ZeroPlay

"Have your shoulder width measured from outer to outer, using the boney extrusion as a point of reference. This will give you a good idea of where to start when selecting the right width of handlebar. Using this measurement you can now determine what width of handlebar will work best for you as well as the type of position you are trying to achieve relative to the terrain you are riding." OK, so how do you use the shoulder width measurement to arrive at a bar width measurement?

Retweeted by faizel Hendricks The Noble Quran ‏@TheNobleQuran Feb 26 “Do not become angry, and Paradise will be yours.”

Don't use a star nut in a carbon steerer. It has sharp edges that dig into the carbon. You rather want an expanding bung-type arrangement. LBS should know what you're talking about.

Looks like Ultegra 6700 10spd. Ultegra 6500 is ancient 9spd. Nice bike. I would think R40k easy.

I saw today on Cyclingnews.com that some SRAM Red rear derailleurs were recalled. I was expecting X5 and possibly X7 RDs to be recalled, because of the following issue I recently encountered: I got an X5 9spd RD with my MTB. The bike was brand new, unassembled. I aligned the RD hanger with the park alignment tool (after having rebuilt, dished and straightened the rear wheel) and then installed the RD. While installing the RD, I noticed that the body of the RD was quite loose on the pivot which contains the bolt that attaches the RD to the hanger. There was noticeable play and the body of the derailleur was skew on the pivot (see attached photo). I'd never seen that on a RD before, but continued with the installation of cables. When it came time to adjust the low stop screw of the RD (the largest cog on the cassette, closest to the spokes), I aligned the top jockey wheel with the largest cog. To my amazement, the bottom jockey wheel, which was at a similar height to the top wheel since there was no chain installed and the jockey wheel cage was sprung back horizontal, was touching the spokes. If I rotated the jockey wheel cage downwards against the spring, as it would be positioned if a chain was installed, the RD no longer touched the spokes. This suggested that it would work fine with the chain installed and properly tensioned, but should the rider be in the largest cog at the back and the chain comes off the front chain rings, the RD would make contact with the spokes and possibly cause serious damage and injury. Convinced that I must have received a rare dud X5 RD, I went to look at some bikes with X5 RDs at the LBS. There was only one, a Trek, and it had the same play in the pivot. When I contacted the supplier of my bike, he said that he'd noticed that about the X5 RDs, and he very kindly swapped it out for an X7. I couldn't ask for better service than that! The X7 had a noticeably tighter pivot, but it still seemed to have a bit of play. When I installed it, it exhibited the same behaviour (touching spokes when top jockey wheel aligned with large cog), but possibly not as much. Has anyone else noticed this about X5 and X7 RDs? It is easy to check: Change gears to largest cog on cassette. Take the chain off the front chain rings (or take it off altogether), so that the RD jockey cage springs back. Gently turn the rear wheel to check for contact with spokes. Maybe they all need a recall? Or maybe my park hanger alignment tool is broken :-) (not likely, given the simplicity and solid engineering of it).

It might well be the BB or crank or pedals, but... Does the sound go away when you stand on the pedals (no weight on saddle)? A clicking/creaking seatpost can sound like it's coming from the BB area. If the noise is there when you pedal hard but goes away when you stand up, clean and grease the seatpost where it is in contact with the frame. If either the frame or seatpost is carbon, do your research about what to use instead of grease. There are some carbon-friendly anti-slip compounds for that purpose. Another elusive source of creaks can be the top cap on your handlebar stem. It can help to tighten it or put some grease on it where it contacts the stem. If it's that, I would expect the creak to come and go depending on how hard you are pulling on the bars.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. That Momsen 24" looks great, but it's the 2012 one and they aren't available with a rigid fork any more. The 2013 model has an RST air front shock and costs R7500 (R6750 from Cycle Factory). The 2012 model had RRP of about R5500, I think, so could probably have been bought for about R5k.

I'd like to buy a MTB for my average height 9 year old son. I'm a bit of a weight weenie myself, so can't stand the idea of getting him a lead-pipe boat anchor of a machine. I'd also like to start taking him up the jeep tracks in Tokai, so I wouldn't want a heavy bike to contribute to killing his enthusiasm. On the other hand, he's going to outgrow it quickly and it's sure to have a few scrapes and tumbles, so I shouldn't spend too much. My first MTB ride was in Tokai on an an old school no-suspension Gary Fischer (CrMo frame and fork) and it was a great experience. The jeep tracks really don't require suspension most of the time so I would be keen on getting my son a rigid fork bike if there are any available that are of a suitable spec. Using a rigid fork should drop weight and price, but yet I haven't seen such kids' bikes for sale. I suspect kids think they want suspension (because it looks impressive and is like dad's bike), but would do better without the heavy, poor-quality shocks that are typically found on kids' bikes. Can anyone suggests a sensible option? Thanks.

I heard that it was "below the switchbacks". I'm thinking that could be those switchbacks coming down from the Nek (near the start of the tar road that goes to the mast). If that's correct, it sounds odd - hard to get there without going through farms, I think.

Epic Cycles in Plumstead probably a good option for someone living in your area.

Ended up getting a Gedore set: Driver and 19 socket in the 8-32mm range (6 pointers - or 6 lobes to be more accurate). Normal price was R1299, but Makro is having a special at R999. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the tips and please keep them coming if anyone else still has advice.

