RobertWhitehead

That offer was quite cool but for us here in SA we would have still had to pay for the shipping in $ ????

Great to hear, and my offer stands if something is unclear

Have you given Sufferfest a go yet? You can use this coupon: KICKSTART60 for a 60 day trial. That way you can suffer properly before having to pay for anything . So here's my take on things (please note that this is my take and I may upset some Die Hard Zwift and Rouvy users) - Both Zwift and Rouvy is great but, and this is where it gets tricky. They both offer the user an option to clock some "junk miles" and basically just faf around in different virtual locations with other people who are also just faffing about. So you end up just basically riding around staring at an Avatar of yourself whilst other guys come flying past because they made themselves weigh 45kg to be the fastest up certain climbs. What makes Sufferfest different is this: 1) The coach is world class - Sir Neal has coached Olympic athletes 2) There's no faffing about, you get on, break yourself and get off. 3) The 4DP fitness test is leaps and bounds ahead of the normal ramp test that Zwift and or Rouvy offers 4) They offer more than just Spinning, there's yoga and strength as well 5) You ride with actual race footage and not as an avatar Those are some of the things I can think of now but Suf is not for everyone hey, it is really hard work. I have had friends who tried it only to return to Zwift later. The key with Suf is that you need to do a 4DP test as soon as possible so that the smart trainer can adjust the resistance for each metric accordingly. Head me up if you need some guidance on how to do the 4DP and or any other Suf stuff that you would like to know

Want to sell any of those ones needing a rebuild kit

See my XT mech only has 4000km on it because I've only done 4000km to date .

Tektro brakes have a little 3mm Allenkey screw that sits behind the lever. This screw wriggles loose over time and then the lever moves ever closer to the bar. No matter how hard you try to bleed, tip over, hang upside down, "staan op jou kop en fluit Sarie Mare deur jou ..." the problem lies with that little screw and it will always feel like there's not enough force behind the lever. My suggestion: And just also note, you only have a few shots at this as the more you fiddle with that little screw the quicker it will strip and stop to work completely . Get yourself some blue locktite (the bottle is not blue, the liquid is) at Builders and or any other hardware store then unscrew that bugger a few times. Once that is done take a drop of locktite and drip it onto the thread, then turn it back to the desired location. Now once that is done you're more than welcome to bring the bike through to either myself or Romeo (Romeo knows way more than I do about brakes) and then we can do a proper bleed. Some bike shops just adds some mineral oil to the hose, they don't flush the system and see that the hose is in fact not damaged.

I saw it way back when, probably 2012-2013 through Cyclelab, then it was quite a heavy and bulky thing, glad to see that they've changed it a bit. Also back then it was close to R3k

My XT rear mech and shifter has over 4000km on it and I have not had any issues. Maintenance is key

The Ketone and glucose meters are two different meters, you are aware of this? Ok, so now after I've stated the obvious: some medical aids do cover the glucose strips under the chronic benefits, you just have to do the admin to get it recognised. Then ketone strips - the meter is not that expensive and you don't need to measure that often. The urine strips are actually just as effective

Ok, I am just going to come out and say it: Some (Listen carefully now, some) roadies ride like they own the road and think that their polystyrene shell with spandex superhero outfit will stop a 2 ton piece of metal moving at 80-100km/h. To that thinking I repeat exactly what my mother always told me when I tried my luck with something I was not supposed to: "Don't come crying to me if A, B or C happens". Commonsense is just not common anymore and people have an attitude of entitlement.

But you all know that you pay R20 000.00 just to have the S painted onto the head tube .

My opinion: Get the 9 year old a new bike but seriously consider 650B or even a mullet. I agree that a bike that's too big will be a death trap rather than a joy. I had a friend who's like 1.65m and he went ahead and bought himself a M Cannondale Lefty 29er. He could not keep up on any terrain and he said every time we finished some single track that he felt unsure on the bike - this coming from a hardcore DH rider. It's as Captain also mentioned, it doesn't have to be 29er, 26ers are still pretty much alive in the European countries so I won't write them off just yet

Fizik is the Chinese word for "anal torture device"

So how can we help ????

