Johan Bornman

Probike in Edenvale. Now called Scott Africa. 0112014000

I have a gym full of barbells and stuff I want to sell before I move. johanatyellowsaddledotceeodotzeda

Trial and error. Go for the 113 and then tune the chainline by moving the rear sprocket around with the use of spacers. You don't say if it is a converted 3x10 crank and where the chainring will be situated. If you use the granny position, go even shorter.

That section is the only place in Gauteng (that I know of) where brakes can fail due to overheating. Carbon wheels are especially vulnerable for brake fail (I won't even call it fade 'cause it just switches off) there. It is our highest and steepest hill with a descent of about 300m (GPS okes can verify this for me) in a matter of a few hundred meters.

Those wheels have too few spokes for durability. They will be strong enough to not collapse under you, but not durable enough to carry you reliably for long distances. When talking wheel "strength" we divide the term into strength and durability. Most wheels are strong enough but only multi-spoke wheels with heavier rims are durable enough for heavy duty use.

Your discs are glazed. Big time. Sand the hell out of them. Pads are glazed too but I can see that they are concave. Probably from incorrect sanding technique. What I suggest is that you put a fresh piece of 150grit sandpaper on a flat surface and then with light pressure, move the pads over it in a figure 8 route. This will prevent the boat shape that you have now. Usually it only require ten seconds of light sanding. They will have a matte finish. That's what you want. Fit and bed in according to other posts.

That's it. Potentially there's the issue of the lockout/inertia valve not working but first pomp, then ask questions.

OK, that means there is no air leak and by increasing the pressure in the shock, you can reduce the sag. My first question is why not then just pump it harder until it feels right again?

No, you want them rough. Smooth is the enemy. Sand with 60 and leave it at that. It is hard work though, we do it on a belt sander here in the workshop.

I take it you're talking about the second photo? No, extremely shallow actually. Also their sides are nice and rounded. This disc is smooth as hell and hence it causes a slip/grip action at a rate (Hz) that's within the human ear's audible range.

Your disc should look like this: And definitely not like this:

Capital B please.

OK, and you are absolutely sure that when you put in more pressure, it still sags to the same position? Do the experiment carefully and mark the positions with a felt tip pen or something. Once we're sure of that, we'll start fiddling with the lockout threshold settings on the brain.

Post a nice macro picture of the disc's surface. I wan to take a look. I'm convinced they are glazed.

Qui me?

I suggest you deglaze your discs. Take a rough emery paper - 60 grit - and with lots of elbow grease, sand the hell out of them until they have a satin, rather than shiny finish. Then start with new pads or sanded old pads. Do a standard break-in procedure. I have described the latter here extensively. I can't think of a single reason why the change of coastal cities would have anything to do with it unless the bergies piss on your wheels when you're not looking.

Then...touché

Thanks Wayne, now I understand. To the OP: Most Specialized shocks have a special mounting that's unlike those on other bikes. Therefore I doubt that you can replace it easily with something else. There are exceptions such as the older Stumpies with the shock behind the seat tube. I think those can be converted. Send us a picture of yours and I'll take a look. However, the solution is in finding the real problem. Shocks are two-part affairs. The one part is the spring (in your case, it is an air spring that you pump) and the other part is the damper. Only the spring has an effect on the amount of sag you get on the bike. Sag is how much the shock depresses when you sit on it. The damper could have an effect on sag if it is a lockout type shock, but lets take that out of the equation. Then you are left with the spring. Either the spring is hard or it is not. In your case, you don't say whether you've tested to see if it holds pressure. I suggest you pump it and then smear a strong soapwater concentration on the shock and look for air leaks. These will show up as bubbles. If there is an air leak, we've found your shock's problem. The other problem could be that the inertia valve (lockout) on that shock doesn't work anymore and it now feels different to what you're used to. But lets first determine whether it leaks air or not. Wayne - I have my tongue in my cheek now....the plural of Nazi has no apostrophe.

He hangs around, just stand there looking lost and he will help you. Promise.

advice

I did ask nicely at first. At least, I think I did.

Capital F please.

Everyone is keen to help you but no-one can understand you. Press the Shift key in conjunction with the required alpha key when starting a new sentence. Use a fullstop when ending sentences and explain yourself. I refuse to believe you get the same sag with 160 and 200PSI in the air chamber. That's not possible. Something else is amiss and no-one can figure it out from cryptic messages.

That's a foolish philosophy. Firstly, how do you know what is best? The most expensive? Secondly, what is wrong with good enough? Or, what's wrong with appropriate? My car needs 20W50. I can afford virgin synthetic 5W wharra-wharra oil at R300/l but why would I do it? The world needs more customers like you.

I have a plan. Lets do an experiment. We start with a fresh wheel - a front one since the bearings on both sides are equally exposed. We fit new bearing balls and use your grease on the one side and any old grease on the other side. Upon assembly, we inject 3mm of water into each side. We then go for a 20km ride and examine both sides. I say they will both be equally emulsified. You say the one will be better off than the other. I see that you are in George. You will have to nominate a credible witness for this side of the world.