LazyTrailRider

Bear in mind that Gen Z and younger use the term "scam" much more broadly than what it technically is. You only need to spend a day on Reddit to release this... Any negative feelings of not receiving the expected value from any interaction is called being scammed. @Brendan S you weren't scammed, you just received poor service. Making this distinction here and in future scenarios where you feel like you didn't get what you expected is important. Please educate yourself: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam

Yeah, it's logical with just 2 seconds of thinking about it. I can't believe I even typed the original post, must have been a slow day for me. Please don't hold it against me 😆

Oh FFS, I see it's an April fool's joke. Joke's on me I guess 😆😆

In doing some reading about dealing with the inevitable but dreaded tiny chips & fine scratches on fork stanchions, I came across this: https://cyclinic.com.au/blogs/suspension/an-introduction-stanchion-wrap This seemed crazy at first glance, but they make it sound like it actually works. Does anyone have any experience with this product? (I'm very aware of the technicalities of using something like the Sendhit kit or a razor blade to remove tiny burrs, filling with epoxy, sanding down extremely carefully, etc.) But, this is something completely new to me. @droo @Jakes 001 what do you think?

For example, Spez's SL 1.2 motor is around R40k... 😬

That’s a very good ROI. I have a property in Claremont that I paid R900k for the same number of years ago now worth R2.7m, I thought that was good! Totally. If there isn’t any serious interest within a week, the price is too high. Simple as that. Also, R100k sitting idle for 6 months (I’ve seen this happen with a used EB on my LBS floor) means thousands in lost interest in a bond or returns in an account somewhere, rather pass that to a buyer who gets a better deal; R100k sitting on a floor is value lost for everyone involved 🤦‍♂️

It’s simple: The market has already adjusted, the sticky prices you’re seeing are from sellers who are too stubborn to accept this. Hence sticky, because their bikes aren’t selling. Look, I can empathise. If you’ve spent R200k on an EB and ridden it lightly for a year, your brain will have trouble accepting an R80k-R100k depreciation knock, but that’s just the way it is. I am under no illusion about how much money I’d lose on the R180k cost of my latest Levo (which I’ve only had since May), but many people are…

No way, that's crazy!

@Razor1972 you’ve come here wanting answers, but you’ve not shared any of the important information that’s needed for us to help you. Or have you simply decided “Ah, another guy (in this case @Simon123) also said they’re crap so they must be” because you came here with your mind already made up but just wanting us to reinforce that? No man, let’s talk about the facts and get you sorted.

Maybe eat less pies also? 😉 Middle aged ex-pinners are hard on bikes, clearly you’re not the target market for anything other than 1.2kg DH casing monsters, but that doesn’t mean they’re POS, they’re just not meant for you 🤷‍♂️ Joking about the pie part (but that part only).

Dramatic much?

Yip, this is unfortunately the reality with low-end RS forks, most of them I’ve seen look like this.

I wouldn’t say 1.5bar at OP’s weight is necessary if he runs proper casings. At 68kg on a 19kg Levo SL with 2.6 Butcher Grid Trail T9 (soft) rubber, I run 1.4 rear and 1.2 front for relatively aggressive (but not crazy) trail riding. Anything harder kills traction at my weight. You’re probably right though about the tyres he has being too thinly sidewalled… EDIT: On 2nd thought, soft alloy rims do need a bit more air, in my case I run carbon so can get away with a few smacks here and there. Another edit: OP, have a look at a Grid Trail or Grid Gravity casing Butcher/Eliminator combo. Spez tyres in 2023 are not rubbish like they were 3 or 4 years ago, they have properly robust sidewalls these days.

I passed this poor soul covered by a space blanket on my ride on Saturday. Assumed it was a pedestrian hit by a car because there was a hatchback parked right next to them blocking the road, with police in attendance. 2nd Saturday morning in a row that I rode past a body, the previous week was at the traffic lights at the top of Alphen Hill Road. Be vigilant out there everyone!

What’s the red section in/next to Tokai? The tar road on the way to the mast I assume?

The bottom line with this is that you're paying for the R&D of the design. The production cost of most physically simple consumer goods is negligible at proper scale, so it's expected that you'd be able to charge next to nothing for something that you pretty much directly copied from someone else. IP is a thing for a reason and buying a knock-off is indirectly buying stolen goods (with the goods being the IP in this case).

I recently switched to this on my MTB from a Power. Still have a Power (also with mimic) on my gravel bike. They’re two very different saddles, I find the Power is great if you’re mostly in one position, where the Phenom allows more free movement around.

I'm still not convinced that it's more than a tiny, marginal improvement marketed as the best thing since airbags. Much like Kashima. I've had several helmets with it. My current MTB helmet (Spez Ambush 2) has it, but my road helmet (Giro Agilis) does not. Do I think the Ambush is safer? Yes, but because it's much larger with much more coverage, not because it has MIPS. Oh, back to the topic: There are 4 helmets in my gear cupboard, 2 of which are actively used.

Look at the bright side, I reckon your arm strength is waaay better than those of us who have been riding couches for a long time!

The geo is indeed very, very different. I went to a Stumpy Evo from a previous-gen Stumpy (which is already significantly slacker than a Camber, which I've also ridden several times), and it's a noticeable jump in slackness. Wait until you flip the headset cup around 😉 The SJ Evo is a *massively* capable bike and I think you'll find yourself smashing bigger and bigger features with it because it makes most things feel easy.

Welcome to the Stumpy family! How’s it ride so far compared to the Camber?

No it's not, it's just a proper aggressive trail & enduro size, I ran 2.6 on two generations of Stumpjumpers from 2019 to 2022.

I see it's back to R25k, thanks for saving me some cash LC! 😬

1. Matched touch-up paint will never be perfect, but I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. When my Levo scratched I got a full AMS kit which covered all the slightly scratched areas instead, but if he wants to go the paint route: https://www.rotaris-paint.com/collections/specialized?gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHiXk0OIcwZU-2mDF3SmJIkgT_C85DH0GmgrL0SOR2eNhQDD2r3-6xthoCA-0QAvD_BwE 2. Rims are very seldom worth going to that much trouble for, agreed with @BaGearA to just buy a new wheel instead.

I see Lynnwood Cyclery has GX Transmission for R18995. https://www.lynnwoodcyclery.co.za/products/sram-groupset-gx-t-type-eagle-axs-175 Will someone please buy the 2 left in stock so I can't?