Grease_Monkey

For the money Curas are a million times better than XT. I was running XT on the one bike, Cura 2 on the other and quite honestly there is no comparison to be made. So much so that I got rid of the XT and got a set of Cura 4s for the other bike. As for Sram, they no longer make XO and XX brakes... It is now Guide, G2, Code, etc. If money was not an object I would get Sram G2 brakes. By all accounts close to power of the Codes but with better modulation. I am not speaking from experience though, just what I have heard from others that have used both.

Exactly what I am thinking. Even with a super damaging product (if it exists), it's not like you leave it on for ages. My only concern with soap and washing in general is taking the grease off places it is supposed to be prematurely. Unless my bike really needs it I tend to just wipe it down with a soft brush between rides most of the time. Ever since I have started doing that and washing less I am finding I can get away with longer intervals before things need regreasing.

200 front and rear is overkill unless you are really heavy and ride hard. I am 105kg, and I use 180mm front and rear with Formula Cura 4s on very steep trails (I'm not the fastest rider, but I am by no means slow when a trail points down), and that is more than enough power and modulation. For reference, I am finding Cura 4s with 2x180mm rotors more effective than Shimano XTs or Cura 2s with 2x203mm rotors. As with anything, look at the whole system, not just parts in isolation. Going up a rotor size is a cheaper way of getting more stopping power than a whole new brake set though....

Formula Cura 4. No competition at the price. Do a forum search here, lots of threads about brakes.

No soap is going to damage your frame or kashima coating. It's not like you leave it on the frame for ages anyway. When looking for a soap the only thing you should really consider is that it does not degrease your bearings. Eg: something like sunlight will.

Well I haven't been on a cruise...

25mm rims for 2.35" and under. If you are going to be using exclusively wider than 2.35" tyres then 30mm rims. In my experience, I'd rather have rims that are a bit too narrow than too wide. Running a narrower tyre on a wide rim squares them off, and if you run lower pressures you just end up damaging the rim. Your actual rim is also more exposed to rocks, etc on the trail ending up in scratches and dings. On the flip side of the coin I have had no issues with running a wide tyre on narrow rims (2.5" on 21mm rims). You can't run super low pressures, but it works. Obviously you want the ideal fit, but reality is your tyres will be changed many times on the same rim. So like many mentioned here, a 25mm rim will give you a bit more flexibility in tyre choice than a 30mm rim - especially when it comes to XC tyres. For reference, I use 32mm rims, but I only use wide tyres. There have been a few times when I wanted to use narrower tyres for a marathon type event where I couldn't because the rims are just too wide.

Yeah, tried it on my rims (30mm internal), was extremely square. So much so that it was running on the side knobs, meaning that it was running as slow as a DHR or DHF. Moved it to the wife's bike with 21mm rims - perfect there. I don't think Maxxis even make a 2.5 option. Unless that has changed in recent times... Anyway, don't wanna derail the thread.

Second this. Grip over rolling speed any day of the week. Besides, the Disector does not roll that slow, my bet is that it's only going to be when you are on tar that you will really feel the drag. @Stemesiter, I would love a SS tyre, problem is there is no Minnion SS or Slaughter available in a 2.5". The 2.3" Minnion SS are really skinny and low volume.

Topping up sealant takes 5mins a month, and cleaning out and completely refilling (even with cushcore) take 30mins at most every 3 months. Compared to the effort of flat tyres on every second ride with tubes I'd say tubeless save a hell of alot of effort. As for the cost, if you're not stuck on using Stans or Mucoff, it isn't that expensive either.... But anyway, will be interesting to see how far you get with the 200ml in your rear tyre. I prefer to not get to the point where I start getting punctures.

200ml for the lifetime of a tyre? You are expecting too much from your sealant or too little from your tyre. As a rule of thumb I top up tyres 50ml per month, take off and clean every 3 months and refill with 120ml per tyre. Most of the time when it comes to clean up it's very little left in the tyre. I ride between 8 and 13 hours a week.

Don't know about their grips and bars, but I love my SQLab saddle. Best I have ever used. And Mathias from GPM Sports was extremely helpful in getting me on the right model and size. If their saddles are anything to go by I would think their other products are also well designed.

Also had no issues with them. There are many tyres I would buy before an Ibex, but for what it is, the Ibex has a good balance between rolling resistance, grip, and durability.

They are still making it and have explicitly stated they will not stop making it. OP, m 2c. Do the upgrade. It doesn't seem like you want/need a new bike anyway and 90k is alot of money to spend on something you don't actually want. From all accounts I have heard AXS is chalk and cheese with mechanical, if I had the $ I would do the upgrade myself...

Eden and GSpot came out unscathed, it did burn higher up though.

I know they cannot work around our schedule, but will happily swing a shovel and cut down some foliage over a few weekends instead of rides. I was planning on being in Jonkershoek on Saturday mornings for the foreseeable future anyway

Guys, money for the trail system is money for the trail system. Let's not stare a gift horse in the mouth. I'm no Spez fanboy, but I am a Jonkershoek fanboy. So anyone that is contributing towards these trails being fixed has my full support.

I will do, thanks! Fair warning, it will be a long time though - only 3000km in on an XO1 cassette, so that leaves at least 7000km putting me at mid 2022.... But who knows what happens. There may be an itch to scratch before it actually needs scratching.

Thanks! Seems like a worthwhile alternative to an XO1 or XX1 cassette. Will have a look when I need to replace mine.

Awesome! Definitely insentive to go buy some mew tyres or clothing there. Thanks Spez Stellenbosch!

A little expensive. I sold a Scott Scale with full XT and a Fox 32 on it for that amount 2 months ago. And that bike was really in mint condition.

No.

Where do you order from? And for interest sake, what does a cassette set you back once cleared and delivered?

Congrats. As much money as that is, I think it's a great deal! With that fork fitted the bike deserves a dropper though!

I clamp mine on the stanchion - just clean it and put a cloth between the clamp and seatpost. The forces of you sitting on the saddle is much more than what is cause by the bike hanging. When I put force down, eg: removing a crank, I always have the bike standing on the ground anyway - so can't say that's ever been a consideration for me.