Swift01

@dirt-rider so even if you get a part that you have to throw away because it is actually worn out you would still think it's Brand New in your eyes. Interesting to say the least.

Aaaaa Didn't see the Poll part. May be I will change it to that. I also thought the first 2.

Hi, I would like to find out what the Definition of the words "Brand New" when you buy something on the Hub. Does it mean Brand New, never been used still in the box Does it mean Brand New, came off a brand new bike BUT never been used Does it mean Brand New, I have used it for 5km Does it mean Brand New, I have used it for 100km Does it mean Brand New, I have used it scratched it, worn the one part out but it's ok to sell it as Brand New? Just putting it out there on what hubbers would like the definition of the words "Brand New" mean to them

I am yet to see any on a bike in SA

Cyclelab sells them. I could be wrong (this may be a newer model) but they had ones they claimed were tubeless but the are actually 2bliss and weigh about 500, they also had same ones but heavier that had the UST stamp on them

If I went for different nipples and hubs I could have brought the weight down quite a bit more, but the budget said no. One can also pay a mere 2500 per rotor, which will give you 55grams of titanium babies. What make of tire is it? Be careful of tubeless Ust and tubeless 2bliss.

Aaaaah forgot the rear cassette. 280grams Sram 11-32 = 1816g When I first put the new wheels etc on the front definately felt lighter than the back (the balance of the bike) but I made a mistake on the front tubeless so had a leak. Took the bike to the shop to have the cables made shorter and the leak was fixed. I suspect thjey have filled the front with tons of stans as now the balance has shifted to the front feeling heavy. So it's possible bike shops load it to make sure it will seal. I'll sort mine out this weekend

I just used 1.6kg as an example my new one is actually a bit lighter at the rear Front Stans Alpine Rim, DT Swiss revolution Spokes, Hope Pro 2 hub = 690g Rotor Claimed weight = 104g Tire Intense System 2 Claimed weight = 500g Slime Stans 2oz = 57g Skewer = 62g Total Front = 1413g Rear Wheel Stans Alpine Rim, DT Swiss revolution Spokes, Hope Pro 2 hub = 800g Rotor Claimed weight = 104g Tire Kenda Small Block 8 Non Tubeless Claimed weight = 500g Slime Stans 2oz = 57g Skewer = 75g Total Rear = 1536g

One thing I have noticed since I put the new wheels on is the acceleration. I think where yu save the weight on the wheels matters a lot. Both my wheelsets are virtually the same weight but one has heavier rims with light hubd while the other is heavier hubs but lighter rims. Old wheel DT Swiss XR 4.1 Rim 425grams Plus 2.0/1.8/2.0 Spokes and Rubber tubeless rim strip, 12mm Brass nipples New Wheels ZTR Alpine Rim 330grams Plus 2.0/1.5/2.0 Spokes and light No Tubes tape for tubeless, 12mm Brass nipples That would be a saving of at least 100grams per wheel at the Rim which is where it matters the most. . I was doing the normal Teak route for the first time with the new wheels, and at first I thought the faster accelaration was just my imagination, but near the beginning of Teak on the Blue/Black route you have the 3 switchbacks/loops going off the dirt road. After the 3rd switch back I realised the new wheels definately accelarate much faster. In fact I was able to accelarate nearly all the way up the 3rd switch back going towards the dirt road. I kept getting faster and faster until I will confess I went too fast and ran out of talent and went a bit wide on a slight s-bend, causing me to loose all the momentum I had built up. I can't ever remember being able get to such a speed up that route and keep it going for so long. One would really need to do tests with the same bike, heart rate monitor, Cadence meter, Power Meter etc same route, done at least 4 times in the same conditions on 4 different days, where one day you start with the old wheels the other day you start with the new wheels to even the playing field. I think the bottom line is going from a really heavy set of wheels like 2.9kg for a rear wheel to 1.6kg for a rear wheel will give you a huge difference, but going from 1650 to 1630 I think the biggest difference one will Flex. which wheel is stiffer than the other. No wait the bottom line will be Bling, which wheels draw more conversation. Never under estimate the bling :-) Show us your Wheels

Yip the bike makers are making sure we ALL move over to V-Brakes. Any decent Frame or Fork these days does not have V-brake bosses. 2 yrs ago I broke my Merida Team Issue frame which when I bought it, ONLY came with V-Brakes. The new frame is NOT a team issue but a Merida FLX1000 which the importer had specially done with v-brake bosses and lucky for me imported a few of them.

