ChrisF

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/surprise-specialized-sale-slashes-hundreds-of-bikes-and-accessories-by-50/

What we, the collective cycling community, need is an Etzebeth collection agency .... Let's not forget how many of these bikes are re-distributed at the point of a gun. And we read all too often of our fellow cyclists that end up in hospital when they do anything but hand over the bike with a tip and a thank you .... die stront moet stop !!

Hiehie .... VERY difficult for me to be objective on Trek. I KNOW they have some excellent bikes. I DO support some of their UCI riders. BUT .... that dealer in Paarl screwed me over properly .... and to rub salt in the wounds the 2016 model EX5 really was a dud, at least mine was.

@DieselnDust knows Mike du Toit. He was using the fundamental strain gauges in power meters in cattle scales in 1999. The fundamental technology have been around for decades. The rate at which consumer electronics progressed was the key game changer. Going to be interesting to watch how the consumer electronic experience evolves in the next 5, 10 and 15 years ....

Not sure if this is just an SA thing .... A friend rented a bike at Bloemendal .... got hooked on MTB. Bought a second hand HT .... I used a lot of my spares to fix that bike properly. Took him about 2 months to reach the point where he "needed" a full suspension .... despite me introducing him to @Me rida my bicycle and explaining to him that it is the RIDER, not the bike, yada yada .... Bought a full suspension off Bike Market .... this time I did not get involved in fixing it up .... Took about 3 or 4 months until he broke the budget to buy a brand spanking new Scott Spark full suspension .... Rode it HARD !! Lots of air time .... and could not (would not) understand why he had to keep taking it back to the dealer for the one suspension issue after the other. (my guess - he kept on bottoming it out with hard landings). Then winter came ... lekker om in die modder te speel .... Two extreme mud events and the bike took a serious hammering, all this before the bike had even reached 1 000km. He refused to pay for a true strip down and rebuild .... not surprisingly a few components have since seen early failure. Currently hanging on the wall as he cant get spares for the freebody, and wont pay up for a new freebody .... So a nice frame hanging on the wall, and no cycling .... Sorry, back to the point .... is this an SA thing where "we have to" progress to the latest and greatest" at the expense of our budget ? His version of this "expensive hobby" may well put people off MTB ... while in reality that 2nd hand full suss could still have been serving him WELL, and the sport could have been relatively affordable ....

Welllll .... MOST have been saying this. There are the odd Hubber hell bent on telling us that the PREDICTIONS show a growing market, and that it is all good and well. Back in the real world ... 1. Only buy new if you really have to replace at this point in time 2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK !!! Trek's local special is a JOKE compared to what they are doing overseas ! They are still milking us !!! Okay, at least they are one of the first brands to embark on big specials in SA. Some other brands are doing two-for-one specials in Europe, but hardly any discount here .... 3. As much as some Hubbers gets their knickers in a twist about "low balling" ..... the secondhand market is going to adjust as the real specials start on new bikes. 4. The more immediate issue .... it is getting stupidly difficult to get hold of some basic spares. 5. The closure of family shops such as Cyclosport is a vivid image of the REAL state of this industry.

@MTBAustria

Panaracer have a few semi-slick options, in 50C. I have used the semi-slick in 50C from Specialized. They do have 42C tyres with a slick centre line and gravel tread to the sides. Wonder if they have something like this in 50C ... Every so often I want to go slick .... but some of the roads are narrow and do spend time on the gravel shoulder. Let's hear what the others can add to this ....

Speak to Janos at Evobikes IF this is imported he will know. He can also check stock availability. Sadly MANY tyres are not imported to SA

I did a quick scan, seems most "multiple sellers" are now registered as "business accounts". So you know immediately what you are dealing with. Then again ....a certain member has more than 400 adds, but not a "business account". Another is closing in on 600 adds, also not a business account. But hey, the stats are right in your face. Easy enough to spot this aint no ordinary person selling his 2nd bike on the Hub.