My dad's birthday is coming up and I'd like to get him a nice socket set (something like 10-20mm with driver, extensions, t-bar). He'll mainly use it for motorcycle restoration. I'd appreciate some advice: What's a good value-for-money brand? I'd love to get SnapOn or similar, but that will probably be out of my price range. Where is a good place in Cape Town (preferably Southern Suburbs) to get a good deal on such a set? Thanks.

Thanks guys - I'll try to get an appointment ASAP.

I've been training hard for a tour in September, but have developed a painful, sensitive spot under and on the side of my big toe. I can't apply full power or stand up on the pedals for long because of the pain. Can anyone recommend a good podiatrist in Cape Town? Thanks.

If you have any photos of the UCT Plett Tours of the 1990s, can you please scan and post some here? I rode one in (I think) 1993 and it was an absolute jol! That might actually have been the last one. I have no photos - only great memories. They were organised by UCT Cycle Club, although they were open to non-members too. The idea was to cycle from Cape Town to Plett, arriving in Plett in time to celebrate New Year there. The route would go through the Klein Karoo. If you weren't fit coming into that tour, you would certainly be at the end. After the Plett Tour, the local Cape Town fun rides tended to have a lot of Plett Tour riders featuring in the top finshers. Names I remember from the one I did (1993?): Gavin Fitzmaurice Peter Wheeler David Garrett Gary Sherriff David Clarke Karin Procter Philip Marais Jean Marais Ian Rodger Craig Northam David Cowie Paul Saxby Gay Saxby Adrian Watkins Travers Waker Bruce Strover Stephan de Clercq Stephan's dad Peter Mills Elton Holland I know there are a few names missing - I can picture some faces/legs/bikes, but can't put names to them.

Whatever you decide to do, it's a good idea to get your derailleur hanger (the Alu bit attaches to the frame and that the rear derailleur screws into) raligned. It is almost certainly bent after your mishap, so it will either need to be realigned (with a tool like the one from Park - most bike shops should have this in the workshop) or replaced. Even if replaced, it would be good to get the new one aligned. If you don't get the hanger alignment right, no derailleur is going to change nicely.

Thanks

Any news about Racing Tandems would be appreciated. My brother is riding in that group, but I'm oversees, so no coverage here.

If you have a carbon steerer tube, see if you can get a top cap with an expanding compression plug that doesn't dig into the fork steerer tube and damage the carbon. As a bonus, these usually support the steerer tube from the inside to prevent the stemp from crushing the steerer tube when you tighten it up too tight. Something like this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=911 If you have an aluminium steerer, it probably doesn't matter.

Scott Shoes are quite wide. I have Scott Team and like them a lot. There's a MTB version of those too.

I'm assuming you mean riding in a bunch in an organised race (so you're allowed to take up the whole lane). If that's what you're asking, here are my tips. 1. Don't focus too much on the bike in front of you. You need to look a little further forward than that and trust your periferal vision to alert you of any danger nearby. 2. If you find you're creeping up on the rider in front of you and you need to apply brakes, only use your rear brake and only gently. The rear brake doesn't slow you down as quickly as the front one does and the rider behind you can see the rear brake calliper move, giving him/her some warning. If you brake too sharply, someone might crash into the back of you. At the very least some angry people will shout at you. In an emergency, just do what you have to do to save yourself. 3. Don't overlap the wheel of the rider in front of you. if your wheels touch, you (the rider behind) will be the one who crashes most of the time. Those are the basic things I can remember from bunch riding (which was a long time ago). ZeroPlay2009-10-30 00:08:36

SRAM Force is my choice at the moment. More affordable than Red' date=' compatible with my Shimano wheels and even more carbon! [/quote'] Take it from an SRAM Red user - stick with Shimano. Seriously, if I could do it all again, it would be Dura Ace (or even Ultegra). Red issues: If you're in the biggest cog at the back (easiest gear) and don't realise it (because you're going flat out) and try to change to an easier gear, you'll change into a more difficult one (smaller cog). Once you've started moving that single lever, there's no backing out. The front derailleur cage is very narrow. You get chain rub all over the show and there's no trim for the small chainring. I had to spread the front cage by putting two small washers in with the spacer at the back to get it even vaguely useable, and I have a longish wheelbase bike (57cm Colnago), so this chain rub problem should be even worse on smaller bikes with more aggressive geometry (shorter chain stays). BB bearings - despite the claims on the packaging that the super-exensive ceramic bearings don't run freely initially because of tight seals and this will clear up with use, mine still don't run very freely and I've ridden them for many months. The BB shell has been faced and chases, so it's not a cup allignement issue. The hollow steel cassette causes serious noise (rattle). In fact, the whole SRAM chain-cassette combo is noisy and doesn't change as impressively as Shimano. Some people (me included - see my previous posts) have had problems with the comfort of the SRAM Red hoods. I think I've sorted that out now by making sure that I don't run any bar tape under the tops of the hoods (which makes wrappign the bars quite tricky) and filling the gap where the tops of the hoods meet the bars with cut up bits of extra bar tape. I never had to go to those lengths with Shimano. I briefly had a 2nd hand Campag Chorus group a couple of years back. I never rode it, but from installing and adjusting it, I decided that Shimano was my preference. Don't be tempted to avoid Shimano because you want your new dream bike to be different - I made that mistake and have some regrets.

I have tried small adjustments, but will try some more extreme ones now that I'm going to remove the bar tape anyway.

I'm in IT too, so you may be onto something. The pics I'm seeing here seem to show that the hoods are slightly raised where they contact the bars, but it doesn't seem to bother the people who are posting the pictures. So maybe it depends on how tough (or not) your hands are.