michaelbiker

For muddy trails the rekon race packs up quickly and is completely useless. It’s also downright scary on wet rocks and roots. In the summer it’s great. Rolls fast and corners well. Waiting for a Kenda Karma Pro 2 in 2.4 and a Bontrager XR3 2.4. Have ridden neither before but they are supposed to be better for wet or slippy stuff. The Kenda gets really good reviews for the wet. The combo is also 250g lighter than the maxxis combo I am currently running.

Yes. Had to do this the other day and it’s fine.

squoosh.com works well on mobile too and it’s free.

I have seen this video before and the wear rate test is not that great according to the guy at Zero Friction Cycling. If you have the time - and I mean time, since he goes into heavy detail - have a read through his site TLDR; using Molten Speedwax and a crockpot gave the best wear results. https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au I was actually contemplating providing a subscription service to people who would like to have pre-treated chains send their chains in at one point but I figured the drip wax approach really was good enough and so much less hassle. As for cost, a new XX1 chain is now close to R2k and cassette is nearly R7k. I would rather spend a bit extra on lube to make it last longer than have to replace my drivetrain every year.

I guess with all these things there is some truth and some hype but all I know is that I got over 8000km on my last MTB drivetrain with two chains (both XX1) in rotation and when I sold it (to a friend) the one chain was still under the 0.5 wear indicator. The other was just over. All I used was Smoove and basically wiped the chain down and reapplied every 100kms, making sure to let the wax dry before riding. The big problem I have with oil-based lubes is how gross they get. With wax you never need to degrease - just some meths in a rag and most of the crud comes off.

It also cuts down on the spurious, middle-of-something “still available???” WhatsApp’s which drive me up the wall!

I never list my phone number anywhere. If they want to chat they can go through the Bikehub chat system. I’ll only exchange numbers once I have figured out the buyer is somewhat legit. That way I can see their profile age and their history on the site. Same goes for gumtree - although I haven’t sold anything on there in years. In Singapore everyone uses a service called Carousell and it’s brilliant. I wish they could come to SA. Bikehub is perfect for bike stuff but when you want to sell any electronics on FB Marketplace or Gumtree it’s a nightmare.

Our last ride in Talarn / Tremp, Spain. These pics were taken while we were checking out the steep sections of a trail called Serengueti. Blue trails in Spain require a different level of technical skills to blue trails in SA. Steep, technical with huge drops on either side but really well maintained by the local trail groups.

Tremp, Spain. MTB paradise… especially after the weather cooled down.

Our last ride to Besalu, Catalonia.

MTB ride to Girona for coffee... the croissants were 💯

Maybe try a Maxxis Aspen 2.4. The wider casing should work well with your rims and it’s essentially a semi-slick tire. It’s the next fastest after the ikon I would say. Otherwise ikon in 2.35 but the 120tpi version.

Hot ride yesterday. Spanish summer is in full swing.

View over Lake Banyoles, Spain

A few more pics from Spain - somewhere near Girona. The weather has been amazing.

Hope you like it hot! It’s currently 33 degrees in Catalonia…

Cooking Spain! Rode to Girona yesterday under the Rocacorba. Stunning ride!

Oh and happy to donate. Please send details.

I used to ride through Blue Valley all the time from Hout Bay but now drive to Constantia Nek to ride. Riding up Constantia Nek is okay but riding down can be dangerous in traffic. Especially if you need to turn at Longkloof. Hopefully this trail will allow us to ride down too.

Somewhere in Catalonia, Spain

AXS upgrade complete. It’s oh so nice…

A plastic chopstick and meths. Feed the chopstick in under the grip. Pour some meths in and twist. It will come off really easily. When putting back on just cover the inside with meths and slide on. Have never ripped or destroyed a grip. It sometimes helps to wear a glove to prevent your hand from slipping.

Part one arrived waiting for the controller this week

Hout Bay inversion