I sweat a lot, live in a hot climate (it was 38c over the weekend), and commute by bike every day. My solution – just rinse pads and strap in the sink with a bit of detergent each day – and dry over night. Having three sets of removable pads helps so I can rotate them. You wouldn’t wear the same sweaty socks day after day without washing them – so why do it with a helmet?

Just fitted a set for a mate last weekend, and they are BH90 and require the silver insert.
The difference is the BH90 has slightly smaller inside bore than the BH59, so the silver insert is narrower (and slightly longer – but I don’t know why that is?). The gold one will fit if its all you’ve got – just a bit more difficult to push in there. By the way the olives (gold) are the same for both BH90 and BH59 as the outside diameter of the hose is the same.

To misquote Mark Twain, “Rumours of the death of 26″ have been greatly exaggerated”.

For a contrary opinion…
Yes the 2x mech will be fine with a 3x crankset, as there’s enough adjustability in the Hi and Lo screws to cover a few mm of chainline difference.
If the question was whether you should stick with the old 3x mech, then I’d say yes. But as you say that’s going to be binned anyway and you’ll be buying a new one, then might as well go for the 2x IMO (assuming you’re not thinking of going back to 3X anytime soon). They just look so much more tidy as they have a smaller cage, have slightly better chain retention (for the same reason), and you don’t get into all the faffing about what height to set it at (biggest reason for people using 3x FD on a double having shifting issues).

There seem to be a lot of perfect people on here, and who have such an endless supply of friends that they’ll dump a mate over one stupid episode. Don’t listen to them. Presumably he’s a mate because he has other redeeming qualities apart from being a bit of a tool occasionally? Just tell him you won’t do any spannering for him again, and why.

I like my 720, but then I’m not a heavy user of apps. I could see it would be frustrating if you were into having the latest cool must-have apps.

Something I’ve noticed though, I sit in an office with two other guys who both have iphones, and we’re all on the same network – Vodafone. Every time they get a call they have real difficulty hearing the other caller and end up having to go into the corridor to get reception, whereas I talk away happily at my desk. Could it be the Nokias have better reception than iphones?

Check the replacement crank arm is for an M665 not an M660. They look the same, but the M665 has steel pedal thread inserts, which are well worth having if you bash the pedals on rocks a lot like I do!

Just the broken bit and the cam it encompasses is called the “cam unit”. You might have better luck finding a “stabiliser unit” Y5Y198020 which includes the cam unit.

When mine bust in exactly the same place CRC sent me a whole new rear derailleur. As its a recognised design/manufacturing fault, you may still be able to get a replacement even tho’ its technically out of warranty. Unfortunately a lot are breaking at the moment, so the spare part is out of stock all over. However, you can continue to ride with it while you’re waiting, it’ll just act like a normal mech rather than a clutch one.

sbob, that’s actually the older version which you had to bend up. The newer ones in the pic don’t need to be bent with a screwdriver, but work like a spring washer instead.

They are to stop the bolts loosening during use. On the older version you just bent the soft metal edge up to mate with the flat face of the bolt. Its all about lawyers and liability …

What a load of tosh some people have been talking on here.

1. Spacing between rings on a double and triple is exactly the same.
2. Front shifters pull 11mm of cable with the first shift (small to middle) and 7mm of cable with the second shift (middle to large). This is the same with Shimano, SRAM, 9sp and 10sp, they’re all interchangeable.
3. Shimano’s 2×9 mechs needed 11mm of cable pull so used the first shift. Their 2×10 mechs need 7mm of cable pull so use the second shift. That’s all the 2x/3x switch does on the 2×10 shifters, it forces you to use the second shift.
4. A 3x mech will work perfectly well with double rings so long as you don’t try and move it closer to the middle ring. That will put the chain/rings in the wrong part of the cage, and make you use the second shift, which will muck up your shifting. All you need to do is leave it where it was for your 3x setup, wind in the limit screw to stop you trying to shift into the non existent big ring, and take a few links out of the chain if you wish.

He’s only recently gone home after a few years paying off his mortgage by working in the mines in WA, so the idea is more that we explore them together – hence my request for suggestions…

Got any accommodation sorted?

