ChrisF

No helping .... SO itching .....

"The Mineshaft" - Wrong tool for the job - MENS, my gat juik nou for a dual suspension ..... 25 to 30k price bracket ..... what would you buy for that price ?

Meerendal. Eerste keer sonder Maritz, so het so bietjie verder gery ..... Die "regulars" ry daar af asof dit niks is nie. Net voor my was n paartjie, die dame het besluit dis beter om af te stap ... Sekerlik n roete wat iets vir almal bied, wel vir beginners van verskillende vlakke .... MOOI dag in die Kaap. Fantastiese panoramas vir die wat wou afslek om die natuur in te neem - Ek GENIET die roetes. Die fiets kort net n behoorlike "granny gear" vir die styl gedeeltes .... en n hard-tail kan nogal stamp wanneer jy so bietjie spoed optel die kontoer lyne .... .... dalk n dual suspension ...

The bearing shops now have various quality options ..... For that low use project you can get cheap bearings - NOT suitable for the bike. Then there are the proper SKF type bearings of old .. tough industrial stuff.

Drool ..... ENJOY !!!!!!!!!!

Marginal gains .... maybe more than expected ... Speak to the guys that race radio controlled cars. A typical car would have about 20 bearings. You assemble the car with great care and tune that setup as best possible ... BUT, you remain almost 2 seconds of the race pace !! Strip the car. Remove the side covers of each bearing. Wash out all the "grease". Add ONE drop of the thinnest possible oil ... now that bearing keeps on spinning into tomorrow. Suddenly the car is right up there with the race pace. NOTE - now you have drastically increased your maintenance schedule ... I would NOT do this on a bike that is used in dusty conditions !!! PS - for real race pace the guys would wash out all the grease, then run those bearings DRY for an hour, wash out with petrol, repeat ... give the surfaces a proper wear to increase the clearances ... then add the drop of oil .... just halved the bearing life, but it is now LOOSE and you are setting the pace. EDIT - saving 1 or 2 Watt on such a small machine obviously has a much bigger effect than saving 1 or 2 watt on your bicycle ..... Back to BIKES - Stainless steel will stand up better for WATER and corrosion. Dust is a grinding paste and even SS will have a hard life. The quality of the side covers are most important !! Tell your bearing supplier where you will use the bearings (dusty environment), then he can give you a bearing with proper side covers

and when you KNOW what works for you it is very easy to say I want "that bike" but I want this or that on the front or back .....

Do check very carefully what the shop wants to sell you !! A qucik glance it may appear "similar" ... but when you start crunching the numbers you quickly pic up some setups are aimed at "climbing", while others are aimed at top-end speed .... the choice is very personal to your type of riding. Speak to the shops near you. Test ride the various gear combinations .... The maths only helps once you know your requirements PS - there are some nifty apps to calculate gear ratios - http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios

some RETAIL therapy ....

Myles I watched a nice video on trail vs XC bikes (comparing the Anthem and Trance). Presenter talked about : . Handlebar width - my XT Edition is wider than the Big 9 40 . Stem length - XT Edition has a longer stem ... This may go some way towards explaining the difference in handling between the two - the XT Edition is MUCH more sensitive to steering input

Thanks. Getting closer to pegging my type of riding into the modern jargon .... So what do you recommend for this type of "non-technical-trail-riding" ? XC bike ? Trail bike ? maybe an overkill for me ? Something else ?

Wheel size vs gear ratios : I have a 29er and 27,5. The maths shows a 5,2% change in gear ratio. Going from the 34 to the 36 on the back cog is a ration change of 5,56%. The typical 22/36 of a 3x10 on a 29er has an effective gear ratio of 0,611. The typical 24/36 of a 2x10 on a 27,5 has an effective gear ration of 0,629 (adapted for the change in rim size; 0,667 before adapting it) Thus the "climbing" part is pretty much on par. BUT, then you loose out on top-end .... depending on the group set, more than 10%. The smaller tires takes some more away from your top-end .... Your riding style and needs will determine if this 10km/h on the top-end is an issue for YOU .... YES, very possible to choose a different group set to give the top end, but then you need strong legs for the climb Going 1x11 (or 1x12) the game changes and there are some hard choices to make ... and enough threads here to show that the current 1x riders are still finding their optimal setups ... You need to go extreme down to 32/46 to get the low down climbing gears - IF that is what you need. Going extreme to the other side - 32/10 still leave you slightly short on the top end of the 2x10 options .... IF you go for extremes the gaps between gears become very noticable ...... This may not suit the average rider ..... 2x10 or even 2x11 may be the future, for now at least .... I dont want to loose too much top end, though this is less and less of an issue off road for me, but I do need the granny gears ....

This thread reminds me of my photography journey .... new kit ... learn learn learn .... FUN !! join a club learn a LOT more ... competitions ... get your but handed to you in no uncertain terms ... more competitions .... and gradually get better at it., and finally win a few competitions ... and suddenly it becomes a pain to take photos ! If it is not a winning photo the shutter does not get pressed .... and you end up with weekends away without any pics .... Had to take a step back and "force" myself to take "memory" pics. Took more than a year before I regained the will to take quality pics. Fortunately now take lots of memory pics, and pack the DSLR's for when I want to get serious ..... back to cycling - for all the benefits of Strava (and similar) .... this should not become the focal point of cycling .....

and still, a bad day in the saddle beats a good day in the office ...

