Bicycle Supply Chain

That is awesome. So much potential

Not a standard item. But looking at around R550-600. I can place an order for you.

Park tool have one. They are a fantastic piece of kit. I have both the JIS and flat. Nice weight and knurled to make working when it’s oily easy.

Good luck “knocking out” the drive side bearing on a ratchet hub. When it’s Brocken then the “rip off” LBS may of been the cheaper option.

As a reference. Wheels I charge R75 per bearing fitted. This is for a standard ABEC-3 bearing. Double seal LLU type. This also includes a freehub service and seal inspection. I use the specified special or universal grease from DT Swiss. If I use the DT Swiss OEM BEARING. I charge R270 per bearing for the hubs. This also includes a freehub service and seal inspection. I use the specified special or universal grease from DT Swiss. Suspension pivots I charge R90 per bearing fitted. This is for a standard ABEC-3 MAXX bearing. Double seal LLU type.

My office/ passion. Work from home as a bike shop. [emoji16]

Please. I invite you to come service your bike at my shop. You can use all the tools I have. (First hurdle overcome) and let’s see how well you do. How well you put it all back together. And IF you don’t manage to break something on disassembly, you will have a spare part or a serious IQ test on assembly. And if you do all the above right. You may, but highly unlikely, have a smooth trouble free ride.

Howsit. As a bike shop owner in Kyalami area,JHB. Here is my view. Firstly. I have been cycling for over 40 years. Qualified Engineer Have a tool fetish that is borderline insane. (Only the best or don’t bother) Work on all my customers bikes myself. From collecting. Stripping, quoting, ordering parts, rebuilding, washing and delivering back to the customer. A full suspension bike takes me 7-10hours to service. This is everything from forks and shock service, pedals, linkage, hubs, bleed brakes, checking rims under rim tape, true wheels, derailluer clutch service, etc etc. I collect and deliver the bike for a R250 fee anywhere in the jhb/Pretoria area. I only use parts and products I am happy to put my name to. I research different greases to see what’s best for assembly, for sheer strength, for water repulsion, for prevention against seizing of 2 components. (I generally will use 6-8 different types of grease on one bike in a service, depending on what the part or application is) I ONLY use a torque wrench (or should I say wrenches). I have 7 that go from 0.4nm to over 90nm. I have shop components that I loan out whilst lengthier repairs or warranties are needed. Like wheels, forks, shocks, brakes etc to keep my customers rolling. I delve into the small details on the bike that 90% of shops overlook that is included in the service fee. Like removing rim tape to inspect inner portion of the rim. (New tape reinstalled after) replace valve cores every time. Service Shimano derailluer clutches Replace all clips and rubber covers on the brake pad pins and bleed nipples. Replace any seals or spacers on bb’s (like the gxp NDS seal/spacer) or the DS dub 2.5 or 4mm spacer if it’s worn. Use correct sealant for the rim type (like ammonia free sealant in Shimano and mavic wheels) Use Oem greases/oils where required (dt Swiss freehubs, Shimano clutches, forks, shocks, brakes) no cheap alternatives. No generics I take pride in my work. And I stand behind my work. If a customer isn’t happy I replace/repair. No questions asked...ever. Service is without compromise! I don’t short cut or skip anything. I always do more than required. Always check the bike for anything out of place. Even if the customer just wants new grips or a light fitted. I charge the industry rate for that. (Around 1200) but in reality it should be closer to 4000 if I work at an hourly labour rate. I only service 4-6 bikes per week. Not a lot of money on the labour being earned. Yet people with 150k bikes will moan at having to spend 4K servicing their bike. But what they fail to realize is I’ve taken 40 year of knowledge, experience and mistakes to get to here. I have spent hundreds of thousands of Rand’s on tools and equipment. (Probably closer to a million) and when a new standard comes out it’s another couple of thousand for the tools. So if you are wanting a professional, experienced, consistent and sustainable service from your LBS. Remember that if you want him around next time. Pay him / them for their time now, fairly and without moaning. Because as I am sure some of you will agree. A doctor charges 2-3k per hour as a billable rate. IT professional. Over 1-2k per hour. Lawyers, advertising houses, banking, etc etc. So why moan when a qualified engineer, with 40 years experience wants to charge R400/hour. And has had to spend R1m on tools and another R1m on stock to be able to service your bike? If you can’t understand this, don’t ride a bike. Simple.

