Nuffy

If the bug really does bite I predict you’ll be wanting/needing to upgrade well within the year! I think you’ve been given some great advice already, but would add a couple of things: Do as much learning as you can now so that when you are ready for the upgrade you are better prepared and have some idea of what to look for. Buying second-hand is probably a good call, but you need to know what to look for. I would see if you can buy through a shop you trust, or a bike-specific platform like this one with seller ratings, but see if you can get a potential bike checked out by a shop or someone you trust. The sizing and basic specs is one thing, but it takes an experienced eye to spot things like suspension that could be problematic and lacking service support and spare parts, incompatible builds, etc. The seller may not be deliberately trying to pull a fast one, but might just not know any better, so don’t rush into a buy just because the seller seems honest. Many people will say a bike is in excellent condition if the wheels and cranks go round. You’ll want more than just that basic functionality. A second-hand bike is an attractive option because it has already lost its value. So, assuming it was fairly priced, you could potentially resell it for the same as what you bought it for if you realise it is the wrong size or not appropriate. A new bike will lose a significant portion of its value as soon as it goes out the shop door. Try to test ride as many bikes as you can. Friends’ bikes, demo bikes, whatever. Make notes on everything that stands out to you, positive or negative, from things like the sizing and geometry to the grips, saddle, handlebar width, etc. You’re unlikely to find a new one that has everything you like, but once you’ve worked out what’s important you can prioritise that and budget for changes to the small things. Try to get an idea of what a bike will cost to maintain in the short, medium, and long term. Some parts, like the drivetrain components, wear out and will eventually need to be replaced. You can prolong this by looking after them, but the day will eventually come. Too many people have the idea that once they’ve paid the big initial purchase price, any future expenditure is just cheap basic maintenance. If you buy a bike with a Sram Transmission drivetrain, replacing that cassette and chain is going to cost more than a lot of the complete bikes in the classifieds, and you don’t really have a lot of choice for alternatives. But if you’ve got a 10-speed Shimano drivetrain there is a much wider array of replacement options and they’re a fraction of the cost. So, a bike purchase is not a once-off – you will be paying again and again and again over the years, sometimes out of necessity and sometimes for the joy of an upgrade or some bling. The choices you make in that initial purchase will determine how expensive those subsequent costs will be. A high-spec bike on clearance sale may be attractive now, but will you be just as happy with that choice three years down the line when you’ve had to fork out for an overhaul or two? Unfortunately this is something that is difficult without experience, but you can start by asking a few questions about a potential bike: 1. What are the consumable parts? 2. Are they available? 3. How much do they cost? You might be better off spending a bit more on the initial purchase to save on running maintenance costs or give yourself more upgrade options in the future. Welcome to the sport, have fun, good luck, and drop in to ask more questions – you can see there are lots of others keen to help you!

Thanks. 9 out of 10 times the above works, but I’ve had two that I haven’t been able to do, although I didn’t try heat on the latest one. I’ve broken at least one bench vice on this task, so I have invested in a much stronger one. Thankfully the bearing on the latest hub is still smooth, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on it, although I have some new muscle aches and hand pain from hauling on that wheel! I’ve seen suggestions elsewhere to use an impact wrench, so I’m going to see if I can find who was selling the tool with a compatible fitting. Anyone else here tried that?

At the risk of derailing my own thread… @droo, since we’re here… any tips on removing a DT Swiss ring nut? 😁

From 175 mm? Did you notice a big change? I used to be firmly against 30 mm spindles too, my thinking being that they don’t leave much space for big bearings. But seeing how many respected brands use 30 mm spindles (Hope, Race Face, DMR, etc) I’ve started thinking that as long as the parts are from a decent brand and I’m not trying to fit it into a BB92 pressfit shell, maybe I should hold off on the armchair engineering.

