grumpy

The debate of 26" vs 29" will prpbably last for quite a few years, my own 2 cents worth. I have been very sceptial of the 29ers until I borrowed a 29er from Cyclefunatic, I managed to climb al the tough climbs in Jonkerhoek with it, it rolled effortlessly over large obsticles and it really rocked on the flat or small rolling hills. This was the first time that a granny gear made sense to me, I noticed that while I am overcoming the obsticles I rarely left the granny or middle blade, my own 26er has a 2x10 configuration and I realised that the 42/28 chainring would never work with a 29er. Both 26er and 29er have benefits, the 26er climbs faster and is more nimble in tight single trackes while the 29er is faster over rough terrain, guess you have to choose the bike that suits where you ride. Have just replaced my 26er with another one, the 29er is not for me

Hi GT1, You may need to rethink that need for a Magicshine, on www.mtbr.com there is an review of bike lights, in the article Magicshine lights are mentioned. "And the great value light, Magicshine has stumbled. With thousands sold and a year of use or sitting on the shelf, many batteries and chargers are failing. The shortcuts in testing, quality and materials seem to be surfacing with battery problems. A ‘stop use immediately’ has been issued by the largest distributor as they mobilize to issue a recall and a resolution to buyers." Read the full article and make an informed decision.

Hi Eugene I have a set of Shimano R550's that I use for training only, think they are the predesseor of the wheels that you are interested in. In my experience the lower priced Shimano wheels give you a great ride, they are not the lightest but they handle well, they are also tough, the only problem is that their bearings are crap, I have replaced the bearings, cone and cup several times and they still run rough. The ride quality is comparable with my Mavic Ksyrium ES wheels, but the rolling resistance cannot compare with the Mavic's. If cost is the only determination then go for the Shimano's, however if you want to race with them consider going for Mavic's.

I have used XTR for a year now, bomb proof an excellent wheel. I really like the Mavic's but understand that their seal on the bearings were giving problems awhile ago, know of three riders who experienced bearing failures. The new XTR comes out in a Trail and Race version, the latter being lighter and aimed at the XC market, at sub 1400g one of the lighter wheels on the market and still reliable.

I have an Anthem X Advanced, after a year it is still going strong, no offence to your friend, maybe he just don't know how to ride Gaint has a life time warrantee of the frame, Dragons will replace the frame for free if it does crack. In response to one of the other hubbers comment on the top tube clamping, it does state that, I transport my on a Thule sit-on, don't like to hang a frame on a bike carrier with pool noodles to prevent the frames from clashing into each other...

Hi Guys This wheelset was mentioned in a article on BikeRadar, at 1200g it is incredibly light, does anybody have experience with these wheels? Roval titanium quick releases15mm thru and oversized 24mm/28mm QR end caps includedQ/R: 106g/set24-spoke DoubleDrive front pattern; 28-spoke 3x rear pattern provides added support for drive/disc brake loads on the rear wheelRear hub: CNC-machined alloy body, and high-quality DT Swiss internals and ratchet system cassetteDT pro lock hexagonal alloy nipplesLimited Lifetime WarrantyHand-built with DT Swiss Revolution/Aerolite 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokesWheelset: 1200gFront hub compatible with standard QR and 15mm thru-axleMolded carbon fiber disc rim (25mm W x 18mm H); tubeless compatible

Hi Ronster The bike light depends on what your needs are and your budget, the magic light and a head lamp is probably good enough if you do single track and off road cycling. But if you ride on tar (like I do) then there is a better light around, I have a Light & Motion Seca 900, the beam of a Magic light disappears when the Seca is switched on, cars frequently flash their lights are me, thats how bright it is. L&M now have a Seca 1400, have not seen it yet but if the 900 is anything to go by then there is nothing better on a bicycle. Only one problem, they are really expensive, I saw a Seca 900 last week at WEbike for R4500 Follow the link if you are interested www.bikelights.com/seca1400.html

Hi, I have been in a similar situation last year, it's actually easy. Get a clearing agent to do it for you, just speak to the local SARS agent, they will give you names of individuals or companies that will do the clearing for you. The cost is about R400. You will need to provide the clearing agent with proof of what you paid, i.e. credit card statement or email statement from CRC. Good luck, it can be frustrating

I have plotted your route on Mapsource, the total distance is 39.2 km (if I got the route correct), there should be no problem using the route. See attached word document Grabouw to Kleinmond.doc

Guys I am a 26er.. , been keeping track of the discussion and is slowly coming the the conclusion that the move from 26 inch to 29 inch may be premature, there is an trend developing in Europe where the cyclists are fitting 27.5 inch wheels on their bikes, the 27.5 inch wheels seem to have the advantages of both the 26 and 29 inch wheels, exactly why size frame they are using is unclear at this stage. Think we are going to see a move towards the 27.5 inch wheels soon, so I will wait and enjoy my 26 inch DS bike, at least I don't have to creep up steep hills in the process

My MTB, the road bike is also black, a Giant TCR Advanced too..

