MORNE

Torque wrenches are obviously good for consistent settings, but especially on things like linkages or other areas that need to move freely, i find that even when setting to recommended torque, its better to go by feel too to make sure it’s good. That feel is obviously something that comes with experience too. No point in setting something at say 14NM and it’s ever so slightly binding. Yes the spec is technically right but its not optimal.You’ll cook the bearings anyway that way. No one bolt is perfectly similar. Even grease on threads can affect how much torque it needs. You might think you are at 5NM but you are prolly less. - Free, not too loose, just loose enough so its all nice and loosey goosey. No torque wrench has that setting. Feel it like you so a headset lol. same with bar controls, even on carbon. Just tight enough. Not too tight. But tight. Also, ignore Sram’s 54Nm recommendation on cranks unless you own a 2m extender or cut your cranks off each time. I make them tight…just a few white knuckles. And never have an issue. same with pedals.

1NM = 1 white knuckle

Does this mean the chains are ignorant, non-committal, or feel that the correct direction is just unknowable? Do they just not believe in a right (or wrong) direction, or that a direction even exists? Is there even a cassette? What is a cassette even?

But seriously, this totally aligns with how these ‘old boys’ operate at golfbat clubs too…checking everything from shoe soles to the silk content in your salmon shirt, to the trim level of your BMW - before allowing you in. no BMW? Sorry peasant, no entry.🤣

Those kind of people should just stop. Heard it has even happened to the Starkes, on their own farm before…. imagine riding around on your own trails, that you built and maintain, and some ex golfer asks you where your club board is haha. Must be hard not to go fetch the Rottweilers and escort said person off the farm.

As many of us will agree to, Conties probably carries the whole of the network on its back at this stage imo. If it were to go away for whatever reason, there wont be much left at this point in time for intermediate riders. The rest are all a bit tired (by their own admission too, trails are admittedly old) and it is becoming harder and harder to justify the membership fee and yearly increase compared to what you get for not much more on the winelands board. I find myself riding stellenbosch side a lot more these days for that reason alone. But back to Conties. Something for everyone there and it promotes progression. Theres a reason why its always busy too. My only wish for Conties would be another elevator up to Rhino 1, Revised so it wasn't such a slog to get up there. Would love to do those more than once on a day. Bloemendal upper - ‘Daler is a nice trail, one of my fav, but again, unless you are on an e-bike…its unfeasible doing it more than once . Bloemendal lower is only good for a beer after a ride imo. The new Veer factor bits over the rock roll, over the gaps are OK for some superficial fun but thats about it.

If your phone number is linked you receive a text with the pin too ( which you can just forward) dont be so backwards chris lol. Courier guy is by far one of the better couriers to send stuff around in SA. Personally, I use them exclusively. The rest are all ‘clowns’ imo. I’ve waited longer for crap to get couriered from the southern suburbs than CG from other provinces. Fastway, city sprint, aramex, dawn wing etc etc are all useless.

I thought we said earlier not to share these places anymore😅 Also, sorry, im not DM’ing my list to anyone😅.

Maybe the XC bunch. Extra wind resistance and all i guess. To be fair, i find the peaks on most new mtb helmets to serve literally no purpose other than cosmetic. They don't do anything, especially the non-adjustable types you find on many new helmets

My Giro road/gravel helmets (and im sure other brands too), have a mesh in the holes. Same with my POC full face. My Spez half-shell ones don't.

What he means is, Merlin has until quite recently been one of the stores that weren't geo blocked. You can still buy Shimano from them. Wouldn't be surprised if someone sent an email. You could land gx AXS kits here for 7500 when local skelms were flogging them for 12k ‘on special’ lol. We should just stop sharing these places online… there are a few others still.

100% can corroborate.

Something recently caught my eye but the hubber was also only a member for a few months with no trader rating. Also in another province. Made an offer via bikehub pay which also included the extra lure of a 5-star review if everything goes smoothly (they have other things listed too) Everything went great…I got what i wanted for a great price and a relatively new hubber got a 5star rating and is now considered trade-christened, which as you know, is worth gold on here if you want to buy and sell stuff easier.

Sounds about right for anything Leatt 👀 They dont use the best Chinese child labour thats for sure. All my leatt things were bin worthy after max a year of use. One jersey only lasted one wash before unraveling at the seams. I dont buy their things anymore. For the price you have plenty of options.

Ill ad that I've had a crash that needed remedial plastic surgery to rearrange my face from hitting the dirt. That helmet did not have a single scratch on it that day. Not even the visor came off. I still use it. Proof that you can hurt yourself pretty badly in a unique crash regardless of any helmet. Only a full face helmet would have spared me the bills that day.

Well you could have been a dummy instead?