I’ve been eyeing those up too. They look lovely, but I’m also put off by the proprietary BB. It’s not that big a deal, but since I’ll be shopping for a crankset to replace the slightly defective one on my hardtail anyway I thought I might as well try 165 mm on the big bike. Your points on the suspension and pedals are good ones, and I will do some more playing with the LSC. I get very little pedal bobbing, and only use the climb switch on long tarmac climbs. It’s a coil shock, and I am tempted to try a stiffer spring, but I think the sag is pretty close to optimal as it is. Recommended fork travel is 150 mm and I’m running 160. Yes, it does. And a longer wheelbase. The increase in frequency of pedal strikes was entirely predictable. But for me the trade-off was worth it for the improved stability at speed, confidence when the trail gets steep, and a more planted front wheel when winching up climbs. My main reason for starting the thread was to see if there were any options available in RSA that I had missed, and out of genuine curiosity about what others are running. There seem to be more and more options available overseas (Canfield, NS Billet, Intend, plus many others), but the trend for shorter cranks doesn’t really seem to be taking off in southern Africa yet. My current plan is to hold out for a Race Face Turbine set, but I’ll keep an eye out for other options. Maybe I should grab the one in the classifieds for the hardtail and leave the full sus alone…

Thanks @droo. I'll try that next time. My method (if it doesn’t come off easily) involves leaving the wheels on, putting the opposite pedal under a convenient ledge and sticking a handlebar over the hex key for extra leverage. So far I’ve only had one that didn’t come loose like this. But if it’s my own bike and I’m not in the workshop I won’t always have a conveniently-situated ledge and spare handlebar…

Ah, I didn’t realise 5Dev does alloy cranks. They look good, but the cost could be enough to put me off, especially when you factor in the shipping and duties as well. I guess I’m still scarred from the early days of DUB when there wasn’t an abundance of third-party options, and we saw poor durability on the press-fit variants which were out of stock for long periods. But your points about there being more options now and the BSA versions being more durable are certainly valid. And it looks like Cape Cycles has the Descendant 165 mm in stock… However, as with others above, I’m also not keen on the Sram crank bolt system. They are consistently the most difficult to remove, and it’s not a process I want to have to go through on the side of the trail or in my home office the night before a ride. It’s not a deal-breaker, and with proper care and the right tools I could certainly live with it, but I’ll hold out a bit longer to see if I can find something more user-friendly. Yes, they are gorgeous. Unfortunately the price isn’t so attractive, and I don’t want to be stuck trying to source compatible chainrings. I realise they do offer a spider for a 104 BCD mount, but it all starts adding up and becoming more complicated with more interfaces that can work loose, creak, etc. I currently have a 170 mm Deore XT M8000 set on my enduro bike. I would like to try something a little shorter if I can. I plan to move the M8000 to the hardtail, whose current cranks are a little worse for wear. I do still get more pedal strikes with my current 170 mm cranks than I did with my previous bike. I realise there is an element of adjusting my technique, but it also happens when traversing steep rock slabs where no amount of pedalling finesse is going to help. Unfortunately I am the LBS, so the effort and pain would be mine alone.

I would like to source a set of 165 mm cranks for my enduro bike, but am having trouble finding good options in South Africa. My first choice would probably be Race Face Turbine or Atlas, but the distributor stopped bringing them in because of low demand. The Shimano distributor doesn’t seem to be bringing in any of the Saint parts anymore, and they seem to only offer the 170 and 175 mm options in XT, SLX, etc. I don’t want to tie myself into the DUB system, so that takes Sram options out. My requirements and preferences are: 165 mm length 24 or 30 mm spindle diameter to fit 73 mm BSA threaded bottom bracket 52 mm chain line for regular boost 148 mm rear hub wide availability of chainrings (30T and 32T), preferably with steel options (such as Race Face Cinch, Shimano 96 BCD, 104 BCD, Sram three-bolt direct mount) black or silver colour options aluminium (or titanium, but see next point…) cheaper than eeWings I’m currently running a 1 × 10 with 11–46T cassette and have no plans to change from this. Any suggestions? What are other enduro and downhill riders in RSA running?

