Brighter-Lights

Been shopping for a Rockshox monarch RT3... R2500 most places... yesterday a clearance at R700 ea. Or Monarch XX normally R3500 at one shop and then marked down to R1260 last month. Rockshox Ario was R3500 now R899.... Rudy lenses were R550 now R99 at one shop... American classic race 26er wheels were R6000, then R3000, now R5500 at another shop. Sid WC carbon was R5500 (26er), then R3000 at CWC during December now R7000? Massive profits!!!

Thanks very much. I bought them online from Bikewear but will contact Lizle soon.

I'm interested to hear if other users experienced similar quality issues I've experienced. I bought 2 Rudy Project Sterling helmets new. Both helmets came with the web/bug net type of padding. After less than 6 months, the seams on the pads popped open, as if they were not welded/fused properly. (only happened on one of the helmets initially, the other one some time later) The helmets came with spare sets of pads that were different to the bug net type. I replaced the bug net with the spare pads and they also popped open on the seams after very little use - maybe 3 months use... Within one year the retention system on both failed, one totally broke off. I found the red plastic parts on the helmet also faded quickly - poor UV resistance. Before these helmets I had a Uvex which pads looked like new after 2 years of frequent use. I bought 2 Catlike helmets in the meantime and no issues with them. The reason for this post is that I have 2 little used Rudy Sterling helmets in storage and wonder if it's worth replacing the retention system and pads yet again, or if the ones I have maybe had quality issues from the start... How long has your Rudy's pads and retention strap been lasting? I think under a year total use is a bit on the disappointing side...

Merida 96 3000D: 26" with 2.1 Crossmark leave 10mm gap between the wheel and rear chainstay arch - can't see 650B working unless you fit a really small volume rear tyre - which will practically be the same size than a larger volume 26" tyre...

Anthem bearings are very good (as good as Enduro's). Just pop the seals out and completely fill them with Castrol WB grease.

Edge 800/500 batteries are very easy to replace and cost under R300 from the UK incl. everything.

About this stupid CSA camera rule... I want to know what the difference is between having a headlight on your helmet (Many many night races, Trans Baviaans and other big ones) and having a gopro on your helmet? Both weight the same, both mount the same... For MTB we need a massive CSA boycott in SA... MTB has lost its spirit in SA... yes it's great that a few are doing well and go overseas but the majority just want to ride and have fun... If you read the above letter from CSA you'd think they're angels.... wolves in sheep's clothes....

I have no words. He was like family to us. Heartfelt condolences.

I would need 5 pages if I start venting about dealing with Rushsports...

Yes a tyre can be out of whack, even seated properly. I've seen a few - as if it's moulded skew... I actually have one here that I won at a race, useless...

And just to add to Johan's advice. Sometimes the 'dent' or 'bulge' happens over an area of several spokes. Eye the beginning and the end of the area out of true (can mark with tape also) - I look and remember - then before adjusting the 2 to 4 or more spokes to get that area true, just pluck the spokes like a guitar string and listen to the tone. Do the same for the opposite side's spokes and hear if there isn't perhaps one severely over-tightened spoke, or one very loose spoke and start by tightening the spoke with the least tension. Sometimes adjusting that one spoke that was very loose (low tone, dull sound when plucked) can already improve the whole section quite a bit. Compare the tone of the spokes right through the wheel, start working around the slack spokes and balance them out.

It depends on what bike... tell us the bike? I'm a FOX RP23 fan but recently are more impressed with the Rockshox Monarch RT3, simply because it's fully user customizable and there's a long thread on MTBR.com about adjusting compression and rebound preset. On a fox the user can't do it as you need a special tool to inflate the IFP again.

The topic is about users who already went the cheap China light route and who are now stuck with non working products. You can reason that one could buy 3 China batteries for the price of one of mine, but you never know when one is going to leave you in the dark, and do you really want to ride with an extra battery in your pocket just incase...? If you look at Light and Motion or Lupine's batteries using the same Sony or Panasonic Li-Ion cells, they're priced at over $300 a battery - that's a more realistic price for this kind of battery technology. While it may seem expensive, the batteries above are at cost. Those Sony cells are over R100 each + cable, + laser cut end caps + protection PCB + 2 layer heatshrink. They are very reliable and have been tested over time, hence the 2 year guaranty - They'll easily last 4 years if you store them correctly in summer. I have been approached to develop a light for aircraft use and that's what I'm busy with at the moment, definitely needs extreme reliability in that field

How do you get caught twice and then do it again? Doping will never stop... just as murder and rape will never stop, just as in the guillotine was not enough of a deterrant in the middle ages...

I build them. 6 cell is R900 8 cell is R1200 Let me check what I have in stock.

Thanks very much, Is'nt having to pee in front of someone else a violation of your right to privacy? I personally would refuse to. I wasn't at Epic but I saw the dope crowd on the finish line live cam, and to my they looked pretty similar to the schoolkid's on the other side of the finish shoot. Didn't appear to be very professional and looked like random locals... The reason I asked is to hear how secure their testing procedure is. I mean, this is SA full of corruption and what if, just if the sample wasn't even yours, or got mixed up or what ever. Who really knows what happens to those boxes after you sealed them...

Can anyone post a link where you can search for specific banned medication names please?

Built in SA. 2 year warranty. Sony Japan cells. The reason all these china light sellers only give a 3 month warranty on their batteries is that that know it's rubbish.

Barry would you mind telling us that's never been tested more about the testing procedure? Did they provide a special private 'room' or was it done in the loo? Did the UCI official accompany you? Did they strip you from say energy gels in your back pocket or your camelbak? Thanks

Remember that he admitted to taking the stuff while body building, which one would expect, but he didn't go into a cycle race deliberately doping like a pro would do, last time he took the stuff was months before EPIC.

I think we feel like we feel because we have a body builder here who decided to ride his bike more often and come clean, which he should receive a medal for. We pick on the UCI because of the unprofessional way this situation has been handled by them. I don't care what their findings are, I care how they treated this. Barry will come a hero out of this, even if they ban him... his story is a good read.

I have not built any lights recently but I did some maintenance on some of my lights around. All the lights I built are still working faithfully and many of them are 6 years old. While these China lights are good value in the current market, it's baffling to see that the 6 year old 3x Cree XR-E at 700 lumens is barely dimmer than these 1000 lumen China lights on the trail, simply because of the optical reflector design and primary beam angle of the LED - 90 deg vs 120 deg with a XM-L. I've had a 3D model ready for CNC machining since early last year already but I'm working on bigger light projects for the Aerospace industry and decided to wait a bit with a new the bike light. I think one reaches optimum efficiency at 10 watts. If you do proper thermal analysis the amount of material in a light housing needs to be too much once you work with a 3x XM-L setup, 35 watt's a lot to keep cool. Think of it... 700 lumens for 6 hours on a 480g battery... 6 years ago... wonderful times

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Sounds like a dead cell in the battery pack. If you're willing to cover postage I'll check it for free.