Fun fact, nowhere does MIPS state a helmet is made ‘safer’ by their system. They do claim that MIPS makes a helmet ‘at least’ a percentage factor better at dissipating rotational forces…but thats it. They cant say ‘safer’ because there is literally no objective way to prove it. They also do their own tests (dubious) Too many variables in every single crash and every single head shape. Some helmet designs are also just inherently better at dissipating rotational impacts than others, even without MIPS. So a helmet that scores lets say 20% without MIPS and 30% with mips is still pretty sh!t. But there is no way of knowing, because helmets just have to pass a standardised test, which consists of simple drops tests etc. (See Virginia link below) A helmet then passes (or doesn't) these tests. it apparently doesn't get a rating on how WELL it passed. Did it get 50% or did it get 85%? No way of knowing due to….you guessed it - lawsuits lol Also, as @V18 has already noted, mips gets tested on crash test dummies with no hair/scalp. A full head of hair under a helmet arguably has a similar effect. As below, Virginia tech did an ‘independent’ test and yes, the top rated helmets all have MIPS. But is it because of the MIPS or because of the helmet design ir because of the way it is tested? if you’re an avid motorsports fan you’ll know how teams design things to best standard tests. Its not to say that the helmets will be more than 10% or whatever worse without MIPS. There is just no way of knowing, every crash and every persons head is unique. What is most important is that you actually wear something. https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html So as with everything, look at it objectively and dont just blindly follow the marketing. Yes buy a MIPS helmet, buy the best one you can afford, buy a pretty one too… (most important), but know there is just no objective way to know it will be SAFER than your previous helmet in a different crash. Too many variables.

Replacing my black spez tactic which already had a few dings on it from mildly spicy falls, with a white version (they didnt have the color i wanted) ive decided that black helmets, although sexy, are too hot for the african sun. My head is sweating notably less in white.

They are weird. My eyes are very sensitive to bright light, to the point that im always squinting lol. But i find these perfectly fine on sunny days, where they take just enough of the glare off, but also do a really good job at giving everything more detail/contrast. They are just too dull in lower light (for mee), like everything just looks the same, so i ride without them then. This is why i think ill be happy with clear lenses on overcast days. Just need something to block the wind.

This sucks such a unique and rare bike. (Ive seen it before) Realistically, where does he go from there? Assuming he’s just another vagrant moegoe on foot, he’s surely on his way to one of the nearby lower income areas? (Or not i know)…but all those are still a decent cycle away through pretty high viz areas? Granted I dont know the area well and most people who dont know, wont bat an eye. i once drove to the airport through parow south and spotted a random ‘non cyclist guy’ on the opposite side, across the barrier cruising into the area on a Pyga slakline. My immidiate thought was, i need to go re-appropriate that…but given the road layout, by the time i would have found a gap in that middleman and then an entry into that part of the subburb, he would have been long gone. Then…what would I have done on my own anyway i guess. Anyway. Just trying to use my ‘skollie kop’ and figure out on maps where the bike would be heading. My gut tells me it slept on the mountain somewhere that night.

I ordered some cheap chinese photo chromatics to try out. Also think they’ll become my primaries to be honest. I actually also don't mind the R200 ones. I’m not particularly gentle with sunglasses and i really baby the oakleys purely because they cost a penny. Its sucks because glasses get dirty from dust/sweat and it’s so easy to forget and just wipe…ending in scratches. Cheap ones i dont care and wash them off in rivers, wipe them with my shirt etc. When they resemble sandblasting i throw them away 😅. Also don't cry too much when i lose the cheapos, which i also do quite often haha.

For reference, this is what trail torch prizm looks like when its a bit grey outside (taken from a review) I tend to want to take them off in those kind of lower light conditions as they feel like they hamper my vision.

Photo-chromatic will give you best of everything. Clear in the darker areas, dark when it gets bright. I dont have one (yet) people like the Oakley trail torch. Its a rose tinted set (pun probably intended lol) i have a pair and really want them to be great at everything because they look awesome, but the truth is…they only really work at their best in high light conditions - but they do that one thing very good. Contrary to belief they are actually not for low light. Edit: They are meant to enhance color saturation and contrast, and do it better when there is medium - high light. i also have a cheap knockoff set that are very dark with a cool filter. I prefer them at places like jonkers. Dunno why. TLDR: get a few different ones and switch them around like the fashion accessory they are😅

The math is more involved, but the price you see there +/-25% (excl shipping) is landed cost. Thats 15% Vat plus around 10% service charge. Bike parts do not attract duties. Other things do. Theres a few hundred page SARS doc on their website if you are interested. ive answered this Q 3 times already via PM in the past week lol. So easy thumbsuck is just +25% on listed prices there. I say before shipping because over s certain amount, shipping is free. You get 3 goes a calendar year on your ID number, total 50k value. More than that you need an importers code…or SARS will ask questions/possibly fine you.

@Snaagi?