Brighter-Lights

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

Deleted

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

Here's we go again... CSA and UCI... so who cares? They are destroying a great sport we once knew... who cares about doping and results at the back of the pack... we ride for fun and UCI is making what used to be a fun outing very complicated... CSA for that matter is expert in double standards. The rider should at least have been notified and questions asked before this was published. He could be totally innocent, he's a back marker - what does it matter... Test the pros who make money by doping. That's why their R6 000 000 doesn't go very far... Like David George said, they need R100 000 000, I guess then they'll be able to test each and everyone... I don't approve of doping, but I'm pretty sure many of us have unknowingly used a banned substance before. Life's complicated enough, if you have to go out and research every substance your Doc prescribe or weight whatever you take in you might as well stop riding. UCI is all about money and total control of the sport. http://www.cyclingne...p-oregon-events We need a new independent MTB organisation in SA who cater for 90% of riders as 90% of riders in SA are there to enjoy and race your buddy and not become pro riders in Europe... The small Karoo town who once organised a great MTB race as part of their annual festival, attracting 80 or so riders, who actually put in effort for the development of MTB in the local community, and offering a very enjoyable MTB experience, now have to spend half of the income from the race, paying CSA and their official to become sanctioned. The pro who happens to be in the region may not ride according to CSA/UCI...(if they are not sanctioned) - then the CSA official they sent had the witt to even ask if she may ride the race!!! While getting paid by CSA...who takes the organisers money to do it... That's how many great events, albeit small, die... CSA under UCI banner...

Some Kgalagadi photos taken during December.

Just to add to the replies that came in while I was typing. Long ago, I also thought the STD recommendetions were waaayyy too hard, but if your fork feels too hard pumping the STD recommendations, there's too much oil in the damper in the right leg. Do a simple test by removing the lockout, damper top cap, and then pull the compression damper out slowly while twisting. Turn the bike sideways and dump, into a cup, a little of the oil. Put it back again and test. If your fork is not locking out 100% as also said above, there's too little oil in the damper. When locked out, and taking a big hit, with thresold set hard, oil could also leak past the top stop/seal and get trapped in the upped part. So do the same as above, put back together. I'll make sure again, but I think I put 127ml of oil in the right leg.