Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Just paste the url

Old ones had that. New ones are fixed by all accounts

It would enable you to get further behind the saddle on the tech bits, and sharpen the steering.

and "a bit uneducated"

Okay cool. Not as narrow as it looked. If you do feel the need to go wider, go for the rapide bar. Farking strong and reasonably light. Cheap as chips as well

Yeah, it would be, given that you've still got the same bar. What width is the bar?

Explain this bit here, please... Your grammar and sentence construction are shocking, so it's difficult to determine what you are actually trying to say.

My sentiments exactly! I LOVED fire hut. The amount of things you could just pop off, the speed and the flow...

Same. I'm under no illusions on my level of skill, and for the moment it doesn't extend to stuff that big. Just yet

Spec, pure and simple. Things might not seem like it when you start, but dayum, do they start adding up quickly! In this case, it's the carbon rims. Rest of the spec is reasonable (except the Guide R's, I'd at least have specced the RS)

Kurt Sorge on a Polygon... Nigel (last year) on a DeVinci?

That's a WONDERFUL road...

LOL. I can babble on a bit, given enough time.

Howdy BSG, The stem on there atm is a 50mm jobbie, that comes standard on the new Reign. It's paired with a mahoooosive 800mm wide bar, also standard equipment with the Reign. My initial impressions coming from a 40mm stem / 780mm bar combo (same rise, different sweep) on my old bike (30mm shorter on the top tube, 45mm shorter on the reach) were initially along the lines of "HOLY CRAP, this is WIDE!" Given that I'm still in the testing stages, it's still too early to tell what direction I'm going to go, but initial impressions are that I want to shorten the stem in order to get a slightly faster steering response, given that I do not want to cut the bars just yet (as that's irreversible) Ideally I want a steering response somewhere between where it is at the moment, and Iwan's Hungry Monkey hardtail (which is RAZOR sharp) without spending north of R15k for a good carbon wheelset, which also contributes hugely to the steering response. But back to your question. And yes, I know: TL;DR My experience is limited (yes, I'm a *** rider) but I read a metric ****-ton of stuff online which is written by people who know a shedload more than me. Essentially, a shorter stem will sharpen steering response, which is why a move to a shorter stem is traditionally paired with a move to a wider bar, which more or less balances the steering response out. Without knowing how wide your current setup is (it would help to know) I would recommend starting with the 50mm stem, which will lessen the load on your back whilst also positioning you slightly further behind the front axle when out of the saddle, which consequently improves your handling on the rough stuff as your weight is no longer as far over the front of the bike. I'd pair that with a wider bar to begin with, as you may find the handling is slightly too quick / skittish at speed with the shorter stem but same width bar. I don't know how much length you have on your steerer, but a good place to start on the wider bar journey is with Rapide components, who do a FANTASTIC 15mm rise 780mm bar with a reasonable (9 degree) sweep, for only R 309 delivered (actual price R229, delivery charge of R80) HERE If you have enough space on your steerer to jack that up a bit, and place spacers underneath it, then it's a good option. However - if you find that you NEED more rise than that bar offers, when paired with the shorter stem, then I'm afraid that the exercise becomes a bit more expensive as there aren't any other bars that come remotely close to that option ito price. You may, however, find that the 15mm rise is enough when paired with the shorter stem For the stem, I'd recommend the KCNC Bear Claw, which can be found for approx R300 or so, or the Ryder stems, which are also around that figure... FWIW - every single person that has changed from a long stem / narrow bar to a short stem / wide bar has been absolutely amazed at the difference it offers in terms of handling and confidence in the rough stuff. It's something I would advocate for every single person who isn't a race snake. Even then, the benefits of moving to a short / wide setup significantly outweigh the potential weight penalties.

you're going to love that combo...

Sorry letum, I don't know anyone up in jhb, but I'll be happy to give you a name of a med aid specialist down here in CT who is fantastic at what he does. Name is Carl Laubscher of Carl Laubscher Financial Services. Tell him I sent him your way.

Yeah, my little one has the Fire Truck. His y bike went to my best mate, who has just had a lightie. Mine doesn't even know it's gone...

Got my lightie a Muna balance bike. BRILLIANT little thing. Reasonably cheap (I think just under / over R 1,000 at current rates) and was the one that allowed the lowest saddle height of the lot, with a fully adjustable coaster brake that even with his super small hands allows him to brake Built STRONG, and will last him a while yet.

Steilte Trails, for a shuttle day. This is me trying to get comfortable with jumps that are not tabled. After a nasty off and concussion a few years back, I've had a firm dose of the "Nopes" on any jump / drop that isn't a roller or table. This was the first attempt. Not a big one, I'll admit, but it's a step in the right direction. By the end of the day, I was landing just in the shaded section there, which is about 7 or 8 metres.

sorry, but that guy is an idiot.

15k?!!!? Are you mental!? Bloody hell. No wonder he snapped it up. Finding those things in good nick at less than 30k is like finding a virgin hooker. EDIT: On the driving what they stole thing... yeah, i kinda know what you're feeling. Having been subjected to a hijacking (with 90 minute joyride and gun to the head) and then the car being recovered the next day, I took it the other way. As did my OH when she was jacked earlier this year. The retrieval and subsequent driving of the car was a big fook yu to the thieves.

Does he seriously corner with the foot off the outer peg!?

Apparently it pedals brilliantly

Yeah. Myles Kelsey is a well decorated SA MTBer, previous (or maybe current? I dunno) Masters DH champ or at least up there, and rides a Specialized Stumpjumper (used to be on a yellow Pyga) and a Trek Session Me - Not so much...