Goodbadugly

Articles like the above are always interesting to read. Let me just put one thing straight before you guys try to flame me. I am not against testing or science. That is a good thing. Especially a meta-analysis. The problem comes when people try to press results of tests into their way of thinking. Unfortunately I have turned into Mr Super Cynic in the last few years due to the bombardment by the media and marketeers. Lets take the 29er thinghy. We now have "conclusive" evidence that a 29er is faster than a 26er. BUT I would like to take myself as an example. What makes me slow? Number one is toting a total mass (bike and rider plus water bottles) 90kg up hill. That is a simple physics law. For the same money I will get a 29er that weighs 1 kg more. So 91kg. This simple uphill will now require me to to work 1% harder. Another major factor is wind resistance. And don't forget my peddling inefficacy when I am tired. The really small things that makes me slow are the normal(not ceramic) bearings, my unshaved legs etc. Oh yes, I nearly forgot about the rolling resistance and the smooth rolling effect of my chosen wheel/tire over small obstacles. This last factor contributes to (lets give it an REALLY high value) 5% of the stuff that slows me down. If I understand correctly, this fatter and bigger tire will roll 5% easier. That is 5% of 5% equals 0.25%. Hmmmm... Wow. Conclusive evidence that I will be 0.25% faster on a flattish road. My Barberton 75km will now be 40 seconds less. So 4 hours 11 mins and 13 secs instead of 53 secs. If you discount the climbs. Interesting reading though. Maybe I will join this 29er marketing hype when it is time for a new bike. But first I must train harder and shed 5 kg's and I am rather sure that will make me faster.

I have had a very basic Polar CS 100 for 4 years. It has been returned to Polar twice. Once due to water getting into the unit and a second time because the locking mech that locks it onto the bike mount broke. Both times the unit was repaired FREE OF CHARGE except for postage. Consider back up when you buy a thing like that.

There is a wheelset in the for sale section with Crest rims, Chris king hubs and rotors. They sell for less than R5000. Take a good long hard look at them. Every component of the wheel can be discussed. Nipples: Brass or alu. 12 or 14mm? Rims: Light rims, heavier more robust rims, tubeless rims, eyelets etc. Spokes: Double butted, Revo's, Comps, Supercomps bladed. You even get titanium spokes. Hubs: Price, seals, 6 bolt etc Front hub: regular quick release, 15mm, Maxle Spoke count: 24, 28, 32, 36... Read up on the net. There are lots of wheelbuilding websites. Also different opinions. The trick is to try to see through all the crap written into the truth. Do you want to build them yourself? Many well known wheelbuilders have taught themselves. Just one word of advice. Don't start your first wheel with fancy stuff like 1.8mm Revos, aluminum nipples and low spoke counts. Easiets way is to attend a JB course.

When the x9 works, it works. BUT I have had 2 x9 rear derailleurs that got stuck in 'first' (32 or 34) gear during muddy races. I cleaned them (even tried oiling the links) but to no avail. The reason for this? Something to do with the plastic/aluminum interface? Or a weak spring combined with pulling angle that is not acute enough? One of them I got functioning again by shortening the spring(do this only if you are prepared to curse a lot to get it back into position), but the other one is dead. The functioning seemed to get better with time. These were 2007-9 derailleurs. Don't know about later models. I have not had these issues with the XO.

It's your bike. Your BB. Drill it. Don't drill it. Whatever. I drilled mine to get the water out a looong time ago.

You can substitute 29er for anything they did, wear or use. Baby soft, Assos bum cream, Shimano chains, Bell helmets, Squirt or Island Tribe sunscreen. Fact is THEY won. Not the bikes. They provided the input. They were riding 29ers, yes. The way you put it, the bike (29er) that won, peddled the rider.

It will take years to get good at 35. It took me 5 years to get into a relatively competetive zone. The "old" guy @ 60? The saying goes: Don't mess with a man with a million miles on his legs. BTW it takes me 30 minures to warm up to ride lekker. If you say 5km's, you are still warming up. Do LSD's

You are aware that the Sahm/Platt did win (Or came close to winning) a few Epics on 26" bikes? If they had Power Balance bracelets, would it be confirmation that PB's work?

Ditto.

I also prefer my Reba Race over the Sid team. I am not sure why the Reba feels better, since the insides are just about the same. Maybe the Reba was made on a Tuesday and the Sid on a Monday morning after the factory workers went for a weekend booze up.

Just wondering about the time of the day that you were "hubbing" and the comment.

Rather the 29 at the back and the 26 front. Then you can ride downhill all the time.

Well, if the 29 inch is so good, why stop there. Why not go for 45, 35 or even 40 inch. Or do the bicycle manufactures keep that for a 2015 hype? Marketing. And gatjeuk.

I you ride flattish terrain, go 32. Yes, I know all the persons with the surname of Norris, BMI's below 19, body fat percentages below 9% and resting heart rates below 40 bpm ride a 32 as the smallest chainring and a 32-11. Good for you. But we are not all immortal. BUT ask yourself the following question. Were you in the top 10% in your last 75 km mtb marathon? If not, think of that nasty 100m climb that you had to do at 65km. Didn't you wish you had another gear? What are you riding at the moment? If the present ratios are working for you, get the same.

I agree on real mtb-ing, but for training on hard pack/surfaced roads, well... tires do not need to perform. They just roll.

