Daxiet

On Friday I was doing some last minute shopping before proceeding to Sabie. I was going to Cajees in Strubens Valley to get some spares when I in removed my bike from the roof of my car in a split second. For those who know the Struben Valley center you may know they have two Steel I-beams suspended to prevent trucks from entering a particular area of the parking lot. Saddly enough they are painted grey with no danger chevrons, or similar. Thus in my defense while trying to ensure I don't bump any car reversing or any pedestrian wondering across the parking lot I never saw the bar until I was almost under it. I tried to stop, but with a fully laiden car and a trailer attached there was no hope. Came to a halt ~30cm too late. Anyway, in some sense luckily the bike was mounted back to front on the car, so the saddle post took the major hit, then the rear wheel was ripped from the mounting on the Thule, then the arm ripped through my lovely carbon bottle hodler. The bike remained attached by the front wheel of the Thule rack, so it didn't hit the deck, but punished the side of my car. But in all this I must thank Cajees, they were exceedingly helpful, they got the mechanic to give the bike a once over and did some adjustments They also gave me a new Thule at a VERY good price. Check this monster I-beam, grey with a the buildings pretty much grey as the backround. Most height restrictions have chevrons, and are suspended by chains to prevent damage to an unsuspecting vehicle, not these babies, they are rock solid. http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/daxiet/TheBar.jpg Daxiet2009-02-21 23:23:41

I have just gone through this excercise and I wish I simply replaced my old G3's with new G3's. Avids rotors are not prone to loud squeaks, bad vibrations and they have excellent stopping power. Read the reviews on Alligators, while they have bling factor, they seem to come with a many potential complaints. I went to Hayes rotors, one works fine, the other binds up at the first hint of dust in the air. As for Shimano rotors, I have seen many with a warning saying Resin only pads on them. The Avid pads are metal sintered hence the Shimano rotors should in theory get damaged. As I always comment when it comes to brakes and Avid's I have the 3.5 and they have only been problematic. Did the 100km Sabie yesterday, started the race with no brake rub or noise and within 20kms the rear was rubbing a plenty and occasionally binding up. One day I will be free of them. Daxiet2009-02-21 22:50:00

Off the top of my head a slight reduction in power (tiny) and slight increase in speed potential. I have 170mm crank arms, not by choice, but that's what the manufacturer believed best suited the size and design of bike, hence I stick with it.

I vote 172.5 - I am ~1.75m short and ride a medium RC3000 with 172.5 cranks. However in pure theory you should have more power and less speed from a longer crank. On MTB I feel more at home with 175mm.

The chain was replaced for good measure 29/12/2008 alas I wrote the kms down on the box when replaced, but I can't make out my hand writing (So exact kms when changed unknown). I suspect ~3100kms on that chain and cassette (I know, left it a bit late, but the chain was only 6 months old). There had always been a tendancy to jump but more on sprocket 1 and 2. The current jumping became much more noticable on Saturday on a long ride. It seems to be much worse. The current chain is thus < 2 months old and has ~800kms on it. The only noticable problem after putting on the new chain was that the 2nd chain ring seemed to have a bit of wear causing a ugly vibration through the pedals. That went away after 2 rides. What I think is pretty obvious is that by leaving the orginal chain on for 3000+kms I have worn out a number of components. I am just surprised the evidence is coming from sprocket 1-3. I don't use them often in training. The most frequently used is 4,6,7,8,9. They all behave well. Other thing to note, in the past 4 months I have focused on climbing in higher gears, using more power and standing a lot more on climbs and short bursts. So I suspect I will wear the chain faster. If it boils down to rear cassette wear, then I know the obvious would be to replace the cassette and chain, but would I have to replace the crank chainrings? I see $$$ signs. Thanks Daxiet2009-02-16 11:04:21

Ok, some more detail -the chain is well lubed (Squirt) - cassette is ~3900kms old. -Bike: Scott Genius MC40 -The alignment is as good as I believe I can get it, no issues shifting up or down, nor any strange jumping noise normally. -sprockets 5-9 do not present any issue (maybe even my favourite one no. 4 works fine - to be confirmed) To clarify jumping, when pedaling the chain seems to skip off the sprocket in use and back on, only over bumpy stretches. The frustration is that I briefly pedal against no resistance and the grip back onto the sprocket. Hence the sprockets will wear/get damaged as will the chain. Daxiet2009-02-16 04:46:29

