RobG

I have had various Garmin products (car & bike) and have needed some support in the past and have been very happy with it. I made use of Avnic with no issues. As posted, there is software (Garmin and 3rd party) to analyse your data.

I see they have upgraded the forks and the wheelset is different, maybe this makes up the extra R4700 in 6 months!!

How about the Giant Anthem X3 (if they are still around), I got mine about 6 months ago for about R12500 complete. It might not have the components that the Mercury has but it has a proven frame!

I have had my X3 for about 6 months now, for me (riding for < 1 year) it has been great and no issues so far. May think of upgrading some time in the future (front shocks to start with).

I am enjoying the social riding aspect of MTB. I choose the venue, the date, the time and who I "race" against! Doing all the funrides does get a bit expensive if you do every one out there. I will be choosing carefully based on cost, distance from home base, history of route, history of level of organisation. I understand that organising an event can be expensive but I also feel that I should get value for money.

Agreed, these guys give all of us cyclists a bad name and put us at risk by p1ss1ng off motorists. These same non law abiding citizens are most probably the first ones to complain when others (e.g. taxi drivers) do not obey the rules of the road. In the same vein, when we get caught for not obeying the rules (e.g. speed) we try all sorts of tricks (some legal, some not) to try and avoid the consequences. (See Carteblanche 6 Dec 2009.)

For MTB, trails do not just "majik-ally" appear nor maintain themselves nor negotiate with landowners / other users.

I will also vote for Tygerberg MTB Club - very active and growing

Direction boards are being put up so that we get a safe flow of riders. Until then I guess you can go either way ;-) I have done it in both directions. There are a number of tracks up there that can be done in various combinations.

I think it is Garmin that is bringing out the 500 model. I was told that it would be available in SA in Jan 2010? Already out in USA? Available from CRC in Dec 2009?

Has anyone ordered a Garmin from CRC? What would the taxes / duty be? Is it advisable?

I am looking at getting a Garmin Edge, I am just not sure which model to go for. I have been looking at the new 500, it seems to be a fairly good option. I am generally only a weekend warrior and do one or two funrides a month but being a gadget freak I want one! The functionality that really appeals to me is being able to check out my work out (route, altitude, HR, calories, etc). Any comments / advice? Also, where should I look at purchasing it (West Cape), is CRC an option? RobG2009-10-19 10:05:55

I got the bearings numbers from somewhere on the net but haven't verified them yet: 4 x 6902 2RS (rubber seals both sides) 2 x 6900 2RS 2 X 688 2RS

My first bike had v brakes, granted it was an entry level bike, and when I got my second (FS entry level) with hyd disk brakes my confidence levels took a distinct jump. I have only been riding for 6 months so this confidence boost was great for me. I had had some issues with my v brakes so the disks, which so far have only needed alignment have been a pleasure. I guess it is up to you whether you like v's or disks!

I know Majik and Hillcrest a little bit but how do you get between them with only 3 km of tar?