droo

IMO if you're going to run a remote, the rear is the one. Also - there's no difference between a PTL and a PTU lever, they just lock in different positions.

If you're running remote front and rear and you've got a Fox fork, just swap out the spool on the fork and you're good to go. Changing the shock from one to the other is a bit of a hack.

Yeah, it's just a remote spool assembly. Actually it's just the little plastic cable stop that's different, but the spool assembly is the smallest assembly you can get for some reason. Still better than Rockshox, which is a new damper every time.

We've got the tools as well, but there are some forks it can't be done with. Also not cheap, so sometimes the extender is a better option depending on bike and application.

Ah. My condolences. I'd suggest setting it on fire then, along with whoever came up with this bright idea.

Revive is also hydraulic, it's just easier to get squish out. Both Reverb and Bikeyoke are easy enough to reinflate if they lose pressure. The ones you want to avoid storing compressed (if any) are the cartridge ones, cos once they go flat you replace the cartridge. This is the important bit. If you pull a vacuum on the oil in the post it can boil off gas, which makes your dropper seatpost into a suspension seatpost.

30mm spindle? Why Praxis specifically? There are quite a few brands that make BBs that will fit. Raceface / Easton, Cure Industries, Enduro, E13 and Rotor all make for this standard.

Light - Ravemen PR1600 or PR2400. Handlebar remotes, and if you need extra battery life you can just plug a power bank in, for shorter rides they're self contained with no external battery pack. And they won't break the bank. +1 on Namgear for cleaning stuff and Smoove for chain lube. Muc-Off if you're feeling fancy. Brush kits are brush kits as long as they have all the right bits and there are at least a few that are soft enough not to scratch paint. Trailside kit - multitool with chainbreaker, make sure it's got all the sizes you need. Spare quicklink, bombs, pump, gear cable, tube, tyre gaiter, a couple of zip ties and a bit of tape. This should cover most of what you'll encounter on the trail, for everything else there's Mastercard or walking shoes.

Except it's not a damper, it's a spring. No damping at all, all it does is pull your bars straight. If it was an actual steering damper I'd be more interested.

When in the Garden Route, spend a day in Witfontein. It'll be easier with a guide, but there are a few in the area that I can put you in touch with if you'd like. Otherwise Trailforks and a GPS will get you most of the places you should be.

As BaGeara and Headshot have already said, that's straight up lack of maintenance. Some would say borderline abuse. Possibly coupled with crusty riding conditions and pressure washers. There's no stanchion filler in the world that's going to make any difference to that upper tube now, nor are there any replacement parts available. It's either replace or ride it till it seizes, then replace.

They're the easiest thing for workshops to stock because you can get all the sizes from one supplier. Weird diameters and thicknesses, flanges, extended races and whatever other crap ideas manufacturers can come up with - all covered.

Carbon steerer? If so, it may be a 2 part expanding bolt system, and the two parts may have seized together. Try an allen key one size smaller, there should be a bolt inside that'll loosen the expanding part and allow you to pull the whole thing out.

That's a bit like saying it's strange that a Polo costs more than a Datsun Go even though they're both hatchbacks. OP - Degrease, dry out properly in the sun, then pop the seal out and get some gear oil in there. Otherwise replace.

Some people like being weed on, don't judge them cos their aspirations don't align with yours... Agreed on point #2 though, for the most part. There are a few nice ones. On topic though - I reckon a large part of the reason for the higher entry fees is the massive drop in entries after the cancellation of 2017 (and the BS surrounding the reasons for it). People had paid, prepared, made the pilgrimage down for the weekend only for the event to be canned at the last second. Confidence took a big knock. The other one is the increased red tape from CoCT around events. It's a massive admin and therefore cost burden, and has caused the price of pretty much all events to go through the roof over the past 2 years. Smaller events can sometimes get away with it by flying under the radar, but something as big as CTCT needs to check all the boxes.

Raleigh from 25 years ago was a completely different animal, they used to have pro teams and all. The new ones are basically scrap metal from new.

Whatever the worst you can imagine is - it's worse than that. You'll probably taco a wheel trying to ride through a gutter. The right bike shop will help you out, the wrong one will make you feel like the Ferrari dealer. Check out the classifieds on here as well for 2nd hand deals.

Combining what has been said above - you're looking for a hardtail, most likely with a suspension fork since that's what's out there if it's less than 15 years old. Disc brakes are nice to have but not essential (unless you want to stop in a hurry.) At north of 100kg (for now), you'll want something with well built wheels. 32 spokes at minimum, and avoid anything that has any kind pf proprietary or fancy spokes cos you'll probably need to replace entire wheels if something goes wrong. Avoid anything from Takealot, Game, Makro or anywhere that sells groceries or kitchen appliances. It will break, and even before then it'll ruin your experience of the sport - even if you're not going to take it seriously. Second hand is great if you know how to identify potentially expensive repairs, new is good for warranties if something goes wrong. And find a decent shop to buy from cos there's a better chance of it being properly assembled - if you tell us where you're based there will be some suggestions pretty soon. Happy hunting...

I should have lowers, not sure if I have useable QR ones though - what hub has he got?

Those dropouts are knackered. Finished. Deceased. Worn out. Joined the Choir Invisible. There's a minimum thickness specced in the service manual, and those ones are well below, even just eyeballing from here. QR skewers were never designed with disc brakes in mind, so there's a fair amount of movement under braking which will eventually wear out the mating surfaces leading to failure.

You're 17. Unless you have some sort of a medical condition, you'll be fine. Maybe slower than you'd like, but fine. 30 year old me did an Argus on a MTB with knobblies and no training and I didn't die.

IS +20? I have bags of them. Rear IS is usually 140 though, so you'll probably need a +40, which I also have. As for the rest, Formula make everything and usually have good stock. Hope too, though you'll need their chart since they make up their own nomenclatures for pretty much everything.

That's just badly installed, nothing to do with the brand of rotor. I don't think I'd be able to repeat it if I tried, but I uncover new and amazing ways to cock things up on a weekly basis so it's far from surprising. I can't see what brand of caliper that is, but if it's Avid it's probably got something to do with the spacer washers, which are often creatively arranged.

Ok, then you'll probably need the Hope one. I have the L in stock, but not the K - should be able to order though.

Yeah, but fly-by-wire is a different animal. And I'd still rather have AXS than DI2, co DI2 is a massive faff to install and charge. In the meantime I'll stick with my analogue Eagle cos it's what I have. If it didn't come with the second hand bike I bought 3 years ago (original cassette still going strong...) I'd run 11sp, cos it' way less fiddly. But these are first world problems.