ZeroPlay

More likely under-tensioned (or built with very uneven tension so that some spokes were under-tensioned). Also, the gurus seem to reckon that "stress-relieving" (squeezing nearly-parallel pairs of spokes on the same side of the wheel together) spokes during the build makes a big difference to the lifespan of the spokes, so maybe this wasn't done on your wheels? I don't think that anyone makes better quality spokes than DT.

My brother recently bought one and loves it. He says it climbs well (very little bobbing) and that he's never descended so fast while still feeling in complete control before. His previous bike was an older generation full suspension (not Commencal).

Tell us what price you're paying - some other hubbers may suggest a better deal. See if you can't somehow afford a Shimano 105-based bike. I reckon Lance would still have won 7 Tour de Frances if his bike was kitted out with 105, but I'm not convinced that Sora would have done the trick.

Maybe this: http://www.spanjaard.co.za/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1069&category_id=d8513fd31420707eae19ce89d38f8722&option=com_phpshop&Itemid=3 You can get it at automotive spares places (it gets used on motorcycle chains). It goes on thin and fizzes (bubbles) as it penetrates into the tiniest gap, but after a minute or two it turns into thick, sticky, very waterproof pink grease. It's great for lubing bearings that you've cleaned the grease out of but can't force new grease into due to the very small gap between the races and the bearings. e.g. headset bearings.

Which of the famous Italian brand names still build carbon frames in Italy? I know Colnago does, but what about the others: Battaglin? ...

BB type? Model?

Avenue aluminium frames, built by Gary Koen in Cape Town, probably in the late 80's or early 90's. I think he only made a few prototypes before selling his frame-building equipment (to Peter Wheeler, I seem to remember). ZeroPlay2008-01-23 05:57:06

I've also had awesome service from them (I was dealing with a guy called Harald). My 625x was one of the early models and it had a slight bug that causes the bike2 wheel setting to be lost when switching between running and cycling mode. Harald told me a workaround that allowed switching modes without losing the setting, but was still happy to swap out the watch for a new one as soon as his new stock arrived. I've had no problems with the new one.

... or just visualise bashing Johan Bornman over the head with your wheel - even if you still don't understand what the hell he's talking about, it'll bring a smile to your face (and others too, I suspect), thereby "reducing the tension".

I think the idea is to combine the tension meter and the "twang" methods. Different spokes have a different tone "twang" for the same tension depending on many things (length, thickness, double butted, where the cross each other, etc...), so one would use the tension meter to get a reference "twang" from one spoke that is the correct tension. You then know what the correct tension sounds like for the particular wheel (or at least one side of the wheel) you're working on and you can compare the other spoke's "twang" to this one.

WTB Rocket V Stealth's deep, firm padding is focussed in the sitbones area, so it might work for you. I have no experience with the rest of the WTB Rocket V range, and I think the Stealth has different (lighter) padding than the others, so I'm not sure if I can recommend the one's they stock in SA. Although I love the WTB Rocket V Stealth, a friend of mine had another model in the Rocket V range and absolutely hated it. I guess saddles are like that.

Don't do it! Cyclists are a fragile lot and you will get injured for sure! Next thing you know you will be racing against Ernst van Dyk. New Balance make some good quality shoes too. I think the majority of serious runners go for Asics or New Balance. Not sure why I think that, though. The wife is a runner, so I might not be talking out of my rear.

WTB Rocket V Stealth. I think the local importer doesn't bring the Stealth into SA, though, so you might have to get it from overseas (www.chainreationcycles.com) if you want it. See the reviews on mtbReview. The saddle has very deep, firm padding and you sit pretty much on your sit bones - not much pressure between your legs. Quite different to other saddles I have tried, so if the "standard" Fziks and other usual suspects don't work for you, maybe give it a try. Maybe you should expect your ass to be sore after 10hrs MTB riding in a day, regardless of the saddle. How many hours did it take before your butt was paining? ZeroPlay2007-12-18 08:05:25

If the spoke "tore out of the nipple"' date=' one would expect that spoke tension was too high. I've never heard of spoke tension high enough to do that, though. What doesn't make sense then is: Non-drive side spokes usually have significantly less tension than drive side ones, to keep the dishing of the wheel correct (i.e. centre the rim on the hub axle (the body + the cassette) rather than the hub body. If you broke a non-drive side spoke, it suggests that too high spoke tension was not the problem. It could be that the spoke nipple was damaged (cracked or a stripped thread to start with). The only spoke failure I've seen on non-drive side spokes was due to the spoke tension being far too low. This resulted in the spoke getting tensioned and detentioned (going slack) every wheel revolution (I'm guessing - I have no proof) and resulted in the spoke snapping somewhere between the nipple and about half way down the spoke. I thought this was very surprising at the time, since I'd only ever seen spokes snap at the elbow bend before.

Maybe the mast above Sir Lowry's Pass? You can get to it by hopping the gate and following the tar road from the the Grabouw forestry area. Just don't forget about the gate on the way down' date=' because it's hard to stop in time if you're really flying down there. [/quote'] Mind you, that dip in the middle of the profile looks wrong, and I think the Sir Lowry's Pass mast is higher than that too.

Maybe the mast above Sir Lowry's Pass? You can get to it by hopping the gate and following the tar road from the the Grabouw forestry area. Just don't forget about the gate on the way down, because it's hard to stop in time if you're really flying down there.

What's the best bike computer (preferably with heart rate monitor) goifn fro around R1000? Ability to transfer training data to a PC for logging and analysis would be nice too. Is the Polar CS100 any good?

Extracting the money out of this guy could prove to be quite technical, and may require some tools too (heavy wrench, pliers, blow-torch, etc..).

You think maybe the frame was abandoned by a customer when the crack was discovered at the bike shop, and this guy, who works for the shop, saw an opportunity to shaft some poor unsuspecting soul?