SilverMountain

Sounds as if you may have developed the same condition as me called Crepatis. I have had the same thing for 6 months now and as long as you have no pain associated with the grinding/clicking you should be OK.

I have a Mongoose Canaan Comp and the frame is possibly similar to yours. One of the differences is that I have rear suspension however the front shock is probably similar. Have been happy with the bike and have only had to replace the rear gear cable in the 10 months I have had it and I have done quite a few races during the last year up to 45km.

No you shouldn;t. My son has an extra small, daughter has a medium & I have an extra large and they all fit.

I have a 3 bike Thule hang on carrier that connects to the tow-bar and I have been happy with it. The other rideon ones are good however you will probably be paying almost 3x the price.

Apologies, I mis-diagnosed myself after doing some research on the internet. The Sports Doctor says that I have patello femoral crepatis which is a cracking. grating noise in the knee. It is either from overuse or could have also been caused by 2 falls I had onto my knee after moving over to cleat pedals. I have also learnt from research that bike setup is very important and for this problem is better to have your saddle positioned higher to prevent excessive bending of the knee.

Thanks for the advice and I now feel more positive after knowing you have managed to ride for a number of years with a hip problem (I only started riding 2 years ago and am your age) . At the time that I wrote in asking for info. on this matter I had just been to a GP who did a full medical and didn't really check out my knee properly except to talk about osteo arthritis. Today I went to a sports doctor at the Kings Park Complex and after a full check up he said it was patello femoral crynitis?. He seemed to be fairly positive that if I don't have any pain or swelling at this stage, then it is fine to ride. He did suggest that I have x-rays of both knees which I did tonight. Will be forwarding him the report tomorrow. He said that he will refer me to a biokinetisist who will recommend exercises to strengthen areas around the knee. Am hoping to do quite a few of the races this year but will see how it goes.

Anybody got any advice for Osteo Arthritis. Developed a grating noise in my one knee that I only have when pedalling uphill on the downstroke of the pedal. This prompted me to go for a medical & all blood tests, cardio etc. was fine however the GP didn't offer any advice re- the knee. Some internet research revealed that I may have Osteo Arthritis. Does anyone know whether it is possible to repair the cartilage or whatever is causing the problem? Is it best to find a chiropractor for advice? It appears as though you need to find someone who has a sport background and preferably a cyclist.

Have been riding a Silverback Reno for just over 2 years and believe that it is very underated. Have competed in most KZN MTB races up to 40km all in A batch with fairly good results. My original intention was to ride with the kids and not to race however I was new to cycling at the time. The only problem I have had during one of the races was breaking a chain.

I am in Durban & am not sure how prices differ in the Cape. Bought mine within the last two months & it cost me R600. I have however seen it at other branded stores for at least R200 more so possiby my LBS has competitive prices.

I have the Camelbak Rogue & am extremely happy with it. I find that the size is adequate as I do not need the space that the Mule provides. Possibly if you were riding ultamarathons and you were riding the whole day you may need the additional space. For R400 less I believe that the Rogue is a good buy.

My son also has one of these. He is 9 now and we have had it for about 5 years, Very basic, was used by my daughter when she was smaller. Allow him to leave that bike out and ride it around the yard, He also has a XS Silverback which we use for races and which is locked away. We don.t worry about the Makro bike however his good bike gets cleaned after every race and the chain gets lubed. On Sunday while I was doing the Hill2Hill race I let him take his chain store bike where he was waiting at the finish for me with my wife as I wasn't worried if it got stolen or if something happened to it. While I was doing the 40km race I believe that he won the kids 2km race. After this I thought that there was some purpose for these bikes although as you say they have no gears and it is very difficult to adjust or remove wheels etc.

Know exactly how you feel. Bought a new bike within the last 3 months and I have fallen in almost every race and have also broken a cell phone in the process when landing on rocks. Loosened the cleats a month ago as the LBS had set them too tight and this seems to be helping. Had been riding with normal pedals on my old bike for 18 months before and the paint work on my old bike looks better than my new because of the falls although scratches are also due to riding in the mud (Illovo Eston) and scraping the mud off the bike with sticks to get it working. After 3 months I believe that I am coming right with the cleats however I am still nervous especially on singletrack and also when going over rocks. Have scars on my knee from the falls.

Sounds as though Slime could be a better bet than tape. On Sunday during the Howick 45km ride I had a puncture even though I had the tape inside my tyres. Wasn't able to find the thorn however somehow it must have got throgh the thick tape. Slime could be a safer bet?

I have the stroker disk brakes & have noticed what appears to be a pin or the rear set. Does anyone know approx. what average mileage you get before having to change the pads?

Any advice on how to remove the pads to give them a light sanding (also new to hydraulic disc brakes and sometimes I just turn the handlebar without moving and it squeks).