Jewbacca

Yeah, it seems they have changed the Amish bike rules and made a far bigger deal about the E-bikes now. It used to specify a free wheel and 1 break Seems the advent of E-bikes has shifted the focus

Are you sure you checked your stats on that correctly? I'd hate for someone to jump to this thread and tell you how to do your research and draw educated conclusions....... 🤭

Says the non jewish person..... hahahahaha

Calling the fun police, but riding a fixie is against the rules for pretty obvious safety concern issues. I've done it on a lot of single geared bikes as well as a fixie with front brake (luckily no front break) The chappies and suikerbossie descents suck. Not steep enough to freewheel, not flat enough to engage the ratio properly.

No... read the whole sentence you quoted. Then read it again in context to the thread. I think you have completely misinterpreted my point. You are pointedly saying almost exactly what I'm saying while trying to disagree with me. That is why I am confused I'm off to bed. Never mind 🤣

Wait.... So you disagree that there are/have been lots of options available which has had an impact on stock rotation and sales in a diluted market so players are bringing in less selection......... but then say you can't find the exact unicorn you're looking for because not here but previously here? I'm confused

Pretty sure the organisers hated cancelling, knowing it would cause them to have to make some tough calls and be unpopular with some of the choices they were forced to make, regardless of what they decided. I'm also pretty sure their bottom lines and business forecasts dictate what sort of discount they can give without going bust and keeping the event and business afloat and profitable. 'using the entrants to line their pockets' and 'exploited' are quite wild.... We can remember that if the business runs at a loss or even breaks even, they will likely stop putting on events, so there is that. This is so weirdly coming across as though the organisers cancelled last year and cackled at the fire clapping their hands with glee! The you picture them bent over laughing 'and now we only give them a 20% discount! hahahahaha! Look at how many of them will pay... AGAIN!' as though they enjoyed having their event rained out while their local infrastructure and road systems washed away. I assure you, this isn't personal. This is 'staying afloat' if we want to keep the flood metaphor going

After fractured vertebrae, collar bones, shoulder blades, elbows, wrists, ribs, thumbs, hands, fingers, hip, femur, multiple foot bones, toes and an ankle (pretty sure there is more), not counting the soft tissue damage, my answer is if you are inclined to enjoy the gnar, you will find a way to ride the edge of whatever you do. If its skateboards, enduro, DH, road bikes, Moto.... You will push until you get hurt. I'm recovering from a broken elbow currently from falling off the road bike. There is no 'I'll buy a hardtail and go easier'. You won't. You might for a while, but you will forget and you will just be doing the same jumps on a hardtail in 9 months time. Just be mindful of your decisions and have an exit strategy in place. I'm no spring chicken and I am definitely 'better' and less reckless, but I am also an idiot at heart

The Headset reducer Mike Lawrie..... why don't you whip it out for him big boy.......

It's so weird how anti brand some people are. Most Spez Helmets have little to no branding on, are incredibly safe (see here https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html ) for the price points and their range is extensive. I guess maybe I'm an exception to the rule, but I couldn't care what brand shoes, underwear, helmet etc I use, as long as they do the job they were designed to do well and fit me with zero issue. Look at the safety data, see what weight vs price point you're happy to negotiate and buy one. There are SO many helmet brands with a million options available in SA. Stock rotation and profitability is certain to whittle down some of the numbers at some point, much like the #enduro bike brands all dwindling in the local market. Have a gander at some of the safety test results in the link and see what IS available locally. It's a pleasure 😜

It looks like a perfect Polo Bike..... We should get the gang back together and see how badly we all still suck at Bike Polo. That would be a perfect test of the welding/strength... I will invite Donde and he will try and break it in the first 5 minutes unapologetically 🤣

Bear in mind the epoxy is being used more as a thread lock than anything else. No more torque on those threads than there are in your pedal spindle threads which you definitely don't epoxy in place...... I have done thousands of KM in one of these on my BMX, which is also home done shortened cranks, so it definitely works and is neater and more user friendly than a helicoil when you change pedals.

I don't sell things I wear other than new shoes worn a few times. Helmets get put out to [pasture with the Adventure Race kit and get dragged around on a backpack for abseiling or white water sections on a race and I use my clothing until it falls off me. I know how much I sweat and what I put my kit through. I would hate for anyone else to have to wear it!

I won't lie, reading these replies makes me feel like such a pilchard. I've got helmets I've used multiple times a week for years and never washed the padding...... 😝

To be fair, you're under selling yourself. Your home workshop is spectacular (if messy). You WELDED your first bike frame together from tubes you notched and ground yourself, then stuck it all together. You've even made a guitar that looks like Super Mario... You always have a friend in me, even if I don't see you very often or send you love notes enough.

Nils might still have a few inserts. There is a kit you buy with standard and reverse thread sleeves that are also threaded on the outside. So you drill the original hole out, tap with the supplied tap and then epoxy in the threaded insert. New pedal threads in 10 minutes! You can order the kit off E-bay for a few hundy too

I don't think there is an age formula, more a height/inseam fitting that 'should' be considered by everyone on a bike. Most people on 175s should be riding shorter cranks. Thanks to E-bikes, anything from 150mm can be had off the shelf these days, but they are pricey. A set of 2nd hand shimano deore solid alu cranks can be shortened for relatively cheap The Lyne or SRAM 3 bolt cranksets are also a really good option as you can fit a 28 tooth narrow wide DM chainring while a 30 is the smallest you can go with a 104mm spider.

Look at you two flexing for the youngsters! 😜

Hopefully not this Amber!

I did a set of Lyne 1st gen alu cranks. Measure, mark, measure, mark.... cut. Reduced them from 175 to 145. You need a drill press and some one who has a pedal thread set, which will be a lot of bike shops and a grinder. You need to make sure you are using solid alu cranks, not shimano hollowtech II or other hollow cranksets for obvious reasons. It's not a big job. If you have a local engineering shop, they could do the drilling for you in a matter of minutes but the pedal thread size and the reverse thread die in that size is even less common, so phone around your area for a theadset. If you do the shortening and the drilling, cutting the threads in the workshop will only take a few minutes, pay them for their time and tools use. If you want someone to do it for you, my advice would be to contact Kevin Wilkinson, used to be a bike tech at BMC, now has several engineering/fitting/turning containers with which he does on site work. He is based daily at the airport industria. DM me and I can send you his number.

hahahahahaha so many people here obviously eat ass! 🤣

You're helluva brave pal I wouldn't mess with your wife!

Pizza with beer or red wine is definitely the ticket! From experience, there are definitely levels to this nutrition thing. I used to be all 'just eat enough before the race and whatever' until I bonked harder than Borris Becker in the cupboard at a longer than normal bike race. Intensity of effort is what starts to separate the Pizza and beer guys from the 80g per hour guys. The body behaves very differently and has quite different needs and reactions when running at higher revs with more output. I'm not rubbishing your claims, just suggesting that as you get closer to the pointier end of a high intensity field over more than 3 or 4 hours, you DO need a plan, some gut compliance and practice. I have some experience in slow burn, low intensity, long, drawn out races where I can eat boerewors rolls and lasagne and soup and cheese and have jaeger shots at a particularly festive aid station at 2 am on the second night with absolutely no issue, but that doesn't cut it on a 6 hour flat out full gas burn.

'Talon' is quite an aggressive name though. I imagine witches and evil mother in-laws all have talons......

HAHAHAHA Look at you stirring the pot today!! Rhino and the old DH at Conties is more than enough GNARR for me these days!