Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Ag, no man!

Rofl! That's exactly what I told Deon to do the other day!

Minions grip like turd on a shoe, but are too aggressive for FS conditions unless you're into downhill. They're also as heavy as sin. HR's are as heavy as, but "better rolling" still too much tire for XC riding on FS's sandy hardpack. Mountain King or Nobby Nic are good options. As is Seaguro or WTB Wolverine / Weirwolf.

Depends entirely on your bum, dude. Saddle is a very personal choice, and not somebody I, or anybody else, for that matter, can pick out for you

Then why didn't you say that in the first place, instead of coming on like a self righteous chop?

Ah. We have a double poster on our hands. Pain or Shine hasn't been known as Betty for what - 2 months?

Some okes swear by Nevegals, more people hate them with a passion. If you're looking at that side, rather go for the WTB Weirwolf or the Schwalbe Nobby Nic / Muddy Mary or the Seaguro. I have a feeling the Nevegals & Muddy Marys may be over-compensating though, as you have a lot more hardpack up there in OFS than actual mud or soil (sandier type of trails)

Yeah. Too right. Sigh.

Yeah. They also don't seem to have much backwards compatability. Sigh. Hope rear hub it shall have to be. But wait - I need a Hope for the front as well as my current Novatec can't be adapted to 20mm, and I'm currently using my DH wheel on my XCAMHT. So that's a solid R 2,750 right there. Shaite.

Fakeness... Pic of a supercell storm in the central USA being 'shopped into place next to the SOL. Plus - check the people on the foreshore, and boats on the water. No way they would still be there if the 'cane was that close!

Demmit. Probably means a wait of at least another year!

That makes it a lot better to stomach. Just out of interest - I would have to get a Novatec free-hub to fit my Novatec rear hub, correct?

We'll see! But seriously now - I like the tech, but I can't see myself shelling out over 10k JUST to get a guide-less system & extra ratios at the top when I'm already running 1x9 with a guide, and am trying to HTFU. When the system needs replacing ('cos it will sometime in the future) then yeah, maybe. But then I'll also have to do the rear wheel again, and then it may be far more affordable to rather get a brand new bike with the system already on it, and sell my current one. I mean, it's a fantastic system (on paper ad according to testers) but just look at the replacement parts list: Hub (min R 2.5k at the moment) Spokes (R 200 off CRC, incl Nipples) RD Chainring or a full crankset if they don't sort out the PCD and offset to allow use on normal cranks Cassette Triggers / Gripshift (and new grips if going grippy) Chain If it's at X9 level, that looks like a healthy R 7k right there. JUST to be able to run a guideless system and a couple more gears at the low end. No thanks. But I still love it!

Well done dude! Just a word - you might want to change those Crossmarks on there! You can see that they love mud sooo much that they form an inseparable bond with the stuff, turning your lovely bike into a snow-sled in mere seconds! Get something slightly more aggressive in tread pattern to deal with it. Something like a Nobby Nic / WTB Wolverine or some such.

Yeah, i know THAT bit... Still, there are only 2 months left (EEEEEK!) of this year. I reckon 2nd quarter 2013 we'll see it on X9.

Yep. It's coming to x9 very soon (according to Crow!)

Damn, wanna hit those jumps! Today would be superb under the cover of the trees!

Edit: yes, ss bikes do have tensioners, but ones that usually hang off the dropouts in place of the derailleur. For AM: Chain guide rides on top of the chainring, "guiding" the chain into place. The chain tensioner sits below the chainring, and is usaully attached to the chain guide (if the guide is iscg standard, or mounts to the bb) or hangs off the chain stays, tensioning the chain between the chainring and derailleur. Both have a very important role to play in the am world. If you're running a dual ring setup, a chain tensioner is vital due to the variation in chain length (slack) that you will have on your bike. If you don't use a tensioner, the chain will rattle so much when you're going down that it will come clean off the chainring (happened to me, so i know it does!) Your derailleur will act as the chain guide, in this instance. A good option for this is the Blackspire stinger (mounts to bb/ iscg mounts) or the C-guide (mounts to chainstay) If you're running a single chainring, you can reduce the length of the chain to such a pointh that you don't absolutely need a tensioner to keep the tension in the chain. In this case though, a guide is pivotal, as you have no fd to guide the chain onto the chainring. All the above can be ignored if you get xx1!

I'd give her a hammering...

Should be good... Just run as administrator to sort out any niggles with read / write capabilities.

According to the po po, he hasn't yet been identified. Probably not carrying any ID or anything on him. That part of it is just bleddy stupid. And very easily avoidable.

ROFL. Yes, Mr. Flintstone!

luckily I just got a new laptop that qualified for the discounted upgrade. R 150 per license is a steal! Will definitely get it asap.

I heard it on the way to the office this morning... Was basically an announcement that they would be investigating, phoning any and all witnesses to get their statements and continue internal investigations and disciplinary proceedings if warranted. From what Retief said, the bus didn't slow down as he passed, nor did he slow down after hooting to alert the cyclist of his presence. Kieno did a good job of telling all road users to stop being a bunch of ***** and respect the law & be courteous, careful and considerate, as life is precious etc etc.

Yes please!