Butterbean

So lemme jump in on this... Having been involved with the industrial cleaning chemical industry for the last decade. There is a difference between neutral PH, and neutral chemical. Unfortunately, even chemical companies dont properly use this is marketing materials, hell, even reps who are seasoned get this wrong. Neutral pH is neutral pH. Distilled water. No worries. What we are concerned with is neutral chemical. That means, if the surface you're cleaning wont be harmed by water, then it wont be harmed by the product. However, even if its classed as neutral, it doesn't mean it can't do other damage unintentionally. A neutral degreaser is still a degreaser. So it will remove grease but not damage the surface youre cleaning. On a stove? Amazing. On a bike? Well, unless you can rinse it off quickly and completely, it'll break down the grease in bearings. May be quick, may be over time. But it'll do it. The salt in dishwasher is correct. However, its mostly paint damage you're worried about as the salt will attack the clear coat. Underdiluted, it may take a LOT longer, but when you're chucking 50ml into 500ml water, you're asking for trouble. Then we have to ask the question - why do you need ANYTHING in the wash liquor? Your bike will have picked up dust, dirt, and mud. Technically, the only thing a degreaser will do is move the dust faster, but it wont make a difference to the end result. Best thing to do its wash the bike with clean water. Treat nicks and scratches with a spot polish. Greasy parts, ideally, are bettee cleaned by removing and wiping them clean with a rag. If you're not using chemistry, you're not stripping the grease each wash so relubing will have much longer intervals with better peace of mind. A polish or paint finish is fine to make it shine. But really, you dont need to wash with soap! Take it, leave it, do what you want. But just cause one application requires soap, doesn't mean it applies to everything.

Every year the industry shows us a new study that even wider is even better... Im running 30mm id rims with 2.35 front and 2.25 back, and they're absolutely awesome. Planning to go a little narrower on the rear for mud clearance, but honestly no wierd feelings, only planted, solid, fantastic riding experience.

Go get thar front tyre. They can give it a wash, and with the price of tyres now, its so handy to have a spare in case of unexpected damage to the new ones...

Yeah that flare really feels incredibly controlled and comfortable... So much so I've toyed with the idea of putting them on the roadie... The hoods jaunty angle always seemed strange before i rode them, but somehow they actually feel more comfortable too....

To be fair, I'm more annoyed about the person driving the Versus van being on their cellphone every single time i see them driving in stellenbosch than worrying about their ambassadors variety.. Luckily, we move on from outrage so fast, companies dont need to say anything. Just ignore it, carry on, and wait a week. It'll blow over.

Yeah I've had headset issues after rainy rides, for me its just needed an overdue clean and regrease... Sealed bearings haven't given me hassles since...

The horses sound like it could easily be the bearings, either wear or dirt. If its not a sealed bearing headset it should he easy to clean and see the wear. Sealed you'll have to feel in the rotation. The zebra could be something silly - one of my bikes really likes centering the headset with the brake and gear cables... As they cross, they make a small click and keep the bars straight.... Weird, but something. Its probably bearings.

I've been helped twice, once in Bedfordview when i had a puncture, ran out of tubes, and had to face a walk from Jeppe Qandam to symhurst.. Brilliat guy with his kids stopped and got me home. Then, in Somerset west, heading out for an afternoon ride, new bike, didnt realise the sealant had dried up in the tyre, got a puncture, and also couldn't get home. Was walking to the mall to catch an Uber and an awesome guy stopped, fitted my mtb into his small car, and got me home. Ive returned the favour twice, too... Karma is real.

Are you the first owner? Is it still in the warantee period? Silverback are normally extremely helpful, and there was an issue with the sido being a little thin in some areas.... So have a chat and see what they'll do. Aluminum repairs are possible, but need a skilled and experienced welder who can weld and temper the metal for you, then you're looking at at least a touch up paint job too... If it was me, and Silverback were unwilling, i would first approach my insurer to assist after the incident that caused it to crack, or write off, sell for parts, and find a new, perhaps stronger frame...

