Daxiet

I have bought 3 bikes from Cajees, 2 (1st bike way to big for me) from Princess Crossing and 1 from Strubens Valley. There prices are excellent on bikes - once you ask for the real price. They are by no means experts on cycling, it's like buying a computer from Game or Makro, may get a good price, but don't ask them for any advice. What I am saying is pretty much what others have said, if you want to make use of Cajees, make sure you know what you want, you have a good idea of your sizing otherwise you are risking your cash on a white elephant. Even the pre-delivery service on bikes at Cajees is shocking, I expect that and for price I pay for a bike there am willing to accept it. I don't think they are out there to knock you off or sell you the wrong sized bike. I have always found them most helpful. It really boils down to sizing being a skill aquired over time or aquired on by means of a computer application. Cajees shops don't have the computerised sizing tool. But what you could do is locate a bike shop that has a sizing application and is willing to simply size you, pay for the assessment and get a print out of you ideal bikes dimensions, then go shopping (I am not advocating using a bike shop just for sizing and then running off to Cajees, I am saying be upfront, pay for it).

I don't use Gels in training either, however I did experiment with different brands, etc in training before settling on a particular one for race days. I wouldn't recommend wacking back a Gel you have never had before in a race. Hence what I am saying is follow the good advice provided by others regarding eating. Breakfast is key. However you will need to try some Gels before you hit a race, so you don't have any unpleasant surprises on race day. Daxiet2009-03-24 12:51:35

Wow YodaJon, that is some serious reading. Amazing to see the background science on this topic.

I read this article too, seen quite a bit on interval training over the last few months. In some senses the exact test I believe they spoke about sounds a bit far fetched. But I think used in more conventional terms (2km slight hill, burn, recover en-route to the start and burn again) sticking to interval training twice a week with normal endurance rides on the weekend may be a good start. But from what I've seen all these articles state, don't do interval training more than twice a week - to do with the strain on the body. I however haven't yet fully embraced interval training in my program, I should, but can't quite commit to the idea. So in summary, try get in 2 interval training sessions per week and see how it goes, but work on a slight incline of ~2km or ~5mins work, then slowly return to the base and go again - repeat a couple times. This is at least what I have planned to implement.

Don't know, but I use www.photobucket.com, register and upload pics to your hearts content. It then provides you with the shortcuts to your photos. You copy the shortcut code and paste it into you post and you're done.

My belated 2 cents worth: When I was unfit, I opted to steal a bit of tar at every opportunity when MTB'ing. Now my rides are training rides, as such I try maximise my MTB training. Stealing tar time I am decreasing my training time. Tar is friendly (easy on the body), predictable, etc. Riding next to the tar when between dirt is ideal for training, it is more difficult both from a resistance point of view and full body work out. Added to this you need to conitnue concentrating, looking for hidden obsticles and yes in many way you avoid those vehicles wanting to flatten you. Truely it does make sense why we choose the dirt.

Got to say reading through this and seeing the mixed responses it is quite understandable. Was a risky post, the initial wording was bound to tick of the MTB'ing community, while it ended with a request for advice. Anyway I started off MTB'ing, then bought a road bike to assist in my MTB training. Road is faster, you feel like a little porsche, where as MTB is more like a 4x4, a (Landy Defender if on Hard Tail ). The major thrill I get out of MTB'ing is the adrenalin. Racing down hill, ideally on single track, knowing at anytime there may be a rock, ditch, etc waiting to throw me off my bike. Even better meeting up with this obstical and beating it. Funnily I also love the hills, long difficult climbs, where you can't just apply all the torque in your legs, because you don't have the traction the tar road provides. Here you learn to control torque, you use your whole body in climbing a technical hill. Wow, after all that I think I need to go out for a ride! As for the not breaking a sweat, you couldn't have pushed hard enough (sticking with the general sentiment of the other posters), or perhaps as the locals have mentioned done the right routes. I set myself ever increasing goals on MTB, if a hill becomes too easy, I throw it out of my training, otherwise a set a goal of climbing it quicker. You need soft sand, it will be found in most races and it hones your balancing and torque control skills. It also aid you dealing with mud, however sand is no match real slippery mud.Daxiet2009-03-21 23:59:46

I have had my MTB setup done by CycleLab in Centurion. I tried riding with their exact setup, but found it did agree with my body. I landed up raising the seat height slightly as well as setting my cleats as far back as possible (believed the cleat position added to a recurring injury). Bottom line, a computer/formula is not able to catter for every individual, nor are some of the classic rules about how much angle/bend there must be in the knee at a particular point in your pedal stroke. My road bike landed up being a self fitted bike and I have had no issues. Go with what feels comfortable and experiment. I have found however once pain has set in on a ride, it's too late to adjust and experiment. You will have to wait for another day. How long have you been cycling for?

