phemanderac

Ok, here is what I've decided to do .... Firstly, my weekday and weekend needs vary. During the week I'd like to commute to work, which will be a combination of road and offroad sections. Unfortunately I cannot do the whole commute on a road bike, but large sections will be on road. Here the main purpose is getting to work and back in the most efficient way. Then on weekends I want to head onto some proper tracks though. This indicates to me that I really do need 2 differently purposed bikes (well, that's my excuse and I'm going to stick to it). For the commuting I am going to get a 29-er hard tail. Nothing too expensive. Just a getting-to-work-bike. I think the 29 inch wheels will be well suited to commuting. For all the other rides I will get a full suspension standard 26inch-er. This is where I will spend a bit more - but only a month or two after getting the HT. Sound reasonable? I think so.

Thanks for all the feedback. Tried to do some reading on the topic as well. Seems suspension is the best long term choice to make in general. Perhaps I should also consider a cheap HT for some rides, and a full sus for others. Think it's a good way to go.

Cool. I infer then that on longer rides the dual is more comfortable. I suppose maintenance (or the cost thereof) also plays a part?

So, I am considering buying a mountain bike this week (been a purist roadie up to now), and want to know how to determine whether I need a full suspension bike, or whether a hard tail will do. What kind of riding/terrain would justify a full suspension over a hardtail, and can you do really long rides (over say 100kms) on a full suspension? How much power do you loose (if any) because of the rear suspension? This may be pretty basic, but I actually know just about nothing about mountain biking. Any other tips would also be appreciated. I am willing to spend some money (not over-the-top though), so the answers don't have to factor in the price difference.

There's very few carb drinks I can drink. They all hurt my stomach when I train for anything over 2 hours (especially running). Perpetuem is the best drink (in my personal subjective experience) that I have come across. It actually feel like it works, and I can drink it for 5 hours without any stomach issues. The closest thing next to it is Cytomax (which also doesn't hurt my tummy that much, but becomes very sweet after the 1st bottle - now if Cytomax had to make a less sweet version, it may be on par with Perpetuem). But in general, those are the only two drink I take. And yes, both are expensive, so in the week I train on water (and coffee), so on the weekend I am not ashamed to help myself to generous servings of either. Lasts long that way.

Ag no man. Don't make posts like this. Just gets me worked up. I have been dreaming of that bike. Happy for you though ... kind of

!

I will second selectcyclingclub.co.za Will be doing a long slow one towards harties early on wednesday. Welcome to join. Will stop for coffee somewhere though. I train on coffee and pancakes, and carbo load on rump and red wine.

Scottie, you look beautiful!

"Look mommy, I got a star at school today." "Wow baby, I am so happy for you. That is amazing! What did you get it for?" "For talking a lot of crap all day. The more crap you talk the more stars you get!!!!!"

@Sterad That is an interesting suggestion, and something I can try without spending $$. Thanks.

Hi I have a road bike which I recently wanted to sell so I can build up a TT bike, since the only "racing" I really want to do are ultra distance triathlons. I was, however, discouraged from doing so for two reasons. The first is that I would have to sell the bike for far less than I paid in order to make a sale, which means I am moving backward instead of forward. The other is that I was convinced by friends that even if I had a dedicated TT bike, I would miss the road bike in situations where a TT bike is not ideal, such as club rides, which I regularly attend. So I dediced to keep the bike, but as a result I just do not have enough money otherwise to spend on a TT bike at the moment. Maybe at some future time perhaps. I have tried to slap some TT bars onto the road bike, but because the seat position is so far back, it actually only feels worse. It makes me bend forward so much that I have less power and feel even more crappy on my run, as opposed to just riding it "normal" road style. My question is, will a forward seatpost improve this and make it more like a TT position, or am I not thinking of all the factors involved? I know the bike won't be aero like a TT, but it's not like I am racing with the pro's. I am more concerned about getting into a similar *position* than I would on a TT bike. Want to feel comfortable, not "compomised", and get off feeling good for the run. Any advice welcome.

Hi there I currently have a pair of Campag Eurus wheels, and am considering to also get a pair of deep section clinchers, around 50mm. I am not the most technical guy around and don't know the wheelsets too well, and just wanted to get some feedback on what would be a good wheelset. I am aware that a budget of R12K is probably not entirely sufficient for a really good set, but if a good wheelset can be obtained for such price, what would it be, and if it cannot be had for that price, is it best to rather wait another few months and save up some more for something else? Lastly, having never ridden such a wheel, would it feel significantly different to my current eurus wheelset, or should I just be happy with what I have and save the money? For what it's worth, I am currently happy and my biggest reason for looking at another wheelset is that I am a very light (as in weight) rider, and I JUST CANNOT SEEM TO HANG ON WHENEVER THE ROAD SLOPES DOWNWARD. I am looking for more rolling speed (at higher speeds) like when going down, and perhaps a little less so on the flats. Am I setting myself up for an expensive dissapointment thinking that a pair of deep sections will help slightly? Admittedly, it may just be that I am not strong enough to hold on when the road slopes down, but with the same guys I have far less problems when the roads are flatter, and it becomes a non-issue when the roads slope up. Any honest advice is good. Thanks

Brilliant post!!!