MoreTrails

I'm running 38/26 on a Anthem 29er What the hell are you doing riding an Anthem - and a 29'er at that as well!!! Crow you should be thrashed at dawn with 2 blade crank by a belligerent one armed clown!

Lebabnon trails are still great to ride okes, more technical than Oak Valley and they make you work harder. Yes there has been some forestry that has damaged trails, but they are building new stuff again currently which is good to see. There are shower facilities at the trail head as well and even better is you can rent a cottage for 2 or a bigger one of up to 8 for weekends away. Don't get me wrong, Oak valley has some seriously sweet trails and they seem build more trails all the time that just get longer and longer....but if you want to test your technical metal on bike hit Lebanon. Actually, even better, hit Lebanon early and then smash Oak Valley after to make sure you deserve that Springbok pie and amazing apple juice at the Peregrin!

Nope, not yet. We are waiting for someone to get mowed down by very enthusiastic individual coming down the hill first before the signage goes up....just to make a point. No, all jokes aside, Jow Low - one would expect the signage wouldn't you? Keep an eye on Tokia, some plans are afoot for improvement and expansion. And I am sure the signage will be one of those things.

There is no such thing as an ugly Shova, MTBmofo i think you were seeing things! With that being said, did you even see anyone riding up the trail for that matter???

Yip, chain guide is essential for a MTB. I don't have one on the commuter/road bike used at the Argus and even then I had to put the chain back on twice. Doing it while on the move (obviously not wanting to affect my record breaking time or anything) was kinda fun, somewhat scary (going down little Chappies) but no blood shed in the end. I would try find a chain guide with a bottom roller or guide as i find on the rough stuff, only having a top guide the chain can come off if you switching between feet through corners. C-Sixx make an very sweet guide, price is a little steep. But it is Kevlar / carbon and only 150g odd!!! Next investment for sure!!!

Wahahahaha, Chubba you crack me up Thank goodness mine is white! MTBmofo, don't go down this road it will lead to an argument between many people that you have never met before.

Well I ride 2.35 tires all round for trail and some all mountain riding at 30PSI at the rear and around 25PSI or so on the front. I weight around 74kgs and I suppose I ride kind of light. Only tire I have burped was actually a Specialized 2Bliss Eskar on the front. But I have noticed since that it is quite a soft tire, so good grip but a fair amount of flex. I think the pressure was a little low at the time, didn't stop me doing some farming and buy a patch of forest...hehehe. Anyway, I recon your Protection Conti's should be cool as long as the pressure is right. I suppose I am OCD about pressure and ride feel, so I generally check before most rides.

40 PSI, HOLY CRAP. Do you have dental plan for chipped teeth....?

Had a Conti Vertical 2.35 Protection non UST , road it tubed for about 6-8months so it was worn, then converted it to tubeless on a Sun Ringle rim and road it for another 6months until it was fakked without a single issue. Well apart from having to just top up the air every now and again. Seriously, as long you are not running stupidly low pressures and are not bombing fire roads at 60km's hour (which you shouldn't, you should be on the single track next to the road - come to Tokia and you will see what I mean...) you will be fine. It will give you a lighter tire / tubeless conversion vs the LUST. You have to keep the pressures a little higher to stop burping (like 5-10PSi so it isn't that much). I have also converted WTB non LUST tires to tubeless with great success. Only issue was a sharp rock piecing the tire after about 8 months of wear and the hole wouldn't seal properly. Nothing that a gator or plug can't sort out. LUST tires are pretty thick which makes seating them easy and they hold shape well so you can run lower pressures without to much damage. Non LUST tires are a ball ache to seat if you using a floor pump. Experiment, see what works for you.

TheV - don't stuff around mate! Get the 5Spot, a Santa Cruz TRc or an Intense Carbide...if you have the moola then an Ibis HD or a Nomad. Or buy Schmoose's bike, its a seriously good deal! 13.1kgs aint very light for cash you will be dropping for those puppies you mentioned initially, or are my maff's a bit out?

I would go Juicy's over Elixir's, was chatting a mechanic the other day and he remarked something about the Elixir's being more tempramental and spares being a ball ache. Juicy's also offer more power... That aside, XO groupset is probably the best thing you could put on that bike. Stronger than XX, almost as light and very reliable. 2x10 definitely, 3x10 is for the dogs. Spend bucks on light wheels, it will make the bike fly. And if you 65kg's then you should be able to pull it off easily. Hope hubs are a great fit and forget buy (do they make a lefty hub???). Pity the bike didn't come with the Cannondale cranks - those things are mint and even more difficult to find in the aftermarket. Hell, if you 65kg's go 1x10 with a cross country chain guide = less weight. The bike is going to be so light anyways, and then you can run short cage derailer = less weight, you see where I am going....less is more, well kind of. SO POST THE PICTURES ALREADY

So it was actually a mountain bike race! Dudes on single speeds in there as well!