I am aware that the discussions around tubeless vs tubes has seen many cycling forums. The plus points of the tubeless systems always being quoted ad nauseam. The less punctures, less snake bites and my all time favorite: the lower rolling resistance. The rolling Resistance always being quoted as the killer blow. Are there any hubbers that can refer me to a valid article where research has been done by an independent company/persons to prove that this is true for mtb tires filled with slime? Or were the results for car tires just interpolated? The reason why I put this to you(and I know this has been discussed before) is that I changed my training wheels back to tubes (and tire liners) 3 months ago. Pressures around 2.0-2.5 bar. Like most of us, training consists of dirt roads and tar. (Yes, I also know that some people state it is a sin to ride on tar with a mtb) Results? I would be less than honest if I tell you that I could feel the difference. And not a single puncture. I know it is level 4 evidence, but still... A folding tires weighs 500 grams apiece. Add another 200 grams for a standard tube and 100 gram for the liner. That is 800 gram. A UST tire (Crossmark) weighs 690 gram. If you add the valve and the slime, you end up at the same figure. When I started my "experiment" with tubes, I noted that the wheel spun much more freely without slime when the bike was standing on saddle and handle bars. The Stans of whatever rapidly slowed down the wheel at slower wheel speeds when centrifugal forces did not "stick" the slime to the periphery. Not so with the tubes. So next time you motivate your ultra low weight mtb wheel set by saying that for the "stop and go" effect of mtb-ing you need lighter wheels, keep the sloshing effect in mind. Don't get me wrong. If I do stage races, I will still be TUBELESS. I am only saying that tubes are not so bad for the average rider. I also hate a puncture, but tube tires are just so much easier to get off the rim, so much easier to install. And no Joe's to spill on the garage floor or to try to get it off your clothes/legs/bike when you suffer a significant puncture on your back wheel. I am aware that at least 80% of you will try to torch or stone me. O tell me about Tubeless ready tires. Maybe it is because I have to start to use Salusa 45 this year that I feel like doing the retro-thing. I will be doing the Barberton 75km mtb on tubes. Please smile when you pass the guy with the Amarula shirt while he is fixing his punctures. The final straw was when I stepped on the Joe's bottle spilling half the contents this morning. And the extra final straw was when the UST Crossmark popped over the Stans rim bead when I inflated it with the compressor to try to get it seated, thus "exploding" off the rim showering me with a fair helping of Joe's while coating the front of my car with a fine spray of latex. And this at only 4 bar.

Also consider circumsision, tonsillectomy, appendisectomy, haemoroidectomy, dentectomy, unilateral orchidectomy, clipping your toenails and colonic wash outs as options to reduce weight.

Ahhh. The enigmatic 10 kg's. It will cost you a LOT of money to get that bike below 10 kg's. A 1.5kg wheelset, SID fork, XX or XTR all round, silly light stuff like KCNC post, stem, handlebar. SLR saddle. Stupid Supersonic tires converted to tubeless that won't hold air, a lighter frame... I am also with Dangle on this one. Forget it. If you want it below 10 kg "race ready" (That is with pedals, bottle cages, bar ends and a tube taped to the seatpost), buy a 8.5kg hardtail. Or better. Ride the bike as it is.

Depends what you define as a good tire. For me: Last long. OK in most of your riding conditions Grips OK. Easy on the pocket. Rolls good on hardpack (In South Africa XC is mostly on hardpack) Good sidewalls (like he LUST version) I HATE punctures. Seals first time when you go tubeless. Proper sidewalls. You will see super lightweight is last on my list. Maybe because I HATE punctures. If the above is what you define as a good tire, I can recommend the Crossmark UST tires. I just did the Sabie X with a Crossmark as a back tire(again) +1 If super lightweight is what you are looking at, have lots of $$$, don't mind the odd puncture or like to state the weight of your bike as 9.98kg, buy a lighter tire.

Let us compare it to service in a restautant. You order a greek salad. And get cheddar in the place of feta. Next you order a Windhoek lager, but you get a Windhoek light. You have to send it back. You order a medium filet, but get a overcooked piece of charcoal. You send it back. They replace it with what you ordered in the first place. Very irritating. Bad service, even if they replace everything. I hate it when people rendering services use the words "Bring it back when you are not satisfied." This implies good service, but they leave their back door open. I prefer a service to be done right the first time. It is such a pain in the butt if you have to find time to take the bike back through peak traffic hours, find parking, nag to get the service done, find time to go fetch the bike yet again, because if you send somebody else they might not check up on the mentioned. Bad service delivery mechanics know this. And depend on the fact that the pain of finding time to bring the bike back will be more than the pain of the maladjusted gears. Once they have your money, they are usually less prone to fix their stuff ups. My idea of good service? Get it right the first time. Without me checking up on them. This is not aimed at a specific shop, just in general.

I prefer to support the local industry, but if the service is lame, do it yourself an support Chris Willemse/Kiwi/Icycling/Buycycle or CRC. The local agent quoted me R1700 for my FS bike bearings. Got them (Enduro) from Johan Bornman/Yellowsaddle for R670. A local bike shop took THREE months to get me the seat post I ordered (and paid for). Stuff them.

Shimano did not have to revamp the bearing/bushes to get the pedals to last longer...

Learn to service your own bike. And buy spares off the internet. If shops are slow/less helpful with service, stuff them. Let them feel the economic slump.

I feel more in control clipped in. More guys fall because they are overcautious.

XT.