DirtyFrank

Not sure about their stems but I have had 2 KCNC seatpost clamps break. No such problems with Hope but considerably heavier though.

As per the urban dictionary. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hooking%20up&defid=781824 hooking up hook up/hooked up 1. To engage in romantic/sexual activity with another at a party/gathering. Usually, one or both partners are under the influence of alcohol, or another judgement imparing drug. "Hooking up" usually involves little or no emotional attachment. 2. An exchange. To give/recieve/share an asset, or something of value, usually something that is tangible. "Hooking up" is most commonly used in reference to the sale/exchange of illict drugs. 1. Sally is always hooking up with guys at parties. 2. Sally is hooking me up with some crack later this afternoon. by Prof. Wetwang August 04, 2004

Love it but that exposed shock gives me the creeps.

As my last comment for the day, I am getting totally bored with this whole wheel size debate with manufacturers shoving their silly low-tech advances down our throats as if this were some huge evolutionary improvement in cycling , it`s not, get on with designing a new drivetrain( and i dont mean shoving a little servo motor on old tech transmission), Give us a new light,clean,efficient and low maintenance, sealed gear system which does not affect the unsprung weight and then you will get my money, in short, don`t try to repackage a fork with 1mm added to the prongs and try to sell it to me as the latest advance in culinary equipment.

Exactly, if you keep comparing you will be unhappy, just enjoy what you have.

I think that our market is so small that importers will always stick to the latest trends and fashions, this skews perceptions in that yesterdays hero is todays zero within no time.I think this fear of 26`r dying out has been largely perpetuated by the marketers and if you look at the USA and European markets 26ers are still very much alive and kicking. Stop stressing about spares and if your bike shop doesnt stock what you want give them your consumer vote and take your business elsewhere, they will soon realise the error of their ways.

Makes a very intimidating sound when it opens. In my pocket every day. Also have a basic 40+ year old 12 function Wenger Swiss army knife which I inherited from my dad.

I think it will slow your steering down a bit due to the slacker head angle, good for down but not so great for up, may work great depending where your love lies.

There are quiet a few 69`er builds out there that have worked rather well.

I have had a similar case a number of years ago when my mother T-boned a drunk driver, the cops didn`t pitch and the heavily intoxicated driver left the scene on foot, when we tried to stop him he threatened us with an assault case, we had to let him go. Eventually a metro cop pitched and we escorted him to the house of the driver which happened to be 2 blocks up the road, the driver opened the door and led us to his bar which had an open bottle of whisky on it and attempted to convince everyone that he was so shocked that he had a drink to `calm his nerves` hence he was now intoxicated. The cop was useless and simply shrugged his shoulders but he did warn the driver to appear at the police station the next morning to make a statement. Next morning the old bastard pitches and wants to lay a charge against my mom for speeding and reckless driving( he was driving an BMW 850 and my mother a 15 year old honda ballade auto ) his car was totalled and she did not have any insurance, the claim would have been immense. I laid a charge against him for D.U.I. as a counter. Fortunately we a few witnesses who supplied us with affidavids in support of this. End of this long story is that we spent 3 days in the Hillbrow magistrates court and eventually won the case, largely because his lawyer was incompetent and the Judge was a sharp(Muslim) lady with no tolerance for alcohol abusers. The prosecuter was useless and I ended up having to do most of the arguing myself. After the Judge found him guilty I put a claim in for the damages to my mothers car which the Judge ordered him to pay. He still had the gall to clam he was a pensioner and could not afford to pay it ( He lived in a LARGE mansion, all in his wifes name of course.) I requested a little private meeting with him and his lawyer in the prosecutors chambers and reminded him that SARS would be very interested in his and his wifes affairs since they were so poor and drove a Jensen Interceptor and an 850 BMW etc. This convinced him to pay up promptly, the Judge witheld sentencing till after he paid up. It was a small amount and my time wasted on this c*nt was way more than the claim but I`d hate to think how this would have ended up if I had not gone for him. My mom has not driven since then. I am sure you have reported the accident already. Lay a charge against her for D.U.I., reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Make sure that all your witnesses submit affidavids. Let your insurance deal with it from there.

