TYGA

Nice work keeping it up Hairy, what lights you using? I've been too cold / chicken / soft / lazy to saddle up to work since winter has hit properly! You still got the Inbred? How did it handle with the Talas on? I'm still itching for a 456.

Chris could you supply the XT calipers and rotor http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/shimano-xt-br-m765sm-rt77-front-160mm ) with normal as opposed to dual control levers and if so how much would it cost with the tubing?

I don't know what you've been doing with your time Rod but PLEASE JUST BUILD THIS BLASTED BIKE AND POST SOME PICS FOR GOODNESS SAKE! I get the feeling I'm in more of a hurry to get this bike completed than you are!

I usually start off all diligent whenever I got a new bike but eventually laziness gets the better of you and you let it slip. My newest one gets treated like a baby though...it's a powdercoated finish so I'm hoping will last a bit better.

Mr Legs Google the term "Corrosive sweat". Have had the similar issues with MTB's in the past and have seen it on quite a few other guys bikes...if you know it's something that you are prone to best advice is to clean / rinse sweat off your bike after a ride, catch the problem early and take care of it before it manages to get too bad.

That aerial photograph makes me miss the carefree days of riding Papegaaiberg without needing a stab proof vest. You PPGberg locals still riding there at all? I gave it up after the last time the crowd from the wrong side of the mountain tried to take my bike by force.

Middelvlei also packs out a kickass saturday and sunday "boerebraai" and is a great venue if you have small kids to go for lunch as they can run amok and go for donkey cart rides etc...perfect to get them out your hair while you have lunch.

Summer is sadly drawing to an end and along with it the early sunrises. I am fortunate in that the majority of my commute is off road so no worries there, the first 3km's however is on the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch. Anyone that knows this road will be testament to the fact that other than the generous yellow line it is not ideal for riding in terms of vehicles speeding, many on and offramps, tractors, pedestrians etc and even less so in the dark and to say I am not comfortable riding there before sunrise would be an understatement. My question to the seasoned commuters out there is what do you use to make sure you are visible and in using it, how safe is it REALLY or are you just fooling yourself into thinking the schoolmommy yacking on her phone is going to spot you before you become a hood ornament on her Prado?

I bet this mornings commute in the South East wasn't as much fun! What time do you leave in the mornings and how long is your ride?

Hey Hairy, What kind of fork is it and how long did it end up taking you in the end? What was the cost of seals, oil etc?

That oke's got had balls! That back wheel isn't looking too round...

Belfast sure does take the L out of LBS.

"One big defference.....I enjoy riding with my mates. No intention of everrrrrr getting my wife into it! You are a better man than me!" Ya that's like when I used to paddle K1's, the golden rule was always to never EVER get your wife / GF into paddling as you'd then be without a second on riverdays. Dude don't get me wrong I love NOTHING better than riding with my mates but hey, I do that all the time while the missus does the backup and support so I'm happy to give a bit back. Who knows, she might still kick your ass! Would be cool to meet you all, we must make a plan closer to the time.

Chubba you'll be more than fine on the training you are doing, this is cited as a tour or ride not race and it's one hell of a lekker vibe, riders taking it easy and having a chat for a change rather than racing for 300th position. The climbing was about 1000 meters a day over the distance and there were no real killers, to give you an idea of the hills last year I did it singlespeed and could ride absolutely everything except the Hamilton Russel hill in Hemel and Aarde late into day 2. And I'm no racing snake by a long shot. I convinced my wife to do the ride with me this year in a moment of weakness and as much as I look forward to spending some lekker time riding with her and taking her out of her comfort zone she's done very little riding since we had a sprog 15 months ago and I am dreading her losing her cool, chucking her bike into the bushes and stomping off shouting that it was the stupidest idea EVER...

As long as there is no play or drag on the headset bearings and you have tightened the stem bolts you can ride it like that until you have managed to locate a suitable spacer.

Hey featuring yours truly doing the 2 things he loves most. Guzzling beer and riding bikes...famous for all the right reasons at last!

Jy is daai tipe amoreus wat met 'n "J" gespel word as jy daai wiele op 'n Shova sit. What tyres are planning on going with?

I don't know how you even manage to fit three bikes on there without them destroying themselves let alone on gravel, I personally hate hanging racks but I'm fairly pedantic about my bikes so my 2 bike rack is pretty much only a one bike rack. The Express for me is the convenient option but when I put my circus bike on it the back wheel sticks out past the side of my bakkie and the wind alone when getting up to cruising speed is enough to move the rack on my towbar. Mate of mine has the same of yours and cruises at pace no problems with 3 bikes on so I guess though much better than the Express probably not an ideal tool. Seriously though keep your eyes open for a stand on rack, I picked up a holdfast one off the hub for about R1000 including a light board a while back and used it with two bikes on for a 3000 km trip in December, some of it through some of the roughest roads in the Transkei you can imagine and other than completely destroying the light and number plate board I had no hassles.

More Trails I saw on another post you mentioned riding a 2.3 WTB Prowler SS, I just received one "in the mail" and am yet to put it on my Heckler but was wondering how you enjoyed the tire? Looks pretty burly and probably heavier than anyting I've used and I was thinking of getting some Exiwolves instead as my bike still manages to go up OK and the SS may be overkill for my riding style.

Headshot I have a Thule Express which also simply snaps onto the towbar and if I remember correctly the manual warns against using on anything except smooth tar so you are **** out of luck. For longer trips I use a proper stand on rack and the Express only for local rides as it is super convenient.

Johan if those plugs you mention above will fit on an RST fork can I take three sets off your hands please? I've got one of the older RST M29s on my SS which came equipped for V-brakes and it's left horrible holes where I removed the tabs. Same on the back of the wifey's older Santa Cruz.

That's odd, they usually screw in. That bike looks so much happier without the slicsk on!

That's really turned out great, I would remove the V Brake bosses on the fork though.

Thanks Chris that's great of you!

"This seal will fit perfectly inside its cup and protect the bearing from water shooting up from the wheel. Lesser ones have a pure steel race with a tiny gap to allow for frictionless rotation. These are evil and rubbish. Cane Creek leads the pack here." I noticed some lekker brown rusty water in the head tube this when swapping the forks on the wifes bike recently (fairly new headset too but one of those with the gap in the steel race)...which is the correct position for the gap in the steel race and how do you avoid the water getting in the headset / headtube...just pack it full up with grease?