Daxiet

No real insight into the Trek Fuel, but my wife has a Trance and I have tried riding it just recently. Not very impressed with the ride profile, it should be awesome for descending serious declines, but I think it must be a pain to climb with. Best described it feels like I would imagine a Harley Chopper would. Very steep angle on the front fork, with your weight very far back. If you want to compare the Trek with its true competition in the Giant stable, you would need to look at the Anthem X0 or X1. I think the Anthem X0 (R38K-40K) is over priced, perhaps has the components to warrant costing ~11K more than the X1 (R25K-27K), but still a tall ask. I recommend the Anthem X1, weighs in at 11.5kgs, is a XC machine and is designed to race unlike the Trance. Just don't go for the Trance if it is a XC racer you're looking for.Daxiet2009-04-12 13:26:04

You've already started, so you may as well continue. The components you are talking about upgrading are wear and tear items, so they will need to be replaced at some stage anyway. So Yay, but agree with Scoe, leave the FD, really not worth it.

Same tool used to install/remove your rear cassette, if you're building your bike, you will need this tool anyway. Just find if going with Shimano brakes, you have more choice in the Shimano rotor field if you go center lock. However there are more after market 6-bolt rotors out there.

Thought I was having dejavu, glad to see I am not alone.

Yup, I try lube my chain before every ride (MTB). Use Squirt. (Road) - every so often, much more forgiving.

Don't think you will save much on the Tora. My Scott MC40 came with Recon 351 which is heavy ~ 1.9kgs. The Tora at worst would weigh around 1.7kgs. That said the MC40 weighs 12.5kgs standard, ~1kg lighter than the FX25. You will need to look at your wheelset, crankset (sure your FX25 is on internal BB with octalink crank), so upgrade to SLX, will probably save a couple 100g. Changing the front fork to Recon Race Air may drop a 100g or so. But I think you biggest saving may be the wheelset. However in short DS's unless you have serious cash are heavy. The Anthem X1 weights 11.5kgs and costs ~R27500.00. So to drop 2 kgs you need to invest a lot more cash. I wouldn't recommend trying to make your bike lighter, its just not going to work out cost effective for the gain you may make.

You should be using a special Training tyre on the rear. Normal tyres get destroyed by trainers, due to the heat generation. So basically it means buying one of these trainer tyres, removing your normal tyre and all will be as good as it can be.

If there is play, it seems you LBS diagnosis is spot on. First just phone around and see if you can get new bushes. Obviously dependant on who makes your bike and what the support is like on that make in SA.

If you hadn't mentioned the LBS says the bushes are worn, by your symptoms alone I would have said it was the BB. It sounds text book. Can you feel, note any play on the rear shock? If you coasting downhill and you bounce on the bike, idealling not involving the pedals at all, thus while sitting, does the noise persist? Not saying it isn't bushes, just trying to confirm the diagnosis.

Good news to hear after just aquiring a 705, at that price the though of having it fly off at speed is very disconcerting. So from what I can gather, the actual "hole/slots" that the cable ties go through break lose due to the strain?

I fully agree the logic behind the hefty price considering the big backing of ABSA and a couple smaller sponsors would suggest this has become a profit making event. That said basic economics is about supply and demand, hence with a total of 600 entries, 100 sold already and a number dedicated to Wildcard and Charity tickets, the supply is very limited and well the demand is still extremely high. The organisers would have got a clear indication that they have not yet over priced the entries with their quick "market" survey conducted at midnight on Sunday. 100 entries sold in 100 seconds, with the added fact that a whole host of us bothered to be awake at midnight to try enter. So for now it would appear they could even charge more and they will still sell all 600 entries. I am one of those who will be there in 2010, but I strongly doubt I will spend this much cash again.

Use it on technical climbs, long climbs, whenever I stand, be it sprint or climb. Leaving it unlocked: On a rough technical climbs results in the front wheel behaving badly. On climbs some of your energy gets transfered to and absorb by the fork, well that's the theory. Standing causes the fork to soak up an even larger portion of energy, you can in many case feel the difference. Definetly would not get a fork without lockout, same applies to a rear shock (even more so).

Good to hear from another MC rider, on the side you mentioned lubing the shaft, does you shock every squeak? Mine does and if I lube the shaft, it goes away, but after a lot of dust and or water it comes back with squeaks of joy.

