Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Shot dude. I just need to work on my form. Having said that, it was the fastest I've ever been on any of the sections. And I could definitely get a lot faster very easily. Just getting used to her now though.

Good news indeed! Glad to report that she rides like an absolute dream... shock is perfect, fork could do with a bit of tuning, but still needs the oil replaced so I'll tune her when I've done that. My only complaint - she's a BITCH to ride up to level 5! I got there eventually, but damn. What a workout! Coming down though, she was perfect. I, on the other hand - was far from. If we were playing a certain gameshow, I would have been first off the stage. Goodbye! I'm still a pu55y on the jumps. But it was the fastest I've ever been coming down, and it's the first time I've ridden flats since my teens. Early teens. But I'm FAR more confident on the gnar than I am on my little XC machine. I was saved NUMEROUS times by the bike. The brakes - OH. My. WORD! How sweet! In a nutshell - SSSSHHHHHHHIBBYYYYYYYYY!

I like...

Bwahahahahah!!

You remember correctly - he likes playing on his 6'er. Brings it out when he wants to have fun. But he prefers his 9er for races.

Going at 4! Morning was spent chaperoning the wife to her run, and just had a lunch at the Brass Bell. Fish n chips n beer. Need that ride now! I'll report when I've ridden her hard and fast!

dude... that pic of Lopes is sick!

I would imagine so, yes. It is an enamel product, after all. Just don't sand the existing finish down! Use stripper rather. Chrome finish & sandpaper / steel wool do NOT mix! And don't use a scraper either then. They can leave scratches that would stay visible. I'd use just plain stripper & a scrubbing brush. Nothing else. It will take longer to finish, but will be well worth it.

Shot bro... I certainly am proud of her! Process: 1) Strip paint using stripper (use Genkem Nova 8 - the ones I used - Build It house brand and another one which I cannot recall - were useless and had to be applied multiple times to the same layer of paint) 2) Facilitate stripping with small paint-scraper for stubborn pieces, and a normal hard plastic-bristled scrubbing brush for the rest. 3) Prep the bare frame with steel wool - this makes the contact patches SLIGHTLY keyed, as well as super shiny. Primer sticks better to the metal if it's been cleaned of all stripper residue (think sequins, push up bra and black negligee... OOPS! Wrong stripper!) 4) Prime the frame with 2 coats of primer, lightly sanding down with soapy water-paper (1200 grit or higher) between each coat. I used Rustoleum's white Stops Rust primer to provide the basecoat. 5) Apply colour - I used Rustoleum's metallic ENAMEL paint. Colour is Black Midnight. 2 to 3 coats of that, again sanding down between coats to get an even finish. Check for missed spots by running your hand lightly across all surfaces. You WILL feel where you have missed in your sanding down! Check for missed sections where you have to apply more paint. 6) Apply clearcoat. I used Rustoleum's clear enamel clearcoat. WARNING - BE VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH THIS PRODUCT! It WILL RUN, and in the process REMOVE SOME OF YOUR PAINT. Use LIGHT coatings of it, rather coming back every 10 minutes to apply a new coat than trying to put one moerse thick coat on. I say again - if you put too much on, it WILL run and WILL ruin your paintjob, forcing you to come back to touch up after you have finished. I didn't sand between clearcoats, but I did apply too much in places, and this means I will have to touch up where the paint has run. As for can vs gun - I used cans. I also bought Rustoleum's trigger adapter, which goes on top of the can and essentially transforms a spraycan into a budget spraygun, and gives you FAR more control, with a bigger contact patch on which to apply pressure. Which is critical. It also prevents onset of tagger's finger, which causes your index finger to be more crooked than Granny Mavis's Total cost of paint & stripper etc - R 500. R 70 to R 90 per can, with the primer at the low end and the enamel at the high. I used 2 cans of colour and 2 of primer. 1 can of clearcoat.

Shot bro!

Shot guy Derailleur housing goes OVER the BB housing, so no concerns there... it will just compress when the suspension activates. And she is a bit springy - definitely need to set the rebound properly! Cap almost got bucked from going through a 10cm deep "dip" in the driveway!

so I'm going for the test-ride tomorrow PM in Tokai. Got my FF helmet, knee guards & a bucket-load of false confidence. I'm going to be tuning the suspension for my weight & characteristics. Could take a while, swwing as how much fun I';m going to be having just riding the thing. AND - I can ride it UP to the TOP! It has an AM style seatpost height when at max extension. Bring. It. On!

looking good. I also like the angle and the movement it captures...

there's a very good reason that Mr. Lopes rides one... or 6

Ja, and I had all those photos on my HDD. Took a lot of time to PS all those different pics!

Damn. You caught me out...

proof... I know how doubtful some guys can be on here! oh - and if in doubt, refer to Capricorn & Pain or Shine... They'll back me up here.

Erm... She comes out of the cupboard every now and again. I'm also constantly in the ***. Just the level that's different... My link

Lol! I roped in a mate of mine to help with the initial assembly of frame, fork, shifter, front brake etc. Rear had to be jimmied a bit, so I did that myself (as well as put the BB, cranks & iDrive assembly on) after he left... at 1h30 am. My neighbours couldn't have liked me though, seeing as there was a drill going through aluminium at 2h30!

Shot bro! can't wait to take her for a spin!

Okay - sliiiight problem. I ordered a 121mm BB instead of a 125mm. Damn. Anyway - basically, the non-drive side crank was fouling against the BB cup, causing the cranks to rub horribly, and come to a grinding halt mid-stroke. Not cool. So... Enter hacksaw. I just removed the non-drive side BB cup's lip, so that I can insert it further into the shell without having the flange sticking out. I figure that this won't really hamper performance, as the plastic BB cup is just there to provide a bit of support on the spline itself, and isn't really performing any sort of ancillary function (water would get into the assembly regardless, and it is a sealed BB anyway) So - the cup is now sitting 2mm inside the BB shell, and the Cranks have ample clearance. All she needs now is a bit more pre-load on the rear, and a bit less rebound damping on the front. Oh - and new fork oil as well! BUT - She's ready to ride!

Shot guys... A couple of finishing touches needed, like setting the brakes and putting a 180mm rotor on the back (now possible thanks to the duff adapter sizing) then some touch-ups on the parts that got damaged on assembly. Then the setup begins!

AAAAAAAAAAAAND..... DONE! I just want to re-cut the derailleur housing, as it is a bit skeef at the moment. Also, just need to adjust the brakes, and I will be fitting my 180mm disc to the rear. Managed to jimmy-rig the adapter so that it fits the frame, and that it will accept a 180mm disc. That's going on tomorrow morning. There are also a couple of chips in the paint that happened whilst assembling. I'll be putting the bike next to the heater tonight, so that it can harden. I'll also touch it up tomorrow morning. So, here she is. In all her glory. And I must say - I'm pretty chuffed with her! Now to go for the test ride! But first - bed. It's been a long day...

Hey bro! Glad you're still with us, after your multi-million rand payout ;-)

shot mate. Gutted about the rear brake adapter though. Different size to both my XC bike, as well as my wife's XC bike. Strange...