camelman

Don't know what size you are, but from what I have found XL bikes are not easy to find. I had to squeeze onto a large mtb. Own pedals, shoes and helmet is a must.

Assos S7 T'Equippe. Good quality and will last you a long time if you look after it. I still have Assos Shorts from 2008 and they are still ok. It is an investment. And don't forget the chamois cream. No need for Assos, Mark II will be fine.

Getting mine in the mail in the morning. Can't wait.......for the beer,

I run a HD in front and a Nobby Nic in the back of my stumpjumper 29r and it gives amazing grip over wet rocks and roots. Not the best tire for clearing mud, hardpack with loose gravel or longevity. The nobs on the HD is not far away from starting to shear off. Had it on the back too, but had some clearance issues and I cut the sidewall on the second day of my alpine trip. IMO great for technical riding, not so much for muddy riding. The NN sheds mud much better than the HD, but does not offer the same amount of grip.

Trickstuff is a German company that makes a cable to Hydraulic converter similar to the Hope one. Like the Hope unit above this can be modified to do a similar job by using a single cable brake lever, splitting the cable in 2 and taking it into either side of this unit. http://www.trickstuff.de/bilder_PRODUKTE/DOPPELMOPPEL/Doppelmoppel1.png Problem with splitting a hydraulic hose in two is that there is not enough oil being displaced by the lever to operate 2 brakes. Maybe by mixing and matching you might make something work but it will be costly. For example using a single lever for a 4 Pot caliper and connecting it too two 2 pot calipers( Example an Avid trail lever too 2 normal Avid calipers). No idea if it will work though. Good luck.

Good to see advise not being in vain. Happy rides.

Don't Forget to click on the link I added. No washers in there.

Ok great so going to the 180 size is actually a good thing. What makes me worry is the fact that my SLX brakes now need to be spaced to accommodate the 180 size. Would the adding of spacers have a negative affect on the quality, stability of the brake system? If you had to take a rotor from the LBS (http://www.cwcycles....rts/disc-rotors) which would it be? right price, quality, size etc for my size. Maybe something like this for the spare road wheel set http://www.cwcycles....tion-disc-rotor And something like this for the MTB set http://www.cwcycles....c-rotors-6-bolt You have it spot on. Don't want to ruin that nice MTB wheelset with two cheap rotors. Just remember the little spacer that needs to go between the caliper and the fork. 160 to 180mm adapter. Something like this: http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/alero-disc-adapter

I am 95kg and went from 160/160 to a 180/160 and it made a huge difference. I have the Magura Storm SL rotors on all my bikes and a pair of cheapie Alligators on my spare set of wheels. I can now actually bomb down the hill and know I will stop, instead of hoping I will stop. On the plus side the front brake has not faded completely as happened before. Maybe the caliper does not work as hard with the bigger rotor and it could also be that the heat dissipation off the bigger rotor is a bit better. BTW I have the same wheel and hub combo.

Who follows instructions? It's only a few parts

Was done here in Switzerland where everything is crazy expensive, but I reckon converted the headset was R1 800 and the labour to remove the old one and press the headset in about R500. So if you can get a Cane Creek or Works headset for anything between R1500-R2000 it's on par. The other cheaper option it seems is to have some shock mounting hardware custom made in SA with Droo. For me with the hardtail the only option was to install a headset, but at least once it was done, I knew what the difference in headset angle would be once done.

Just got a angled headset installed on Friday. It was a Works-Components model (1.0 deg) and I installed it on my Giant XTC 29r composite. I still need to take it for a test ride, but just coming back from the shop, the bike seemed to behave a bit better. These are not cheap, but if you are not quite happy with your bike, it sure is worth a try before buying a new bike. I have read reports that the Cane Creek angleset has some issues with knocking and noise, it might be because of all the loose parts in it, but you get a lot more options with the Cane Creek model. I might go for a ride tonight or in the morning and post the results here. FSA also make one, but is a bit more expensive.