Hi, (pertaining to MTB with XT Shadow rear derailleur) Short of over doing the experiments I thought I would pose the question and hope someone out there has been through this and has the solution. When riding with the chain on one of the 3 to 4 smallest sprockets on the rear cassette, I experience jumping when pedaling on bumpy stretches of terrain. The first thing that comes to mind is checking for bent teeth on the sprockets, however unlikely considering the problem presents itself on at least 3 sprockets (quick check-didn't seem to have any bent teeth). Second thing would be to adjust the screw on the rear derailleur that sets the "pull back tension", for lack of the technical term (I have done this a small amount but no noticable improvement). I have couple other ideasm but they are very unlikely (sprocket wear - not used that much, chain wear - newish chain (500+ kms)) Any idea what is causing this and how to remedy it? Thanks

that's the one' date=' daxiet! isn't it just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?? here are the others: 2008 X1 - this is your wife's bike? very pretty too! http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/mountain/1333/29469/ 2009 X1: very decent parts, but i don't like the colour ... i'm a girl, i'm ALLOWED to buy bikes for their colour: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/mountain/1333/32057/ 2009 X2:http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/mountain/1333/32058/[/quote'] Yup the 2008 X1 is definetly her frame, but I like the black more The rear suspension is very well designed, definetly a smooth ride. The 2008 Black X2 has a Fox F32 120mm, however what was a let down was it had no lockout.

I've seen a black X2, it is an awesome looking bike. I actually saw it while they were assembling my wifes Trance. Her X1 frame is a nice matt off-silver colour. When I querried the origins of the black one, I was told it is the 09 model. The 2008 Trance 2 was boring Blackish colour and Silver. I've done some google searches it seems as if there may very well have been X2's in 08. Here is the black one: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/bikes/mountain/1333/29470/zoom/

Thule roof racks are awesome, I have the Prorides. I leave them on 24/7, I haven't taken too much note of fuel consumption increase-I would say it is marginal. On their first outing I pulled in at a Kentucky drive through and a couple m's from loosing my bikes the manager was kind enough to stop me They are very safe up there, the Thule system is well designed. The splatted bug issue is not that bad, normally only find bugs on the bikes when travelling at night. I have my Thules mounted on the Renault factory issued aluminium roof racks-nice roof racks, aerodynamic and the Thule's lock in bolts fit perfectly. Note: I can only comment on the Proride, I don't like the Outride because you need to remove a wheel and the Freeride seems it may not work on certain frames. Daxiet2009-02-11 06:21:19

Hi, should have made use of the TechQA forum. That said I doubt you'll get an straight answer. While you may be 1.96 tall, your arm length is unknown, your inside leg is unknown, torso length unknown. Hence no way to give you that information. If you're truely want to get these settings text book setup, then head to Cycelab or similar for a bike setup. However even a text book setup may require some slight customisations. Daxiet2009-02-09 13:06:55

I have had my Fox F100RLC for less than a week, been out on 3 lengthy rides with it and well don't know if it really can warrant all the hype/price. I would suspect that the high end Rockshox would compare just as well with it. The Rockshox SID's however are lighter than the Fox equivalents. There are awesome features on the RLC, but it just means finding the perfect balance is more difficult. I can say when it's locked out it is rock solid. So until I one day experience a Rockshox SID I will not be able to make a definative call. Nothing to do with performance, but the Fox still looks more the part than the Rockshox and yes I also think we've been brainwashed.

Just something to note, the X2 only came out in the 2009 release, before that it was known as the Trance 2. That aside, my wife has a 2008 "Trance 2" - Trance 2 kit on 09 Trace x1 Frame. I have only escorted the bike down a couple heavy descents, but on these was very impressed with the handling. The front fork is very decent and light. The bike it self is not the lightest, which I would attribute a a slightly heavier than normal frame. However value for money this bike is awesome. By the way in Dec I paid R14500 for my wifes bike. I had the option to get a 2008 Medium version in Rusteburg for the same price. To my knowledge the medium is still available here. DS's are good fun, but the trade off is weight and maintenance. For the same priced HT you probably cut 2kgs (R15000-25000 bracket). The Mongoose specs listed in earlier posts are very good for the price (Canaan Elite).

Yes most modern day pumps have the internals designed to be rotated around and cater for Presta or Schrader valves. To DIY slime a standard Presta valved tube is more difficult because most of the slime bottles do not have a small enough nozzle to get in there. Even those that do sometimes make it difficult to squeeze the slime out the bottle. Thus it is easier to DIY slime a Schrader valve tube. Shrader (the ones you have now) have removable valves, just may require a specific tool to get them out, however you can make a plan with tools you may have at your disposal. I use Presta, but I generally buy pre-slimed versions (so far my favourite is the Specialized version). I have recently bought std. Conti's and used the small Joe's bottle to fill them. In future I think I will stick with the pre-slimed ones from Specialized. But as for the pump yes it should work with either valve, just flick the internals around.

