Daxiet

In amongst all the other things that could be discussed about Urban Assualt, of most interest is why were the likes of Melt Swanepoel, Mark Bassingthwaiht, Bryce Munro and friends demoted form 1st, 2nd 3rd to 7th, 8th, 9th, etc? Saw Mark in the parking lot expressing some serious unhappiness wasn't sure what it was about until I saw the final published results. I can only assume they made a wrong turn turning the course into a shortened one. Provisional winning time for Melt was 2:08, his official time is now 2:35:59. Odd, if they were normal riders that would be listed as DQ, but obviously exceptions are made for important people. Would just like to understand how a special time is calculated for them? If I am correct as sad as it may be they really should get DQ's and if it was a fault of the organisers which is quite likely, they should get DNF's. You can't speculate what their times would be if they missed a huge section of the course and I suspect it was the 12km section of lap 1 that took us into the plots, etc. The more I think about it the more it ticks me off, you can't calculate a special time for them, even if as an organiser you slipped up. Daxiet2009-08-16 10:31:42

When I was hunting, I was keen on the CS400, CS300 is ok, but CS400 had everything you could ask for and wasn't over the top expensive. My vote it try get a couple more bucks together and get a CS400.

IT is a very broad definition, I can't give myself a perfect title to explain what I do. To explain means I need to go in depth and yes that would take around 10 years and I have better things to do. Hence the bank thing sounds great.

Wise words, from this day forth I work at the bank

Quick 2 cents, most high end XC HT's seem to discard the riser bars and go for shorter, lighter flat bars. The stem to my knowledge is purely adjusted according to fit, the longer the stem the less the control. My DS Scott has a 100mm Stem and my Merida HT has a 100mm stem. Scott has 660mm Riser bars and the Merida shorter flat bar. Hope it's of some value.

Nah, much easier not to worry about them. But no contest the the Rudy Projects are very nice.

Saw a set of Rudy projects that auto tint so at a fee they will meet your requirements spot on. Can't recall the price. But if you're going to be mountain biking, I personally think it is a waste to over spend on something you may land up dropping, stepping on, etc. So I have used Darc's did step on them twice, after just over a years abuse they were still great, just the nose pieces broke off. I now have Merida's a set comprises a nice case in which the frames and 3 sets of lenses reside. A glasses pouch. Three lense sets = Tranparent, Yellow (brilliant in dark weather or late afternoon riding) and Dark tint (brilliant for any sunny day). All this at a heavy price of ... R285 retail, I paid a couple rands less. If you step on these, lose them, scratch them or similar you simply buy another set. At the price Rudy's, Oakley, Specialized, etc go for you typically could buy 6-10 pairs of Merida's. They are very comfortable and they look good unlike the Darc's. Daxiet2009-08-14 06:20:10

Further to my previous post. I am pretty positive you will need to change the front derailleur. Ref: http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/Alivio-Acera/FrontDriveSystem/SI-F920A-En_v1_m56577569830612827.pdf (PAGE3 Top) Your current crank consists of 42-34-24 (standard crank 44-32-22). I would recommend a new front derailleur if you go to Deore or SLX crank, etc. Something the SLX manual does not specify, but it may be an issue is the use of an 8-speed chain. The 8-speed chain is wider than the 9-speed, this may or may not impact shifting and operation of the front gears. The last thing you want is problematic shifting, so consider this. If someone else has done this with success they could clear this up. I have an 8 speed MTB which I will endevour to test on. Important If your crank is worn, then your chain is mostlikely worn as is your cassette. Generally chain goes first then cassette then crank. So add these to your shopping list. Daxiet2009-08-14 02:05:18

Before I can cast my vote and sell you down the river, a question. What front derailleur do you have? Many entry level bikes come with SR Suntour Cranks or similar with SR Suntour front derailleurs, these do not work with standard cranks Deore and onwards (odd chainring sizes on the SR Suntour cranks). If you have a Deore FD or better then the simple answer is go for the SLX, excellent buy. If not, then go for the SLX, but add in a Deore FD to your order (not expensive). When buying a derailleur you will be give options of top swing and conventional. You make this decision based on your frame. Normally the water bottle mounting bolts on the seat tube can make this decision for you.

If I recall, the Strokers have a long thin bolt keeping the pads in place, use a small allen key to remove the bolt and then pull or push (push if possible) the pads out. Briefly about a year ago helped a friend with Hayes Strokers, no matter what he did those brakes squeaked and to be fair squeak is a nice way of putting it.

