Manx18

193cm; 95kg. Down from 108kg a year ago. Result 3:58 2010 Argus to 3:19 this year. (OK, better seeding and a perfect day also helped)

Cape Town Hubbers I had my house in Fish Hoek broken into on Tuesday. Laptop gone...OK. Back up external hard drive taken...less OK. Toolbox with hard earned Parktool bits and Effetto torque wrench...NOT FRIKKEN OK at all! So...if anyone gets offered discount bike tools "off the back"...BL@KSEM the B@STARD first, then PM me please! (and good luck for the Argus too!) W/

Specialized makes a "Derailleur Guard", which should stiffen up the derailleur. http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=58190

I saw the light three years ago and bought a Stumpy FSR Comp. Best decision ever! For the kind of riding you mention it's perfect, a trail bike that can race too on occasion. Compared to an equivalent specced Epic: it's heavier by a touch, but much more relaxed geometry, and probably somewhat more robust. Maintenance is similar to what you'd have on any dual susser (excluding the top-end Spez Brain suspension bits which mine doesn't have) with shocks and pivots to care for. Technical and product support from Spez has been excellent as well. The only thing I'll change on my next one is to make it a 29'er. Enjoy!

My racewheels have a MonaRail/CrossMark combo, both 2.1's and am very happy with the them. On my playwheels I run a fatter setup of 2.35" Kenda Nevegal/2.25" CrossMark. The Nevegal is heavy, but corners like stink and is bombproof (also relatively cheap). Haven't come accross anything that matches the CrossMarks for durability and reasonable grip on the back though. (Tried a Nevegal before, it was smooth after three months) The Conti MountainKing/RaceKing combo is also very popular, but pricey.

There is in fact no import duty payable on bicycle spares (including tyres). Clothing and complete bikes attract duty though. The percentage varies based on fabric used (for clothing) and country of origin. You can download the schedule off the SARS website. Customs VAT and Clearing fees are due on all imports though. Customs VAT is higher than regular VAT (14% of (Price + 10%)). The Post Office charges R25/package flat fee to do the clearing. One odd thing though... A number of guys having bought tyres from CRC claim they punctured easier and suspect that softer compounds are used in the European spec tyres. I don't know what to make of that.

Aparently guys our size are called "Clydesdales"! Last time I checked those came with a wagon load of beer, so I'm OK with it... Re shoes: I found the Shimano's too narrow. Spez makes big sizes and you should be able to find a pair at Olympic or Bridge in Cape Town. Their quality is excellent too. Re the bike: Where did you measure the 3cm's? Not all makes use the same system for determining frame size.