[High Service Cost]

On 4/12/2024 at 6:18 PM, leonvandyk said:

My Scott Spark (2018) is in for a full service at Hotspot Cycles and they send the shocks to Cogent.

The service requires new bearings and full shock services on both shocks. The total cost is coming to 2000 for the service and over 4000 for the shocks.

Is this normal? Im now paying more for my bike to be serviced than my car. There is nothing else wrong with the bike.

I only do a full service once a year but geez it’s expensive.

Jy het obviously lanklaas jou kar laat diens by 'n proper mechanic shop. 

[High Service Cost]

23 hours ago, buckstopper said:

I went to collect my forks after they were serviced at RBC yesterday. They replaced seals.  Parts and labour R1120. Great people, got a tour of the workshop, met everybody. Happy to pay. I would send my Ferraris to them...

5 ⭐

Why is about R900 per hour at VW ok, but R450 a rip off at a bike shop? Are the mechanics more skilled, or what?

Wil ek ook weet. And it's R1800 per hour at vw and R1600 at Ford. 

[Buffelsdrift closing down]

On 2/4/2024 at 5:28 PM, Arno J Rossouw said:

There are about 30km trials open now. The maintenance was done by club members.  The trails only have a chance to survive if more riders join the club. See info below. I rode there yesterday for the first time in almost  a year. Happy  to be back. I really missed Buffels

Thanks for this. I live close. By and driving to other clubs like cyclelab cost alot. 

[Should Bike Hubbers be banned?]

13 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Campagnolo not to be confused with Campagnola region in Italy….

campagnolo don’t have to advertise, everybody who rides a bicycle knows the nae

I never heard of it. Had to Google it. It's like owning a Ferrari. What's the point. Just a name 

[Gator Brakes. 8 Piston... what the?]

4 hours ago, Dirt Tracker said:

Just saw these on FB. Are these actually MTB brakes or some mad motorbike hack? And if they were mtb any idea how they went? They look fairly bonkers and scream OTB. 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/887167932928855

Abs kwadraat 

[Want to get started - Totally new]

11 hours ago, barnarp said:

Hi Robert, thanks for this suggestion. Let me go through all the options and recommendations on here and I we can definitely chat.

You van defenitief go with Robert. He knows his stuff. He built me a nice bike

[[Event] The MTB Challenge]

8 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

It is the standard way of saying 'the age you turn this year'...

So if you are 14 now but will be 15 by the end of the year, you are eligible for the 60km (seems young).

Most age group sport is worked out this way. if you are 39 turning 40 in 2023 you are a Vet. Not the animal Dr kind

Damn 

Thought I was in luck 

[What happens with high end stolen bikes]

On 7/27/2023 at 9:33 AM, NotSoBigBen said:

I've always used a broker and let them do the fighting on my behalf and has worked out for me.

Wondering if that is not the better way to go?

Your experiences...

In my experience yes. Because like Robbie says " I know where you live" 

[What happens with high end stolen bikes]

11 hours ago, Chrisjanopsyfiets said:

Insurance issues etc aside…..The salient point for me out of all of this is that there are unscrupulous people among us buying the stuff knowing that something is fishy. Drawing this to its logical conclusion: If you buy something secondhand that is too good to be true you should really search your conscience and consider the fact that you are in all likelihood complicit in a crime…. Theft or possibly much worse. Sad but true. 

