stringbean

When i checked yesterday there were just over 20 SV that opted for cat2.They will have to now ride in cat 1 (in the sv start )from what i understand.Cat 2 will only be V/MS/L.

Stop worring about th license guys.No need to waste your money and time to get one.You think anyone is even going to ask you for it....please.Well at least not here in the Cape they won't.That will entail that someone actually has to do some work.I bet there will be no checks on license,kits etc.

Sorry to hear about your problems Coenie.The reason you getting no help from Specialized is probably because they are trying to be a distributer and run a store(concept store)at the same time with the same staff.What i can't understand with regard to price is if you go to the Specializeed US site and check out the RRP of the bikes in the US and then get your LBS to give you a price on the same bike you see the guys here are working on around R10/11 to the $.Sure there are guys that will pay but it's sad to see bikes in the for sale section(specialized)that last year cost over 80K and this year they cant even get 40K.

Maxis Aspens which i got from CRC.Great tire,loads of grip.Before everyone gets on my case about cutting sidewalls ans slashing tires i'm one of those who believe that cutting sidewalls is mostly due to type of rider.I think i have only cut a sidewall once while some guys i ride with seem to do it on a regular basis regardless what tires they are using.Regarding 29er tire choice as one of the previous posters have said there are none true ust 29er tires yet.Tubeliss ready and specialized tubliss tires only have a tubeliss bead,sidewalls are the same of a normal tire.

Running SB8 on the rear of my 29er,no problems inflating or sealing.I think it's more to do with the wheels you are running.American classic and stans rims will be no problem,other wheels with some type of conversion are going to be difficult.

I have to admit that the system is waaaaaay beter than last year.I constantly get sms's as to what is happening and if things are aproved.If you have applied for a full license just make sure all is done on your side(club fees etc)and you get your license processed very quick.Just another note as has been said before the license is emailed to you and you must print it out.Much faster than waiting for it in the post.

So who makes proper ust/tubeliss tires for 29er then?

Running the Maxis Aspen on my 29er,class tires.As far as i know you don't get proper ust tires for 29ers,only the tooooblis ready and normal beads.Might be wrong tho.

Have both,a 9.6kg 26'FS and a 9.2kg carbon 29"HT.Love them both but i have to say if i only had one bike it would be the 26"FS.The 29er is comfortable but at the end of the day it is still a ht.It all depends on where you ride.From the info you give i would go for the 26"FS,probably a Giant X3/X2.If you are stuck on the 29er again the Giant HT can't be beat for price and spec.I don't ride a giant but looking at the 2011 bikes nothing comes close.Again a good 26"FS bike will do everything well.The 29er HT will do some things well but still has some drawbacks. Good luck,let us know what you get. SB

They ride whatever gives them the pay cheque.Between them they have ridden Specialized,Cannondale,GT,Cervello,BMC and Trek.

Not so unusual.I've seen a lot of Specialized come apart at the BB like that.More on the road bikes but have seen probably 5 mtb frames that went the same way as yours.A lot more on the road bikes.Almost all of the white tarmac pros had that problem.They were all replaced under warrenty but got bad news for you,don't even waste your time been 3rd owner,you got no chance. Just a note on those buying second hand.Try and get a proof of purchase with your bike/frame.Warrenty cards/registering the bike online as first owner etc means nothing.If you ever have a problem with your bike all dealers will ask you for the proof of purchase,without it you will get no-where.

I tend to agree with intern that it is just a hype to try and sell more bikes.I understand in certain situations it might be quicker but most of those are places you can probably ride your road bike .As for worlds i have watched that over and over and can't help thinking that Burry would have done soooo much better on his FS.He was NOT climbing well on the 29er and when Hermida accellerated he could not go with.The world champion is a OLD man on a 26" HT. AM has won the epic on a HT,FS and a 29er. I saw a article about a guy in OZ who did a 24hr race on a 26 FS bike and a 29er ht with a powertap on both and at the end he used MUCH MORE power on the 29er to go the same speed than on the 26 FS.He concluded that it was because of all the extra energy needed to accellerate the 29inch wheels all the time. This is the first time i have seen someone with hard data. Anyone who has just thrown a huge amount of money at a 29er is going to tell you how great it is. Stick with your 26HT.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61035&start=30 These guys are making the 10sp gripshift.