We humans need "something" to work towards ... or that couch becomes just too cumphy .... BUT - you dont want to burn out on one sport either .... It has been mentioned before - alternate with different goals, possibly even different sports / projects.

Yes Gummibear .... Been doing a LOT of reading .. and realised MY concept of "trail riding" certainly dont fit the modern definition ! I ride the "trails" at places like Meerendal .... but not into the high speed down hill racing ... so sounds like I am then rather a "cross country" rider .... ??????????????

Thank you Myles - for both replies. wheel size - with the standard 22-36 ration the 27,5 just gives me that crucial bit more on the granny side for the steeper sections .... I should test ride a 2x10 with a 42 at the back - the huge gap between the last two gears does not sound right, but maybe that is the solution. That is a few hundred rand swop out if you buy new. I will do some homework on my two bikes and try to figure out why the XT-Edition is so much more nimble/twitchy .... answer will probably be in the frame angles ... yet another new area to study up I will NOT be doing the hard core cross-country stuff !! Joints are certainly not up for this. Mine are rather slow trail riding to enjoy the scenery and combine this with some light exercise. VERY happy with the improvement in my health and even joints with moderate exercise over the last 9 months !!! My days of group riding are over .... knees simply cant push out that power anymore - after having done 50km per day at the age of 13 .... Ego dont like it. But I have made peace with this, and enjoy what my body can cope with at this stage - and really enjoying the improvements as I hang in there with my 4 to 6km rides. So no worries, wont be topping the Strava sheets .... but having FUN staying healthy. Now to chip away at the specs until I find the best bike for this purpose ....

Hoping some of the experienced riders will help the new kids on the shock-block .... NOTHING worse than spending money on a bike to hear two days later than another 1 or 2k would have bought something "so much" better .... So looking at the lower end of the price spectrum, what would one want to avoid ? OR, what offers so much better for a bit more money ? Considering the following options (just took a few quick bikes from the CWC site, in this price range) - with specific reference to type of shocks : http://www.cwcycles.co.za/bikes/titan-sonic-comp-2017 Fork:Rockshox 30 Silver Solo Air with PoplockRear Suspension:Rockshox Monarch RL Air http://www.cwcycles.co.za/bikes/titan-sonic-pro Fork:Rockshox Recon Silver Solo Air with PoplockRear Suspension:Rockshox Monarch RL Air http://www.cwcycles.co.za/bikes/merida-ninety-six-600-2017 FORK Rock Shox Recon Silver RL Air RemoteSHOCK Rock Shox Monarch RL If (when) I do go this route I will look wider at the different brands. Merida has served me well, but their are so many nice options out there .... MY shopping list : Group set - at least Deore, obviously XT would be nicer ... Tires - I currently have a 29er and a 650B .... leaning towards the 650B .... If I go for a 29ER it would need a gearset with a lower than 22-36 ratio. PS - Would appreciate feedback on how these two sizes shape up handling wise with dual suspension ... the 650B hard tail certainly is a LOT more "twitchy" than the 29er .... Frame - happy with the frames in this price range, for my type of leisurely Saturday trail riding .... EDIT - been reading up a bit more .... seams the term "trail riding" leans towards the downhill type of riding .... and my concept (type of riding) of cycling is then rather "cross country" .... typical Meerendal "trail" .... Sorry Myles - your replies was obviously intended for the modern term "trail riding" .... Shocks - THIS is the bit that I am not sure about .... want the best dampening to keep the pounding on my arthritic joints to a minimum ..... this bit is more important for me than an XT groupset. When the joints flare up the bike is parked ... so a "soft" ride is VERY important.

reviving an old thread ... cant seem to find a newer one on this topic .... Take it a there have been some technological advances since the previous post. And even surer many have switched a few times since then ..... So what is the current status on HT vs DS ? Thoughts on a HT with larger tires ? That massive tire must take some energy to spin up ...

I have the XZM on my Merida Big 9 - 40. and YES, this shock is not "worth much" on trails .... really dont want to spend money on a "better shock" .... will rather put that towards a slightly better bike WITH a FOX air shock ..... Was looking at some bikes in Hermanus today, at the shop where the "Hermanus Trails" start .... some really nice options for even the most budget concious .... Deore, FOX, 10x2, .... in Merida, Titan, Silverback at VERY reasonable prices. En JA, they also have some 100k bikes .... EDIT - the dual suspension options are looking very attractive for going off tar ....

Hehehe ..... nice think that cop saved him from a whipping .... BEST part - other people actually got involved

JIP ! ! Race or no race .... HOPE he hangs in there and improves his general health.

Have not found nice reflective cycling clothing - windbreaker over-top ....

SpeedMaster 500 Lumen front light for R495 at Mark's Workshop. ENOUGH light for commuting !!! USB rechargable. This is now on the commute bike, the older 300 Lumen moved over to the trail bike - just to set the example for the lighty, certainly wont be riding trails in the dark. And please set it to shine DOWN. Even at 500 lumen that is way more than enough to blind oncoming traffic. Blackburn Mars 4.0 Rear Light - R235 for a RED tail light with a WIDE angle of visibility, AND it includes YELLOW side lights. Speed Master Button Lights - Front and Rear set - R 95. The lighty does not commute or ride in the dark where he can encounter other traffic. Still I fitted these to his bike, teach them from YOUNG to use lights. R88 for a 1mx600mm sheet of silver/white reflective sticker. Should be able to cut out a few crank and rim reflective strips .... The added safety really does not cost a lot of money !!