (use the front brake more), loose lots of weight or make sure you have fresh brake fluid in there. Old fluid boils at a lower temperature due to its ready affinity for airborne moisture. 2) Green fade. This happens when new resin pads (and some metal pads) are used without bedding in properly. The resin has to cure and the final stage of the cure happens through heat. If you heat them up too much before they're properly cured, they give of gas which makes the brakes fade. This you provide when braking under controlled applications right after fitting new pads. Your mechanic should be able to tell you how to bed in your new pads. 3) Pad fade. This happens when (even properly bedded in) pads are used outside of their operating spec i.e. becomes too hot. Loose weight and learn how to use the front brake. Then, I'd like to add another type of fade to the list and this is a situation where the pads and discs have become glazed over from improper or just lots of use. Here the pad and disc requires roughening up. It has been discussed and described here. This is not strictly brake fade but just general deterioration. Most people don't even notice it until you fix the problem and then notice the decreased stopping distance and ease of lever application. Decide which shoe fits your scenario.

Okes with hairspray in their toolboxes worry me. They invariably also just happen to have Cutex in there to "touch up the odd scratches in paint." Yeah, right.

Captain, this was not an attack on your favoured brand. I have never seen those hubs so I have no opinion on them. I wanted to give the OP a method for selecting reliability. If he considers the source to be good, spares readily available and is prepared to put up with 4 days plus shipping, then all's well and fine. I specifically didn't mention the bearings since they will almost certainly be standard cartridge bearings available anywhere I the world. I don't see where my advice is BS.