Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

for me (budget dependant) Hope X2 brakes SRAM X0 RD/FD/Shifters/Crank ZTR Flow wheels on Hope Pro 2 hubs Answer Pro Taper bars some sort of pedals

Nige, I can't believe you're not thinking of bringing a frame in and building a bike - especially if you already have the wheels!

Damn, and here I have a 640 on my XC bike and I'm going to be pulling the trigger on a 750 later this month... I don't know how guys can ride with anything smaller than a 640. It's just too narrow! The lack of proper control is amazing to behold...

To add to The V's post. A more than decent on one carbon frame can be brought in for less.than 4k.

I actually found that, when taking all the "upgrades" into account, a built up bike would have come out cheaper than a shop-bought bike. Plus, there's nothing wrong with getting a set of "clearance" goodies on CRC if they're exactly what you want. EG: I built my DH bike for a smidge under 7k. Yes, the wheels came with the frame at a price of R 2.5k But I bought all the other parts off CRC, and I have exactly the bike I want...

If it were me, I'd build it up. But then I've already built a bike to my specs (on the cheap) and it is a fantastic feeling to get on it for the first, second, third, heck - 100th time. I'd get something like an On One Inbred or a Niner Air 9 or something similar, get the wheels from CRC on one of their specials and get some kick-ass parts from them as well. They are having some AWESOME specials on the HOPE brakes at the moment. You'll have a kick-ass bike for less than your budget... For the fork, no reason to go for anything other than a REBA. They are that good.

yeah, dude - I heard it was good! My mate got the Wipeout of the Race award for riding off a cliff on day 8... Just had his C6 bolted & plated. Huge compression fracture, but he's walking around the hospital now. He was doing farking well after his partner pulled out earlier in the race.

Go for the 5.10 Minnaars rather. And yes, those shimanos do look siff..

New One! you bought it for a reason, didn't you?

Lekker. I need to get some for my HT.

Bmx'ers, actually. But anyway. Wheelie is generally under power. Manual isn't.

+1. Feels a bit strange at first, as if you're going to topple over. But you'll get used to the feeling of almost weightlessness and realise its the perfect place to be.

Yes I know. Got volume 1 and 2

+1 on Eldron's post... Remember to keep your knees bent! A lot of the control of a manual comes from manipulating the legs, and a lot of the power comes from pushing up with your legs and forward with your feet. You'll find it damn near impossible to manual with locked out legs... And just carry on doing it!

In other words, Crow, you just like a good deal...

Yeah, didn't see that post... ROFL

use the 'bak, bro. It not only keeps your drink sooo much colder, but it's so much better to store your kit in. Not nice when your phone gets bike-sweat on it on a long ride...

Plus 10,000... The REBA is a beauuuuuuutiful fork. I have one now, and am only getting rid of it 'cos I want a Revelation (more travel, basically a big Reba) It performs sublimely, and will be infinitely better than the Recon silver. Nothing wrong with the SLX rear mech, but the clincher is the better brakeset & crank. FAR more stiffness & reliability from the SLX crank than the Deore, even though new (last year's) Deore is pretty damn good itself. The Elixir 5's are gold... they really are brilliant brakes (don't listen to others saying they're crap, they're just slightly more needy ito maintenance, and need to be bled properly when they are bled) and if they can stop me on a dime, they can stop you on a dime... Go for the better bike. You will be better off. And it will waylay the upgrade monkey for a few more months... That's worth a lot in itself.

What yo mama works on... *drop tuck roll*

Closed according to Buttclenching United's Top Tubers... AKA BUTTs There may have been a stray crab or 2 - Heman joined their fold a bit later on...

Wipeout, that oke doesn't know what he's talking about. The tension would be provided by the spokes, and as long as the wheel was built properly, there shouldn't be an issue with strength vs a 26" wheel, especially with the tech improvements. The guy himself is probably a muppet on the bike, and didn't try to get used to the different geo / wheelbase of the 9er, and therefore wrote it off because it didn't behave the way he wanted it to behave.... Alex rims are just soft though. I'm 105kg myself, and my Alex rims were not that great ito quality and strength. They warped & buckled easily, but were also most probaby badly built. They're also heavier than the average wheel, so that's another point against them. Nothing "worng" with them, but they're not in the same league as XT / Crossmax wheels... EDIT: Built properly, a 29er wheel shouldn't be "weaker" than a 26er wheel. Especially since the majority of the strength comes from the spokes themselves, and how the wheels are built.

ROFL. In a nutshell, the reasons why the biking ads should be centralized and supplied by the corporations themselves - Spez, Merida, Giant etc (much like the automotive ads are) They already produce internet based ads (which are VERY good) so the only thing the local guys would have to do is secure the timeslot. Which, as V says, is helluva expensive... Would be epic though.

The normal places... Crc, cwc, buycycle, rushsports.... Crc will be your best bet though...

Very much like a zef ninja, except even more invisible...

Rofl. You win...