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Got a better one: "Warranty excludes use of bicycle for competition". You bought a bike for over R5k lately and NOT entered an event? Do they know how many people ride Argus, Sani2C etc?

This is something I have been paying a lot of thought to. especially with the current business model of the industry: Old model: Brand owner/ designer: Company comes up with a concept, designs a product, MANUFACTURER's a product and markets the brand and product Value Add: o Design and conceptualization of product [intellectual property] o Manufacture of product o International marketing costs of product/ brand Wholesaler: Warehouses, stocks, supports and markets "Brand owner/ Designer/ MANUFACTURER's" products Value Add: o Shipping logistics and management o Warehousing, stocking and financing of stock holding o Domestic marketing costs of product/ brand o Technical and product support of product/ brand Retailer: Stocks and sells products warehoused by Wholesaler. Value Add: o Stocking and financing of stock holding o Merchandizing and point of sale costs o Educating the consumer and selling the product New model: Brand owner/ designer: Company comes up with a concept, designs a product, OUTSOURCES the MANUFACTURE and markets the brand and product Value Add: o Design and conceptualization of product [intellectual property] o International marketing costs of product/ brand Manufacturer: Manufacture’s product based on above mentioned design: Value Add: o Manufacture of product ^^ THE MIDDLE MAN!! ^^ Wholesaler: Warehouses, stocks, supports and markets "Brand owner/ Designer/ MANUFACTURER's" products Value Add: o Shipping logistics and management o Warehousing, stocking and financing of stock holding o Domestic marketing costs of product/ brand o Technical and product support of product/ brand Retailer: Stocks and sells products warehoused by Wholesaler. Value Add: o Stocking and financing of stock holding o Merchandizing and point of sale costs o Educating the consumer and selling the product Now what I believe is happening is a natural trend for most bicycle companies to farm out the manufacturing to the East to achieve lower manufacture costs. This outsourcing of manufacture does indeed decrease manufacture costs but comes with the following knock-on penalties: 1.) Additional logistics [lets not even get into the environmental impact of this] 2.) Increase in handling of saleable goods 3.) Decrease in stability of the brand due sever reduction in assets, main asset becomes IP as apposed to plant and equipment With the above in mind I believe many businesses have been slow to react to this new model and as such the consumer is taking the brunt of additional "unforeseen" input costs as well as reduced market stability due to brands decreased investment in infrastructure. To further this, many companies simply "CREATE" brands and "BADGE ENGINEER" products. Taken a look at some lightweight stems, bars, hubs on the market lately? How about accessories? How do these "BADGE ENGINEERS" justify their value add?

This entire thread reminds me of Robert Green! Are you guys related?

Thats what happens when you get your Q-Factor caught in your Chainline

[quote name='Johan Bornman] Like Dangle himself said' date=' if you can't explain it, rather stay out of it. Anyone else? I don't understand why 2 x 10-speed has changed the chainline of mountain bikes - if indeed it has. For the chainline to change, you either change the cassette position on the hub or, the crank axle length. With 2 x 10, the way I understand it, the 10 sprockets are just squeezed into the same place occupied by the old 9. The two chainrings simply take up a space between where the 1st and 3rd chainring on a triple crank would have been. The perfect chainline on such a bike would thus be the line from the centre of the two chainrings to the line that runs through the middle of the 10 sprockets at the back i.e., between 5 and 6. [/quote'] Johan: having ridden an XX group for nearly 12 months with many setup configurations I think I can offer a little insight as to the reasoning behind a few changes. Current setup: Crank: SRAM XX, 156mm Q-Factor, 175mm 28, 39T [only running 39T i.e. single ring setup] Cassette: 11- 34 Frame: Morewood Zula First off, there is only 2mm of clearance on either chainstay with the 156mm Q-Factor crankset. I have not found another dual sus frame which can run the 156mm crankset! The narrower Q-Factor has two main benefits: Anatomical: [although I don't personally buy into this] it is claimed by many top professional that the narrow Q-Factor increases power output by improving the line in which the power is applied by the rider. Decreasing the distance between the riders feet improves hip alignment and hence increases performance and comfort. Chainline: having the narrower Q-Factor reduces the chainline by 9mm bringing both chainrings in towards the bottom bracket by the same amount. What this achieves is the ability to run the entire range of gears on the cassette on both chairings. Losing the ability to do this renders the 10 x 2 groupset useless! Having said the above and having ridden both the 156 and 165 Q-Factor cranskets I can't honestly say that I find either point to stand much ground. The 165mm Q-Factor cransket has a 4.5mm wider stance on either side and I actually find this MORE comfortable than the 156mm. as far as chainline is concerned, the 156mm is certainly better than the 165mm, this is exacerbated by the fact that I am only running a single ring upfront [39t]. That said, with the true dual-ring setup of the XX on the 165mm Q-Factor crankset you are still able to easily run the entire range of 20 gear combinations with minimal chain-rub or miss-alignment. On my current "project" for example I will be running the regular 165mm Q-Factor crankset with a 37T E13 chainring simply run inboard of the crank spider as apposed to bolted on the outside. This solves both the chainline issues as well as the wider stance which I prefer.