Luckily got a mate who lives half an hour away from Rotorua. Used to ride with him every weekend in Perth until he went back to Kiwiland.

I have both, and wouldn’t give up either! Short answer is Anthem faster, Trance funner…

I can carry a tube, is it just a case of unscrewing the existing no tubes valve and poking a tube through?

You take the valve out and the tyre off and put your spare tube in just like if you puncture a normal tubed tyre. Depending on what combination of ‘tubeless’ wheels and tyres you have will determine how easy this is by the side of the trail at night. But as you’re now pumping up a sealed tube rather than a tubeless tyre, and the tube will help the tyre seat properly, its not a big a deal. Point is tho’ that running tubeless you won’t get pinchflats, and small pin-holes should seal with the sealant, so you should rarely flat in the first place.

I wasn’t joking about the dancing sheep.

Do you get to slow dance with them, but them a drink, and …. 8O

Thanks all for the trail suggestions – I’ll be working my way through them in the coming days and making my must-do list. Now, what about après-MTB? Any suggestions of fun activities to do on the days off/evenings?

You can get the 10 speed SLX and XT jockey wheels from here, difference is the XT are sealed bearings versus the SLX bushings, so I always use the XT even in an SLX mech.

I’d be careful using Shimano 9sp jockey wheels in a 10sp mech as Shimano quietly did away with the ‘float’ in the top jockey wheel in the transition from 9 to 10sp – don’t know exactly why, but they must’ve had their reasons…

Like agentdagnamit, mine broke, after 530kms. And it’s not that uncommon an experience apparently – see this MTBR thread.

Should add that CRC were brilliant about it, and I had a brand new one within days – no questions asked!

When they work they’re great, but the failure rate is not up to Shimano’s usual high standards…

If you take a look on the MTBR forums you’ll find this is becoming quite common – bad design of the cam retaining bracket – not up to the job. Mine went over Xmas. Quick email to CRC and I had a new one four days later. Just in case I’ve bought a couple of spare cams from one of those German online shops for 3.27 Euro each – easy to replace.

Remember something from a couple of years back when the compulsory helmet debate was in full swing. Someone had researched the topic and found that how fast and close cars pass you is a strong indicator of likelihood of an accident – no surprises there.

But the interesting bit was that, like wobbling a bit, drivers were more cautious passing female cyclists. Apparently they thought they were less predictable than lycra clad road warriors, so gave them a wider berth.

So punchline was that if the government was serious about reducing cycling accidents, rather than making helmets compulsory, they should make wearing of a long blonde wig compulsory :lol:

Backpedalling is not a good test of freehub smoothness as chain misalignment will cause most of the noise and mask what the freehub is actually doing. Just freewheel and you’ll hear if it’s smooth or not, or take the wheel out and spin it by hand.

If it does need replacing you have to remove the axle (means removing locknut, cone and bearings, as the drive-side bearing cup is part of the freehub) and then insert a 10mm hex key to remove the freehub. No you don’t need to do anything with the spokes.

May I be the first to say – great idea!

People here just love to find faults – don’t let it get to you :D

I’ve covered my last three bikes in bikeshield, and have had nothing but good experiences with the stuff. But… its expensive as I need two packs per bike, and I also end up with joins on long tubes.

So this time I bought a large roll of film from the local autoparts store that’s for covering the cowlings/headlights/tanks of motorbikes. So far seems equal to bikeshield in most ways, at a fraction the price, but I haven’t given it a long term test yet.

So, me, the bikes, and the guineapigs are all hunkered down inside in the aircon for the day

Why would you want to live like that? It sounds horrible.
Seriously.

:roll: no, seriously!

It’s going to be 44c in Perth WA tomorrow. Just thought I’d warn everyone.

And “extreme” bushfire conditions in the national parks, so a lot of the MTB trails are closed!

The tin shed I keep my bikes in gets above 55C on days like this, and the oil in the brakes expands, blowing the piston seals. Same conditions inside the guineapig’s hutch and not dissimilar process with their body fluids…!

So, me, the bikes, and the guineapigs are all hunkered down inside in the aircon for the day :-)

A one-way bleed can be sufficient, but small air bubbles can get trapped in the convoluted passages inside the calliper, which is why a two way bleed, and tapping the calliper with the handle of a screwdriver while you do it, is the more thorough solution.

