LBKloppers

Stans works up here in the hot central African Serengeti. It does clump and form the latex balls, but, if you keep your hand on your kit, you should be fine. I once used Joe's green product in South Africa and that stuff impressed me much! Its not so freely available, but I'll use it again if I can get hold of it. Another product I had a lot of success with was the Effetto Caffe Latex. That was the stuff that foams inside the tire and the benefit was that sidewalls and rims were also protected. I was three years in Madagascar when I used that and everything Mada could throw at me in terms of thorns were dealt with and it never dried out. I wish I can find some of that stuff again. Very scarce. I saw a clip on FB yesterday (no I don't have the link to it) about a sealant developed for cars. It is almost a solid gel like substance that appears almost part of the tire. They drove a car over a pad with several spikes puncturing both front and rear wheels without any leakage from the tires. Obviously its an add and quite possible edited, but I like the direction it is going. Imagine they can get it to work for mtb.

Does anyone know what happened with the guys at the cycle factory? I have used the old email, but I get absolutely no response. I would like to get into touch with Jacques and if anyone can help....

This is rather interesting. I used to work on a rig and our crew changes was by helicopter. Every time that thing wound up, there was a distinct clunk when the rotor engaged. I would not have expected the clunk with a pneumatic engagement.

I did it last year and I liked the challenge. The daily temperature combined with the no wind conditions on the day got to me though. I stopped riding way too early. Have fun https://www.strava.com/activities/1270514813/analysis

Just somewhere deep in Africa. Done a little more than 100kms in 33 plus degrees centigrade with almost zero humidity.

I heard once that they achieve this by dropping a drop or two fuel in the exhaust manifold to create the sound. If that is the case, I agree, its windgat. It kind of ties into some of these manufacturers to have a little speaker in the bulkhead to add to the aural experience. Purely WINDGAT I think.

Never forget the adaptability of the human body. Some says they don't feel the difference and I believe it has to do with their bodies ability to adapt. I have seen a youtube clip where an institution did some tests between the round and oval conundrum and they gave a very neutral opinion on the outcome. Their reason was the uncontrollable measurable each body presents is not possible to completely offer a one or the other answer. I myself ride both. I work in Tanzania and my bike here has an oval. It works lekker. My bike at home has a round and strangely enough, it too works lekker. I guess it boils down to the old statement that it is not about the bike....

I've been working with one holding an old school tandem. No problems at all.

Op hierdie tema 'n vinnige inset. Ek hoor net nou die dag dat dat in rooihuide taal word vegetarier vertaal as " bad hunter"

We complain too easily and I will state I am out with a broken foot, but I look at it as a chance to rest a bit. Cast is coming off on the 22nd.

We have never been big on the TV. Its a time thief. It prevents proper socializing and communication at home etc. and that was our opinion way before the onset of present day on-line goodies. Even when the SABC is free, we don't watch. 7de Traan is absolute rubbish and the news is nothing but propaganda for the leading political party. But I have been spoiled by my previous employer with the full premium package while I was still employed. We loved the documentaries and I the sport, but then in less than a year everything was being re-run! At almost R800 it is a bit too much to bear. I am now unemployed and no TV. Back to chatting after dinner, playing board games and having fun - stress free - as a family. Loosing DSTV is a good riddance. All I have got to manage now is to cancel my TV license. I am NOT looking forward to dealing with those ID10Ts

The guys working on our cars who used to be mechanics are called technicians these days. I guess it has to do with their ability to read a diagnostic machine's code. I am of the opinion that the term technician is grossly overused. With all the new technology engines and services today, if a diagnostic machine cannot spit out an error code the "technician" doesn't have a clue. The error code is just there so they can fit new parts.

Would you believe it if a mechanic tells you is is the camshaft? Well he'd be correct. The BLS engine does not run on common rail technology. It has in fact a little high pressure pump running off the camshaft for each injector. When there is no lift from the cam, there is no pressure for the injector. in my case two lobes on the cam was warn down to the extent that no pressure was available for the injectors and the ECU compensated with the remaining two with over fueling. Over fueling leads to black smoke. Running on just two pistons is both rough and weak. VW and Bosh agents said its injectors. Engine diagnostics didn't reveal anything. Injector tests just revealed the condition of the injectors and that they are in fact set lean. 3rd party diagnostics...nothing. I took the experience of an old ballie to open up and illustrate. Confirmed the camshaft was kaput.

Nope More expensive

My Edge500 sometimes does the same thing. Very frustrating. I found connecting the unit to the laptop for a charge eventually clears the fault. The problem is that you only discover this starting out for a ride. There not time for the equipment to reset.

RIP Burry. Too many thoughts to even say anything useful. Condolences to the loved ones through this testing time.

Again Physics come into play. V-brakes is a power system based on levers and working on the rim it had a ratio very close to 1:1, but it had disadvantages. The rim was the primary work surface for the brake pads and that is just another bunch of issues. Where v-brakes shined was in the simplicity department, something the hydraulic packages can not compete with.

I have been observing this and many other forums about brakes with interest. I have been cycling for ages and with my current experience on hydraulic disk brakes, I am convinced we are barking up the wrong tree. There are many references on the internet about brake performance and not one of them gives any information worth a damn. They explain about the intricate testing procedures etc., but they fail at the very obvious. They measure the brand. I am more interested in the physics because it is straight forward numbers without any assumptions. To me the most obvious is the equation (force = pressure x area). First action would be to differentiate between the caliper and the master cylinder in the lever. If the tester has the exact surface area of a brakepad minus the cutouts in the rotor and he applies an exact known pressure to the caliper, he has force. This force can be transferred to a standardized system to determine the actual stopping and holding power of the caliper. When that is done he simply has to test the output pressure of the master cylinder at the lever and he will have a very good idea of the system’s potential performance. Now one can factor in weight and price to get a value representing performance and value for money. Considering that hydraulic fluid is only the conductor of power and therefore heavier than the simple cable operated lever calipers I will find it very hard to believe there is motivation to use hydraulic brakes when compared to mechanical levered brakes other than the “bling” factor. It may sound strange, but remember, pad design can change, pad material can change and many guys change the rotors out. It is often these guys who express their preferences based on their own personal needs. When a question is asked like this topic is, a good answer will give you the numbers to back your sentiment. Branding is not a performance measurement. For the record, I have Alivio and I hate them! I had Shimano in the past and I hated them too. I think the hydraulic design is flawed in in complex rather than simple design.