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.

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.

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.

Squirt is what works for me, although it does need a reapplication on long rides the fact that it's so easy to clean means I get on average 2000km per chain (yes, measured with a ruler and a park tool chain wear tool). http://enduromag.com.au/site/product-reviews/enduro-magazine-review-squirt-bicycle-chain-lube/

Could just be heat stroke, or heat stress which is easier to get than you'd think. Try riding with iced water and leave the sugar drinks at home.

Also factor in the kit (helmet, gloves, shoes, bibs and top) to your budget and a skills clinic will probably be your best investment.

How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Whereabouts do you live, and where do you plan on riding? How much under 10k are you looking to spend? The more you spend now the less you will have to upgrade later, going too cheap will cost you in enjoyment and replacement costs. At under 10k I would look at a hardtail, as opposed to a full suspension bike, you will get better components and a lighter build with less servicing and maintenance costs, less to go wrong.

3 bikes. Stumpjumper FSR 26", Stumpjumper Carbon FSR 29" and a Stumpjumper S-Works hardtail. Only original wheels are on the S-Works. Previously had Mavic Crossmax and the two roval sets I replaced both with hand built wheels with white industries hubs, crest on the 29 and crest EX on the 26. Both lasted maybe 8 months before needing a rebuild. I ride Groenkloof, Van Gaalens, Vori-berg and most of the smaller races up here. When visiting home (Cape Town) ride tokai as often as possible and Jonkershoek. I'm harsh on most equipment, but usually from doing things my bikes weren't designed to, rather than poor line choice. They cost the same, have very similar weight- to me that's well worth the safety margin.

I weigh the same as you Bos, and destroyed two sets of one crest and then crest EX. Moved to Arch Ex and haven't had any problems. I ride aggressively and hit every jump I can, but wouldn't you rather have the confidence knowing that if something goes wrong your rim won't deform like butter? 50g weight penalty between Arch and Crest. Most of the online local stores have the rims, and I got a sweet deal on an Arch EX, Chris king hubs and Phil wood spokes wheelset from CWC for 11k.

Heart rate, blood pressure and cortisone levels will all rise the longer you're staying awake, regardless of exercise. Resting heart rate is measured at absolute rest first thing in the morning.

Found a bike computer just after the technical climb composed of round logs at around 3pm today. DM me if you think it's yours.

Sounds great, let me know in the morning!

Riding tomorrow afternoon at Groenkloof, two laps and riding to and from hatfield. Keen to ride around 2-3.

http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/wahoo-speed-cadence-sensor Just remember you need a phone with Bluetooth LE 4.0

Bluetooth cadence and speed sensor together R950. For me personally, it's a better solution, specifically because of how simple it becomes to upload workouts to the cloud. Bar mounts also allow you to use the phone as a navigation device, to follow previous routes which the garmin doesn't do as well.

If you assume that most of the hub users have smartphones already, and when you upgrade you will have a spare phone the total price becomes significantly less. Wahoo Bluetooth HR monitor comes in at 1000. If you don't want to bar mount it (and really it isn't Le Mans ugly- this isn't a samsung phablet) then the wahoo Reflector is a good option. I wouldn't want to cycle with a garmin AND have to bring my new 5S in case I need to call, at the risk of theft and damage. A dedicated GPS device simply cannot compete with the range of capabilities on a smartphone, as the apps available dwarf the potential of a garmin.

A much simpler solution would be to turn mobile data off under settings. Then turn off wifi, gps will remain active and you will get the extended battery life. I use an old iPhone 4S as my dedicated cycling device, and you can pick a new one up for around 4k. The 4S uses GPS and GLONASS, which results in super fast and reliable gps. As great as the garmin devices are for dedicated cycling computers, the fact that the iPhone has dozens of very useful cycling apps that far outstrip the Garmin in terms of functionality; Bluetooth low energy (for heart rate and Bluetooth headphones- uses much less battery); phone functionality in case of emergency; music player and apple will support the device with software updates for significantly longer than garmin will, which future-proofs the device. Sync over wifi is seamless, something that can't be said for the garmin- and that means you will use those features more often. You will of course need to invest in a bike mount, but waterproof ones for the older iPhone shape can be picked up for pretty cheap, also consider the cost of the cycling apps you may wish to buy (although you will own these and if you get newer ios devices will be able to download them for free).

It's purely personal experience, but I've had the same problem on my dual suspension when mating a new chain to a worn cassette. The problem only appeared after replacing the chain and not cassette, and was instantly remedied with a new cassette. Did the skipping gears only start after replacing the chain?

Try replacing your cassette before you try anything else, you say you replaced the chain but not the cassette? I'm willing to bet it's that.

35k for the tallboy 2 carbon frame and shock.

Tool Up cycles in centurion offer pick up and drop off.

This is just speculation, but I heard a few years ago about a bike shop manager of a now closed bike shop in Pretoria getting fired (they settled and didn't press charges) for selling grey import bikes on the shop floor and pocketing the cash. Perhaps that's what happened in this case, although substituting the grey for a fake, and one party is responsible rather than the whole shop, someone who doctored the invoice and pocketed the cash himself? Disclaimer: this is purely me playing detective.

The Dakine range has been my most comfortable, and longest lasting glove although they're hard to find. The Sentinel has tons of extra padding and still breathes well, also have their Cross X glove. I've had fox, specialized, troy lee design and Giro but these are the most comfortable and are still going almost 8 months on. http://www.dakine.com/w/bike/gloves