mtbvip

Agree fully. I already know that I WILL BE doing Mankele more than once....just need to decide on what other spots to ride.

I love my rigid SS. Absolutely no problems jumping sidewalks OR 4hr rides along the spruit. A lot of fun. You most certainly don't need suspension to commute. You will be surprised how much a carbon rigid fork can take.

Spending a week over New Year's in Nelspruit. What are the best MTB routes (except Mankele)? Would love to spend each day riding a different area!

Hill street is at best a drag - anyone using that road as "hill" repeats can't be expected to be taken serious.

I am keen! I have pretty decent legs (multiple top 20 MTN ultra finishes) so hopefully wont hold Eldron back, have a 29er (geared or SS) - two 29ers better than one! If your other rider doesn't come through let me know.

I went from a 12kg alu mtb to a 9.8kg carbon mtb - BIG difference! Not only has my time and position improved significantly(now racing with guys who previously comfortably beat me, but also ride quality. Personaly I think a good quality carbon bike with decent wheels and shock is worth every penny.

I must agree. A bike that was at best mediocre in its heyday doesn't suddenly become a classic. I am all for retro but lets not confuse old with old school!

I have racing ralphs front and rear on my 29" HT. Must admit that I hate the tire - definately not good on the front. I find my front wheel wipes out way too easily on them. For the price I would recommend conti's combo or Maxxis Crossmarks.

I agree with all the categories. Some amateurs do have the ability to race with the pro's and give them a run for their money (just because you are not getting paid to ride a bike does not mean you can't ride like you are). If you are good enough you should have the option of racing with the pro's. Other guys of the same ability prefer rather racing amateurs - these guys should have the option to choose racing in the VET category (as an example) OR elite (pro's). All things said, I agree with strength vs strength with seperate provision made for juniors and vets to race each other if they wish to.

No need for 29" UST tires. I have found 29" non-UST to be very robust, not difficult to mount and seal - much more so than 26" non-UST tires. 29" UST (if they ever produce them) will be very heavy.

I have Avid brakes and recently bought XT wheels - forgot they only take centrelock rotors - damn Shimano hubs! What would be the best solution : adapters or do shimano rotors work with the Avid (Elixir R)calipers?

He still rocks. Have listened to his show recently - pretty decent tuff. Much better than most.

Go cheap on chains, change them frequently - your cassette will last a long time. It is worth spending a bit more on your cassette.

No, I don't think that is too much to ask. Even though I can guarantee you that we have NEVER damaged a jump lip - we know how to ride to avoid doing that - we have no problem not crossing the lip from the wrong direction in future. We appreciate any sensible work being done on the Spruit. What I don't appreciate was the way you acted on Saturday. I will respect your work, but don't expect me to dive out of the way every time you come charging towards a jump without looking or having someone posted to warn oncoming riders.

Dude, you don't know what you're talking about. The two riders in question was myself and a mate. We were coming up a steep uphill section(slowly. Once we got to the top another idiot (I suppose that would be you) came charging downhill from the jump section. We were ALREADY on the top of the bump when this rider shouted "HEY" and kept charging straight for us. We had nowhere to go. Nonetheless, the rider decided to complete his jump, just missing us. I have a number of objections : 1.We had right of way 2. If you want to build jump sections that cross the normal riding path (that I have been riding almost daily for the last 2 years- the jump section has only been built in the last few months)I have no objections, but don't expect me not to cross your path. 3. If you will be doing jumps at 10am on a Satuday morning have someone posted at the end part of the jump to warn oncoming riders. You are wrong and have a lot to learn about mountain biking and its rules - accept it and move on.

think they're all the same. Never had a cheap bomb fail on me

Die alternatiewe paaie naby die stuk N2 wat ter sprake is, is nie net onrybaar met 'n fiets nie maar baie gevaarlik (meesal geen skouer en baie minibusse). Elke keer wat jy oor die pad loop sonder om dit by 'n voetoorgang of verkeerskruising te doen oortree jy ook die wet.Alles is relatief. As almal meer tyd spandeer om 'n produktiewe bydra te lewer tot die dinge wat regtig saak maak sal hierdie "wettelose" land 'n baie beter plek wees. Om die spesifieke insident met baba-moord te vergelyk is idioties. Dink voor jy skryf, OU PERD!

Stretch - get a life man! I suggest finding a way of using your time more productively than reporting a cycling team for cycling on the wrong road.

Nice, but get rid of the yellow bar tape man!

Agree. That is your best value bet. Really only need power msurement when doing intervals anyway. Otherwise, you are looking at 10k plus. Polar option does not look worth while to me.

In my opinion the shimano BB doesn't last much longer than the Aerozine, and definitely not as long as enduro bearings.

My Aerozine BB lasted about 4 months (daily riding). I just replaced the bearings with Enduro bearings (R90 a bearing on CRC at the time)which lasts a lot longer. In my opninion this is the best bet in terms of value for money - just replace the bearings instead of the whole BB.

My Cannondale Flash carbon 29er 1 weighs 9.8kg as ridden (tubeless with sludge). Would love to know at what price all the mentioned sub-10kg 29ers came in at?

Why not rather go for a carbon frame in the same price class? Strong, certainly lighter, stiffer and more comfortable? I battle to understand the support of "boutique" brand aluminium frames - does it all boil down to having something not everyone has, at the cost of often missing out on a better frame made by a big name (Merida for instance)? I also don't see the point of a frame eing "handmade" - what exactly does that mean and is it any better? Anyway, getting a bit carried away - sorry for the hijack.

Nice....now all you need is a decent frame.