Manic: I have some kits coming in from Enduro in my next shipment which will allow this conversion Should solve your problem as well as many others. As a matter of interest, what is wrong with the Specialized cranks? I've always thought them so be super sexy!!

I want to be able to get in my car and drive to a supplier and get it there - TODAY!!! But I can smell that is not going to happen so I will order one today and then it takes forever to ship from PMB to PTA. And it will get lost in the post/delayed for 6 weeks...Jy weet mos. Got the order yesterday at 4pm... unfortunately missed the cut-off to get them to you overnight' date=' but they will be with you tomorrow We're holding great stock of Enduro at the moment amd most items ship overnight without any issued. Regarding shops... unfortunately this is a difficult one. I can suggest you chat to Ruan from Spokeworks regarding fitment though, he's hased in Paulshof [out of the Fritz building'] and is all tooled up for the installation Let me know if you have any further questions

it refers to the "Q-factor"/ width of the crank. 156mm is preferred by top racing snakes, 166 is pretty much standard on most cranks. because the cran uses a double chainring the design allows for a narrower Q-factor. the issue here is that many frames do not... if you are e-ordering a crank I would suggest sticking with the 166. i have seen very few bikes that can run the 156 without clearance issued on the chainstay.

Several things to look out for: 1.) When you gently lift on the seat is there play in the rear suspension? 2.) When you compress the suspension is the shock hardware [small aluminium inserts which press into the shock] remaining fixed in the shock ie. rotating on the frame, or remaining fixed on the frame and rotating in the shock? 3.) Are the linkage bearings rotating freely? 4.) Are the pivot bolts and shock bolts fastened securely? I would recommend running through the above first. A few things to note: You shouldn't have to "lube" the shock hardware as it runs on a bushing inside the shock. Provided this is clean and rotating freely [i won't be possible to move by hand] within the shock you are ok. To check it is rotating correctly, remove the shock, clamp the hardware in a vice as it would be clamped in your frame and then check to see the shock rotates. It will be stiff, but it should still rotate. If the bushing that your shock hardware runs on is worn or damaged a tell tale sign will be either play in the suspension [point #1] or seizure in the hardware [point # 2] If the linkage bearings are worn, which is common on Anthems older than 8 - 12 months [when riding regularly] these will need to be replaced by a shop with the necessary tools. Bearings kits can be purchased through the store in the form of an OE kit from Dragons Sports [Giant Disti] or as an aftermarket kit from Enduro Bearings. A little biased sales pitch: The Enduro bearings should last longer than the OE Giant kit and will not void any warranty on the frame. The design employed by Enduro is what is known as a MAX type bearings, meaning the cage which houses the balls within the cartridge/ sealed unit is removed allowing more space for additional balls. The addition of balls increases the load bearing capacity of the bearing and hence its life-span. In addition to this, all of the MAX bearings form Enduro use a marine grease rather than a low friction, soap based grease used in regular "high speed" cartridge bearings. Due to the fact that these bearings oscillate rather than rotate friction is not an issue. This marine grease combined with labyrinth rubber seals further increases the life of the bearing. Rant over...