Sad news all round. As part of UCT Cycling I got permission for us to build on Middle Campus by the windmill, and spent many hours there shovelling dirt. I left Cape Town in 2011 and have lost touch with the crews riding and building there. I believe there was a guy who had no UCT affiliation who took the lead on the jump building, but I’ve forgotten his name and I don’t know what has become of him. @lee pastor if you want to go and do some maintenance and building I’d be surprised if anyone had an issue with it, especially given how neglected it looks. However, if you plan on spending a lot of time there it might be worth visiting the UCT sports centre and just introducing yourself to the club coordinator and explaining your intentions. Unfortunately the students come and go, so there isn’t always continuity between generations. I don’t know what UCT Cycling is like now. I also never had anything to do with the XC loop above the tennis courts, except to walk around it once on a visit to Cape Town. It was built after I had left.

Thanks @David Marshall and @droo for your helpful responses. That’s much what I suspected, but it’s good to have it confirmed. I’ll crack on with it then.

I’m hoping somebody might be able to help me identify this old 26 inch RockShox fork. I’m guessing it’s from around 2005 to 2008. It has “05” stamped onto the underside of the crown, so I’m not sure if that’s the year model? I can’t see a serial number anywhere. It has a straight steel steerer tube, IS disc brake mounts and no V-brake mounts, 85–130 mm U-turn travel adjust, coil spring, and Motion Control damper with remote spool. My research so far seems to suggest that there were Pikes, Revelations, Rebas, Recons, and Toras around that era that match most of these sepcs. I don’t think the lowers match the shape of the Pikes, but I’m not sure which of the others it is. My main reason for wanting to positively ID it is to get the oil volume for the damper, as I’d like to service that. Alternatively, is there an easy way to calculate the oil volume based on the dimensions of the stanchions, damper shaft, and Motion Control unit? My guess is that the oil should just submerge the bottom of the compression damping unit when upright and static at full extension, but I’m not certain about that.

If you tell us what make and model of hub it is somebody might be able to suggest appropriate options. For example, some brands like Hope make converters for their hubs that replace the original end caps. But many other brands don’t, and for them you would need to get something generic like the Rapidé ones.

I don’t know if this buyer is legit or not, and it’s wise for you to be cautious. But, as a Zimbabwean who sometimes buys through Bike Hub I have the same challenges with trying to arrange for a runner to collect the item and find ways to make payment. It’s not easy to get money out of the country. I haven’t personally used Mukuru, but it is a reputable service and the founder is a connection through family and the biking community. I was grateful recently when a seller on here accommodated my situation and allowed my transporter to collect the item. Of course, I didn’t expect him to release it until the funds had cleared in his account, but throughout the whole process I was aware how so much of what I was asking of him might have sounded like a scam setup. I think his mind may have been put at ease somewhat when he phoned me up to chat briefly about the item before committing to the deal.

As @droo said, pressures depend on which dropper you’re talking about, as the designs vary hugely. Pressure = force / area. The Command Post uses a much larger piston (ie. area) than most designs, so to get a force comparable to designs with a much smaller piston (like a RockShox Reverb) you will need a proportionately lower pressure: 250 psi = 250 pounds / 1 inch² 25 psi = 250 pounds / 10 inch² I don’t know what the actual piston areas are, but the above should illustrate the point. You can vary the pressure of your Command Post slightly to change the return speed, but stick within the range that Specialized recommends and note that even at low pressures those particular posts are known for their vigorous return.

I have a whole box full that was sent to me by mistake instead of 1 1/8th inch spacers. I’m in Zim, but I have contacts travelling to SA in the next few weeks, so if you can wait until then I’d be happy to arrange to send you some. Let me know what length you need, and if you’d prefer silver or black, and DM with address details if you’re keen.