Brighter-Lights

The owner of the shop should know what his mechanics are up to and what's going on in the workshop... Sorry about your experience...

It's a downhill one... ;-)

I don't know why everybody is so concerned about how technical it is. Us SA mountainbikers are sissies and many can't ride over a pavement even. It's mountain biking, it's suppose to be technical and challenging. When I just started riding, some of the most technical courses were thrown at me... (Woodridge XC Nationals 2005 in PE for example) if it scares you, get off and walk... else TRY to ride it and be prepared to bail if you suddenly can't make it... My concern for the 24hr is passing space and too many ppl on a short course... it's a 24hr, it's supposed to be tough... there should be technical sections, but also enough fast stretches... Here's a nice example of what I'm talking about... in 24hrs of Moab, even the pro's get off... but there's also long fast sections... http://vimeo.com/7069825 http://vimeo.com/7055071 Have fun!

I'll tell you why I won't get X9 again, although I'm a big SRAM fan... The X9 front der, is good. I like it. The rear der is a lot weaker than the shimano XT... It uses a plastic P knuckle, where shimano uses an aluminium one with better bushings. The XT rear der will stay solid a lot longer. I've been through two X9 rear der's the last 2 years. They develop excessive play at the P knuckle, no matter how often you clean and lube the bushings. Besides the P knuckle. The guide pulley is a design that requires you to buy SRAM pulleys only (stupid offcenter steel bush) wears very quickly when riding in the wet. Where Shimano uses standard pulleys, with the holes center. (Can be replaced with many aftermarket options) I've upgraded to a X0 now, because it can be disassembled (bushings can be replaced) and use standard type pulleys. My 1c...

There's certainly a big chance of rain during the event. At Northern Farm during the 2008 24hr, only the section after the tunnel stayed muddy after the storm, and dried up quickly the next morning... It was fun riding there...

I'm not convinced that delaminating is caused by amonia, latex or liquid sealants. I counted the other day. I've had 39 tyres the last 3 years alone. I've been riding my own diy tubeless with tape since 2005... I've used anything from pure patex to stans to water based sealants. I've never had a delamination problem. I still have about 20 of those tyres in my garage... some were only used for a few races...

One Friday night, a few weeks ago, I was very lucky to encounter this porcupine in Longmore Forest and we got to know each other a bit better... www.brighter-lights.com/videos/porky.wmv

I am very fortunate to frequently encounter wildlife while training... I sometimes get close enough to make a video and thought that it would be nice to see what YOU encounter while out on the bike... Post your video links here. Show us where you ride, what you encounter, etc. Brighter-Lights2009-11-03 05:50:35

DON't ride while sick... period... I've made that mistake many times... and payed dearly... I recently got an infection in my lungs and couldn't ride for more than a month... while I was peaking... it's hard but it's life... I didn't ride for over a month... Joe Friel says in his 'The Mountainbiker's Training Bible' : If it's below the chest, like lungs etc. - DON'T even get on the bike... rest and get well. If it's a runny nose or sore throat, ride, but keep warm and don't push it... My advice would be to stay off even with just a sore throat... from the throat it normally goes to the lungs next... It's been almost 6 weeks and I'm still caughing when getting into contact with cold air... these things sometimes take time... forget about that race if you're feeling sick... the meds will cost a lot more than the entry fee you'll lose... For every week spend off the bike being sick, allow 2 weeks of gradually increasing intensity to get back to the previous level... So for 2 weeks off the bike, take a month to gradually build up again... 3 weeks off, 6 weeks build... Good luck and get well soon! Brighter-Lights2009-10-28 13:06:05

1.9 - 350g Twister Supersonics couldn't last me so I'm not too excited to find out how a 2.2 of the same weight will last... SO much thinner! Look at the photo below... Would you choose the Kenda 1.95 on the back wheel, or the Continental 2.1 in front... ? I think the differences are obvious... The Kenda's 1.95 has got loads more volume and height than the 2.1 Conti Speed King... You ride 1.9's because: They are faster and lighter with thicker sidewalls in comparison to a 2.1 which is slightly heavier... The drawback is a harder ride, but for me, the right 1.9 have just as much grip...

It looks the same, but the weight they list there looks like the weight of the 2.1 UST version (HEAVY!) Mine says Dual Thread Compound (DTC) 1.95 foldable and John Tomac signature series... mine is 465g The Kenda Website says this: DTCF/R26x1.95Folding12030-80451?24g Excellent hard pack XC race tire 8 Nevegal shaped but smaller knobs across the tire for better 'bite' DTC - Dual Tread Compound offers cornering grip with faster center line acceleration One of the fastest rolling tires in the Kenda Premium line Brighter-Lights2009-10-27 09:33:21