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5S7V5NhM8JQoi8vhELX-9aYHmRtmCveT You seem like you really want to get into it, but like everyone starts, its hard to know what to look for, and more importantly, what to avoid... This series is pretty good at showing you budget and beginner friendly options that will take you far into the sport while you find your feet and get fit, and then, should you love it and outride your bike, you can upgrade. This is the best way to aboid losing money unnecessarily. Unfortunately, its quite common for bike shops to sell you what they have, rather than what you need. So its tough to trust that advice. Do come here and ask for second opinions when you are concerned...

I found the worst one... Chris Froome calling a caliper a rotor, multiple times.

So, through the couple of hot threads posted and interacted with recently - whats your take on rating someones classifieds profile based on someone else's experience? Personally, it feels a bit like thw twitter cancel culture creeping in, as you never know for sure, until proven, what the facts are from both sides... I get that negatively rating could keeo people safe, but it could also ruin sellers reps without proof... Sure, they could just start another profile, but it seems a bit of a *** move to just rate them badly off of heresay...

So, massive shout out to Mark at Capegro, who reached out and helped me with this. Turns out a dust seal has gone kaplooey, but otherwise, thankfully, the bearings are still 100%. Marks got me right with replacements and technical help! Thanks Mark and the local FSA Team! Great experience!

Ou that's great news... The technical doc wasn't very clear....

Yeah that's correct - just annoying to need the tool for one part on one bike. Its a first world complaint for sure... Hahaha

This is more wishful than anything, but, im running an FSA 386EVO Crankset (48/32) that came standard on my sequoia. The frame itself is a 68mm BSA thread. Now, this is a stock arrangement, and while I'm happy with the gearing and not fussed about the weight, it is a gravel bike and spends a lot of time offroad and in the dirt. It recently began making a clicking noise on pedaling, and upon inspection, the rubber seal on the drive side of the BB has somehow come loose, and curled up on the inside of the crank. Why its so soft and flimsy, i wont know, but its annoying. First, the crank needs a pin spanner for removal, but secondly, this BB from FSA (386megaEvo, not the be confused with the MegaExo type) doesn't look like its got great dirt repelling abilities. So, anyone know of options for a replacement BB that wont break the bank? It doesn't seem like the FSA version is very readily available in SA. Obviously I'd love to replace with a Shimano type compact crankset instead but cant right now... So any ideas?

Why would you think thats the case? Frame sizing is based on the frame sizing, not the wheel circumference. If you ride a large and fit a large, the wheels size will be insignificant to the fit of the bike. It will have other knock on effects, but not on the size.

True that. But how loaded must you be that you dont inspect, or pay "the best mechanic in Johannesburg" to inspect and verify condition, after dropping sixty grand???

Wow that makes his whole scenario even worse... Shame.

Not really tho - you went from, okay replace the parts, to okay, i lost faith in the bike and refund me. Which is a big ask often - most people are selling a bike to finance a new one, and so cant float that 60k for weeks on end praying you'll not come back. Fair compensation is fair. Refund for one or two things out of joint isn't, at least not on the used market, inless its a glaringly obvious issue like a repaired frame or something else undisclosed... Anyway, good luck man. Enjoy riding your bike.

Just ask Swen Lauer. Or B Schutte. Morne is a class A **** for this transaction. Good luck Rob.

After seeing the posts, i stick by my original statement. Youre both *** at this. At this point, with what we have in front of us, i feel like fair compensation for the crank, the FD, and half of the RD. Crank was a lie, which sucks, make it right. FD was broken before sale, not mentioned, pay up. RD - chain wizard can apparently be the "best in jhb", but he shouldn't have opened it. Paying half sounds fair but even then i think the buyer should take the whole hit for authorizing his mech for opening the RD up. That eas stupid. Anyway, hope you guys get this sorted. Nice to know i wont ever want to do business with either of you. Good luck!

Just give him until after the weekend, you know you can't expect a quick response from this ou.

Yeah, this is the part that gets me the most... Hub ratings are great and all, but if im about to drop 60k, I'll spend another 2% of that on getting it looked at and vetted by an independent shop... Hope you get sorted out to your satisfaction OP, but i dont know if that exists, really..