I have been using creatine for years with none of the side affects mentioned by the fellow hubbers, found that creatine mono hidrate is useless. I prefer USN X4, without it it I struggle in the hills, it really makes a difference to me.

Hi Woofie Nice summary of the struggle, I could not help laughing, pity about your Argus. Just some advice, don't try and inject the sealant through the valve, rather open the tyre up on one side, rotate the open side to the bottom and throw in a cup of sealant, now rotate the open side to the top. The sealant will now flow to the bottom of the tyre that is sealed against the rim. Push the tyre onto the rim. Rotate the tyre 360 degrees to make sure the sealant has covered the whole rim. Inflate and off you go. I did both mine in 30 minutes.

Hi Rubel I replaced my chain last night, with the gears selected on the small chainring and the smallest gear the chain misses the bottom of the front derailer (barely), there is no way of shortening the chain further, the powerlink requires that you remove 2 links and that would make the chain too short. Bootom line is accept that you should probably not use the small gear with the small chainring and expect no chain rubbing.

I noticed the same thing on my bike on Saturday, the chain started rubbing against the deraileur cage, think the settings needs to be adjusted, when I went to the small chainting and the small gear in the back the chain was rubbing on the cage. The chain is actually hanging and is a bit loose. I never noticed this before as I normally don't use the small chainring much, have never used both at the same time. The chain is due for replacement and is a bit stretched, I had a look the rear deraileur should be able to handle it if I remove one link, will check tonight

Hi Hannes I think the Magic light is an excellent light for the price, have you ever compared (field tested) it against the higher priced lights? I have been cycling early in the morning for a few years, needed a proper light, started off with a Light & Motion Vega, when the battery died I purchased a Hope Vision 4. The Hope Vision 4 claims 900 lumens, it certainly was bright for about 15 meters and after that nothing, I sold it quickly and got a Light & Motion Seca 900, claimed lumens = 900, tested at 950 lumens. In my opinion most cyclist get's hung up on the claimed lumens, what is really important is the beam pattern and how far the light shines, the Seca 900 throws a bright light for approximately 60 to 70 meters, on flashing mode it lights up triangle signs on the road up to 400 meters, normally you don't need such a light on technical MTB rides, I sometimes reach 80km/h on some down hills with my road bike, then you a need a strong light to see what's ahead.. I have done a number of night rides with the CWC group, in comparison the old Magic light's beam seems to dissappear when the Seca is switched on..

Sounds good, interested.

Personally I don't like either designs, maybe it's just me but I prefer a white top, the black is too hot and dramatic. Also don't like the side panels on the pants, consider a plainer design, a horisontal band at the bottom always looks professional.

Hi WW The Mavics are sealed, tubeless ready, think at present only Mavic Ksyrium and some Shimano wheels are tubeless ready. But you can convert a normal rim to tubeless, just like the MTB do, have a look at the video on www.notubes.com it shows how it is done. I have done about 2000 kilometers on the tyres, the tyres still look like new, not sure if they will last as long as Conti's but I don't care, the ride quality excellent with a lot less punctures..

This is weird, I thought about this on Sunday, in the Bellville area the roadies tend to greet each other, you get the occasional stuck-up that refuses to greet you but they are in the minority. On Sunday I went riding through Camps Bay to Suikerbossie, as normal started greeting my fellow cyclists and get the stare from them, no acknowledgement or greetings back. Maybe the guys in Southern suburbs are more stuck up Eishh, think I just started a war....

Maybe you can share your experience of power balance with us Every tyre can be punctured, a tubeless tyre just punctures less frequently. I carry a few tubeless patches with me in the event that the tyre is cut.

And they deliver quickly...

Hi Woofie I have read the comments from the other hubbers with interest, I think most of the comments were made in ignorance. Last year I also became gatvol of punctures, our roads are full of glass and sharp stones and it becomes inevitable that you will have a puncture sooner rather than later. I purchased 2 Hutchinson Atom tubeless tyres for my road bike, I fitted them on my Mavic Ksyrium ES wheels, only needed to replace the valves and added Stans. You pump the tyres according to your weight, I weight 80kg at present (working on it ( ) with that weight I have to pump the tyres 7 bar. The ride quality is the best I have ever experienced, it's on par with tubbies. In the past 6 months I have only experienced a flat once, there was a small cut in the front tyre, the sealant kept sealing the cut but the tyre goes flat over a period of a week, it eventually went flat when the sealant ran out, I patched it and since zero flats. Have a look at www.notubes.com there is a video clip on how to seal non tubeless tyres. You can purchase them at www.probikekit.com I paid R600 per tyre, inclusive of VAT. Good luck with the conversion, in time all road bikes will run on tubeless tyres

Hi Guys I need some advice, I have been cycling with Time pedals for about 10 years, the last 7 on the RXS pedals, so I am familier with the way they clip in. My left pedal has developed a problem in the sense that I struggle to clip in the cleat, there is no visible problem, changing the string tension also does not make a difference. I checked the cleat on another RXS and it works fine. Any suggestions on solving this problem? (the wise guys don't need to reply , I am staying with Time even if I have to replace them)