ZeroPlay

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?

Exotic frame... That can only mean one thing - Colnago! Actually, there was a Look frame advertised here a while back that might qualify as exotic.

GreyOwl, you are trying to be far too nice. The signs are that this guy is ripping you off quite intentionally. That SMS you got (contradicting his previous offer to refund you), his unwillingness to answer your calls, the fact that he doesn't appear to have the money to refund you (suggesting he's desperate for money). Don't be a helpless victim here - hit back as hard and as fast as you can. Set firm deadlines, after which you should lay a charge against the guy at the local police station. If you don't have enough info about the guy to lay the charge, tell us (the hub) what you know about him and I'm sure someone here can provide more info about him.

I've found the Raleigh Roost bikes to be not too bad. They need serious adjustment (bearings in headset, BB, hubs and pedals) before being ridden, and I trued and dished the wheels too. I also took the chain off and cleaned it, replacing the greasy stuff with White Lightning, so my kid doesn't get greasy chainring marks on his leg and clothes. The biggest complaint I have is that I can't get the V-brakes to stop "grabbing" (my kid locks the brakes every time) and that the bike weighs a ton (your 15kg is probably a good guess). The frame is drilled for calliper brakes too, so I might try and pick up a cheap set from a lbs and use those instead of the V-brakes.

Bowman's Cycles claims to have the tool. I just hope the person I spoke to is 100% sure its for Italian thread BB's. I did ask him about 10 times in subtly different ways if he was sure, and each time he said yes, so I guess next step is to book the frame in with them and hope my baby comes back chased and faced correctly.

They don't have the tool (yet). It sounds like they planned on getting it in the next few months though, which doesn't help me this time. I spoke to Nat (I think - American accent?) on the phone - nice guy and seems to know what he's talking about. I'll try them again when I need a LBS, I think.

Hi. I've got an Italian-threaded frame that needs the BB threads chased and shell faced. Anyone know of a bike shop or individual in Cape Town who has the tool for doing it? Willie Engelbrecht used to have the tool, but when I phoned and spoke to someone in the workshop, they told me the tool was now broken and they didn't seem to have any urgent plans to replace it. You have no idea how happy I will be if you can put me into contact with someone who has the tool. I went through a long and painful process getting my Battaglin frame chased and faced about a year ago, eventually singing the praises of Willie Engelbrecht Cycles when they did the job perfectly. They seemed to be the only LBS in Cape Town that had the tool for Italian-threaded BBs (several have it for English-threaded BBs), and now that theirs is broken, I'm stuck again. Thanks for any help. ZeroPlay2007-12-01 06:07:48

What's the best "quick-link" (super-link, master-link, ...) to use with Campag 10spd chains? What price (roughly) and are they generally available at LBSs? Thanks

What is the effect of riding road bars that are "too wide". I've bought a used bike that has 46cm (o-o) bars, but in theory I need more like a 42cm bar. What can I expect if I ride them? The bike is in pieces and I'm about to order stuff from TotalCycling.com, so I have to decide now whether to get new bars or not. I can't try the wide bars out first. I remember the Columbian climber Luis "Lucho" Herrera using bars which looked way too wide for him in the '87 TdF. That didn't stop him from finishing (and winning a stage or two, I think). He liked to stand up a lot on the climbs, so maybe the extra leverage from the long bars suited him.

What cables (inner and outer) do people generally use to renew the cables on an all-Italian bike with a Campag Ergo groupset? I'm busy rejuvenating a 3yr old Daccordi with Campag Chorus that I recently bought, but it seems a bit wrong to use the usual Shimano cables that most of the bike shops stock. Are there any technical reason not to use the Shimano cables? (I know there are emotional reasons not to )

Grease is very cheap - buy some new grease rather than using 20yr old stuff. Duckhams is a local brand, so it's nothing fancy.

Where did you buy Prolink from? I've never seen it in SA.

Solomons was advertising Gary Fischer Sugar 4+ for R8000 in Ride Magazine. I seem to remember the specs weren't too bad (LX level). Old stock, I think, so they might be negotiable on that already low price?

That doesn't look like a full carbon frame to me. It looks like a welded joint where the top tube meets the seat tube. The chain and seat stays look like carbon.

Hi. The Silverback Phoenix I just got comes with a Suntour XCR fork. Does anyone know how to adjust these? It has a rotating adjuster dial on the left side (top) which has a + and - direction. I assume this is preload. When I turn it in the + direction, I can keep turning and turning (with an audible click once per revolution), but it doesn't seem to make any difference to the preload. Thanks for any help.

Hi. The Silverback website says the Phoenix MTB comes with Avid V-brakes, but doesn't mention the exact model. Can anyone tell me which model Avid Single Digit brakes come on the Phoenix (probably 3 or 4)? Thanks.ZeroPlay2007-04-04 07:43:45

Seems like it's between Time Atac Alium and EggBeaters. One thing that worries me about the Time pedals is that many of the reviews at MTBReview.com complain that they are hard to clip out of. I have very flakey knees, and the twisting motion of unclipping causes pain if there's a lot of resistance. I ride my SPD-type Wellgos with very little spring tesion, so I can clip out really easily. Do you Time riders agree that they're a bit more difficult to unclip from than other pedals? What are the EggBeaters like when unclipping?