My point was simply it is something to consider, not a deal breaker. I have put many hours on the shock and by no means am I complaining about the shock reliabilty, ability, etc. My point was quite simply it is crazy to have one person who can work on my shock in the country. The fact that DT Swiss now have shown face in SA is great, while I suspect my shock was also built by them, gives me some hope that there is perhaps someone else who can come to my shocks aid if need be. On the spares point raised, it just further highlights the poor practice followed by some of SA's importers/distributors. If you are going to bring a product in, then ensure you can sustain/support the product. Hence I hope others will highlight similar issues so that when I next shop I get a bike that can be safely maintained in SA. The turn around time is not something that I am any longer concerned about based on the feedback from Brandon. On the MC crit, the shock is exposed to more mud than on the Spark, but it has never been a problem, it handled 2008's mud bath Hill 2 Hill with flying colours and many more muddy conditions since. No complaints about the bike/design. That said the MC is more an All mountain (think the rear travel is much more than the spark) design, where as the Spark is XC and more expensive. At the time of purchase the MC40 was the best DS buy in that price bracket. Daxiet2009-03-31 13:32:19

I wouldn't go below 100mm on a DS. 80mm is ideal for XC HT's. Rather keep hunting for a 100mm high end fork.

Apparently it works out to ~R350 according to Grant Cycles, which is very reasonable, if you compare that to a normal oil change service on a Fox which with dust seals is quoted at R500.00/100 hrs.

Has to be Probike the shock is in warranty.

Thanks for the feedback Brandon, I contacted you guys directly earlier this week and was told Pieter was the only person who could help me. I had e-mailed Pieter earlier in the year, he didn't give me the details of the process, just the shipping address. I have subsiquently spoken with Grant Cycles/Linden Cycles who told me it takes at least a week, but didn't mention any details regarding the shipping (which is impressive). It still remains a concern that by the sounds of things there is only 1 guy out there looking after all those shocks, or is the perception/word on the "street" incorrect? Look I am an avid Scott fan, this to date is my only frustration and it genuinely has made me re-think my ambitions to upgrade to a Spark when my ship comes in .

My MC40 is ~8-9 months old, after some 4400kms the rear shock is in desperate need of a service, losing pressure on the positive chamber very quickly. Almost to fast to even get a short training ride out of it. Now services are normal and on certain shocks these services are recommended every 100 hours. But on the likes of Rockshox, Fox and some others most bike shops can perform the required service/obtain the spares needed. However when you have a Scott shock there is only 1 person in the country who can service them all the way down in PE. The normal lead time is 1 week, if shipped from JHB. However the 1 person is away at the EPIC and will only be available again 30 March. In short be advised that if you buy a Spark (running the Scott Nube), Aspect/Reflex FX15/25 or Genius MCxx you will be relying on 1 person to maintain/repair your shock all the way down in PE. In most companies that would be considered a serious risk having your eggs in 1 basket. Just a thought, I am now waiting to send my shock coastal for a week or so. Daxiet2009-03-26 07:17:49

To give you some feedback: -I ride Risers not straight, not by choice, just what came with the bike (if I recall they are 600mm - very long by comparison to straights) -I use Bar-ends, would highly recommend them, I use the little aluminium Scott (branded) ones, they are small light but very functional. Not a fan of those huge knobs people put on their bikes (Cane Creek bar ends and similar - heavy, odd, rubbery). -Stem Rises at X degrees. -Seat: Sella Italia C2 Gel Flow with cutaway. -No CO2 bombs, maybe one day or if I go to tubeless. Daxiet2009-03-26 07:03:21

HP washing - I am happy to do so if I am controlling the HP device, but giving my bike over to be HP'd, think I will pass. At times you could see they were hamering that water into the BB, hubs, etc. Anyway, busy tracking the race progress on the epic web site. Songo.info working very hard it would seem, from what I can gather from the vague info, they are in the lead group with the normal bunch with the exception of the Bulls not being there and Merida are there. But then with the Bulls being gifted a 19 minute buffer on Songo.info they can relax nicely (provided they don't break anything, doubtful if they not pushing hard).

It was amazing to see the effort Knox and Stewart went to to try assist Stander and Sauser during stage 4. Knox landed up giving his bike to Stander while he remained behind trying to get Standers bike running again. That wasn't where it ended, they then lead out Songo.info trying to help them reduced the gap on the leading teams. Awesome to see the spirit of these guys. Unfortunetly in so doing DCM Chrome picked up a 1 hour time penalty and 15 minutes for Songo.info. Apparently in trying to get Burry's bike going again Know got some assistance from day trippers on the route. I can't see Songo.info clossing the 19+ minute gap they now have between then an 1st place with nly 3 stages left and 2 of them being shortish stages. Big pitty, not a Bulls fan. http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/cape-epic-4-technical-problems-cost-songoinfo-their-lead-21001 Ah and yes (folllowing on from comments regarding TV coverage etc) no coverage of the happenings in the EPIC on the 94.7 sport news this morning, you would think with this being the biggest mtb event in the world that it may get some notice. I mean they took the time to talk about Lance's broken collar bone. Hell of a frustrating. Daxiet2009-03-26 00:02:21