For most they are all purpose, training and racing. Tubeless tyres however cost more than standard beaded or foldables. So training comes at a greater cost than on non-tubeless tyres.

Spent some quality time at my LBS comparing the XTR, XT and Look Quartz pedals. Even though I would feel safer in going with a design I know and know works for me, I have opted to give Look a chance. I won't truely know until I've tried them. Setup with 1mm spacer, fit snug, all that remains is the test ride tonight. They had the 2009 sticker on them, plus came with the 15 and 20 degree float cleats and plenty spacers. Installation guide was to the point and easy to follow. http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/daxiet/Look-Quartz.jpg Daxiet2009-08-13 04:30:04

Polar and Garmin will not interfere with each other, from the Garmin side, you pair the HR and GSC10 with the Garmin device. Keep in mind the Garmin 305 and 705's have built in batteries and require charging every 9-12hrs (305 more frequently than 705). Furthermore like any rechargable battery, the battery will degrade over time until one day it hardly lasts. Now I don't know if Avnic can replace the battery, from the sounds of things they don't put any tools to the Garmin devices they sell. I will cross this bridge one day, until then it just is a concern I have.

Think about why you would need GPS, because if you REALLY need it, Garmin is possibly the only option. I have plenty complaints with my Garmin, the Cadence/Speed sensor being a fickle as they come. Mine broke after 3 months someone else I bumped into had his die after 1 month. Apparently they are not water resistant, let alone proof. If you can do away with GPS, look at the Polar, it can do altitude and everything else you need besides GPS.

Great, I will browse the site and then go and have a close up at my LBS. If all things check out I could possibly have Look pedals by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the help.

Thanks cyfermaster and Tridude. Tridude the fact that you have tasted that which Shimano has to offer and after a couple weeks with Look are still happy says a lot. I have had the Egg Beaters for 3 weeks and it took no more than 2 weeks to know I missed the Shimano's. Every day since then has just been debating which pedals to get the heavier tried and tested Shimano's or the unknown Look's or similar.

Definetly if you go this route, go for Camelbak. Excellent quality, I use a the Camelbak Rogue on long training rides, I don't get too attached to its storage spaces as this is weight your shoulders will be carrying. The Rogue is a 2L and is as big as I would ever go. If you need more fluid use a single water bottle.

Thanks, yes I have heard this concern on reviews for the Look. Just watched a nice YouTube clip for Look. The video clip almost helped me in my decision making, but then some reading I have done has undone this. What I like about the Shimano's is you can adjust them should you want to have a more easy release, all be it I have always had them on their lowest tension setting, it's the thought that counts. At present leaning to XT's even at their weight premium, probably less likely to be let down with performance.

CrankBrothers EGG Beater C Sure they must be loved by sum otherwise they wouldn't be sold. That said in nice controlled conditions (when it doesn't count) they clip in, when I need them to clip in quickly they let me down everytime. Perhaps I have been spoilt by my M520s'. I went out yesterday to explicitly work on some technical skills had to clip in and out a lot and they failed to work on demand.

Thanks for the info, just a quick question when you say "stack height of the Quarts" what do you mean? Daxiet2009-08-12 04:44:53

I was to riding with Shimano M520's (420g). Brilliant pedals, not the best in mud, but all round excellent. My new bike has come with Crank Brothers Egg Beaters and while they weigh much less than the Shimano's and for that matter even the XTR version they are a pain to clip back into. So I don't really want to increase the weight of my bike, but I need a set of pedals that work well, both clipping in, clipping out and durability. So Crank Brothers are out of the picture, gave them more than enough time to grow on me and they haven't. So I have looked at: Look Quartz Cr-Mo's ~125g/pedal = 250g total Shimano XT's - 352g total (tad heavy for the luxury of good pedals) Shimno XTR's - 325g total (still heavy for the price and just in general) Any other suggestions. The reason Crank Brothers Egg Beaters are problematic clipping in is because they don't have a flat base, hence the pedal can rotate when clipping in. As for Look, are they durable and out of interest sake would the Look cleats work with the Crank Brothers Egg Beaters (thinking of moving these onto my Road Bike). Thanks

As for the hubs, yes you can simply change them as to whether you will need to shorten the spokes - maybe, there may even be a chance you will need longer spokes. Shortening is easier enough with the correct tools, but if they are too short you will need to invest in plenty new spokes, so the cost climbs. Get a quote on new M535 hubs and the cost to re-build the wheels and then compare to acquiring a cheap set of disc wheels or 2nd hand ones. Rear cassette should fit the new hub. Daxiet2009-08-11 01:49:25