Definitely the kind of excercises you do in the comfort of your own home Unless you live in Sandton where moves like these are commonplace in the gym...

What size BB shell does your bike have? The New GXP BB's don't use any spacers for 73mm shell [used to be one on non-drive side] I got caught out with this the oter day... RTFM!

HAHA! Nice! Didn't even notice that... trust a "hubber"

Got a great post up on core training, perfect for those dirt devils out there Intro: Here are some pictures and coaching cues for each exercise: Glute Bridge (6-10 reps): http://www.rushsports.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/glute-bridge_2-150x150.jpg Lie on your back with your feet shoulder width apart and your heels drawn into towards your butt. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes to bring your butt up off the ground. Squeeze your glutes until your hip fold is straight. Make sure that you are not pushing your belly button towards the ceiling and that you feel no pressure in your lower back. Staying tight, bring yourself back down to the floor. Do not relax at the bottom. Instead, do a light touch on the ground before coming back up. To view the full article and watch the video click click: LINK morewoodkid2010-05-25 08:07:15

Got one on a Morewood Zula frame at the moment [165 x 38mm] It took a while to 'break in' but now after a few 100km's of riding its very impressive! Lacks the sensitivity of the Fox RP23, but rides firmer and higher up in its travel. I've been impressed.

Bridge? At the Karkloof Classic? How insane is that single-track?

and perhaps change your username

Its funny because its a discussion we have had recently as we are currently testing and speccing product for 2011. The issue is simple: the RP2 is an entry-level product and althugh the build quality is top notch the assisciation isn't. The Morewood brand, and Zula frame are both premium products, and as such we have and will continue to spec the top-of-the-line shock available from Fox. That being said, I know there is demand for a shock with a complete lock-out and I will make a plan to accomodate this as best I can by bringing a handful in and allowing custoemrs to change to the RP2 should they wish to. This is something I am working on and will get in the pipeline. OEM orders from Fox take about 4 months from part number creation through to receipt pf product so its a lengthly process. If you are wanting/ needing something immediately refer to my previous email and I am sure you will come right locally

haha, yeah mate as long as they are riding a real bike I think it can be excused! will shoot some pics of my beast tomorrow to get this thing going. while I am on the subject... anyone on the market for a Zula with Sram XX?

Sorry... this thread is going somewhere! I want to get an archive going of Morewood owners and their steeds. If owners could drop me a mail with pics, I'll posts back a reply with some questions. I want to get a rad blog going with this and archive all of these!

Awesome Zula video from Australia... excuse the accents: LINK Can't wait for the weekend to come so I can ride mine!!

Its from sportsinjurybulletin.com

Helps if the link works...

AMAZING article on Bike Set-up for injury prevention: Introducing Sean Fyfe: Sean Fyfe is a physiotherapist, tennis coach and director of TFP (Tennis Fitness Physio), a Queensland based company specialising in sports medicine, elite tennis player development, strength and conditioning and childhood motor learning programmes By: Sean Fyfe In 2003 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to venture into the Pyrenees mountain range in the south of France to witness the penultimate mountain stage of the Tour de France. It was one of the greatest stages in recent years, when Lance Armstrong fell off his bike in the final ascent only to remount, attack and put the winning time on Jan Ullrich to clinch his fifth consecutive tour victory. I had watched the tour on TV before, but it wasn?t until I was on the mountain that I could grasp the passion and fanaticism surrounding the sport of cycling. Injury to any cyclist with even the smallest amount of the commitment I saw on the mountain that memorable day would be devastating. Fortunately, in the sports injury world cycling is more often a benign force than a cause of trouble. Because it is low impact, it provides many people who otherwise would struggle to perform regular exercise with the chance to stay healthy and active. Among recreational and competitive cyclists, compared to high impact sports such as road running, the rate of injury is favourable and injuries are often easier to prevent and address. Nevertheless, clinicians should have a clear appreciation of the sport?s biomechanics and in particular how bike set-up relates to injury. It can often be something as simple as a small change in bike or shoe set-up that is the direct cause of an injury, so unless this is accounted for during assessment and management, the injury will never be properly resolved. MORE morewoodkid2010-05-10 02:59:24