I did 4 races in 4 weeks with the smallblock 8 DTC as a rear tyre. Trans Baviaans - 2nd mixed team Woodoc KAT 85km Challenge - 1st Volkswagen Valley of flags 80km MTB - 1st (2hr44min) St. Francis 60km MTB - 1st I'm 68kg and never had it harder than 2 bar... even 1.8 bar... the volume is that big on mine... it's fast and it grips! Never had a problem. Saw something in it after a ride and thought it was a brass screw - that big - and was very disappointed (mentally it was not new anymore) So I set up video to illustrate how I'll plug it when I pull it out... I kept pulling and pulling and then it came out... a huge thick thorn and the hole sealed... no need to even plug it... that was one puncture on a training ride. I like it so much that I joked to someone and said if there's one tyre I'll ride for the rest of my life it's the SB 8 DTC 1.95... And I've tried probably close to 35 tyres the last few years... that's a STACK! Last 3 years: Maxxis Larsen Mimo - 2x Exception - 400g, 1x wire bead Maxxis Ignitor - 1x wire bead 580g Maxxis Larsen TT's - 4x normal and 2x UST Maxxis Worm Drive 1.9 - 2x wire bead and 1x430g version Maxxis Crossmark - UST and normal (2xUST, 3xnormal) Maxxis Minotaur - 2x normal ones 515g +- Kenda Karma - 1.95 normal (punctured a lot) and UST x2 Kenda Small Block 8 - 2x 1.95 UST + DTC 460g Specialized Fast Trak LK - 2.0 460g Rubena Saurus - 3x 1.9's 515g Hutchinson Python Air Light - 3x 500g 2.0 Panaracer Speedblaster - 3x 1.95 410g Continental Twister Supersonic - 2x 360g 1.9 Continental Explorer Pro - 2.1 580g Continental Speed King - 2.1 520g IRC Mythos - 2.1 580g WTB Wolverine - 1x 2.2 WTB NanoRaptor - 1x 2.1 570g I pull my tires off every 4 weeks and clean them. If there no important races I train with Crossmark LUST and water based sealant. If there's frequent racing, I train with the race tyres and use latex for sealant... Remember - there always a risk when riding normal tyres tubeless, in the beginning I had some problems and DNF a few times but now I'm riding with finesse and I have the right tools to stop a big leak quickly.. Brighter-Lights2009-10-27 09:19:37

I second Smallblock 8 DTC in 1.95... Good volume (much bigger than my UST 1.95 Smallblock 8), mine is 465g. I've used it as a rear tyre in my most important races this year and never got a puncture, and bagged quite a bit of prize money using it... In fact, when I first fitted it, it didn't even deflate at all, no leaking through the sidewall or nothing... With fresh sealant it kept pressure for days at a time.. I pumped it like once a week... My other choices are: Panaracer Speedblaster 1.95 (1.9 size) 410g (won 24hrs Omni-motion 2008 using it as a rear tyre) Specialized Fasttrak LK - mine 460g for rear 2" - big volume! I use it as a front tyre. Hutchinson Python air light - 490g - fast - big volume - never cut one, although others complain... At over 520g there's lots of options... crossmarks, speed kings etc. Btw... I HATE my Speedking protection... the knobs are so high and it really feels unpredictable as a front tyre... I cut off all the knobs to make it a semi slick... worked better but very small volume for a 2.1" Brighter-Lights2009-10-27 09:26:05

Aerozine maak 'n wit stem... R450 en 110g vir 'n 90mm... Bel vir Penford... Dink jy maak 'n fout. Ek sien niks stems op die Aerozine website nie. KCNC se kortste is ook net 80mm. Ek soek 70mm. AEROZINE - in my hand gehad en self geweeg... WIT AEROZINE... daar was 'n paar, van hulle baie kort... bel hom

Aerozine maak 'n wit stem... R450 en 110g vir 'n 90mm... Bel vir Penford...

Sjoe dis mooi... ek like die blou baie...

Good Point... Ladies should be rewarded... end of story...

The part that was blown is a normal DC adaptor... so he's sorted...

Kenda Small Block 8 TDC 1.95 has been the best tyre I've ever used. If there's one tyre I'll use for the rest of my life it's the Small Block 8 DTC 1.95. It's 465g, almost real 2.0 size with great volume, (it's wider with more volume than my 2.1 Speed King) and from day one it's never deflated a bit!! Never leaked through the sidewalls. + it got me through my most important races as a rear tyre on some pretty rough terrain. I've also used lots of maxxis in the past but going from the Small Block 8 back to Crossmarks for training it feels like I'm riding on a carpet...

Yes, the blown on eis 12v DC 850mA... so the Ellies one should work... (if it's a 1A... 500ma won't work)

It appears as if the battery pack has a built-in charging circuit then, because that's just a normal 12v DC tranformer... 2x Li-ion is 7.2 or 7.4v. You can use a 12v DC adaptor then. Any amperage above 1A will work. Just check the polarity adjustment! Regards Johannes

Hi Cyclefan, I'm pretty sure that I can help you, I just need to see the specs of that battery... or the sticker on the back of the blown charger. Still waiting for photo... Regards Jo

One I encountered on a night ride early in the year...

Some massive snakes... nice photos...