RacerX

I got one of these about four years ago - best cycling investment I ever made. I wear it on every cold ride and it works like a charm. Still looks like new.

There used to be an importer in Cape Town, but I can't find their website anymore. I got mine in Germany for around R1500. Try www.kokua-shop.com.

Stay away from training wheels at all costs! First get a bike with no pedals, like this: http://www.kokua.de/Seiten/KOKUA.html (I got the "Jumper" for my son): http://www.kokua.de/Seiten/LIKEaBIKE%20jumper/Fotos%20jumper/LIKEaBIKE-jumper-gruen-up-a.jpg A child should first learn to balance and steer. They use their feet to get going and brake, which gives them lots of confidence as they can't fall over (always easy to put their feet down, no pedals in the way). Also good skills for later. My son is 4 years old and has used this bike for the last two years - he loves it and races around like a madman, full of confidence. I'm shopping around for his first pedal & brakes bike, he'll be ready soon.

+1

Nice gear calculator: http://www.gear-calculator.com/

Get the Giant - good geometry, great ride quality.

Check the frame too - if it's cracked, you could have movement under torque that will affect the cable tension (depending on whether the crack is in an area that the cables are routed, like in the chain stay).

Ha. My long-held gut feel has finally been proven - fat tyres and big wheels are faster than skinny and small ones! http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tech-feature-the-work-of-wheel-energy Some headlines from the article: Wider tyres roll faster than narrower ones Larger diameter wheels roll faster than smaller ones Higher thread counts aren't always better Puncture-resistant belts work but they're not created equal Tread pattern matters, even on the road

Hmm, this debate is rather like the gun debate in the US around the shooting of the congresswoman recently. All the focus is on the heat of the political debate that supposedly resulted in her shooting whereas it's plain to see that stupidly easy access to assault weapons enabled her mentally disturbed attacker to commit the crime. The cycling safety debate focusses on wearing helmets and how terribly horribly naughty people are that don't wear them, when it's plain to see that awareness of one's surroundings, good bike handling skills, high visibility and general good sense constitutes cycling safely. Helmets are there as a last resort backup in case you or someone around you had a lapse of judgement. In most cases, all a helmet does in an accident is make you look slightly better at your funeral. I cheerily greet people who ride without helmets but growl at people who ride like they're made invincible by a centimetre or two of polystyrene covering their head.

I personally know two people who were mugged on the mountain recently, one twice in 10 days. This has to stop - Rhodes Mem / Table Mountain is my closest (and dearest) place to ride, but I'm taking my chances on the road at the moment rather than risk a mugging. You can read the article here: http://capetimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Sheesh, what has become of the world!? What did you do as a kid, did daddy just buy you new tubes every time you punctured? I hope at least that you don't throw your one-hole-punctured perfectly usable tubes away but give them to BEN or something.

Had issues running the Nevegal non-UST tubeless with Stans on the back wheel - 2 tyres, one after the other after a few months delaminated and air got under the outer rubber layer making huge bubbles under the tread. Made a cool popping sound as they occasionally burst while I rode! After a while the tyre was stuffed - would not hold air, so I put a tube in until it finally wore out. Have the same tyre on the front with no problems - I think it's because it does not get driven and thus has much less stress on the tread/casing interface. Kenda voids your warranty if you use Stans, so maybe their tyre compounds get eaten by the ammonia?

Looks like you just trials-ed your way out of that van

Sudacrem (better alternative to Fissan paste) for after a ride - heals chafes like magic!

Forget about the frame size - each manufacturer has their own way of measuring this. Go by effective top tube length. Make sure it's the same as your current (well fitting?) bike and you'll be fine.

Hmm, this looks dodgy. I have an 94cm inseam - your calculation puts me 2.5cm higher than my current position which I have settled on after a consultation with Jeroen Swart (Sports Science Institute) and many hours of tweaking. Your calc is even higher than the old "Le Mond" formula, which also puts me too high. A too-low position can hurt your knees, but a too-high position will give you saddle sores (too much movement on the saddle as you reach down on each pedal stroke). If you're serious about riding, go get measured up and make you bike position a passion - nothing improves performance (given that you are actually training!) like proper bike position. As a start, I would recommend the Le Mond formula (inseam * 0.883) and then put your bike on a trainer and ask someone to watch your pelvis as you pedal. You should keep lowering your saddle from this position until you stop rocking from side to side. As you get fitter and your flexibility improves, you can raise the saddle slightly if you like. Generally MTBs have a lower position (0.5-1cm on my bikes). Not sure why, it just feels better, maybe because my average cadence on an MTB is lower. Don't forget to properly adjust the saddle fore/aft position and the handlebar reach/height as well - they are almost as important as saddle height.

That's just stupid. If you take that point of view, getting on your bike at all is arrogant and selfish - if you have any sort of bike handling skills and don't usually fall on your head for no reason, you're much more likely to get taken out by a car/truck/bus where all a helmet does is keep your nut in one piece so you look good at your funeral. Riding your bike is risky - too many people don't understand the big risk picture and rely almost purely on a helmet to keep them safe. Good skills, constant awareness of your surroundings, avoiding dangerous areas, visible clothing and using lights at night are all WAY more important than wearing a helmet. Sure, the helmet helps in certain cases, and I usually wear one, but I will not criticise anyone for not wearing one - they could be Hans Rey for all I know.

Yip, that's right, 2002. I had one of these. In fact, this may even be my old bike - some parts look familiar! I rode it hard man The bushings in the suspension wear badly and need to be replaced often. I cracked the frame twice, front and rear triangles. Got free replacements from Trek, but with serious downtime. I reckon your mate would be better off with a trusty hardtail if R4k is what he wants to spend.

Wow, would have been cool to be a bike-length behind you and watch that happen B)

The thing is, he is a journalist with a platform and an audience. He's not just a bully at school. Thousands of people read his stuff (I would imagine, if he actually makes a living from his writing). He is published in mainstream media, not just fringe online forums and so he has influence. He has a larger responsibility than you or me.

His offensive, grumpy-old-man piece on the 94.7 ended with the sentence: "The next cyclist I see dies." In the current climate of carnage on our roads, cyclists cannot be blamed for taking that as a death threat. There was little irony in his writing, it was a weak, vitriolic piece I would say bordered on hate speech, not just "opinion".

Campag. I have a 1997 Chorus grouppo that still works flawlessly. I serviced the ergo levers myself and replaced the springs after about 8 years of use and they worked like new again.

I'm with you mate. A helmet may help a bit, but they're completely overrated. Gloves dilute the "feel" you get from the road.

Snuck off early from work and took the RacerX for a fast hour on Coetzenberg - ended off with a screaming ride down the g-spot. Started to drizzle at the beginning of the ride and by the time I got to the g-spot the traction was perfect - slightly damp, but not wet. Fastest I've been on knobblies in a while. Getting the hang of those little double jumps (I'm an XC weanie). Saw some guys building more jumps - thanks okes! What a ride. Life's good...

You have gold in your hands - the 240s are one of the best hubsets on the planet. Often sold for more than Chris Kings. Use them and love them! I've been (ab)using a set for more than four years without an issue.