sage

Shocked at the news that South Africa has lost one of its heroes .... and in a road safety issue too Condolences and prayers to his wife and family during this tough time!

Sorted...!

Good advice...many thanks!

Thanks - good inputs... Yes, had some trouble with the calipers leaking...new seals and one new caliper was required (dirt seems to get in everywhere eventually, but that's MTB) None of the rotors were old and below thickness - some were only 2 months old. I've a couple of wheelsets, and all rotors were a mixture of XT, XTR and XT Ice-tech From what I can see above my choices are a) fresh start with new rotors and pads expensive! b - surgical alcohol treatments (such a solvent has no additives) This whole thing has been a bit of a bummer...I've lost a bit of confidence on the bike as I cant trust the brake stopping power...amazing how that slows one up and you go conservative..

Didn't ever think so, but am starting to wonder - constant changes to brake pads later (3rd set now across both my bikes) and I'm finding that roughly 2-3 rides later the pads squeal and lose their braking power. Tried every remedy I've received (light sanding, copper paste, burning in petrol etc) but no way to get the brake pad performance back. Now my thoughts are turning to the discs themselves.. Here's my theory: the cheap plastic spray bottle that over the years has housed my bike degreaser (or the degreaser itself?) has somehow gotten something right into the metal of the rotors themselves...plasticisers coming out? Got a new set of rotors recently, put new pads on and they are fine and holding as expected. Changed the rotors back to use the old 'infected' ones..and bamn, brakes squeal and lose power after 2-3 rides again. Anyone ever had something like this?

That sounds like a pretty good price - in the Spez shop here in Waterfall they were a couple of hundred bucks more.. I bought a pair, but had to return as my feet need something wider ... to be honest, feet shape and size make each brand offering a personal affair. What works great for some, is an agonising pinch for others. Are you not better off at least trying them on somewhere before you buy?

I've been concerned about the safety there after hearing of 'incidents' - glad to hear of regular riders though .... am I being too concerned? Getting the wrong end of the stick when actually it's fine ?

Good to find Hubbers around my area.. http://www.endomondo.com/profile/228268

No, put tubes in and took a spare tube and some instant patches with me just in case. Put the tubeless tyres back on afterwards. Guys at Mavericks in Hillcrest sold me the noname slicks - they worked perfectly, nice and balanced.

Did the Shova with R70 noname slicks on my 26" MTB ... had a blast overtaking those roadies

I would have expected the the two bike shops to have a chat between themselves first .... not just hand the problem back to the customer.

Just checking which Hillcrest you mean - KZN yes?

Halfway mark on Old Main Road

Ah, was just running the back rural roads on the escarpment of the Umgeni valley, pic was taken at the 21km mark - route can be seen here: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/54371898 There are cattle trails up there that I need to explore more .... maybe someone on the Hub here knows that area in Crestholme even better?

Inanda Dam from Crestholme