North Shore

I have that setup on a 140mm 26" Stumpjumper FSR and on a 2014 29" Stumpjumper EVO. I ride at Groenkloof in the week, Van Gaalens, Vori-berg, Redstone and Mankele on weekends and when I'm in Cape Town Tokai (not anymore) and Jonkershoek (was there two weeks ago). I ride pretty aggressively, not with that much finesse and I jump everything I can. I ride the black/DH trails on this setup at all the above mentioned parks.

Iwan, I haven't tried the Ibex, but the new Nobby Nic is so much better than the 2014 version. It feels like a completely different tyre, almost like a Magic Mary lite. Rolling resistance isn't bad, lots of grip in the corners (as opposed to the illusion of grip in the 2014), the casing in snakeskin feels much more sturdy and will allow much lower pressures before caving. Wear still sucks but it's Schwalbe so you knew that already. I have the 2.35 upfront and 2.25 in the back, but will probably be trying the rock razor on the rear next. Give the new version a try.

The northern suburbs of Cape Town (durbanville etc) are very Afrikaans, not nearly as scenically beautiful as the southern suburbs, and certainly not the epicentre of cultural activities/good restaurants etc. The best schools in Cape Town are all in the southern suburbs (Rondebosch/Newlands/Wynberg/Constantia) although there are some good private schools out Stellenbosch and Somerset West side. If I had to choose between Stellenbosch and SSW I would definitely go for Stellenbosch. The number of bike parks and biking culture out there is fantastic and there are some truly great restaurants/pubs/coffee spots. SSW is a boring retirement village replete with thousands of cloned and soulless Tuscan boxes. If that's your thing then you probably will get the most space and value for money there.

So you'll lose weight and the rattle, your bike will be lighter and you'll enjoy riding it more. Also after 5000km you'll be approaching having to replace both chain rings anyway. Just do it.

Replace with a NW chain ring and go 1*10. Problem solved.

Anyone tried those bone conducting ones? Seems like a potentially safer option on SA roads. http://www.aftershokz.com/ I've got the Sennheiser PMX 685i and I really like the single band wrap around fit as I've never had them fall off on any downhill run, wish they'd bring out a Bluetooth version already.

Actually shaving causes minor trauma to the skin and will in fact slow the healing time after injury.

Where have you been? http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/trail-tech-exploring-27-5-42832/

Increase your fork travel and you will raise your bb height (you may have to buy a new fork to achieve this) or get fatter higher volume tyres.

Faerie Glen.

Udo Juterbock of Bikeworx or Ruan Deysel of Spokeworks.

Thomson RaceFace Chris King Rockshox SRAM Fizik Shimano pedals Schwalbe ESI

I see a lot of ladies on the trail struggling with 29ers, not necessarily that the fit isn't right but that around tight single track a long wheel base 29er can be a mission to manoeuvre. I've also seen strong lady riders rip on 29ers but I'd say go for the smaller (lighter) wheel options for now. 650b and 27.5 are the same thing.

Glock I'm pretty sure you're using way too much lube if you're getting any mud cakes. Squirt (wax lubes) work by sloughing off when dirt collects, and it really works unless you apply too much. Apply only one drop of lube per chain roller at the the bottom to a perfectly clean chain and allow at least an hour for it to dry. I find that after 50+km rides the chain does start to sound dry, but it's not something to worry about and I get ridiculously long life (2000+km) per chain before they begin to show any wear. The best part about squirt is how easy it is to clean without harsh degreasers.

Racing Ralph Snakeskin rear 2.25", 2015 Nobby Nic Snakeskin 2.35" front.

Take a plastic tyre lever and hold it against the chain stay almost touching the rim and spin it. If there's more than a mm or two of warp around the wheel they need to true it again. If not then it's the tyre. You can try deflating it and re-inflating it without weight while ensuring it seats evenly. If this doesn't work you can try and contact the tyre rep and get a replacement, I've had one Schwalbe do this and it was replaced.

It's obviously personal preference but as I ride alone I like listening to podcasts/audiobooks/talk radio and I don't find it detracts from the biking or nature experience. In fact I find it easier to ride harder and longer with this and I get to "read" an extra book or two a week.

These are what you want. Have never come loose even on the knarliesy track, are sweat and light rain resistant, have surprisingly good sound and still allow in the ambient noise of the cars trying to kill you on the way to the trail. If only they would make a Bluetooth version these would be perfect. http://en-us.sennheiser.com/sport-neckband-headset-in-ear-earphones-running-jogging-workouts-pmx-685i

A month back easy bike (Matthew) managed to find me a fork nobody else could and that I had resigned to have to go through CRC for. A week back I ordered two new 2015 Nobby Nic's and they were delivered the next morning. Huge shout out to Matthew in particular.

Leave your weight weenie ways for the road and buy a plush trail bike with fat tyres that won't jar your spine like an xc race focused full suspension bike.

Seriously, you won't look back. I will never ride a bike with a front derailleur ever again; easily the best thing for mountain biking since the dropper post.

If the shifter is 14 years old you will need a new one of those too. Also, this is cheaper than replacing 3 chainrings, lighter and significantly quieter.

Problem solved: http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/raceface-chainring-single-narrow-wide

Stop the comic sans madness. It's horribly distracting to read.

I've had the revelation RCT3 140mm on my stumpjumper for a month as a replacement for the Fox Float and I couldn't be happier. If I was going 150mm (especially 29") then I would lean to the Pike, otherwise the revelation has been fantastic.