singletrack

quicklink/speedlinks without a doubt. If you continuously brake the chain to get it off it is going to weaken the chain and it will break sooner rather than later. The chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! Just make sure you get the correct ones (8 or 9 speed) I like the SRAM ones (but this is where personal preference comes in) If you dont like haging dirty/greasy/oily hands while working with chains then one thing that I can also recommend , if you can get your hands on a broken spoke /strong piece of wire bend it to create a shape like * * * * * * * * * * * * * Here you can hook the chain on both sides and have both hands free to do whatever you need to ie; reconnect the speedlink or even breaking the chain. Works like a charm and if you are a weight weenie, there is basically no weight to speak of as it is a short piece of wire and can fit into the saddlebag/camelback and take up no space.

Chainwear/drivetrain wear is not only related to the distance covered but it plays a biggish role. The conditions you ride in (mud/dust) and how you ride, do you ride like Jan Ulrich using heavy gear (low cadance) when climbing or LanceA using a higher cadence and how often you clean your chain, all of these factors in with the lifespan of the chain. Oh yes, and the chain lube you use as well. Do you use a wax-based lube(that will shed the grit off the chain but have a shorter lifespan) or a wet lube (holds the grit-and-grime on the chain causing a nice paste for grinding the chain). My chain only lasted 800km in the wet weather conditions. What I recommend is the following... 1. get a BBB/Parktool chain checker and check your chains regularly. 2. Start using 2 chains on a rotational basis, swop the chains every month. this will help in prolonging the wear on the drivetrain and chains as the 2 chains will wear relatively equally and you will not experience the chain slipping when peddling. The cost of one chain is better than replacing the complete drivetrain Just a thought

I have a Minoura 500 Indoor trainer. When I wanted to do a ride last night it started to make one hell of a noise and upon some inspection I saw that the plastic covers holding the flywheels in place has become so brittle that they disintegrated when I took my bike from the stand. Does anyone know who the dealers/importers are for these indoor trainers and if it is possible to get the covers seperately? trying to fix it is not an option. The website is of no use :-( Thanks

The cost of a re-build?Spokes may cost between R7 and R25 per spoke (depends which you choose) and what you have on your wheels. Then the re-build fees of about R200-R300, perhaps even a bit more. So all in all the re-build cost may be ?R600.

A discription of your wheelset will help a bit( Rim + Hub + Spokes). Seeing your bike is 4 years old, is this your origional set of wheels or have you had them replaced? Have you broken spokes in the past on the same wheel as well? A general rule of thumb is that, when you are starting the break spokes, have the wheel re-built from scratch with new spokes. Check the spoke tension all around the wheel. You will find that the tensions are not the same and this may cause the spokes to break. I think Johan Borman will shed some light on this a bit better. Fortunately for me, I have never broken any spokes, only the axle of the hubs and the rims themselves :-)

L.T.G. Do I find them slippery? Not really. I always ride with gloves which offers a bit more grip on the metal bar-ends. I usually use them either on a climb or on the flats. Never when I go hairing downhill I have seen some riders use roadie inners glued to the bar-ends. If it helps, I dont know. what the purpose it. beats me.

There are a number of view regarding bar-ends (image vs functionality vs comfort) I have recently startted using the Ergon Magnesium ones after I have cycled without them. http://www.ergon-bike.com/en/grips/r2.html What I found is that I grip the handlebards more on the bar-ends than with my hands in the normal position(without bar-ends).They are super comfortable and offer a different position for your hand/wrist on the longer rides. One bit of advice, when going for bar-ends, make sure that the ones you get are not to long. They have a tendancy to catch on all the branches while going down singletrack. This will ensure you make contact with mother earth and sometimes stay there. :-)