parabola

Avids hydraulic brakes like most hydraulics have no spring return, and are designed to automatically adjust for brake pad wear. So if you take them off and the lever is pulled, the pistons will be pushed out and wont return fully. Just take a large, flat screwdriver, put it in between the pads and turn gently. You should see them go back. Be gentle or you can damage the brake pads.

Barrel adjustment only changes the relative positioning of the derailer, the stroke a shifter shifts for one click would be predetermined by the manufacturer and is not adjustable. That given link explains it all pretty well (thanks ox_wagon). It might work most of the time, but unless its kept perfectly tuned it will cause shifting problems eventually. That's not a problem because the first click of the shifter always pulls some extra cable so as to take up any slack, with indexing of the top sprocket provided instead by the mech's high-gear stop screw. The low-gear stop does a similar job at the other end of the cassette, so that only the intermediate sprockets are actually indexed by the shifter. This is part of the reason some "incompatible" combinations actually work okay ? at least when new. With only seven out of nine sprockets dependent upon the subtle relationship between cable pull and shift ratio and with indexing set on the middle one, the maximum shifting error is only three times the error per click. If, for example, the mech shifts 4.55mm instead of 4.35mm, the most it'll be out is only 0.6mm, and only in next-to-top or next-to-bottom. The rest of the reason is that the guide pulley can float about half a mm side to side, allowing at least that much misalignment between mech and sprocket without any nasty noises. http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946 parabola2009-11-25 04:17:50

Well there is something special about adding on parts as you go, the bike gets to be completely custom in the end, adn you have something unique for you. Its also nice to feel the difference each component makes. You've got a kief setup though to get out there and bomb some trails. I'm waiting on an on-one frame and an order from CRC to finsih it off with. Christmas is coming early this year. Be sure to post some pics of the finished ride.

You are going to need to take out a bond to pay for all that, you've picked pretty much the best If its one thing I've learned from all my bike purchases is that the cheapest way is to just pay for it all up front. When I look back at how much Ive spent this year I could have bought a really nice dual suspension by now. Glad to see you found the cranks dude. Do you ever ride at Tokai? Also keep the jump frame and revive it with your old parts. Dirt jumping will improve your riding skills tremendously. Theres a nice pump track near UCT to play around on. parabola2009-11-24 09:17:48

Nice jump bike. That bowl is wicked fun, I've ridden there a few times on a BMX, great fun. parabola2009-11-24 07:03:46

No' date=' you don't get 9 or 8 speed derailleurs. You have to change the travel of the dr. I am currently using a XTR rapid rise on a 8spd cassette...[/quote'] Quite right. My mistake.

Look we are talking about a fractional difference here, according to google, 8 speed cog spacing is 4.8mm and 9 speed is 4.34mm. So it may work for a bit, but you will be exerting more load on the rear mech and chain, so you can expect more shifting problems than usual. You might just be better off sourcing an 8sp shifter. I'm selling a set of 8sp v-brake STI's but not sure what you need. https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=68310&KW=mtb+parts @techguy you would also need a 9sp derailer to complete the upgrade. parabola2009-11-24 05:04:41

No it wont work. The total amount of travel the derailer moves is the same for 8sp and 9s, the only difference is that the chain is thinner and the sprockets are more closely spaced. So its not a case of the 9sp shifter has more 'travel' but that each incremental movement of the shifter is smaller. To make it more clear, each shift of an 8sp shifter moves further than what is required for the 9sp standard. parabola2009-11-24 04:45:10

Never owned a fox so cant talk about them. In terms of after sales support in SA its hard to beat Rock Shox. I had a RS Recon Race completely lockout on me, sent it into the agents through my LBS, got it back after a week and R650 later it was better than ever with new seals and a full service. Pretty sure I would have had alot of trouble getting the same service with a Manitou or Marzocchi. They great brands but parts for the Rock Shox are much easier to get. Ive got a Marzocchi with weak springs on my dirt jump bike, and cant get the parts as Marzocchi no longer represented in SA.