I concur. As an electrician I can tell you that our tools cost more than mos t peoples cars or bikes these days. And it grinds me me a fellow tradie Buys stuff off Facebook or someone for less than half it's real value. Because there is a 99% chance that was stolen from a fellow tradie. And trust me they steel our stuff. And insurance on tools ain't cheap 

[Advice please: Zwift + Gravel Bike (1 x11) resistance calibration]

18 minutes ago, Jonathan Collins said:

Hello everybody,

I am brand new to Wahoo / Zwift, so I hope I don’t embarrass myself with this question:

I have tried one or two rides on Zwift but I don’t feel like the Wahoo Kickr resistance is appropriate for gear/cadence/speed that I am meant to be feeling (maybe I’m weak). I discovered my GRX rear derailleur has a clutch which helped take the slack off the chain but I still think it is not calibrated correctly. I have tried with ERG mode in and off. I have also done that spin down calibration. I’m not sure how to check, but surely there is a way to select different cassettes under settings to ensure the Wahoo configuration is correct for the bike. I did a interval session today and it was an absolute disaster trying to maintain the 85rpm cadence but keep the watts low enough to 65W in zone 2. When the cadence went up to 110rpm I would exceed the watts required by 200-300W which doesn’t seem right.

Any suggestions would be super great!

I have a Wahoo Kickr 4 with and Silverback Siablo CF (2023 spec):
 

 

I started about 5 months ago. I the beginning it was difficult to get used to the cadence, speed, and watts. It all seems out. What's exactly do you mean you can't keep at 65w with 85 cadence. I habe also noticed trainers cadence is 100%. I use my garmin cadence sensor. It gives me better readings. Also it feels alot harder on a trainer than real life. I hate the trainer some days. But it's needed for the improvement 

[Newbie Do's and don't ever do that to your MTB]

4 hours ago, Dylanmtb said:

Final got my first new MTB. Mid level hardtail. 

I realized after my first ride that I have alot to learn with genernal maintenance.

I had my bike set up and of course  I didn't check all the screws to see of they tight enough on my bars and seat post. Luckily the shop marked everything so I just moved it back.

Would love to hear everyone's tips and tricks on maintenance ,washing the bike, pre checks etc.

 

Ps I'm a old roadie so be nice..  I'm still sensitive.🤣

Don't use long socks. Camelbak is a must. Ride next to the road 

 

[SMALL foldable e-bike]

https://www.sascootershop.co.za/products/cruza-2000w-electric-scooter#zoom

[SMALL foldable e-bike]

2 hours ago, ChrisF said:

For a friend .... promise ... 

 

A budy is a keen camper, and they want to take a SMALL foldable e-bike on their trips.

 

It must fit inside the camper, thus the need for it to be very small.

 

He has traced this one down, from a European website -

 

 

Any ideas where to find something like that in SA ?

 

 

 

Chilled Squirel gave him a cold shoulder.

Go-Electric (new name for the Darrvin importers) dont do this, but they have offered to ask in their circle of contacts.  

 

 

PS - We had a long chat about wheel size vs handling .... they understand, but packing space is a decider.

PPS - Yes, they have their reasons for wanting an e-bike .... A standard bike is not an option. (also discussed getting a standard bike, then doing a Chilled Squirrel conversion .... not interested after the service they got in-store)

What about those battery scooters. With the lawnmower looking wheels. Also good

[Anyone using Zwift?]

49 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Question regarding the "Companion app"

 

My setup has my PC and keyboard in the paincave ... so I have never tried out the companion app.

 

 

A friend is nudging me to use it ..... I will be having a look at their setup and how they use shortly.

 

In the mean time.  What is this all about ?  What are the advantages/uses ?

 

What should I be looking at/for during this visit ?

 

 

PS - I use a PC, they are running an Apple setup.

For me it was to chat easier to people while riding, to be able to change view, access pause buttons. But due to bad internet it disconnected to often so I stopped using. It was basically a remote for bottom buttons and typing 

[A.I Coaching]

On 6/19/2023 at 9:29 AM, Frosty said:

A coach is looking to make decisions, and adjust if needed, based the data seen as well as the subjective feedback from the athlete. 

Data science has been getting more advanced, and for coaches AI can help them save time by providing quick answers to complex data capturing processes. 

