vanniri

+1

All these "real mountain biker", "you must toughen-up", "...it's worlds..." spoils riding off-road for me as much as cyclists navigating around pebbles. The sooner people realise that the tough talk and the pansy riding is just the opposite sides of the same coin the better for us all. Ride your bike because you enjoy it and share this enjoyment when riding.

Had a slide on one of the gravel junctions at die Burger - I am very happy with (grateful of) my shaven legs!

If you are willing to part with the cash for carbon rims, I would suggest building a pair and not buying a complete wheel set. Hand built wheels can be customized to your riding style and weight and weaknesses in complete sets can be eliminated (for e.g. Easton freewheel and Roval hub bearings). I would suggest: Enve rims with Chris King hubs (if you have lots of money) or the 2013 32 spoke Roval rims with XTR hubs (if you have less money - but still more than average Joe).

See Cycling news for full article. Like this bit: "We would rather concentrate our investment and our partners' sponsorship dollars on the event itself without the burden of USAC priorities or needs, which quite often have nothing to do with the paying customer... the riders and their families."

Along the dangerous roads line: Monday morning (+/-7:00) on Franschhoek pass a delivery vehicle, driving in the yellow lane, hit one of two joggers coming from the front. They were in full reflective clothing etc. The person (a sushi chef in Franschhoek) is injured but alive - broken bones, facial damage, etc.

Looking at your photo you should have stopped last week.

I had zero problems with servicing the Lefty, the basics are VERY easy to do at home. The cost of service (in Cpt) also less than SID and/or Fox Insofar as plushness - the SID is not even comparable against the Lefty. Nothing I have ever ridden can compare favourably on this account against the Lefty. At 100kg and riding trails you are better off buying something else than an XC fork. If you want a Lefty a trail version is apparently available. The cost would probably be steep (more than a TALAS for sure).

I owned both at the same time. Sold the SID, still have the lefty (carbon). Both 26" Lefty: + small bump compliance, stiffness, full lockout, i.e. zero movement, light; - tend to nose dive, require reset of bearings regularly (this is very easy and quick), require lubrication fairly regular (still easy but not so quick, also messy), hands-free riding possible but feels awkward and not as easy. SID: + infinite setup potential, reliable, very little maintenance required; - not much The lefty is a more complicated shock but the better one imo. The SID is a fit and forget type (compared to other XC shocks). Note: If you ride trails I would rather choose the TALAS or Revelation depending on budget.

In response to some recent threads on components (useful life) and frames cracking from bad OEM components (seat binder on non s-works specialised) it made me think which components I'll be able to recommend without batting an eye-lid. Here's my list: Chris King head set (best attribute: quality, worst attributes: price & pre-load sensitive, although this is probably universal amongst head-sets) Thompson seat post binder (best attributes: quality & required torque of only 2.8nm, as a result very frame friendly, worst attribute: can't think of any) XTR & Dura Ace hubs (best attributes: quality, bearing life & free-hub body made from titanium, as a result cassette damage is virtually non-existent, worst attribute: requires preload. The newer Dura Ace hubs solved this problem rather creatively) Thompson seat post and stem (best attribute: it just works!, worst attribute: torque recommendations should be adhered to) XT crank (best attribute: ticks all the boxes of what a crank should be/do, worst attributes: BB bearing requires frame to be reamed & bearing life is pre-load sensitive) Mavic 819 rims (best attributes: strong, USB system works most flawless & rims sold separately, worst attribute: heavy) Goodridge brake cable housing (best attribute: best performance upgrade, worst attributes: no OEM, sourcing of sizes could be difficult in SA) Any other?

Seems hubbers are very skilled indeed... Not met hubbers then at mtb races?

Thanks, will surely check these out!

I own: Source1: AudioLab8200CD Source2: Rotel 10 series receiver Pre-amp: Rotel 10 series Power-amp: Rotel 10 series Speakers: B&W Nautilus 805D Next purchase will be two B&W PVD1 sub-woofers I have a number of reference CD, virtually all of them classical. Labels such as Chesky and Harmonia. Not sure if you guys are into classical. Vocals I can recommend will be Marian Faithfull - Vagabond ways, Dido or Sinead O'Connor Classics like Dire Straits and especially Rumours from Fleetwood Mac is noteworthy. I find rock/alternative to be more enjoyable in the car than on a proper system - Live is good on the system

See Emily Batty riding with the new XX1 at past week-end WCXO

Probably the best race route I've ever done. My only negative comments would be: not having the profile available beforehand on the site (would not have been cycling Franschhoek pass and Helshoogte back-to-back the day before!) and the water points (seems like the two occupants at the first water point was more interested in each other than the race!) The last 5 km was tough, with the last km having at least 200m of climbing. Apparently the steepest gradient was just under 30 degrees. Would be nice to know how many climbs > 25 degrees and the precentage of those in last 5 km?

While watching the CE on telly I noticed not a single one of these development riders waiting for their respective partners when crossing the finish line. When you recieve something for nothing does courtesy fly out of the window?

The new design is unlikely to result in not having to reset the bearings. From my understanding the same design (needle bearings) are used, the bearings are however set higher up the shaft to provide space for the round shaft lower, i.e. the shaft is still octagon (eight sided) shaped at the upper end of the shaft but then has a rounded shape at the lower end. The benefit is having the bearings closer to the clamps (should be stiffer) and being able to seal the shaft. The downside is more friction since it is now sealed. My concern is that you will still be required to regularly grease and reset the bearings since ALL needle bearing designs require this at regular intervals. Since the needles are now higher and behind the lipseal this could require more time and special tools. For a regular maintenance item I would prefer the simpler version.

I think getting a serial number log with owner details is a way to go and before you are allowed to enter races, ownership has to be varified. +1 Even if enforcing it proofs to be difficult an results in inconvienance to me I would support it 100%

For those of you who can still stomach to read a debate on this subject: http://mountain.bike198.com/26-vs-29-mountain-bike-debate/

The oil spill on the first photo, coming from the Landy or the Fox shox? In the second photo I see you have a proper rescue vehicle in case of Landy trouble - do you also have an alternative for the Spes?

Check out Mtb action´s comments on the newly completed olympic mtb course - they use the word pathetic in the heading! Bikeradar on the other hand included a rave review, I was suprise since these guys usually scoff at anything not technical. back to your question - coming from South Africa, cycling in the UK will take some getting use to. Keep in mind you do not move to the UK if outdoor living is your goal. They have some excellent trails, but you have to travel far.

I have the Sag front & rear, also 2,2 Good choice for the coming season, the 2,2 size will spare your rims from rocks

Not using indicators - u will have one hell of a job in Brazil, here no one uses indicators

If the 1000km criteria applies to each ride you will have created one hell of a base, you will also be very tired, have high maintenance bills and have no friends left and your family would have deserted you. If it refers to the cumulative km´s over the total base period, I agree you are far-off

Have been riding in Brazil for nearly three years with DT Swiss 4.2 with Stan´s tubeless conversion using a variety of non-UST tyres. No problems at all. With the conditions here UST tyres are not required. I´ve also been running a 2,25 Racing Ralph non-UST on a Mavic X819 in excess of 3 years, first in Kosovo and now in SA, WC (I only get to use during holidays in SA so wear is minimal). I was suprise not to have any problems with this set-up in SA, not even while using latex based sealant (supposedly not good with this brand of tyre). The tyre will be replaced soon with same brand but UST versions, do not care for the weight but like the security of UST´s when in the mountains on my own. Note: my experience shows this might be more perception than reality.