You are hereForums /
Vale John Hawkins
No, this is not about me.
Just a few minutes ago I received a difficult-to-hear phone call from my cousin Annette. Her Dad, my cousin and good friend John, was killed yesterday returning from a training ride on his road bike.
Apparently he had turned to wave to a friend, hit a pine cone and in the ensuing tumble hit his head and was killed instantly. The damage to his helmet was relatively minor, much less than Annette had seen on previous occasions.
Alternative rear shock for '07 Trance
Was hoping for some advice from any tecnhical bike boffins out there.
The Fox Float R rear shock on my '07 Trance is beginning to display significant wear after years of considerable abuse. It has been a great piece of equipment, but it is time to do 1 of 3 things: replace, recondition or find an alternative.
I have tried to find exact replacements, but am having no luck online - not sure if the Float R is even made anymore (all seems to be RP2 or RP23).
I have sourced a place over east that can recondition the shock for about $250, but it still leaves me with the same shock.
Strange sounds on the converted single speed . . . .
OK,
A long time ago we converted our scale 40 to a single speed. Now running 44/16 with slicks as the commute bike.
Mountain biking in Hawks Nest
Going away for a week at Hawks Nest. Does anyone know of any mtb trails in the Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest area?
Chain Lube
Just wanted some advice on Chain lube. I cleaned my bike this afternoon after doing a couple of laps around Awaba on the weekend and a lap around the Dam this arvo only to find my rear derailleur wheels, chain and cassette full of dirt and grit (yes I know I should have washed it after the weekend).
Given that Awaba was completely dry on the weekend and the were only a couple of puddles around the dam this arvo, I am thinking my current lube is attracting more dirt than it probably should. The lube I am using was suggested by my LBS as an alround lube for wet and dry conditions.
Thoughts on getting my bike Capital Punishment-ready?
Hi everyone,
I recently bought a Merida One-Twenty 500D full suspension bike, and I've been riding it regularily around the Blue Mountains ever since. I now signed up for Capital Punishment, a cross country enduro race near Canberra. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on getting a bike ready for this race specifically. My main concern is the overall weight of my bike (currently 14.1 Kg) and getting the right tyres for the conditions I'll come across.
On Climbing
Interesting opinion piece on pedalling technique when climbing. More relevant to road riding than MTB because of the emphasis on out-of-the-saddle... but we all ride on the road at some stage, and I hear there's usually a bit of fire road in some of those 100km events 
Kiwarrak Poll
a survey for Kiwarrak State Forest Tip Riders
THE TOP TEN TRACKS at Kiwarrak State Forest
My wharf jump
SRAM vs SHIMANO
Gday folks,
Happy New Year to you all!
I'm in the process of replacing my old Anthem X1 - 2006/7? and Im thinking of going down the Specialized route, but I know that is a separate debate itself. Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29er vs Anthem X1 29er . . . . ahhhh
Really what I would like to hear from is people who have ridden bikes with both SRAM and Shimano. I know the systems [shifting] feel/are different. What were/are your thoughts
Opinions on quality of the product and resilience are also appreciated.
Feel free to engage in the Giant v Specialized debate if you want, lol
Mont24 - Riders wanted for team Just for Fun II
Hi All,
we still have a few slots in our team "Just for Fun II" for this years Mont 24. The team name is program. We already have one six-pack complete, so you will be joining a merry group of riders!
For the diversity factor we are happy with participants from either gender group. We have one girl rider sitting on the fence waiting to join but she is looking for further female support before making a decision!
Please PM me if interested!
Cheers,
Volker
Mount Tianjara 'The ultimate challenge' - NSW South Coast
Heading down to Lake Conjola (near Ulladula/Milton) to visit parents this week. I was looking at some nearby Rides and 'Rides by Location' on this site provided a description of Mount Tianjara, which is only 25mins from Lake Conjola. Looks interesting and a good workout and was wondering if anyone has been on this ride/track? Specifically, as Ride by Location describes, …if one were looking for the ultimate challenge’ the ride up from Twelve Mile Road from the Princes Hwy then South along Tianjara Fire Trail…? While I am at it, does anyone know of any other rides in or around Lake Conjola?
Faulty Garmin ANT+ HRM?
Hey all,
When I went out for yesterday's ride I discovered the HRM wasn't working. This was a bit odd as it was working just fine 5 days earlier.
Can't blame the battery as I tried a new one later. Can't blame the Edge GPS as amusingly when another rider passed me it picked up their HR for just a second or so.