Posted too soon… here’s a podcast link where Alan Couzens discusses integration of AI into coaching development.

https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fast-talk/neural-networks-possibly-the-most-important-training-tech-youve-never-heard-of-with-alan-couzens/

So it becomes an efficiency tool. Like me using a battery drill and a meggar to find a fault on a cable. It helps you focus on important stuff amd not stupid stuff. 

[A.I Coaching]

On 6/19/2023 at 9:23 AM, shaper said:

You get 3 types of athlete

1. Either wing it or download a plan of the internet and follow it.

2. Self coached

3, Has a coach for not only putting an individualized plan to achieve a goal, but also for human interaction, accountability and specific needs let alone any one-to-one coaching tat AI cannot provide.

At present AI will likely be taken up by the Type 1 athlete.  A Type 2 athlete may consider it and then look at the structure of the plan and adapt it further.

Type 3 will always stay with a coach unless circumstances change dramatically i.e financial/long term lay-off etc in which case they will likely take a break and return to a coach when needed.

I'm no 3. I Complain alot to coach. Especially of I had. A hard working week and still have to train. When I slack the real coach will say. If you didn't use it you lose it. He also looks at my training and we talk strategy before a race. Example was the amohela. I was given a certain plan to work with to finish well on second day. It also does bring the accountability part. I'm not gonna worry if I miss if a computer program is gonna check up. 

[WC Gravel Monster - .......erm.."tar monster ? "]

People seem to forget. Our money has zero vue these days. R1000 is nothing. I drive it out In 3 days. Going to the event costs more than the event itself. Even the accommodation is hectic. I'm not saying it's cheap..but nothing in this country is cheap. Any more. Our basket values on income has drastically dropped. Also there are alot of people that do squar but needs to be paid for these events. 

[WC Gravel Monster - .......erm.."tar monster ? "]

40 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Yip, so this discipline is here to stay then ! 
and along with it these process!

Everything new peaks at some point. 

[XD Cassette coming loose - mystery]

2 hours ago, abrooke said:

So I have given up trying to solve this:

SRAM Eagle XX 12 spd XD cassette tightened very very firmly on to Industry Nine Torch freehub.....  randomly comes loose!  Sometimes twenty rides, sometimes one ride.  Internet says it is impossible but it is happening.  I know most people have the problem of getting off but I have the problem of staying on  - as regards the above cassette topic of course😁

Any good ideas?

I recently had this but on cheaper hubs. I think it's combo of torque and fatigue. I think your threads are slowly slipping. I temp fixed mine by adding silicone to the treads before tightening 

[The "I need something you might throw away" thread]

9 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

I just have one question: how did you manage to take the photo whilst having both hands in the pics 

He's TALENTED

[A.I Coaching]

So I've been wondering will Ai coaches replace real coaching. With them being cheaper and the way Ai is apparently evolving

[Which make is worth the money?]

4 hours ago, Murray Meyer said:

Hi, buying my first bike and as advised, I'm trying to get input from people with experience in this field. I've been to a couple of shops but it seems that proper advice is dependant on the makes the applicable shops are selling. I'm looking at these 3 which are fairly in the same price range and would like to know your preferences. Thanks in advance. 

1) SilverBack STRIDE SX (AIR FORK) Hardtail | Sport XC | Alloy | 29"  ... or ... SilverBack STRIDE EXPERT - 2022

2) TitanRacing Rogue Dash 6061 Alloy 29″ Mountain Bike | 1×12 | - 2022

3) Zini Z29 elite ALUMINIUM FRAME 120MM aIR fork 29" WHEELS - 2023 

So let's see what's your budget. I like silverback. Some like scott. Some like merida. I would rather buy an older ht with deore than a new one with microswift

[Solomons Cycles Online feedback?]

18 hours ago, Pandatron said:

There was a financial transaction made and the onus was on them to reply sufficiently.

. 

[Is the 2nd hand market dead?]

I though this thread died

[Suspect Ad - S-Works]

Damn almost bought a good deal