RobertWhitehead

I saw a place a few years ago which I wanted to give a shot, wait let me look for the link........ https://www.scanforlife.co.za/

The Topstone is a L which I believe to be a 54/56, the other one is a S - 48

Glitch if this message goes through twice: What sizes do you ride as I currently have two which I've been meaning to finish

Ok, so I have made contact with my connection in Hanoi this morning. Here's the prices I can find on the codes provided, I have multiple options (Unit Prices listed below) so I will list them in descending order: 3801 2 RS R 264.88 R 134.78 R 124.33 R 71.34 R 56.60 R 50.94 6800 2RS Around - R 18.50 17286 2RS MAX Price varies between R 70 & R 170 Yes, I know exactly what your next statement is going to be: But the quality is sooooo much better on the more expensive bearing and therefore it justifies the additional cost. I have attached an interesting article and you're welcome to make your own conclusion https://www.hambini.com/ceramic-bearings-vs-steel-bearings-an-engineering-analysis/ My statement still stands: The high service charge is made up because of % profit added onto the stock items on top of the labor charge, so the lbs buys a bearing from a middleman (not the supplier directly) for lets say the top one: R 151, they then add their mark-up and attribute it to fuel costs and lunch for the driver and and and. So they then charge you R300 and you then ask them to fit it for you. So instead of charging you a reduced rate of lets call it R200 and add a labor charge of R150 they keep the price at R299 each and add a labor charge on top of that. The way suppliers protect this monopoly and the whole supply chain is to not sell directly to the public. The other way is to just not bring in the part needed to repair it. So you sit with a R20k trainer which you cannot fix because you don't have access to the part. This is where places like Shein, Temu, AliExpress, Alibaba etc. are opening the market and allowing the consumer access to parts.

Gents, gents, gents. I own a Trek, slightly older, Superfly (2013) but ok. I am willing to go through the hassle of trying to source some pivot bearings, does anyone have a code close by without having to strip a frame? Let's see what I can find

This^^^^. If you don't have the skill to DIY then you're gonna have to pay someone else to do it for you. A lbs has overheads and staff. I know the folks at HS quite well, heck I stay 1km from there, nice bunch of guys, even the new ones. But, if I want to do something I DIY until I run out of talent.

I see this statement a lot. Why does everyone say the dual is so much more than the HT? The major difference: Rear shock - R 1 100.00 +/- for service Pivot bearings - R 40.00 each x 4 I can't think of anything else. Ya, if you go to your lbs then the above will be way more but still, the rear shock won't need a service with every interval and the pivot bearings will only need replacing once they're worn, so I don't see it

That's more or less right but there's quite a few bucks IMO that you'll be able to save

https://www.stretchingsa.co.za/ - their name is very misleading but you can thank me later

I reached the peak of my slump as we hit the main road heading into the Baviaans kloof on raceday in 2022. I gave my supplies away and turned back to Willowmore. In 2023 I've only been outdoors on the bike twice, once to test solo and once to test along with two other riders. My point: everyone will have a different recovery rate and opinion, only you will know when you want to get back out there.

I'm surprised that the naming wasn't mentioned in the first thread. Fact is: He's a box and doesn't have the right to sell anything.

I am with Sir on this one. If you currently have a 3x in the front then why bother with more range at the back? To explain my point: there's no particular hill or combination of hills in Gauteng where you will need to use your 22/42T & still be upright. If you're struggling to pedal up a particular climb there's no shame in getting off to push, increasing the range will just increase your cadence and slow you down

Experience

So here's my 2c and please note: "I do not know everything, take what I am saying as an opinion & not fact" 1) Confirm and decide the discipline you and your son want to pursue, I assume from the list of options that it will be trails, the question: Will it be limited to trails or are you going to once in a while join the friends out on a marathon to go for pancakes in another province? If the answer is maybe then you need to make peace with the fact that your trail bike will be somewhat heavier and slower than the other marathon bikes. Also, if you want to use this bike to compete in stuff like the Trailseeker or so then a podium position won't necessarily be in the cards. 2) There's quite a bit to look out for when going for a viewing but I normally look at the wear of the chain (worn chain can translate into a worn cassette, chainring, pulley wheels). Also request the service history of the fork and shock. 3) If you can get an SME (Subject Matter Expert) involved in your buying process then it will save you quite a bit of frustration and issues down the line 4) Don't be too phased about the items fitted on the frame as they're all consumables and or can be swopped. If you do not like the look and feel of the frame then you won't ride as much in any case . There's more stuff but the above is a good start

I have a lot of spacers but I can recall they're mostly 2mm. You're welcome to a few

Hey Diedrich, I believe I will be able to help

The Topstone I currently have on the stand (to complete) has a 2x in the front, I am not a roadie / groovy (I just made that up 😁) but I assume the current gear ratio is more road: 39/52T. I don't know if this will be an issue but the plan is to go 11 speed at the rear. Looking at it now I actually think it is going to work lekker

We all were members for 3 hours at some point in time. Also look on the bright side, he's been a member now for four hours

That we know about

Definitely, no I didn't mean one should try to milk the system and claim for a unit that has been used and abused for 10 - 12 years. What I was alluding to was to insure a unit and if it packs up have the insurance assess it and decide. If it's normal wear and tear then try to have it fixed. We insure ourselves up the wazoo, I mean hell, we even insure our insurance for when they stop paying. Why do we want to go through the mission ourselves to try and get it repaired when if we made contact with the insurers they may get it resolved quicker.

I had a V800 (Polar) which I claimed and they assessed it. I think the o-rings providing the "water resistant" functionality started to fail and the unit stopped working. I took kiekies of the damage and or the black lines on the screens, they sent a company to collect and a few days later I collected a new unit from a shop close to me. The only thing was getting like for like so because of the age of my unit (which I bought second hand to begin with) was to get a shop who still had stock. There's guys on here who know way more than what I do when it comes to insurance and policies but the main thing: Don't insure the watch under general house hold content or out and about items. Specify it as an item and pay for it separately i.e. R15-R20pm then if something happens to it then it is much easier to claim for it

I think I may have said this before, or maybe it was in my head, either way, I think it's worth mentioning again: Electronics are consumables and yes they're expensive but they do pack up. Place them onto the insurance and when they go to the electronic shack in the sky have them replaced under the insurance. I see more risk in having a head unit / watch shipped to Garmin SA than having to pay R15-R20pm extra for an itemized item on the insurance.

I currently have two gravel bike builds or should I say potential builds which I've been reluctant to start as I've been unsure if there's a market for them . Turns out.......

It is something that sounds vaguely familiar, I can't recall if it was actually mostly on the BB and or if I've seen this on the pivots as well. Either way, it's a warranty replacement if still in place.

Ag ok, I will take the rest 😜