Different tyres will naturally have different rolling resistance so just changing the tire can change how the bike rolls. Also a tire effects the weight/bike handling the most. @chris_w_65 Wow those are impressive weights :-) Just built my wheels and weighed them before I added the cassette, tires and rotors. (Had the Valve on). could have made them lighter with Aluminium nipples not they would not be as strong. Front Stans Alpine Rim, DT Swiss revolution Spokes, Hope Pro 2 hub = 690g Rotor Claimed weight = 104g Tire Intense System 2 Claimed weight = 500g Slime Stans 2oz = 57g Skewer = 62g Total = 1413g Rear Wheel Stans Alpine Rim, DT Swiss revolution Spokes, Hope Pro 2 hub = 800g Rotor Claimed weight = 104g Tire Kenda Small Block 8 Non Tubeless Claimed weight = 500g Slime Stans 2oz = 57g Skewer = 75g Total = 1536g

No because the rim bends on the spokes but the disc is attached to the hub. Only if you actually bend the rotor badly may you have a problem, although most rotor's you can bend enough with your hands to solve the problem (just let it cool down first after the downhill).....

Never used these but Specialised Captains do look interesting especially if there is going to be mud. Mtn Kings are also pretty good for the mud but the race king won't cut it. Kenda karmas I here are just the bomb...

I have to say I am glad I won't have to hear my rims being ground away by mud when every you brake after going through a muddy river crossing. Great alternative to Disc brakes is the ones my sister put on, the Magura Hydraulic V-Brakes. Awesome stopping power and her brake pads lasted 3 yrs.... Still don't beat the disc brakes though

@dirt-rider For the Shimano products thats all you need (made one for the GF's bike), but you still need the mineral oil. Unfortunately for the Avid CR's you need 2 syrigges, 2 bit of hoses with clamps to block off the hoses and 2 valves on the end of the hoses to screw into the brakes. They don't have normal bleeding nipples. Kind of complicates it a bit... On the plus side you can get hydraulic fluid for a garage @rouxtjie You are so lucky I took the hit for the team or else it would have been you and that new Zula of yours swimming with the fishes...... Glad to have been at service as we no tupperware floats :-)

@SteveCT I was also finding it not worth the money to change over to Dics brakes as it ment new wheels. Just so happened I bought the brakes at an insane stupid low price. Managed to leave them in the cupboard for 3 months then a deal came up on some hubs that I could not refuse. From then on it was sell sell sell until I was able to build the wheels. It actually didn't cost nearly as much for the wheels if you buy and build them yourself. Nearly half the price of your LBS. @dirt-rider The 2 main problems I had was no "Olives" to shorten the hoses (not too many shops seem to stock the Avid Elixir) and no bleeding kit. I maintain the GF's ones quite easily and quickly but run out of oil and your screwed if it's a Sat afternoon. Somehow after years of V-Brakes someone ALWAYS has parts. Running out of beer can also be solved quickly. I learnt a very fast lesson, have the equipment and do it yourself. @rouxtjie Come try keep up with the tupperware on the course and even off the course (the latter is beers) :-D Yeah what is it with guys and their disc's singing along like Maria and her high pitched voice..... 2 loosened bolts, one handful of brake, 2 bolts tightened sorted. I don't even know if you can fit one sip of beer in between it's so quick....

