sputnik-f1

You guys are 100% right, seats on those rigids are way too high, and no one pre rode that course I have watched that vid many times, and it makes me laugh loudly every time There's some cool video footage of Missy in her Yeti days, I see if I can find a link.

You aint seen nothing yet... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzZkKE9Z35g

I will be there ( Brenton ) from 20 Dec and plan to do as much training as possible before the Attakwas. Will be early morning rides. PM me your tel nr and I will contact you when I get there. Hanno

Specialized Hotrock? My son's first proper bike. We bought it new, they have very good resale value as well. After that I bought him a 24" Hotrock with the money from selling the old one and a bit extra. He loved those two bikes. He now rides a 15" frame Giant XTC that I built up for him to a nice spec. He is 10 now and it should last him a while . I think he was about 5 when we bought the first Hotrock. My son is also tall for his age.

Hey Dangle, that is one nice pair of shoes. Would love a pair myself, but waaaaay over my budget. At least it will be easy to spot you at the Attas, will say hallo if I do. Won't be hard to spot me either, my legs will be a lighter shade of them shoes , thanks to the (lack of ) sunny days we've had lately in the UK

Not exactly on topic, but this one makes me smile :

Hi Rock, what bike do you have at the moment?

It is a bit strange for it to break like that. Usually the cause is a side impact. I appreciate the fact that the hanger is supposed to bend in stead of the dropout/frame, but the hangers are ridiculously expensive for such a small piece of alu!

Well it is not that difficult a question. RS Reba/SID are XC forks. So is the Fox F32 series. The Reba Team is the one you want. If you race a lot and a weight conscious type then go for the SID Team. I know that the Reba/SID WorldCup versions are lighter due to carbon arch and steerer, but unfortunately this makes them more flexy than the Teams. I own both a Fox F32 fork and a RS Reba Team. There is not much difference to be honest. What makes the Reba a good choice is the tune-ability and it requires less frequent servicing than the Foxes. On the other hand the Foxes are a bit lighter. The Foxes are also more expensive, so not as good value for money as Rock Shox. It really just comes down to personal choice. But one thing is certain, gone are the days where you can say that Foxes are in a different class to Rock Shox.

I will be leaving this snow invested island in just over two weeks for the sunny shores of Knysna. Just my luck(?) that the Attakwas is on while I am there, so I am bringing my bike with. Any Hubbers out there that have traveled with their bikes on a plane before? Any advice appreciated Will be using a CRC bike bag like this

My bike already has one

You know when you are a South African when you have.......to add Coca Cola to your Brandy to enjoy it.

Oh , and I almost forgot to say: I'm sorry to hear about your crash and hope you heal fast .

Maybe its time to go for a sh!t

Agree that eventually enough sealant ought to cure porous sidewalls, but if you read the link it seams that certain brands of tyre have "unrealiable beads - known to snap or so loose they roll off the rim".

I use Stans in my tubeless tyres and agree that it works( most of the time), but that video made me laugh!!! How many litres of Stans in those tyres??? As far as I know WTB tyres are not recommended for use as tubeless unless you buy the UST specific ones. I stand corrected, but I remember reading that WTB has made an area of the sidewalls very porous on purpose, to prevent people using them for purposes they were not intended for. I can't remember where I read it, but it was on a website that covered Ghetto tubeless techniques and a list of tyres , good and bad. But don't let me stop you, give it a go and with enough sealant it ought to work. Aha Moolz, found this and WTB not recommended http://www.justridingalong.co.uk/content.php?pid=529&jrasid=87c2798f7a5dee242c723f384e1df3b2

Crasher, I like the look of your new wheels. Nice and stealthy looking. The graphics on the XT rims make the wheels look square. Just plain wrong, and I have never been a fan of how the XT's looked.

And here is my 10 year old son's alu/carbon XTC :

My Yeti ASR-SL

Don't really see the point, its not like a seat post that can get stuck in a seat tube, is it? But if it would make you feel better, it won't do any harm.

Personally I think you can't go wrong with Mavic, but seems like they (UST versions ie SL or SLR) will be out of your budget anyway if R4500 for a custom set is too expensive. Best value for money is Mavic Crossrides and you could ghetto tubeless them. Also look at Bontrager wheels for affordable tubeless wheels.

Oh, and forgot to say, you pop them in your water bottle or Camelbak bladder, you don't suck them

Training hard and being fit is obviously important. When I started XC racing I suffered badly from cramps in the last 30mins of the races. But getting fitter sorted this out. Heard about the Rennies being good when I last was in SA (2008). Over here in the UK the XC racers that I know swear by NUUN tablets. Not sure you can get them in SA though.

Nevermind the bike, Emily needs a clean

Back from said road ride to test my new Phenom that will now definitely be going on my MTB. How do I rate it?