I like the team colors on the fork. Don't listen to the purist's, nothing wrong with a fox fork on a 'dale. Lefty's are so overpriced anyway I agree about rotating the tyre's by 90 degrees will balance the wheels out really nicely. parabola2009-11-21 09:55:02

Ive dealt with many different hubbers and bought/sold many items. Never had anything but good deals. I have saved so much money on purchases, and made back so much money on items that would previously be very difficult to sell otherwise. I prefer dealing face to face, makes it easier to clarify on an items condition, also allows for a bit of haggling, even some bartering. It is nice to have a chat, talk about bikes, cycling and riding bicycles to like minded people As mentioned above, if someone is willing to give you their work/home contact details then they are almost certainly honest. parabola2009-11-21 03:00:09

I've come to accept after many tashes that it just makes me look ridiculous. Some guys can pull it off, I'm not one of them.

CWC sells them for R1,399 http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/shimano-slx-m660-crankset

I would have to say it depends on where you ride. Down here in the cape some areas have lots of evil thorns. I used to get punctures all the time, ( I had about 12-15 last year) and since going tubeless I haven't had one. I often go ride up Tokai in the evening and have had the misfortune of puncturing as the sun goes down, not pleasant being stranded on the mountain with your back wheel in pieces and the light dimming every minute.

There's very little difference. Foldables are cheaper to ship because they, fold up, and so are generally cheaper to buy. Wire beads are slightly heavier, GENERALLY more tricky to install, but can be more sturdy under low pressures. This depends more on the manufacturer and type of tyre than the bead itself. Foldables are easier to transport and take to a race with you. http://mtbtires.com/TireTracks/nfblog/?p=20 parabola2009-11-18 19:46:23

Seriously? That 5gr means nothing when your cleats break off mid race.

I think you may also want max speed, the computer I bought doesnt have that and its annoying when you are really flying down a pass, and you wonder how fast you going. Not a great idea to look down at 70km/h you know

Thats such a good looking frame I would honestly feel bad blasting it through a rock garden.

Would love to strip that bike and take everything apart, must be an engineering masterpiece.

I would definitely say bring both if you can, otherwise you can always find a good second hand bike right here on the hub. There are two shops I go to in the Tableview/Blaauberg area. Cycle Teknix 145 Blaauwberg rd Table View 021 5568207 https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=36346 The Cycle Factory Store Unit S29 Spearhead Business Park Montague Drive and Freedom Way Montague Gardens http://www.cyclefactory.co.za/

Hi Stefan Firstly congratulations on your spontaneous decision to visit South Africa. Cape Town is one of the best places in South Africa to go MTB'ing and there are numerous trails to check out. All over Table Mountain are jeep tracks which are great for training as well as getting a great view of the city. If you travel a bit up north along the west coast you can go ride in the Koeberg nature reserve, which has a 22km round loop of jeep track with plenty of zebras, eland, springbok and other wildlife to keep you company. You can also get a great view of the nuclear power plant in the center of the reserve (the reserve is like a safety zone for the power plant). All the jeep track is nice hard pack so its great for training. On the southern side of Table Mountain is Tokai Arboretum which has a great variety of singletrack, jeep track as well as the main downhill. From here you can ride all the way up to the radio mast on Constantiaberg, or ride up to Noordhoek peak through silvermine. Jonkershoek is another epic place to ride, enough jeep tracks and climbing to keep you training for hours, stunning views at the top and km's of great singletrack on the way down. As far as road riding goes there are many cycling clubs in the area and I'm sure you can get in contact with them through here.

DJ2 is quite a bit better than the DJ4, as I found out this morning. I think I'm just going to go with a smallish spacer (10-20mm) can be quite easily made and will stiffen up the fork *enough* to keep me jumping until I something comes up on the hub. The rest of the bike (Giant STP2) is good enough to warrant a nice Rock Shox Pike or similar, and then I will rebuild the wheels with new hubs. Reckon a thru-axle is the way to go anyway for a dirt jumper. parabola2009-09-21 07:26:44

I was contemplating reverse engineering the current spring and then having one made up which is about 20% stiffer, cheaper than buying one from Marzocchi, but it will still cost several hundred, so I may as well just get a new fork Theres a DJ2 for sale on the hub but its got a through axle, so would have to get a new hub as well. Preloading with a spacer wont change the spring rate but it will mean a stiffer fork for dirt jumping.

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately the DJ4's do not have any air pressure adjustment at all and are only coil