Thats enough to stop a man drinking!

I agree, can`t we set up some kind of a account for the spruit fairies as they invest a lot of their time and money in these improvements, nothing too formal or anything that needs auditing but just an appreciation fund for beer/wood/spades etc. I am sure there are quiet a few of us who would be happy to chuck a few spare bucks in there from time to time to reward the good work or replace their supplies.

You are right, the dynamics of a mtb race are considerably different given the constant variations in speed and acceleration as opposed to a road racing where speeds are fairly constant and acceleration is more linear. I reckon that a lighter bike will yield higher gains in mountainbiking than on road, it certainly feels that way to me. Also as said by others, the biggest gains to be had on any bike are lighter wheels, this is the first thing I would upgrade on any bike other than losing the extra 15kg+ i am carrying around with me, but that seems to be a losing battle.

Dude you`re wrong, these things are getting faster and faster as tech moves on, just go onto youtube.

I have no objection with the elderly/infirm/lazy ones out there getting out on the trail and enjoying the great outdoors on an assisted bike but unfortunately these things are advancing so quickly that the thought of unleashing a few bratty teens on a public trail with the latest nuclearpowered e-mountainbike fills me with dread. It`s hard enough to dodge the motorized makroscooters (usually unsupervised) on public walkways so it won`t be long before an idiot on one of these runs over someone or their dog and gets us all banned. Keep cycling pure.

Spot on. Great advice.

Go to a motorcycle repair shop and ask them for the smallest mushroom plugs they sell. this will do the job.

Sound like the same c*nt that threw the stick accross my path!

I like dogs and generally they are only a benign irritant as they seem to walk blindly into your path( for some reason of other that sharp sense of hearing and sight goes out the window when they are out sniffing turds),I would never pepper spray a dog just because he got in my way but being attacked is a completely different story. I have a major gripe with owners with potentially dangerous dogs who walk them off the lead especially if there is more than one dog , this probably stems from an incident where an ex gf had her dalmation attacked whilst on the lead by 2 pit bull terriers that were running free, the 2 sniggering degenerate owners simply collared their dogs and sauntered off leaving her on her own and totally hysterical to deal with the aftermath (the dog needed major surgery to patch) So yes, I will spray the dog, and the owner too if i feel threatened by them, It takes quiet a bit to threaten me though so this would be an extreme case.

I have been attacked by dogs many times and have sometimes dispatched them with a swift cleat to the head, only to be threatened by the irate owner with lots of threats .I even had a huge shock stick/ cattle prodder stuck in my face by with blue sparks flying. At Emmarentia lake the rules clearly state dogs must be on a lead but no one ever pays any attention to that. About 2 years ago at Delta park a `lady` threw a stick across my path which caused me to fly OTH over her border collie and shepard dog who were in hot pursuit of said stick. I was too livid to take it up with her and just dusted myself off and departed but my wife gave her a spectacular lesson in the alternative oxford dictionary and maintains to this day that the `b*tch looked straight at me and timed the throw to it`s effect. I now carry a extra large can of the strongest pepper jet spray I could find and will use it without hesitation on the next mutt that tugs at my socks, hopefully the owner will be taking notes.

Lovely, I can`t understand why the suspension manufacturers have taken so long to develop u/s down forks for bicycles given the superior stiffness this offers as per the development of motorcycle suspension.

Jameson`s, Scants, the `Wurstbude`, Estoril books and Mini Cine in Hillbrow,

What a nice relaxed ride, not even that cold. We will do it again, well organised and a good vibe.

http://freedomride.org.za/category/news/ Who is going to ride this? Sorry if this is a double post but last reference is for January

Great work DirtRyder