Would just like to add my 2 cents worth as well. We have a Euroway and my road bike cannot fit on the rack closest to the car as the toptube is too high for the clamp and it cannot clamp onto the downtube at a decent angle. What I have found is that you can basically clamp it anywhere and in any orientation, as long as it clamps square onto the tube. If it does not clamp square it has a tendency to try and line up square while driving and lose the tension on the clamp with the bike coming out of the clamp on the highway with nowhere to stop. So with bikes getting funnier tube shapes in funny places it is a bit like playing Tetris. Don't be in a hurry and try to get that clamp to line up square with the tube and have the bike as upright as possible. Whether the open part of the clamp points upwards, downwards or sideways. And for safety these days I also put a bungee cord on. Stopping on the highway is not pleasant.

Maybe post your comments on the Epic vs Anthem thread. Might give the OP some insight there

Just received a Polar V800 for my birthday. Its a huge jump up from anything polar has had before. And downloading is painless and battery lasts about a week with about 7-8hours of training. It also gives lots of post workout info. Btw a lot of Rainmakers issues with the watch has been addressed already on the latest software upgrades. And as a watch it does not look half bad either.

Don't forget the bleed kit and the ferrules at the end in case you need to break apart the hoses to shorten it or take it through the frame. Or just bargain with a bike shop and let them do it all for a good price. Just a thought..... My input would be SLX for function, XT and XTR if you want to add the bling.

Normal USA working visa (H1B) you can forget about. They are oversubscribed and unless the company you are applying for has some serious pull in the visa department it is not going to happen and on top of it, it takes months. What you could look for is companies offering internships/trainee programs. You will get paid peanuts, but you will be getting your foot in the door. From that visa you could then go and apply for a permanent work visa if the company wants you. My sister got an 18month visa, I think it was a J1 and got a job offer from the company she worked for. However she has already been waiting for 8 months for her H1B visa. You can get some more info here: http://j1visa.state.gov/ Good luck on that

Noted: Should have checked before typing my response. A good double butted spoke is strong enough where it matters.

+1 on that, and if you are 100kg + have them spoke the rear wheel with straight gauge spokes and not double butted spokes. Adds a few grams but a lot of strength.

Don't take a chance and crack a frame. Shims are cheap and the aluminium ones work like a charm. You wont even know it is there. Had to install 2 shims on my wife's dropper post on her first bike and they worked. Just buy a quality one.

I think that light blue frame is one of the sweetest looking frames I have seen in a long time. I am slightly disappointed by their launch though, on a personal level. My biggest wish for this press release was an Air 9 RDO with a 142x12mm rear axle as I want to get a boutique hardtail soon. Ah well will go get myself a Yeti Arc then.

No use in changing if it's on the bike. However I did find that the Sram levers are a bit tougher to shift than the Shimano xt/xtr. They also have a longer stroke it seems. If your fingers are strong enough, stick to them. I bought a set of X0 brakes last year and found them much better than the Avid elixers of 3-4 years ago. But the Shimano brakes still trump them all for power and value for money.

Super easy. Go to your LBS or look online for the 15mm adaptors. Pop out the old ones, stick in the new ones, 30s done and dusted. Cost was around R250ish for the front hub. For my wife I machined out the 9mm QR adaptors to a 9mm hole and stuck in a 9mm x 100mm RWS from DT Swiss. Theoretically it adds stiffness to a normal QR as the axle is now a 9mm instead of the little 5mm QR spaghetti string.

I reckon the bridges/raised fence crossings are probably the most dangerous/scary for a beginner. Just make sure you go first so she knows the speed to go at, and tell her to commit and not try getting of the bike while on the bridge.

I cracked 2 2014 epic frames within 3 months, last one 2 weeks before the epic. Replaced no questions asked and within 3 days. As for apparel I understand that they can be a bit sticky about things. Had a cracked helmet bought in Switzerland and they needed proof of payment. So bought a new one and will report back on their service once back in Switzerland. Apparel are high wear items and different people treat their things differently. As for me, I would be happy with a discount on a new item, if it can be replaced then that's even better. If it breaks within a month, then I think you could fight for a free replacement, therefore the proof of purchase. All in all I have not had a bad experience with specialized after sales service.