Hi, So what is people's feelings on the Dics Brakes vs V-Brakes. While all my mates are going from Hardtail to Duel Sus (and dare I say it we have 1 fence sitter. Wanted to go 29er but may be was too scared so went 69er, halfway) I finally made the plunge and went for Disc brakes after many happy miles on V-Brakes. I have only done 60km on the new setup and definately still wearing in, but there are a few things I have noticed. A great set of V-Brakes vs a low end set of Disc brakes I would just stay with V-Brakes (provided you have very good sealed cables). Low end disc brakes have no modulation and they are either on or off, plus I didn't find their stopping power that great. I think the GF needs an upgrade :-) So as the old saying goes compare Apples with Apples. Avid Speed Dial SL V-brakes sealed XTR cables vs Avid Elixir CR. Installation, V-brake was way easier due to spares all over the place. You just need cables and away you go. Very easy. Disc brakes WHAT A PAIN. Not the easiest to get cables shortened due to shops not having spares and if your in a hurry sometimes you have to go to shops you would not normally take your bike. My recomendations would be, buy the spares first to shorten the cables and get your own bleeding kit. After 2 trips to a certain bike shop on Friday (first to have the cables shortened and bled and the 2nd to have them bled AGAIN 2 hrs later). By the time I got home Fri afternoon I was phoning my normal bike shop to get the system Bled a 3rd time. I think there was more air in the system than oil....... Ok now I was ready to roll. With no braking power in the beginning (still had to run in), it was gentle braking all the way. Are they any better? YES... 2 things struck me straight away. First is how smooth thiings feel. No pad on rim feeling, no cable tension feeling. 2nd was Predictability. Even though they are not fully run in, the modulation is amazing, just light finger action, and you never get the feeling it's suddenly going to bite and throw you over the handle bars when your riding one hand and using the front brake. All I can say is they are just getting better and better as they run in. Not sure how long it takes but they just seem to be getting stringer as they go. Definately money well spent. New wheels (ZTR rims with Hope Hubs on DT Swiss Revolution Spokes) and the Avid Elixir CR brakes, can't go wrong :-) Just need to buy a bleeding kit.....

I think we need rouxtjie to create some real stats for this post. Interesting I thought I would see a lot more Mountain kings but just off the top of my head seems there is a lot of cross marks.

Only 10 people gave some information. Interesting Maxxis seems to be the most common brand. Would have been nicer to get more people

Tires are definately a very personal choice so it's going to be interesting what different tires pressures etc people are using.

I could not get the crossmark to corner, gave no confidence. Changed to Kenda small block 8 front and back which was not too bad (definately better), and now got the Intense on the front which seems to work even better. I also could not get the mountain king to work some time back, but I believe they are best when the track is a little damp, and not loose hard pack gravel?

Tried cross marks (Lust and non) about 6 months back, but could not get them to work for me :-(

Hi, I have often wondered what tires and pressure people run. Here are my stats Bike = Carbon Hard Tail Rider Weight = max 74kg Front = Intense System 2 (2bliss running gheto style) 26 x 2.0 at 1.75bar Rear = Kenda Small Block 8 (non tubeless gheto style) 26 x 2.1 at 1.9 to 2.0 bar Been running this for some time now with no problems. I just find running non tubeless your margin for getting the tire pressure correct is very small.

I had grip shift that came with my bike and changed to triggers after a few months. Personal preference, I tend to brake late and change gears late as I enter corners. (I know no doubt bad practice). The trouble I found with the grip shift was I would be braking and change gears and due to the twisting of the grip shift I would suddenly grab more brake and almost crash. Just could not skake the habit so bought triggers and never looked back.

Yes Burry did look like he was working very hard on the hills. Was it the 29er or the single chain ring? Personally I don't think the 29er has evolved enough yet (same as it's taken the duel sus a long time to evolve). You will never see a pro on a 29inch duel sus. In the end we will need more money to have a few bikes hanging in the garage so we can decided on the day what one would think would be the faster machine on the day. Or just get a Merida if you want to win :-)