Nuffy

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.

I would be very scared of introducing extra flex into an aluminium frame. My understanding is that it has far lower fatigue resistance than a material like steel, so even though it might be “strong enough” without the braces to begin with, some time spent flexing it repeatedly will probably weaken it pretty quickly.

I’m pleased to finally be able to share my Mercer Lanky Lemur. I wasn’t sure if I should post it to one of the singlespeed threads, but to me its primary identity is as my trail bike, and it being singlespeed is almost incidental. It took me about a year from when I first got the frame and built it up to get it to this state, and I think I can say the build is now finished. Obviously parts will wear out and need to be replaced, and I might try some gears on it someday. I have some faster tyres to stick on for commuting duty. Frame: Mercer Lanky Lemur XL, stock plus braze-on seatpost clamp Fork: RockShox Pike Select 140 mm Wheels: Hope Tech Enduro rims on Pro 4 hubs Tyres: Goodyear Newton EN Ultimate 29 × 2.4 (currently with cSixx Foamo inserts) Brakes: Shimano Deore XT M8000 with 180 mm IceTech rotors Bottom bracket: Rapidé EccenTrick Crankset: Shimano XTR M970 175 mm (still the handsomest cranks Shimano has ever made?) Chainring: Lyne 32T 104BCD Pedals: Shimano Deore XT trail PD-M8020 Cog: Rapidé 18T and spacer kit (also have a 20T for hillier rides) Seatpost: Lyne Contour XL 200 mm Headset: Nukeproof Bar: Spank Spike 800 Race (huge logos removed) Stem: Hope 35 mm Grips: DMR Deathgrips Saddle: Fabric Scoop I was very lucky to get the wheels, cranks, stem, pedals, and rotors second-hand at great prices. The fork, brakes, and grips came off my full suspension bike (nice excuse for some upgrades on that!). I thought about getting sliding dropouts on the frame when I ordered it, and for various reasons decided not to. I’m still not sure if that was the right decision or not. I tried two different hanger-mounted tensioners, and had niggles with both of them. This Rapidé Eccentrick bottom bracket was fiddly to set up, and I had a few early issues with it too, but it seems to be good now that I’ve resolved those. If it continues to work well I’ll be happy with this setup. The rear dropouts are super clean now, especially since the Mercer hanger is not an integral part of the dropout, so I could remove that. Even with unlimited budget I think there’s very little I would change about this bike. I’m pretty sure I’ll have it for life, and it’s the first time I’ve felt that way about one of my bikes.

It’s easy to think that raising the front with a larger wheel will give desirable geometry changes (ie slacker head angle and higher stack), but remember that it’ll also slacken the seat tube and raise the bottom bracket, both of which are probably undesirable. I’m with @Steady Spin on this one. Also, depending on who the new rider is, having to think about two different sizes of tyre, tube, and rim might be more than they should have to worry about at this stage in their journey.

Did you and @droo get this resolved, @LazyTrailRider? I’m just curious what the outcome was.

I have seen this with three or four tyres. I think all except for maybe one were Maxxis. None were mine. One got that way after some excessively vigorous sealant removal methods, another from a crash, and the others from no obvious cause.

The Sram spare parts catalogue only lists 39T and 42T chainrings for the 120 BCD cranks: Even if there are other brands making for the 120 BCD mount they’re probably not going to get much smaller as the chain still has to clear those long arms.

Why do you need to replace the hose? If you get the proper replacement hose it should come with the banjo already installed. You shouldn’t be taking that off and then trying to refit it. I think it’s crimped on and I very much doubt that you’d be able to get a secure fitting yourself with a reused banjo. Shimano would tell you you should replace the olive and barb too. I have successfully reused olives in the past, but getting the barb out of the old hose undamaged can be a mission. And they’re super cheap anyway, so you might as well get a new one and do it properly. Just be sure you’re getting the right olive and barb set for your brake – Shimano has two variations. If you go to si.shimano.com and search for your brake you should get all the part numbers and service instructions that you need.

I assume he’s talking about a road wheel. They have different freehub and cassette widths for 10- and 11-speed, and he wouldn’t be going that big on the cassette. As others have mentioned, you may be lucky with your hub. Push the unmodified cassette on as far as it will go and check the clearance between the big ring and the spokes, hub flange, etc. If it looks like there's more than enough space to lose 1.6 mm, and the cassette has enough meat to maintain structural integrity, then it might be worth doing. You could always install a 1.6 mm spacer with that cassette to use it on an 11-speed freehub later if necessary.