And don’t forget to ask for LLB seals LLB Type Seals most popular seal type, this is a Nitrile material rubber with a steel insert. Rather than the standard 2RS type seal, we go a step further by machining a groove into the inner race where the seal can rotate with better efficiency and less rolling resistance. Rather than one thick seal lip rubbing on a blunt surface, LLB type utilizes two razor thin sealing lips riding in the groove with light contact. The outside lip keeps the water and contaminates out, while the inner seal retains the grease for smooth function and long intervals between servicing. LLU Similar to the LLB type seal, LLU is a full contact, dual lip seal riding in a groove on the inner race. With more sealing pressure, these are ideal for pivots or headsets that continually come in contact with dirt, sweat, and dust. The increased seal pressure and 2 lips help retain the 90% grease fill we use on these bearings to better displace any moisture and continually lubricate the balls and races. VV SEALS Developed with the idea of rolling as fast as possible, this dual lip configuration does not make contact with the bottom of the machined groove. Since these bearings also have a high rate of grease fill, the grease migrates to the bottom of the groove where a hydromatic type seal is established between the 2 lips and the grease in the groove. This grease barrier keeps the dirt and contaminates from coming inside the bearing, while still rolling smoothly and with the least resistance of all our bearings.

Here’s a pic of my one draw in my toolbox that moves around the bike with me.

We both had the same idea. Mine also swings from the wall on the side. Can swing it 180* and also lengthen or shorten it.

My workshop.

R2-bike.com Also a fantastic site. But be prepared to drool a lot. Also use German Dhl which comes to Sa post office. So choose Dhl express if you want direct. But in saying that I have used the std Dhl-SAPO a lot with no issues.

The long outers I completely understand and often do this on kids bikes where the grip shifts aren’t the easiest to turn. I was referring to this part as to why they have it so long.

Never understood the reason for the foot long cable after the derailluer pinch bolt

That’s total rubbish. I build 10 forks a week and there is ZERO difference in feel. Yes the porosity of the RS rings is more and they hold more oil compared to the Fox. Besides that. No difference. The reason for them is purely to lubricate the stations and upper bush. I am all for doing things right. And always advocate Oem or “the best” option if there is no requirements (eg shifter cables) But as you said. Spending 600 bucks on a new kit. The RS foams are the next best thing. Next option if you want Oem. Is to clean your old foam ring with IPA. But they do stretch so they loose their snug fit on the stanchions.

If you in the midrand /Kyalami area you can have a set of rockshox for free. Fox only sell as a set. But you can get the same dimensions in RS too.

For road tubeless you can “use” any sealant but it’s recommended to use a sealant designed for the higher pressures of road wheels. Something Joe’s road sealant. Or Continental Just a side note to all using ammonia based sealants. If you using a Shimano or mavic rim I would highly suggest you stop using the ammonia based sealant. The ammonia and the aluminum of these rims create a battery effect and this leads to a crater and hole forming (mostly around the valve) until the rim is throw away. I would suggest using a ammonia free sealant like continental revo sealant or Joe’s eco sealant (recommended by Shimano for their wheels)

Safe seal or Deed. Contact me if you’re need supply. Mike.

Haha. I know. Wanted to see if anyone picked it up. [emoji481] [emoji482]. You got a keen eye.

Throwback retro. Respray RS reba into ‘90’s Judy SL fork. Ritchey classic cockpit. Flite titanium saddle covered in alcantra. Middleburn classic cranks King Ti cages

Pleasure. If you in the jhb area I have stock if you need.

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Howsit all. As a bike shop owner/ Shimano trained mechanic/ engineer/ passionate work with your hands guy. Here is the take. You CANNOT use baby oil for your brakes. It will swell the seals and your brake will bind and jam up. You can ONLY use Shimano mineral oil. The new brakes. 680/780/980 and up you must bleed top down. If you bleed bottom up you run the risk of popping the piston seal off the piston and then the lever is throw away ( as Shimano doesn’t sell or service brake items. Replacement only) There are ways to bleed bottom up on the new systems but only an experienced (and Shimano trained) mechanic as there are a bunch of things that need to be done. And it’s based a lot on feel. I have both the miners oil, and funnel and will gladly assist you with bleeding your brakes (even today) Contact me on 0827877112