Brawler

What type of riding do you intend on doing? The recommended bikes are decent XC options but will suck for the more exciting trails at Tokai. I would hold out for a nice aggressive hard tail like a Merida Big Trail or Trek Roscoe 7. They can still pedal very well but you can also have fun on them. A do-it-all bike. I'm sure you will find one for 15-20k and they are relatively well spec'd for a beginner. Here is one for R20k brand new: https://www.trekbikes.com/za/en_ZA/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/roscoe/roscoe-7/p/35116/

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/international-update

I also sold my full suspension and kept the my HT... Also have 140mm and I don't have any issues on longer rides but I am no racer. Doesn't feel too wallowy if it firm it up a bit. It's not like my previous 160mm bike. Isn't it normal for marathon bikes to have over 100mm these days? 120mm? So 20mm diff isn't huge.

I'm injured at the moment. Maybe its a good thing. I'm an absolute magnet for the things.

The Scout is excellent but if you consider the Scout also consider Ragley (Both from CRC) The Big Al is rated as one of the most compliant Alu bikes around. I bought mine in January and I have loved every moment. Even sold my dual sus. I paid around R30k and that is a well spec'd bike (Marz z2, WTB i30 rims, Deore drivetrain, 170mm dropper, Maxxis Minions, Sram 4 pot brakes). I chose to go to CRC as there was literally bugger all available locally that was decent out the box (I searched for 6m). For example a Trek Roscoe 7 was over R30k but needed a fork and brake upgrade out of the box which would have pushed the price way over R40k. Commencal prices were out of this world at the time. The CRC situation sucks. Obviously hoping for a turn around but even if the parent companies goes, I am confident the loved brands will be sold off and continue.

They own Nukeproof, Ragley and Vitus as well. Hopefully someone buys them.

New uppers asap. It's amazing how quickly this can happen. I was riding up Jonkershoek with a friend and a stone got flung up from his front wheel some how. He noticed immediately but as he got off the bike the fork moved and left a deep scratch. 2 week old Lyrik...

Not sure ships can get to JHB... //I'll see myself out.

I've recently made the switch. 160mm Giant Reign dual sus to a Ragley Big Al 140mm HT. Been on the HT for about 6m now. My 2c The new HT are insanely capable. I ride pretty much everything in CT and it's only really the proper downhill tracks where I miss the big travel and rear suspension. Most trails in CT are more flow oriented and the HT loves that. Flow, drops, big jumps, no problem. Rocks are also fine but you will chose your line more carefully. Again it's only really the proper DH stuff where I feel under biked. On 90% of trails I literally don't 'feel' a big difference. The Youtubers call it 'compliance' and I can attest to it, a good HT with a nice fork soaks up a lot. While I do think HT is better for learning technique and bike control, I have been riding for a long time and can jump so pretty sure I am not going to case. If you are learning to jump the dual sus is more forgiving. You feel cases much harder on the HT. The HT climbs like a dream compared to the big enduro bike even though both bikes have the same Maxxis DHR tyres. These days I often end up doing two loops instead of one. Cost - No contest compared to DS but when I was looking there wasn't anything complete available in SA so you either had to build your own or buy something like a Roscoe and upgrade it a lot which pushes the price up drastically. Be careful of this. A 30k bike becomes 45k real quick with a few upgrades. I tried for 6m to find something locally but in the end I got a bike from CRC that is solid component wise (no upgrades needed) and there were no similar options available locally and building one up would have cost probably 50% more money. Overall super happy with the aggressive HT and use it 9 out of 10 times. Which bike is good for you depends on your local trails and what you want to do on it. If you want to race DH or enduro its not the best option but it's a super solid choice for everything else. More capable than you think and personally I think most people are overbiked as they aren't exactly clapping DH lines on their 170mm enduro rigs anyway so what's the point.

What do you want to do on the bike?

I see on the main Etnies website they do offer .5 sizes. The local distributor may not carry them.

Odd. Did you try some of the other shoes besides the Culvert? My feet aren't narrow and I don't struggle at all. AFAIK the Semenuk does not have the hard sole as it's more for short dirt jump runs vs all day enduros.

Ah pity. Thanks anyway!

Etnies are great! They have been around for decades. Making quality skate & BMX shoes and they are now making proper MTB flats. Some of the worlds best are riding for them (Semenuk, etc). I have the Culverts now and I really like them. My previous 3 pairs were Fiveten so my standards are high. Go MX has them in stock at really good prices. If you are in CT they have a nice shop worth checking out, otherwise online. https://www.go-mx.co.za/collections/mtb-gear/Shoes

L