Skylark - the exact same has happened to mine this week....big puddle of oil all over the floor. I have sent mine to Omnico as they did a full service in March, and subsequent to this there has been a failure....I wait to hear back from them! Will post a result when I have some news. I also chatted to JB for a while about the problem, as well as Droo and myself scratching our heads and keyboards trying to find a solution. Get a pro to service, not a simple thing.

Gumbo?

Hey Guys So my ass is in the market for some new bib shorts. I have seen First Ascent bibs for a relatively decent price and keen to know if anyone has ridden them and can rate then. I have tried Cape Storm and we did not have a good time together so those are out of the question. Also, if anyone knows where I can get my grubby paws on Cannondale bibs I would be eternally grateful as these I find are the best fit for me. I have seen in the past Chunkey Monkey (?) selling them, as well as the baggies (which I have 2 pairs and find awesome). So there it is, any other suggestions in the R600-R800 price point would be great - and don't just blurt out Assos or something, I don;t have that kind of dosh... Happy trails

Sounds like your headset is loose... Maybe the wedge collar between the underside of the top cap and the top bearing race has not seated properly? Well that is if you have a threadless headset?

Contermanskloof hosted the SA Champs as well, pretty fast and gnarly run. Got some big gaps too. They also do uplift days... As for Paarl, take some mates with and do shuttles - worth it driving up and riding down if everyone takes a turn

That a cuddly warm body is possibly the single biggest commuter inspiration destroyer.....IN THE WORLD

I beg to differ - World Cup DH racers are making use of the video footage now to review the track. I mean if the guys can eek out a 100th of a second over their rival then why not? Just seeing the way Gwin has run away with it this year, riders must be keen to try anything that this point... That being said, this ban must really tick those riders off that make use of the footage for race reviews. How ironic though, last season UCI wanted to make helmet cam's compulsory to all top 10 DH riders for TV coverage (which could be a really good thing for advertising, and really crap for the ride if you not keen to ride one) and the like....how the tables turn.

If you like the response and feel of a hardtail but want a harder hitting bike, why not aim at long travel do it all HT? Like an On One Inbred, Ragley Blue Pig or a Orange P7? Cheap to buy, easy to maintain, steel frame is sublime and I tell you now it will thrash the hell out of a full sus XC bike (or 29er for that matter...). Actually I have seen an On One hard tail hand out a snot clap to trail bikes under the right rider. Otherwise aim at 120mm or more in a full sus and enjoy the confidence that it provides. Why limit one self to 80-100mm of travel for an everyday bike? Why not shed 5kg's of beer weight and get a long travel bike that flies..... (still trying to loose those damn 5kg's of keg weight....eish)

Easy, point it downhill and hang on... they like to fly so it actually makes for a really smooth ride

One day...Yeah right

Chubba, looking really sweet man! Dial up that fork to max travel and slam the stem down to the headset and you are ready to roll. As for bars, 15mm rise at max (otherwise front end will want to lift on the climbs) and minimum 710mm wide. Stem 70mm at longest, could drop that down to say 50mm at shortest. But this is all personal choice

Yo Chubba, looking good dude. Better have it done by Sunday for the Table Mountain Safety awareness ride.... Got show that puppy off

Chubba, cracking on with the build there... Here some answers to your questions: 1)As mentioned, low setting is easy. Leave derailer in relaxed position, feed cable as required and pull tight (with fingers or cable pullers - which ever suits). Tighten bolt to clamp cable, then shift up until 1st gear and adjust the high limit screw as you need. If the gears are clicking or not shifting smoothly then use the barrel adjuster at the end of the cable at the derailer (old shimano) or at the shifter (Sram, New shimano) General gearing, middle blade in the front as this is the one you use the most 2) Pull as tight as you can with your fingers without affecting the derailer 3)its called the B-Limit screw i think. Basically sets the spring tension at the connecting knuckle - makes the derailer flap about or not. This is bike and user specific, play around with it while not making it completely loose or completely tight. Hope that helps, if I have got it wrong then someone will offer the right answer but generally it all works for me...