droo

We use mostly Enduro - readily available, durable if you look after them, and all the silly sizes that bike manufacturers invent on a weekly basis.

Disagree with the scam aspect (aside from life insurance, but that's another story on its own). But 100% agree on avoiding the direct providers. A good broker will save you time, money admin and a few other kinds of unforeseen pain, both when setting up your portfolio and at claim time. That R 100 a month saving from Outsurance / Dial Direct / A&G won't cover the loss when (not if) they decide not to pay out for whatever reason.

Thanks for the recommendations guys! Bearings - Pyga use standard sizes, so you'll be able to get them pretty much anywhere. Some recommendations though: Don't buy the cheap and nasty ones. You'll find bearings for 30 bucks a pop if you shop around, and you'll get exactly what you pay for - you'll be swapping them out again in a matter of months, if not weeks. Poor tolerancing, subpar materials and poor sealing mean that there will be play and / or noises in no time at all. Full complement is preferable. These have more balls in them than standard deep groove bearings, which spreads the load better and will take longer to wear the races. This is because picot bearings oscillate and don't ever do full rotations like wheels and BBs, which concentrates the wear in a very small area of the races. Enduro, Aero and Cure all do full complement bearings, and you'll find at least one of them at any decent bike shop. Removal and installation - you'll need to remove and refit bearings square, and only press on the outer races. There are many ways of doing this, but if bearings go in skew you can damage the journals. Pressing on the inner race of a bearing while installing will damage the bearing before you've even ridden it. The proper way is a bearing puller and press set, PooTube is full of bright ideas, some of which will wreck your frame. If you're not confident in your ability to get this bit right, rather pay someone to do it the proper way. It'll be cheaper than getting in wrong, especially if you've got a carbon frame.

Also much less hand fatigue in the drops cos you're not trying to brake and hold on with the same muscle group. Middle and ring fingers are on a separate tendon to your index finger.

I do, collect in Obs or I can ship to you if it's easier.

Straight gauge spokes are not stronger. They are in fact guaranteed to break - either themselves or the rim.

Mosselbaai? Gravel bike for sure. There's way too much good gravel out there to limit yourself to road, especially if you're not racing. Definitely look at the Outer Rora, IMO the best bang for buck on the market at the moment, You will find other bikes in that price range but very few with the same spec. Groupset - GRX RX600 and up would be my preference, but SRAM Apex / Rival is also decent if you get along with the shifters (I don't, but that's just a preference thing - give it a test if you can.) Make sure you get something with decent tyre clearance - a lot of the older bikes will only take 40c, rather aim for 45 or 50. And test as many bikes as you can before you buy. Mates' bikes, shop demos if you can, anything to get an idea of what's out there.

If they're in it for the money they will likely be sorely disappointed.

It only takes a little bit of poo to ruin an ice cream. I had the time and you asked nicely. I (usually) only bite when provoked.

MIP screens are way better in full sun, and the million hour battery life is a bonus. They do suck a bit in low light without the backlight though.

Indeed. There is a fine line between wanting good service and wanting queues jumped and mountains moved, and it's most likely different for everyone. My line is where it turns into a lack of respect - for others who were there first, for my staff and I or for the time and knowledge it takes to get the job done properly. Fortunately I have a low tolerance, and these people get shown the door, which has left me with very few such folk to deal with. Giving in to it will just attract more of the same, and life is too short. Sometimes being a cantankerous bastard is a useful trait.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-AU/products/service-and-upgrade-parts/pdp.P-Y0E098010.html 🧐 Proper wheels are the sensible option. A frame like that with OE alu wheels is unreasonable.

Start here and here I reckon...

There are a few small things like this that will show you someone's attention to detail. As above, so below.

I've had 13 years to formulate this opinion... As much as I'd like to say anyone can learn, experience tells me otherwise. I've seen some horrendous home mechanic fixes, a lot of which are a result of just not knowing how to do research and just trusting the first kook they find with a Youtube channel. The most valuable thing to learn is that nobody knows everything, so you need to know how to identify when you're about to irreparably cock something up - and who to call at that point. This counts for the seasoned pro as much as it does the complete rookie, and I reckon it's the cause of a lot of issues in workshops - okes overestimating their abilities and / or not having a master mechanic to call on when they run out of talent.

Not quite. This is actually a borderline genius move IMO. Tube + sealant fails because of the movement between the tyre and tube which constantly causes the offending spiky thing to break the seal so you'll slowly lose pressure and sealant, this sorts that out. Only downside I can see is if you get a cut too big for the sealant to close up you're binning tyre and tube cos that's not coming unstuck.

Preach. Also, there's a difference between a bike shop and a workshop. Occasionally you'll find one that can do both, but they're very different things to manage.

https://bicyclesouth.co.za/bike-friendly/get-a-bike-rack/ These things are great, and have a built in cable lock. Vertical and angled so about as compact as you'll get. Can take some abuse from the elements, there are a few down the road from me that have been there for years and still looking solid. If you've got miles of wall space but no depth, something that supports the back wheel might be easier as long as there's minimal overlap between the bikes.

Zip tie fenders are pretty much universal fit so whatever you find should work. Just a matter of aesthetic really.

I have 2 in stock in Observatory if that helps.

Surely a wheelset sold in 2025 must have a microspline option... they'd be cutting out a massive share of the market if they didn't.

Standard rebuild plus a worn part or 2, I'd guess damper shaft and / or damper body. Do yourself a favour and get the fork and dropper post seen to when you've recovered from the sticker shock, it'll save you money in the long run. You should be servicing suspension every 150 hours or annually.

https://www.thule.com/en-za/bike-rack/roof-bike-racks/thule-upride-_-599001 https://yakima.com/products/highroad Grip the bike by the wheels, not the frame... problem solved.

That should be reasonably easy to straighten - 7 speed isn't too fussy about alignment.

Thudbuster ST is in stock. Your LBS should be able to order, otherwise DM me and I'll organise for you. If you'd prefer the LT I can check when more are coming in.