I vote pressure spray, yes it can force dirt and water into places, but if used properly I have seen no evidence to stop using it. Don't spary into seals, try not spray directly from the side, especially around the hubs. I normally spray at a downward or upward angle. I regularly remove my crank, cassette, headset (every so often check the hubs/repack them with grease), etc to ensure no junk has built up over time. I generally find all clear, mostly the headset seems to attract dirt (doubtful that this dirt is encouraged by the HP sprayer). So used cautiously I say HP it! Once done lube chain and cables (in as far as possible). My cables are more than a year old and having weekly HP baths, they're still going strong.

Did you replace them with Shimano, or after market generics? The sand paper trick does help in some cases. It worked for me for a couple kms then reverted back to squeaking. This is where the V-brake guys get all excited. Previous pads had no such issue in my case as well. You can also try using a Disk brake cleaning spray, don't get it from you LBS, rather go to Midas or similar, much cheaper. This removes any grease/grit that may have gotten onto the pads.

Nice "entry-mid" level XC air shock. Nothing special, but works well at a reasonable price. It's relatively light, has rebound adjust and obviously air spring. What is this special price? Seen for in Centurion for R3.5k.

I ride Crossmark only, changed from OEM to them. They have given me no issues and handle the dry terrain I mainly ride on very well. Rolling resistance is good. My last set gave me 4000kms before changing to a new set for Sabie. Maybe one day I will experiment with something lighter, but for now Crossmarks are well priced, handle well. NOTE: Do not use in muddy conditions

What is the make and model also HT or FS? BB is a common source of clicking, especially when the clicking is more prevelant under higher load.

A friend has the 08 Raleigh Marathon which rules out conventional carriers. He opted for the towbar mount Thule, works well. I opted for thule roof racks, can be dangerous. Daxiet2009-02-27 02:35:56

Alas you don't get a "One size fits all" kind of saddle. What works for one may not work for the other. That said I use the Sella Italia C2 Gel (with cut away), which has been a very good saddle to me, but it did take a couple rides to set in. Then again it may by my FS that makes the seat less of an issue for me.

I have been trying to get rid of a persistant squeaking from my rear shock. It seems to be created by the dust seal rubbing against the shaft. If I apply a bit of lube and give it a couple pulls (shock operates in reverse to normal shocks) the noise goes away. It normally comes back very soon after and if not it will at the first sign of water. Had it nice an quiet at the start of Sabie, went through a little puddle after about 3-5kms and for the rest of the race sounded like I was attacking a rubber duckie. (I had a brief respite when locked out). The shock is only due for service in July. Any ideas on how to get rid of the squeak? Thanks

Sounds very crafty, good marketing team they have if this is the case. It doesn't seem to be impacting his racing if you look at his XC National results. He now even has time to change shoes a couple times

He has an awesome bike that rivals HT's, good advertising for Specialized. He avoided his GT soft tail for most of last year, but can't get enough of his FS Specialized. The comfort of an FS is amazing and in the long run will reduce fatigue enduced by bouncing around on an HT. When I climb I lock out my rear shock, but as soon as possible flick into 60% travel on the rear. Bottom line I have become spoilt.

HT's climb better in general, plus yes they obviously will always be lighter than comparative FS's (no pivot points, no extra shock and other wasted material on mounting points for the rear stay). You do get very light FS's, but you can buy a small car for their price. To get an HT at the equivalent weight will cost much less. I would say FS's only start to be an advantage on Multi-day events, or if you are a slow rider who is going to spend 5-6 hours on a 70-100km race. While FS's make going downhill fun, HT's can do as good a job. This topic has been debated here before and I know certain people will take exception to the concept of HT's winning races over FS's. But those who win on FS's have either got expensive sponsored bikes or can afford to spend 60K+ on a bike Daxiet2009-02-24 13:37:17

Something to keep in mind is that FS's are more high maintenance than HT's. However they are excellent fun to ride. With current pricing you would need to spend 15-20k on a new FS (ok level bike, but not very light). If you are going to chase to win a race, unless you have more than 50k to spend on an "light" FS, rather go HT. I ride a FS, while I look at super light HT's with great longing, I doubt I will ever go back to HT. I also opted to upgrade a entry level FS, but it has worked out very expensive in the long run, would have done better to spend 5-10k more and bought the bigger brother.

Was in need of a couple spares for the race, which would have worked out to ~50-70 bucks. They were the closest en-route. But that said, they helped me out more than any other bike shop would have, so no dissing Cajees. It may be the most uneconomical, however the most practical should you want to gain access to your boot. That said I drive a diesel and the fractional increase in consumption is worth it. From Dullstroom to the Westrand, making a drop-off in Centurion and then at JHB Int. I avg. 6.3L/100kms. 1 bike on the roof, 2 in the a trailer (in bike cases), a fully laiden boot and 4 adults. At worst I would say the bike attributed for 0.1L/100kms.

Well I seriously hope that if nothing else the center management change the I-beam to a red and white chevron suspended by chains. Having a bike shop behind those things will result in many others suffering the same frustration if not more. I went to the airport directly after this to pick up a friend and there you see perfect examples of height restriction boards. If only they had the same at this center. Must say since ripping the bike off the roof I even cringe going under bridges. I however won't get rid of my Thule racks, they are awesome. Just need to look skywards for poorly designed height restrications .