I've been running an oval for probably around 10 000km now, it does make a difference

I could not agree more

Gearing, even in ERG mode does make a difference to the riding experience but I will gladly send you a 10 speed mtb cassette (if you pay the shipping ????).

Why not just remove those little wings on the freebody to eliminate the sound all together ????

I have had a herniation between L4&L5 going on 11 years now. I had chronic back pain for more than 2 years, crawling around in the house and not being able to sit for more than 15 min or so at a time. I tried: Bio, physio, chiro, sports doctor, surgeons - yes I went to two. The one wanted to fuse and the other did not. When last have I had a back spasm where I could not do anything but lie flat on my back? I would guess probably more than 5 years ago. Yes I still have pain, yes I know about it if I drive 400km or sit for long periods of time but, its manageable, I have not had any surgery and I will not get any in the near future either. The key: YOU NEED TO WORK ON YOUR FLEXIBILTY AND CORE. Pretty much what the Bio told you . Yoga is absolutely amazing for strength and flexibility and you'll start to notice a difference with as little as 15min a day. My suggestion: Get yourself a stretching rope and join a yoga class or download some videos off the web. PS: Since my herniation I've completed 2 x TransBaviaans (rode 4), 1 x Cullinan2Tonteldoos on a single speed, 5 x 94.7 and quite a few smaller events. Head me up if you need some more guidance but you do not need surgery imo.

If you find the variance only on one metric (power) and not the other two (cadence and speed) then the problem is not likely to be with the connection. Like suggested by some of the others: try another platform like: Sufferfest, Rouvy, Fulgaz etc to see if this resolves the issue

I am on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to people's solution to their herniated disc. I have had a herniated disc between L4/L5 over 10 years ago. Physio and "ruk and pluk" doctors are rubbish, they add zero value whatsoever. I had chronic pain for over 2 years, crawling around in the house falling down the bed instead of getting up, drinking 8-10 S5 tablets a day to numb the pain. How long have I been off the bike - a few days here and there, I have been to two surgeons without taking up the surgery. Yes, if I become lazy I constantly have pain but if I do my bit with a 15-20 min yoga routine a day then I don't know about my back. Stretching SA saved me from going through a operation. Nothing else worked. You don't need to get an op to get through this.

Just a quick question or something worth pondering about when hitting a proper decent at 70+km/h, What will bother you more: Coming off due to a mechanical failure or bolt that was not tightened or spending the 6k to get it done right? I also service my own bikes but only up to a point. When my talents run out I also go to the LBS with my hat in my hand. PS: This is normally after I tried and failed to sort it out myself .

I do not believe that the stanchion wear was caused by any cleaning agent. Let's quickly think about this, the wear sits horizontal on the stanchion, if you hang your bike from a tree or pole then not even then will the cleaning agent pool and or sit on a round, smooth product like a stanchion. Unless it was the same thickness as toothpaste I do not believe it would sit on the stanchion long enough to leave a mark like that. Gravity is our friend so anything that remotely resembles a liquid will just run down. I have also been using clean green for many years but don't have in the home anymore so my next step is car shampoo, I mean surely a product which is being used on way more expensive stuff than my bike will provide a good clean

I have been on Sufferfest since 2013 and I must admit it's two completely different kettle of fish when comparing to Zwift. The fees on Sufferfest is also "getting up there" but still around R250pm. They do however offer strength and yoga videos as well for the price

Shifting: new cable (needs to be stretched) and clutch as mentioned before. Spongy feel on the levers: you still have air pockets in the system, remember that the lever needs to be the highest point and to tap the caliper to release the bubbles which are stuck. I would also consider pushing some more mineral oil through it to see if it helps