chuckza

Not sure where you are based, but I've had great service from Dave Marshall at Spoke & Spanner. He's built two sets of carbon enduro wheels for me (both Light Bicycle) and I was very impressed with his builds. Best wheel builder I've come across in Gauteng. In terms of hubs, I used Novatec XD641/642 (front/rear). These are very well priced, strong as bricks with massive oversized bearings. The have 2 pairs of 3 pawls givng 120 POE. They are also well supported in SA. Happy to share any other information. Just send me a PM.

Healing vibes Erik!

Totally agree with your point on modulation and hand force. It will give you better control etc., but not make you stop any faster. I run a set of Shimano Zee M640 with 203mm rotor upfront and 180mm rear. It is more a function of where and how we ride though. Never had any hassles stopping, have absolute control and have never managed to cook them either. Interestingly enough they are not that expensive either. Just got a set for a mate from Evan's in the UK for ~R3.5k including shipping/VAT/duties.

What you say is correct, in theory at least. In practice, the biggest limitation with stopping power is wheel traction. The fastest possible stop will be when you apply just enough brake force on the disc so as to not drag your tires on whatever surface you are riding on (which is why we fit ABS on cars/motorbikes). Any of the brakes mentioned here (Deore/SLX/XT or even XTR) should be able to apply sufficient brake force on a 160mm rotor to drag your wheels and therefor I argue that rotor size is not the limitation; certainly not for the "average" rider. If you increase the mass of the rider/bike or speed substantially, you may in fact reach a point where the limitation is no longer that of mechanical grip between the wheel/trail but in fact the amount of braking torque you can apply to the wheel and in that case you may in fact see a benefit from using a larger rotor.

1. Bigger rotors won't give you more stopping power. The contact area (pads) remain the same, the force applied by the calliper remains the same. The material of the pads remain the same, so no extra stopping power. The only real benefit of larger rotors is that they give you a larger surface area to dissipate heat over, so brakes will be less prone to fade over extended braking and your fluid will last longer (see also point 5 below). 2. Deore is by far the best value for money. They have exactly the same stopping power as SLX/XT. Not sure about XTR but if you're not a millionaire or sponsored rider, shouldn't bother with XTR. 3. If you really want stopping power, get a pair of Shimano Zee brakes. They have quad pistons (as opposed to dual on Deore/SLX/XT/XTR) and have significantly larger brake pad surfaces. However, unless you're riding downhill or proper enduro, you shouldn't really need them. 4. This post is getting rather long, but I haven't seen anyone mention skills. The best thing you can do with brakes is to learn when/how to use them so that you increase the efficiency of your riding. You'll ride faster and have less hassles with brakes. 5. If you do a lot of heavy/extended braking, you have cooked your fluid and should drain and replace it followed by a proper bleed. I've drained a couple of sets of Shimano brakes with black fluid. You get carbon formation in the fluid and that creates a spongy effect.

Ever thought of putting a 650B fork and front wheel on your newly acquired 26er frame? With 650B bikes starting to fall out of favour for 29ers, there is bound to be some good value forks around. 26 rear and 27.5 front should be a very good combination.

I have been using this service for a number of years and sadly have to report that it is no longer what it used to be, so much so that I have gone from singing their praises to logging complaints on Hellopeter. To illustrate just how bad it has become: I placed two international orders last week. One from CRC where I used CRC delivery service which goes through the Post Office on arrival in SA and the other from JensonUSA using Aramex. Both orders were placed on the same day. Interestingly both packages entered SA on 28/04. But here's the killer: the package from CRC (using the Post Office) was delivered to my door on 29/04. The package coming in via Aramex has only been released from customs today (4/05) and with a ton of luck, will be delivered tomorrow (5/05). The logical deduction is that this service is now significantly slower than the Post Office.

Interesting shootout between these. http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/bell-super-2r-vs-met-parachute-helmets-44178/

I ordered 4 sets of rims from them recently. It worked out cheaper (and faster) to get them to ship to Aramex (in Hong Kong) and then get Aramex to ship to me in SA. Look at www.aramexglobalshopper.com The other benefit is that the shipment never ended in SA Post Office (or EMS) hands. I knew where it was all the time and had absolute control over it.

Sent an inquiry on your website, but I guess you've been inundated with requests. Looking for a Large WFO9 (frame only). Considering an upgrade from my current 2011/12 WFO. What would the price on that be?

Why settle for a 10-42 that only fits a Hope hub when you can get get a 10-45 that fits any Shimano hub? http://www.pinkbike.com/news/spotted-oneup-prototypes-crankworx-whistler-2015.html Having said that, neither of these are available yet, so I guess it is a question of who hits the market first.

Does anyone know a good but cheap divorce attorney? I'm doing Cascades, Hakahana, Avalanche and Giba Gorge. I'd love to add this one, but will then really need that attorney.

We're trying to get a nice big group together for tomorrow. Meeting at Starting Point 2 07:45 to start 08:00. I've never ridden there, so would be nice to have someone that knows the place. You could always join us and show us the ropes?

These are good and Easybike deliver anywhere in SA very reliably. Have bought a ton of stuff from them in the past. http://www.easybike.co.za/shimano-saint-pedals-pd-mx80.html

Can you confirm whether the direction shown on the Klapperkop website is correct, or not? There seems to be confusion amongst a number of posters on this topic.