Has anyone else had a similar problem where the HRM just stopped working and been able to coax it back into life? I tried rescan on the Edge, tried changing batteries as discussed but suspect the simple answer is the HRM itself has just died for no good reason 
What has the dam cost you?
Not wanting to have a witch hunt about Manly Dam as I really enjoy riding this track and it's my local but I'm keen to know what cost it has had on your bikes?
Coming to ride Manly Dam, anywhere else to ride?
Hey guys,
A couple of us Singleton fellas are coming down this Sunday for a spin around the Dam. Question is, are there any other places nearby where we can go for a bit more of a ride nearby? We are all XC riders so no DH tracks for us to try maim ourselves on thanks. We are all reasonably fit so hills are no issue.
Giant Trance X1 vs Specialized Camber Comp 26er
I have been looking at dual suspensions for a while and for my budget and riding style these two bikes fit in great. There isn't much difference in the specs both running Shimano SLX with Tektro hydraulic discs. I would like to ride this bike around Glenrock and eventually get into racing soon. Please help me decide which bike I should get. Also does the different position of the rear shock between the two bikes influence the riding? Here are the links to the two bikes.
Cadabra Vs Trance?
Hey Guys,
I am looking at getting a new bike and can't decide between the two. Is there anyone out there that has ridden both and can give me an idea of how they handle? I am looking at doing some XC racing but also enjoying bombing downhill on the weekends. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Trails at Oxford Falls
It's been a few years since I last rode at Oxford Falls. Now I hear that the natonal parks people aren't too happy about many of the trails there, and have put up 'no cycling' signs.
That's rather unfortunate, because, whilst I also know that they are trying to build something at Bantry Bay or Stringybark Ridge, that will take a very long time to get approved, let alone constructed
The strangest thing....
I was riding up on Red Hill this arvo near the single track section....and I noticed a bike on the side slightly off the path. It is a dark blue hardtail, quite old and even had a chain tied around the bike (I think near the saddle). I thought someone was doing some exploring and was just leaving their bike there. Did a few loops and then we bumped into another MTB rider just off the end of the single track section. We chatted briefly and he mentioned that the bike had been there for a month now.
groupset weights
wanting t upgrade groupset & cant find the weight differences ,have 2010 deore 3x9 & wanting 2012 Xt 3x10 .Is there much difference between cassettes ,cranks & brakes ? weight weenies dosnt have much info ,any help would b much appreciated :~)
Pump found on Long Track - Pls pm me if its yours -
If its yours pls PM me with a description - Pickup Davidson or Dee Why
The bike bracket is with it
Frame up 29er HT build
My new big wheeled baby is coming together nicely. I've incorporated several new idea's & technologies that I've not used before so this rig will be a bit of a testing ground for me.
Project outline: 29er hardtail that will be fast enough to race but durable enough to take the Kalamunda drops & rocks. (Tyres exempt)
Budget: Approx $2000
Spec:
Frame - On One Scandal 29er 19.5" interchangeable drop out with taper headset. 1.6kg*
Fork - RS Reba pop lock 120mm (can reduce to 100) with taper steerer & 20mm through axle. 1.8kg
Single speed conversion Advice
I thought I would have a crack at converting my old 2002 Giant Yukon to single speed.
It has just dawned on me that I may have to get a new crank set.
Ive never pulled it apart and I dont even know what the Bottom Bracket looks like.
I found the Archive specs for the 2002 Yukon.
The Crank is a Shimano Acera, after doing some research I think my bottom Bracket is a JIS square taper 68mm.
Can I do a single speed conversion with this?
Rp23 remote.... My xmas project
Hey Guys
Inspired by a youtube clip, I assembled the parts for this and put it together.
Just got back from a test ride and the damn thing works perfectly.
For anyone with a high mount shock or a specialized brain shock, well you wont see much point in this. But for anyone with a low mount shock this thing is great.
Track choice for XC series: Ourimbah or Yellomundee
Hi All
Last year I did some rounds of the CCOMTB XC series at Ourimbah for a bit of fun and plan on doing some more short course XC racing again this year. I find it's quick and easy racing that doesn't need huge amounts of time and prep like a marathon event, you can easily be home by lunchtime.
I'm thinking about doing the WSMTB series at Yellomundee for a change this year but have never ridden there, does anyone have any thoughts on the relative benefits of the two courses and/or series?
thanks in advance
d