Hackster

my stuff is undiluted, 100% alcohol. You can dilute it easily with water, I use a 50/50 mix for general cleaning but for dirty greasy chains I would imagine you'd use it undiluted or 80 - 90%.

If anyone in CT needs isopropanol aka isopropanyl for degreasing their chains, DM me. R50 per litre or less for bulk.

300/500/800/1000?

Trying to find out what this wheelset is worth, it's in decent condition. The rear axle and freewheel has just been serviced. There's no cassette. Pix is for reference, I don't have a shot of the actual set.

Thanks, this is the route I'm going.

So it turns out that 9mm threaded rod is EXTREMELY rare unlike M10 and M8 which you can find just about everywhere. Even 9mm nuts are problematic. So the solution is buying actual solid axles from a bicycle shop and these are not terrifically hard to source. Thanks for the suggestion though, I would have much rather purchased a 'non-bike' solution and repurposed it to my needs. I suppose I could always drill out the hub so that a 10mm threaded rod fits... I joke.

I'm rebuilding an old 26er MTB to use as a to-the-beach-and-back bike. The front QR axle snapped when I was removing it. So I need a replacement axle and thought it would make sense to fit an axle with normal nuts on the ends so that I don't have to worry about locking the wheel when I lock the bike. So long story short, what do I fit? Can you buy 'normal' axles or will I have to buy a new QR axle and bug my nuts-and-bolts shops for a suitable nut/washer duo in place of the QR bits? The bike is a very low spec, very rusty, old Avalanche. (edit - ball and cone type) This question seems insanely simple but I'm not seeing obvious solutions when looking at parts lists.

Does anyone know whether bikesafe.co.za is still going? Got one of their bike boxes and require some spares.

Hey motorcycling friends! I've got a 2007 F650GS and the one thing that bugs the crap out of me is the fact it runs tubes. Would a ghetto tubeless conversion work? Or is a tubliss fitment a better bet?

Hi guys, A question for the legal eagles. A relative passed away last week after a long illness. Single female (divorced), with no children. Surviving relatives are two siblings and a parent. There is supposedly a will but it has yet to be found. The estate is very small, definitely under the R250k threshold; there's a pretty good chance that the liabilities outweigh the assets. No property. I spoke to a local firm and they've quoted R5k for the letter of Authority, and 3.5% of the estate to wind everything up. My question is this, who has an obligation to do what? As far as I can see there's precious little to sort out. Would it be illegal to simply sell the car (or scrap it) and distribute those proceeds and a few personal items among family and friends, and move on? Given that this doesn't contradict the terms of the will (if it's found). We have the Death Certificate, Notice of Death, ID book (stamped 'deceased'), confirmation of cremation, and burial order.

Um, where where are the pannier mounting points?

Thanks dude. It's been a bit of a learning curve. I got seduced by the low mileage - 13 500 km. But after having to buy new tyres, new sprockets and chain, new fork seals and now possibly a new master cylinder, I'm way over budget on this bike. Which is a function of the fact that I bought it without seeing it. And also that a low mileage means a bike that hasn't been regularly used can have mechanical consequences. You live, you learn. I've fitted a tall screen and am on the hunt for a raised seat, I've got one of those terrible low ones. Can't wait to go touring!

Okay, so I'm back on a bike. Found a 2007 BMW F650GS that was in a barn for 10 years. Having a lot of fun with it. One of the best things is that compared to my bicyles, it's pretty cheap to service/fix. It's my first bike after a 20 year break so I've got a bit of catching up to do. Quick question, why can't I convert my wheels into tubeless the same way I did on the MTB? I've just fitted new Mitas E07s and the thought that they're 'tubed' is giving me a headache...

It'll stop being a conspiracy when I get a diamond... I seem to be a magnet for those 25ers

Anyone been tracking the diamond positions? I'm deeply suspicious of the whole thing. Convinced that positions are set AFTER you make your selection...

Lovely story and great inspiration for local tourism bodies that have similar routes they want to grow. One quick question, I note that your paniers are anchored to the 'seat stay' part of the rear suspension triangle. How rigid was that solution, were the clamps up the job? Thanks again for sharing a great article.

I checked that, they haven't come through at all. Weird.

Anyone else having trouble with Discovery Vitality/Garmin? I have two activities from the weekend which are not reflecting, despite both showing up in Connect and Strava. Suggestions?

I might be wrong but I think that riding the N2 where it's a single road (as opposed to a dual road) is legal on a bicycle. There's something in the 'highway' vs. 'freeway' distinction. Whether or not this is safe, I can't say.

This is completely true. But it does mean that someone like Baza gives up the right to complain that all the bargains are gone. Yes, I know that Baza didn't do this, I just feel like making a pedantic point. The existence of people like Baza is proof positive that this particular market is inefficient in terms of pricing. I have nothing against Baza, I just hope I never end up selling him something because it would mean I've priced it too low!

If you knew how many hours of my life I've wasted looking for gloves without gel blobs on the palms... That said I don't have an issue with a double layer of leather on the palms. Will check yours out! Thanks.

I don't sell enough to know whether things are becoming harder to sell. But when I have sold items that were still for sale new at the time, I worked on the 40% rule as a rough guide and those items seemed to move quickly. I've also always looked at the competition first, if everyone is selling a 26er frames for between 1 and 3k, then there's little point in being the guy selling one for 5k. What I have realised is that I have a fair amount of kit that's actually not worth selling. One of these days I'm going to put it all in a box and take it to BEN.

I've been anti-ebikes from the get-go. But I'm seeing more and more of them on the trails and they're behaving just like everyone else. So I'm no longer against them. Which I'm sure must be a massive relief to everyone who owns one...

Done it a couple of times. It's a great jol.

Just be careful of taking a shortcut downhill through Constantia if you don't know the layout of this suburb. Those roads have a bad habit of curling back on themselves... Consider going down Constantia Main road and having a brekkie at Chardonnay Deli or one of the spots nearby. Organise a shuttle home. Anyone still strong can ride back up through the greenbelts and then home via the route that DJR describes above.