Martin PJ

My wife didn't like her road bike because not enough gears, so I thought I'd make a bike as easy as an MTB and it worked.

Here's a 32 max rear cassette I put on a road bike with Sora long derailleur. The front has a triple chainring with 30 teeth on the small one. Setup works very well, with these gears you can climb anything. Biggest gears are 52-11. Didn't work properly without the extender link.

I have a few. Based in Durban.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32299135167.html?spm=a2g0o.search0302.0.0.298b6049N1Stns&algo_pvid=addaa5e7-5444-4334-aa83-4e810cc1d53b&algo_expid=addaa5e7-5444-4334-aa83-4e810cc1d53b-5&btsid=0b0a119a16113246713587295ef786&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_ Like this one, can get it here within three weeks, cost would be 50 USD plus courier and customs (R600 in total if you have the Aramex Global Shipper Account). Beware if you choose the Aliexpress shipping option when the customs is calculated in SA, it may be on the invoice amount which includes the shipping costs.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33020700728.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5dbd4c4dXWfYZy I bought this from Aliexpress in December. It is very comfortable, cost to courier and import duty was about R600. It takes about three weeks. I use the Aramex Global Shipper. I don't think a dropper seat post gives any suspension at all, I use a dropper a lot and it pretty solid.

Aliexpress sell myopia glasses for less than 2 usd each. I have a few pairs for cycling and mtb, they work well and are pretty strong.

There is PS Sports in Durban, I had some kit made, it came out very nice. Also make cycling jackets, pretty much anything.

I did the Adventure with my wife, was a little tough and we did take long each day. I am grateful we could do the Umko valley, done the race twice without doing Umko valley and it sucks. We walked about 2 km of the drop into the Umko valley, the mud was too thick to ride, the rest was OK. The race vibe was a little different with much less riders. I am hoping the race is bigger next week and held in May, less chance of mud and rain.

Had many wheels where couple of spokes broken, just replace, make sure spoke tension is even and carry on. The wheel will eventually come right and stop breaking spokes. Spokes are expensive, the bikeshop would advise you to rebuild the wheel, less risky option for them.

I have ridden Sani on both full sus 26 and HT 29. I would probably ride the 29 er, especially if its a 1x with a clutch type derailleur, this year may well be muddy if it rains. The 1x performs better in the mud with the clutch derailleur. Also it is more likely that the 29 er is the newer bike, so it would have less problems.

You need less than you think. Most important, get bike in perfect order. The more attention you pay here, the less problems you have. Power banks are nice. I packed a car battery and inverter in my son's box one year, he is a strong lad, so we were sorted there. Day 2 take it easy down into the valley, you can get carried away it is such great riding. Take an extra empty bottle to fill, from table 1 to 2 on the 2nd day can be very hot. I will be in the Adventure with my wife this year. I always get sick after Sani, so I get some Cantraxil from the doc to start taking during the race. I think its from dirty bottle lids.

I have used M3 brass screws with small brass nuts. Glue the shoe, then drill a small hole push screw through, tighten it up so the screw head pulls into the inner of the shoe. You need two screws per area where the shoe is pulling apart. Cut off the end of the screw, paint it black.

I agree that you cannot compare Aliexpress Zoom to Thudbuster, the only issue I have with Thudbuster is the price. You may as well sell the hard tail and buy a low spec dual suspension, for example, the entry level Silverback that you can pick second hand in the R15,000 price range.

Aliexpress.com. I have bought four of them. The Zoom one is the best, although they all work the same - giant spring inside. The 31.6 mm diameter works better than the 27.4 mm, which can be a bit sticky if the seat is moved back and you don't keep it clean and greased inside. It will take ages to arrive, I would estimate currently about 3 months, if you want it quicker open an Aramex Global shopper account and post it to Hong Kong address, they then will courier to you, I would think you could get it in a month. Would cost a little more.

I use both on my bike interchangeably. The Aliexpress seatpost is much more comfortable, the length of the post changing as you ride is not an issue at all. At the moment I have the dropper post on my bike, it makes you a lot quicker in single track, also it feels faster on the long climbs. I do change the height a lot when I ride on the dropper to try get some comfort, but comfort wise there is no comparison, the Aliexpress seatpost is miles ahead.

I have used the cheap Aliexpress one, it works well for the price. Has about five cm of travel, you don't really notice it, but when you go back to normal seatpost you do notice that the suspension is gone. It basically makes the seat feel a little softer. Total mass is about 0.5 kilos.

Some other things to check. Change wheels, see if it happens. Had a similar problem on my son's bike, turned out to be free hub bearings wrecked. Was pretty bad and nobody noticed. Also when the bike is stationary push down hard on the frame with your weight in various places and listen for noises. If you can hear something there is a crack somewhere.

Check out EMBA, you need EMBA boards to ride around Umdloti and Umhlanga. It's mostly dirt road riding, there are some contact numbers on the page below, I have not tried them. https://www.emba.org.za/club-rides/ Agreed. Holla is great in Ballito.

Lots of information around this topic on line. Some suggestions on how to tackle this, not all of them cheap. Seems to be something that can happen if the frame is large and not very stiff.

Something to try before you buy a new saddle if it used to be okay, drop the seat height by a small amount (0.5 cm) and move the back by 1 cm. Lowering a seat makes it more comfortable.

I found with two of my small pumps the dust worked its way into the pump barrel and when I needed to use it, the pump could not generate pressure. After soaking the one pump in some soapy water and then greasing it again, I managed to resurrect it, wouldn't be able to do this trail side. Now I just carry the small pump in my pocket or tool bad, in addition to the CO2. Anyway, something to bear in mind. Test the pump periodically as it may not work when you need it.

I once bought one of these extendable spring batons, seems like a pretty good weapon, lighter than a normal baton and has some characteristics of a whip. Also if someone has a long panga or blade, it would be good for blocking as the blade can get stuck in the spring.

The NX derailleur is weak, change to something better. On my Mrs bike after less than one year, the NX derailleur was tired and had to be removed.

Riding with a gun... I love it when the good guy shoots the bad guy, but unless you are James Bond or Punisher, better to leave the gun at home. Too many of these attacks are ambushes. Also if you have a bad wipe out, there is a problem of what to do with the gun. Thanks Sias for changing your post. Too many people want to divide us on racial lines, we should not let them succeed. Best wishes to Nick, nobody should have to live like this and be viciously attacked trying to enjoy their training.

Leaving the pump attached to the bike in a bracket is not a good idea. A couple of months with the pump exposed to the sand and dust of mountain biking will destroy it. Better to keep a small pump in the pocket or closed in a bag.