DirtyFrank

methinks a used latex glove with some interesting stains on the middle fingers is on it`s way to you!

We have had a Delonghi all in one machine for the last 5 years. We use the machine for home and small office and on average we make 3 to 8 cups a day. It has been one of the best investments ever and I would buy one again any day. A couple of comments on our experience. The milk frother is a waste of time. It`s a pain to keep clean and i.m.o. none of the small machines can generate enough steam to froth the milk properly. You will stop using this function quickly due to the pain of having to clean up.If you can, get a simple stand alone milk frother that is easy to clean. Its important to use filtered water to get the best out of your coffee flavour and to protect your machine against scale buildup etc. As said before the quality of the grind is critical if you want to get a proper crema and unfortunately this is where some of the domestic machines fail. Most importantly are the beans. There are some great local suppliers. `Bean there` is a good one. Use only full cream milk for frothing, low fat doesn`t cut it. The grinds make excellent compost.Try that with yours sissy nespresso machine pod The sound of that machine firing up and then the grinding followed by steam pump and then the the aroma is damn fine. From bean to cup- lovely. It looks great in the Kitchen. For once a truly useful gadget.

i suppose you would also rather drive your old car and leave the new one parked in the garage. Are you a contender? just got divorced and wanna sleep with the missus one last time while the new girlfriend is hiding in the Brasillian topiary? Get on with it man, ride the crap out of the new bike !

I am sure Builders Warehouse stocks this.

Just been to the dentist? or do you always dwibble like that?

Not sure whether its relevant to your question re the Stans valves but I have found that some of the valve internals are universal. You can use Bontrager valve internals with Mavic. Normally you will just break the internals so there is no need to buy a full valve. Much cheaper and no need to pop the tyre bead.

A few of those and you will not get to be a geriatric toppie!

or you will take the time and queue early to ensure yourself a place closer to the start line. I agree though that batch starts with are a good idea and perhaps grouping these according to estimated average speed ( I am sure that most riders should have an idea of their average ride speeds ! )I am sure many riders would be happy to slot in where they think they may belong in the group. There will always be slower / less technically proficient riders and it is ridiculous to expect them all to get out of your way as you shout at them. I much prefer it if they at least focus on what they are doing rather than skrikking themselves into the nearest rut/tree, at least if they hold their line you can choose a suitable place to pass without having to second guess where they (and you) will land! Also. please can they just reiterate at the start of each race that if you pull over or stop, do so on the left of the trail as far as possible or at least shout out which side you want the faster rider to pass if you do stop ....." go right / left !" is sufficient. Thanks.

Love Lego, glad to see it`s still around and Meccano too which has made somewhat of a comeback in the last few years.

I`m sure its a great bike but the looks do absolutely nothing for me, sorry!

I battle with the running but can cycle plenty so for me Comrades = huge respect

Agreed , the bloke obviously has issues. He seems to think cyclists and other `slower vehicles` have no rights as far as sharing the road is concerned. he probably thinks they should allow him enough space, so that he can squeeze past them in the same lane thereby forcing the pesky `fat` cyclists to negotiate the roots and broken glass in the gutter. No regard for safety zones or the rule that says you shall only pass `when safe to do so`. He goes even further by whining about lane splitting by motorcycles( perhaps he remembers the big BMW rider that took off his mirror when he intentionally closed the gap on him) All of this and disregarding the fact that it was a public holiday and the cyclists were in a group. There is a good Afrikaans word to describe him as posted by someone else but that is a useful thing , something Martin Williams is not!

I reckon the only riding i will be doing on that trail is on the way to casualty in an ambulance!

Add +/- 37%

I reckon someone must invent a spiked shoe and a rubber pedal platform.....problem solved!

Hitting your head against the wall over and over and expecting a different result every time?......wear the shin guards dammit!

Dual any day, unless you are a contender or ride mostly smooth trail ....obviously at this price level you must carefully look at the suspension spec.but if it is any good i would go for dual because it is just so much more fun on technical trails not to mention the comfort.

1000% better than anything in JHB. Just be aware of the speeding motorbikes as mentioned before ,especially if you are riding with music. And please stop next to the road on the long left hand bend close to the forestry station( +/- 15km out of Sabie ) I lost my sunglasses at the bottom of the hill (and half my Fireblade) in 2001. Thanks in advance.

Which colour do you like? remember you are probably going to ride this bike for 2-3 years so if you don`t like the appearance it will be a long slog. This may sound trivial when measuring value but you need to love the way it looks. You don`t choose a wife on her cooking skills mate ! I agree though that Shimano at this level is better but I would rather have the bike shop swop the drivetrain for a small adjustment than live with a bike that i don`t love. Stick to 3 rings unless you have Burry`s legs.

+1

I think you`d be better off by using a quality water based paint stripper applied with a brush. I`d be concerned about sandblasting as this always leaves a slightly pitted surface.

Go to a motorbike repair shop and buy a small mushroom plug which you install from the inside of the tyre. that is the only real fix for that size puncture. You can try and glue a patch to the interior of the tyre but if the cut is too big this may not last.

I really want to see a better drivetrain solution. perhaps an integrated crank/ transmission system feeding a belt driven rear wheel something like a Rohloff but situated at the bottom bracket instead of the rear wheel. Electronic shifting is also inevitable as is motor assisted drive.

You`re right they do tend to attract dust, but I think most of this dirt is superficial as the oil should seal dirt out of the rollers which is where it really matters. I only use this on my mountainbike which gets washed after every dirty ride and probably after every 4th ride anyway. On my roadbike i use a wax based dry lube ( RocknRoll ) which i only apply after every 200km`s. I also wipe off all the excess lube to keep it as clean as possible.

Oil is best, I have been experimenting with various oils and currently use plain old gear oil 80w90 which is nice and sticky. leave it in the sun or keep it warm or else it is a bit thick to apply. apply to your chain the night before ,spin your drivetrain a few times , leave to stand overnight and then wipe the excess off before your ride. Much cheaper than all the snakeoil that`s being sold for more than premium whisky and probably better. Especially in the wet. Wax is easy to clean( this may also indicate that it doesn`t hold up to well i.m.o.) . White lightning endurance seems good but needs frequent application.