You can get 10sp gripshift if you are willing to pay an arm and a leg for it.

Yes and no. Yes of course the sram gripshift will work with shimano FD and NO you dont HAVE to have a sram rear derailer.If you are running shimano and want to run gripshift just buy yourself a set of sram attack gripshift shifters.Specially made by sram to work with shimano derailers and not too expensive. cheers SB

There is NO WAY you can take enough bananas to become hyperkalemic.All BS I SAY.

What BS will the hub come up with next.You could eat 50 bananas and nothing will happen.(might get the ****s but definately won't stop your heart)Whould LOVE to know who said the guys heart attack was banana related.

I have a 29er,it's called a road bike. Anyone who has just thrown a load of cash on a bike is going to tell you how great the bike is.The few that i have ridden(29er)i was not happy with.What i can't understand from the 29er comunity is that 2 very important aspects of mtbing get thrown out of the window when you build a 29er.namely weight and travel.You have to throw a load of cash to get a 29er even close to light.On the 29er FS bikes all of a sudden no one needs more than 80-90mm travel?I'll still keep my 9.6kg FS bike thank you.Over 11kg for a HT is heavy.26 inch racing HT are getting to between 7-8kg and FS bikes to 8-9kg. I think the bicycle manufactures are so scared that they will loose out that they all follow like sheep and are all bringing out 29ers. Before anyone starts giving me race results i just want to add that the world champion is a old man on a 26" HT and yes i think Burry would of done better at worlds if he rode his 26" epic. 15years ago they said the HT was dead and FS will take over but most guys are still racing HT at top level. Circus wheels(29ers)are for flat roads not proper mtbing.

What do we get for paying our tv license?How many times can we watch the Matrix over again. I think everyone should just read the csa membership and licensing policy for 2011. http://www.cyclingsa.com/Downloads/CSA_Membership_and_Licensing_Policy_2011_V2.pdf There is a FAQ page which tells everything. 1st line in policy"everyone must join CSA"

Agree GOM but CSA control all racing and funrides in SA so they make the rules,however crap they are.Of course you can go ride anywhere on your own and not need a club but if you want to race or do a funride you must follow CSA rules.A lot of other sports(running,hockey ,cricket etc)are the same.You can play the sport in your back garden or anywhere you like,but if you want to take part in it competitively you have to belong to a club.

There seems to be a lot of confusion here.From what i understand for 2011 things are changing. THERE IS NO CYCLOSPORT LICENSE ANYMORE. You have to join CSA(R75) and then it's your choice for a full lisence or just pay for the day lisence every time you do a race.(Which could work out expensive if you race a lot) You can also only get a full license if you belong to a club so you have to add that cost in as well. Bottom line is we are going to K@K and betaal.

You think you would of got a warranty from Sram or Shimano.NO CHANCE.

Already done just waiting to get round to building her.That said the giant x is still a great ride with great reviews and the 2011 line looks wicked AND they are one of the few brands that the prices are dropping for next year.

Been thinking around the same few frames over the last few days.My lbs has had all 3 over the last week so i can give you the following info. Zula size L 2780g price between 13-16K depending where you shop. Giant anthem x M 2350g around 11/12K Blurxc M 2001g price around 24K. As always prices are not cast in stone as i think most shops will do a deal. All good bikes and good suspension IMO. Best looking by far-Blur. Most value for money-Anthem x. ALL get good rating in the mags. Made my choice,building her tomorrow. (I would choose any of these above a epic any day.epic 2010 M 2300g price around 35K)Yes same weight as a ally giant and 20K more.

Cost about R90