I agree the fee can vary depending on the quality of the route. I would say a 70-80km ride would be fair at R150 on avg. A 50km ride at R100. But again it also depends on the quality of the organising. I have of late had races where the water points are very poor. My bike only caters for 1 bottle, hence in a 50km + ride I will need to stop (unless I use my Camelbak). I would like to know the water points will stock something I can use, not Pepsi or Coke (at least just water). I therefore say price depends on quality of route and organising. I will pay more to ensure a well organised race and interesting terrain. But organisation comes first.

I don't think there is any clear cut date, probably at this point very market dependant. I hope sooner than later so it can put peoples minds at rest. From the info on News24, it seems it may be a while before ferrochrome demand picks up, until then I think Eskom will have more power on their grid. On the club side, I would love to get involved in any MTB activity, we have some awesome areas right at our door step to ride. I spend my hours around the Kloof area on week days, mainly techinical training with a bit of hill climbing. I will make an effort to contact Hennie, it would be great to get the same showing that the roadies give the club. Don't think I am the one in the same person you are thinking of. I am at 23 Ferro St, one road off Vanadium which leads to Rustenburg admin offices. By the way, I think we have killed your original post with the change in discussion. I hope your hamsting issue clears up, I know how frustrating it is to have a nagging injury hold you back. There is a physio who works with Marius de Bruyn who is a tri-athlete herself and seems to be very good with cycling related injuries (Leilani Scheffer). She also operates out of Medicross. I am sure part of her recommendation would be to rest the leg - not an easy bit of advice to digest. I do however think in the long run reducing your riding work load for 3-4 weeks may help in getting rid of any damage that may be causing your issue. Also if it is related to damage to a muscle or tendon trying to train your hammy may just further the condition. Daxiet2009-02-06 02:56:24

Thanks, no Xstrata not yet up and running but the IT world continues regardless. I am a member of Rustenburg Multisport and know Fareed well, I camp at Cycle Zone often. The club focuses heavily on the road rides (regular SMS's), but MTB rides if any are very quiet. I occasionally head out on my road bike (Swartruggens or Koster direction), but for the most I head out on the MTB routes.

Ah, at Xstrata in Zinniaville. Are you a roadie or MTB'er? Find it hard to locate other MTB riders. By the way keep your eye out on www.northwestcycling.co.za, busy getting this up and running to try make cycling information more readily available in the NW but more particular in RTB. Daxiet2009-02-05 04:05:09

I assume from the items described, the cassette is not actually involved here. I take it we are talking about the hub and the bolts that hold the axle in place. If you tighten the bolts don't over do it, this will cause the hub to lock up or grind, tighten just to the point where the hub still spins free and there is no wobble. When tightening the skewers the bolts should be "locked" in place and happiness will be restored. Obvioulsy if you remove the wheel the bolts may again losen and you may need to tighten them a tiny bit to prevent wobble. Hope I read between the lines correctly and this solution helps. Cassette wise there is a lock ring that requires a specific tool depending on which cassette you have (Shimano and SRAM use the same tool). This lockring I beleive needs to be tightened to 40-50nm. This is the only thing that can be tightened to keep the cassette tightly on the freehub.Daxiet2009-02-05 03:59:05

I doubt anything should have worn out with only 1500kms on the clock, more likely dirt in between the frame and bushings, or potentially a lose pivot point (a friend had a similar noise/feeling on his Marathon 6, was a lose pivot point), etc. Time to remove the bolts holding the shock in place, make sure the surfaces are nice and clean, I like a very small bit of grease on the surface of the bushings. Very small amount so as not to be exposed to dust and dirt. Then tighten up the bolts and test. If the noise is still there move onto the pivot points.

I bought a 2006 RC3000 to do the occasional road race (my focus being MTB). The only thing stopping me from a sub 3hr Argus is myself. The bike is more than capable, the Tiagra kit has given me no issue and can't be to blame for my times. I would recommend get a 2nd hand bike with better kit, carbon is a nice to have. When you are hitting good times and that 500g weight issue is holding you back you can sell and buy a carbon bike with proper kit.. 105 Groupset = ~R5000.00 - www.solomans.co.za

Don't doubt setup being the cause too quickly humans aren't perfect, the avg. person has different length legs. I have a slightly shorter left leg. Thus my setup issue presented on the left, behind the knee/upper calf. Turned out my seat height was too high, after dropping that and recovering I have had no issues. All this said, if a setup issue I would have suspected pain closer to the knee, but anyway ensure youre seat is not too high. Jogging would be a good way to increase hammy strength (just bad on the knees). Daxiet2009-02-04 07:34:05

I know you say the chain and cassette are in good condition, however how old are these items and are you sure there are no bent teeth on the cassette? Furthermore are you using an 8 speed specific chain?

Considerably better that the RC3000C, much better kit all round for only 3.5K more. Ok, however R3500 above the stated budget.