What feedback ? New buyers wont know to ask questions. New buyers cant be pre-informed, as there are no comments allowed. The ONLY advantage of Bike Hub vs Marketplace or any other portal is "Bike Hub Pay" ... Yet, week after week the tears flow of some deal that went South, and neither party wanted to use Bike Hub Pay. Scammers ... This surely is THEE reason to be super careful of Marketplace and similar. Let's be honest though, couple of pretty sad posts off late of long standing Hub members involved in deals that "did not go smoothly". ZERO expectation of "community" of "safety in post numbers" just because you are dealing with a Hubber, sadly so. And right back to Bike Hub Pay - THEE one thing which elevates this platform above the others (now if only people would use it more often) Skuus, ek gaan sit solank in die hoek.

Whats up folks ? Mood seems to be as gloomy as the misty autumn mornings in the Cape. Sales is NOT for everybody !! If you want to venture into selling stuff ... grow a thicker skin. The humanoid-bot spitting out the low ball offers is going to keep on doing it. Your blood pressure and mood, and most definately not your replies, will ever change their business model. Same as hooting to a Taxi .... BLOCK ... move on. And if the normal Hubber starts offering lower than asking .... then re-evaluate your price. Emotional value does not translate to second hand value .... sorry.

Couple of these articles doing the rounds - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://restofworld.org/2023/temu-mobile-gaming/&ved=2ahUKEwjQztrs99CFAxX3UaQEHbrbChIQFnoECCcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0uI800qDzm7hECy70BZgu2

Park walk (I dont run 🤪) at D'Aria, followed by a lap of Bloemendal with @KB280DT Lots of coffee with friends. Good for the soul.

And here lies the rub .... Seems like after QC the "good stuff" is sent to the brand names .... leaving the rest for the no-name channels. Making these purchases a roll of the dice. It may last ... it may not .... "For the price" is one approach .... Items that potentially impact safety .... I dont roll the dice

Came to the exact same conclusion many years ago. 2008 I put up a roof over our washing line area. NO direct sun light onto our clothes while drying.

GLAD you are working through the stages towards FULL recovery, both mentally and physically. ENJOY your time out.

And for those (like me) that have to save up for the Varia, there are pretty decent lights from R500 a set (special price at the Expo). Point being, for less than the cost of a tyre you CAN be visible. Low constant beam before sunrise, strobe the rest of the time. Posted purely for the benefit of the newer riders that WANT to be safe. There are affordable options. And when the budget allows, the Varia truly adds value !!! The rest .... the rest will carry on as always ....

It should be easy. When switching on, it takes a second, third or fourth press of the button to cycle through the modes. Darned if I can find bit of text that clearly states which click is which ..... I will start using it on the MTB only when I can get a tether solution. Thus sometimes I use it twice a weekend on the road rides, then it stays off while I enjoy the trails.

But the battery life is way too short to be of any practical use, on the video model

Not on a Friday .... at least not until the flames burn HIGH ....

I spent a lot of time thinking about this purchase. Even asked a lot of questions about this on the Hub. Sadly the information about the Varia is scattered over various threads .... The unit with the camera - not enough battery for my use (road rides often exceed 6 hours) The standard unit has much better battery live .... BUT, for optimal battery life you need should not leave it on the default setting when you switch it on, it needs 2 or 3 more clicks .... (I would like some more information on this .... Garmin can improve on this point) The audible alarm irritates the dinges out of me .... riding along Bottelary the alarm hardly ever stops. Worth noting the Varia picks up vehicles from about 140m behind you. You can see as it gets closer. It uses a colour coded strip as an indication of the approaching speed. I use this along Roads like Adderley or the section towards Philladelphia with minimal shoulder. When I see traffic from the FRONT I glance at the Edge screen. If vehicles are approaching from the rear I will do a quick check to figure out if they are crossing each other close to me. This is when I take those semi-slick tyres onto the gravel strip. In town you often find the shoulder dissapear as you approach an intersection ... glance down and check for approaching vehicles .... It truly becomes a "rear view camera". CL / CWC had the best price late last year.

exactly ..... I now MISS the Varia when cycling to the trails on the MTB.

One would hope ....

My first Corsa was replaced. 2nd I tried on ... saw the same issues as the first. Gave it away. New owner happy with it. I have 2 Assos bibs. Does its job perfectly. But I prefer shorts, so do the bulk of my rides in Rapid Sports shorts. A fraction of the price, no issues.