BergForce

But the Crests wheels will be fine! You can buy my P-XC2 with the DT 350 hub wheels for R1000, but I wont do that if I were you, its too heavy!. But if you get the Storm, I would just use the Crest wheels. If need to upgrade from heavy wheels, go for the standard American Classic Tubeless wheelset @strong @1600g. Get a 29er dually, and get the American Classics.

Been riding the Crest wheels for a year now and not even a buckle. I am 65kgs. The American Classic 29er @1600g is probably the better option, but I think the Crests will be fine. Putting heavier wheels on the Storm will piss off the MTB Gods.

Surely if 1 rider is on a hardtail and the other on a dually they would not be equally fast on climbs and downhills/rough terrain, if the riders are more or less equal. But it all depends on how ernstig you are about time and if you mind waiting a bit.

Giant Anthem X1 29er + wheel upgrade should be only about 5k more.

We are comparing a 15mm alu rod with a 9mm alloy rod, plus the way the axle screws into the fork adds to less flex.

I refuse to buy a 29er bike without a thru-axle front. I mean what were they thinking?

American Classic wheels are the strongest for the weight and cheaper than Stans. 1600g is 10g grams heavier than the Stans Crest wheelset for the AC standard wheelset but so much stronger with a rider weight limit of 107kgs. Here is a chart with AC wheels their weights and weight limits: http://amclassic.com/documents/manuals/wheel_chart.pdf As for tyres...Maxxis Ikon Exo. With Ikons and AC wheels you will save yourself a bucketload of weight.

I think I have the same problem and I suspect it is caused from pushing too big a gear on the spinning bikes. Today I tried a bit lower resistance and felt no pain.

They are not really cheaper on contract, and they seem to cookie cut you into 100sms, 100megs, 100mins airtime - not cool, flexible prices works out cheaper .

At least cellc do not hide their ripping you off.

Gravel-travel I`ll give it a miss, big bad weather predicted for Saturday.

Hahah in my case too, but keep me posted on what the physio says. I hope it is not worn out cartridge!

I don`t think a 1cm shorter stem will cause knee pain, but please keep this post updated on whats happening, I also have a knee pain in the left knee just under the kneecap. Funny enough my knee pain also started when I changed to a 1cm shorter stem. Must be bad coincidence!

Cell-C has got the best network coverage these days, seems like this was just a network coverage issue. I have no doubt that today Cell-C is the superior.

<p>Ye you really crazy!</p>

Also got the Storm1 but only after the LBS agreed to put 3x10 on. The 29" wheels makes the gears even heavier, and for climbing I want to have an as high as possible cadence up the steep climbs. The areas where I ride I need the slowest granny gear possible - very steep long climbs. I need the versatility 3x10 offers, maybe for flatter terrain 2x10 would be suitable.

Unless you are very strong on the climbs rather go for the 3x10, and try to swap out the 11-34 cassette for a 11-36. My bike just cruises up the steepest of climbs in granny. When I bought the difference between the 2 versions was much less than 3k because the the Storm 1 was old stock standing on the floor. Apparently the prices went up recently for the new stock.

But still...those xt brakes are just yummy. For me I like them full xt. Another upgrade I made on my bike - I took off the new Crest wheels and bought a set of American Classic Race wheels from Summit Bikes for 6k. The new Crests will be sold for just under 5k. My bike is about 10kgs now. But which ever version you get I can tell you that this is a great bike and there is no better bikes out there for the price.

I got the Storm1 but only after changing the 2x10 to 3x10. I also swapped the 11-34 cassette for a 11-36. The Storm1 is better value but be sure that you can live with the 26-34 granny gear in the Cape mountains. The Storm 2 comes out with 3x10 and a 24-34 granny, so much better for non-professional riders on the climbs.

Tyres grip differently depending on the model, not the brand. Maxxis Crossmarks does not have good sideways grip, but I found that the Ikon has a more consistant grip when leaning over than a Ralph. Then there is the Maxxis Aspen with zero rolling resistance but very good grip for such a low knobby tyre. I like the Ralphs because they roll very fast, but I don`t like them because it seems their grip deteriorates from day one. So Ikons for me for everyday use, and on my race wheels I got some Ritchey WCS Shields.

Jungle B-fast is a cheaper alternative to FutureLife. B-fast/Leanpro in the week, FutureLife/Leanpro on the weekend. If FutureLife want to up their prices I`ll rather use the much cheaper Jungle B-fast for everyday.

hahah haters it sucks to be you!

Oh ye and I forgot to mention..............................................................................................................29ERS RULE!!!!

But if you did all that AND had a 29er it would even be better. Common lets cut the crap, 29ERS RULE!!!!

The Ralphs don`t last long wear wise so you gonna spend money soon anyway. Get Maxxis Ikon Exo`s and thank me later. They outlast Ralphs 3-1 at a minimum. Mine is going on to a year now with many kms on them. No cuts and no degradation in grip yet.