So lets see if I’ve got this right….

Its post mount front, and IS rear with an Avid adapter, both rotors are Avid 160mm. So I can just take the Avid calipers off and fit the Shimano ones without any need for new adapters/shims/washers etc?

Thanks.

Just reuse existing rotors.

Thought you couldn’t use Avid rotors on Shimano brakes as they are different sizes – but correct me if I’m wrong as that would make it even easier to switch?

The fully supported ‘tour’ longmover mentioned is very expensive – about $6k IIRC

Sorry, just checked and it was $3,500, but still damn expensive seeing as you are staying in huts/camping, and its your legs doing all the work :D

My faux leather smartphone case has a couple of credit card pockets and a deep one for banknotes. Although I doubted I could survive without the hundreds of things I used to stuff into my old wallet, I’ve actually found phone, driving licence, one credit/debit card, and a few bucks is all you need in 99% of situations these days (and that included a recent foreign business trip/holiday). If only I could open my front door and start the car with my phone as well, then I wouldn’t need keys either!

And for those who worry about an ‘all eggs in one basket’ situation if you lose it, the fact you’ve only got one thing to carry instead of two actually makes it much easier to remember and to keep an eye on so its not stolen.

Not mine, but a similar one from the interweb…

Did a three day section from Mundaring to Jarrahdale last Autumn, and it was very enjoyable. We found the huts were spaced a little close together for fit cyclists, and we would arrive at each soon after midday, so ditto to farm-boy’s suggestion of doing two sections per day. Two of us used panniers and two of us trailers – those with trailers found the going much easier. You can hire a Bob Yak trailer from About Bike Hire in the City if you don’t want to invest in your own yet. The fully supported ‘tour’ longmover mentioned is very expensive – about $6k IIRC, so better to do it yourself and rope in a friend or loved one to be a support vehicle if you feel you need one.

I take it that’s not Deore rotors you’re speccing though.

RT66 – cheapest Shimano rotors Merlin have.

Anyway, I think anything cheaper, like the RT51/53 will only take resin pads?

The “can’t get in without a job” catch 22 is the same everywhere. I got round that when I moved to Australia by coming as a “mature” student and training in a new profession, which led me to a job, which led me to residency.
It was actually a great experience going back to “school” at the age of 45 (who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!), and had lots of free time to spend with family and exploring the new country. Not for everyone though – you’ll need a cash buffer as it can be expensive as an international student, and there’s still no guarantee of a job or residency at the end of it, but thought I’d just mention it as another option…

No problems Northwind :-) . In fact I agree its a very slanted piece, reads very much like a marketing release for UST! I’d particularly take issue with the assertion that UST rims aren’t heavier, because the higher sidewalls, deeper well, and no spoke holes dictated in the UST specs do make for a heavier rim. Granted, the addition of rim strips and sealant for other systems somewhat counters that, but that wasn’t their argument.

Despite its failings though, in an area where there’s a lot of confusion, where each manufacturer extolls the virtues of their system, and where the average MTBer probably doesn’t know the actual physical differences between UST, TLR, and Stans, I think its got some useful information.

Sorry to hear about the ribs – been there! Just try not to sneeze or laugh :wink:

Moved from Hong Kong (where I’d lived for 20 years) to Australia when I was 45. My move was specifically because I was getting older, and wanted my children to grow up in a nicer environment, and to position myself to retire somewhere more peaceful before it was too late.

Very good and honest comments above. All I can add is don’t expect a move of country to magically solve all your problems in life, sure it gives you an opportunity for a new start, but only you can change yourself.

And that’s a classic STW response – slag something off without any specifics what is wrong with it, or offering an alternative source of information that is supposedly better. :roll:

To the OP, there’s a good Pinkbike article on UST here which answers your question about compatibility.

As for choice in UST tyres – take a look at some of the Maxxis offerings.

Only ever smacked my daughter once, and she smacked me right back. What was I supposed to do – tell her smacking was wrong, hit her harder? Quickly realised the futility of the situation and have never laid a hand on her since.