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On 5/22/2023 at 7:48 AM, throttles said:I’ve used them for Garmin mounts and handlebars and stems.
takes a while to get here. I use normal post the courier option was quite expensive wrt cost of items bought. Sometimes it takes 4 weeks other times 7/8 weeks.
they have strict return/refund policy so QC your item when you receive it. I usually fit it asap and dispute if there’s anything not right.
I’ve received full refunds if I wasn’t happy with an item.
Interesting. What is the tax like when you receive the goods? I bought apparel once and the tax was the same amount as goods 😕
19 hours ago, ChrisF said:
You are 100% correct.
Very sad that the bike shop did not take the time to set up the bike at delivery..... at least it sounds like they did not.
I don't want to get into the bike shop issues, because I think they're a decent setup and get reviews for service etc. They probably just let mine slip through the cracks. I'll continue to use them.
18 hours ago, Simon123 said:I'd rather give up cycling than use Bontrager tyres again on an Ebike. I've never had to plug tyres as much as those absolute piece of **** *** tyres. Was recommended by Gear Change in Tokai (needed a 27,5 x 2.6) when I couldn't just get the usual Maxxis DHRII Exo+.
Not a SINGLE issue on multiple DHRII tyres, yet every single ride without failure that rubbish Bontrager needed to be plugged or the like. And it was R1650 fitted.
Trek can shove those rubbish tyres up their bum.
Yeah. Same for me. People here saying the bike is not setup properly... lol. I know Bontrager is a good brand, but I'm not sure the SE5 is meant for E-bikes. It just doesn't feel right. I suppose a lot depends on the way you ride, but Maxxis are very forgiving. Bontrager is ridiculously priced for what you get. My bike shop didn't have any Maxxis in stock, so in my excitement of wanting to ride the new ebike, I went with Bontragers. I should have waited, but thankfully the tyres have a money back guarantee.
Okay.. here's an update. Pumped up the tyres to 140 and they are rock hard. Like scary hard. I don't know how you can even go harder than that. Took it for a ride with a friend who trains mtb. I It was the K@#!ist ride I ever had and my friend confirms it's the tyres. She took the bike for a ride as well. I live in Tokai, Cape Town, so regularly ride Tokai. I know the trails like the bike of my hand. If you know Tokai, you know the trails are not manicured like the ones in the Northern Suburbs. Tokai is rough and after the heavy rains and landslides, it's gotten worse. Today, I almost wiped out twice on bends and had to slow down dramatically to get traction. I don't think these tyres work for enduro on an ebike. In fact, I honestly think the tyre is shite for the price, compared to the Maxxis. I need something more aggressive and will look into the Maxxis Assagai.
2 hours ago, thebob said:1.1 bar is way too low. That is a heavy bike with soft alloy rims, so wonder they are getting dinged. Need to be at least 1.5 bar and up (depending on your terrain and desired feel). Assuming you are on the SE5 or SE6 Bontrager tyres, get them at the right pressure and go ride. If they sold you the XR5, those tyres are too thin for an e-bike so a tougher set of tyres is a must IMO. Personally I went for the Maxxis Assegai in the DH casing for my Giant Trance X E+. The beefy casing and soft rubber means I have grip for days and don’t need to worry about punctures or dinging wheels.
I have to weigh up having harder tyres and not dining the rims, with having softer tyres and having some traction. At 1.1 I can already feel it in my arms. I really think I'd get a better ride from Maxxis.
Hello Hubbers,
I recently took advantage of the sale of the Trek Rail 5 for R65k. Great bike and an even better deal. The bike comes with tube + tyres, so I immediately opted to get tubeless and was advised by the bike shop to get the tubeless version of the std tyres that were on the bike. Bontrager SE5 Team Issure 29 x 2.5, which comes with a money back guarantee )no questions asked).
Now I'm use to riding Maxxis DHF 2.5 Exo + on my normal bike and love the tyres. I try not to get stuck on brands so thought 'what the heck... Bontrager is a very well known brand'. I am not happy. I pumped the them up to 1.1 psi, which feels really hard. It feels like I'm getting very little traction, yet I am dinging my rims at that pressure. For context, I weigh 65kg and riding the medium frame and ride Enduro. I went to the bike shop and asked their advice. They seem hesitant to replace the tyre (as expected), so their reasoning is that I don't have the proper skill and need one-on-one training. Now I might not read up a lot about about specs, but I's say I am above average 
I want to get Maxxis of some sort. What do you ride on your ebike and how is it going?
6 hours ago, Bub Marley said:Get you a bib that fits properly and kiss the chamois cream goodbye. Assos does a great job of separating the pad from the bib which eliminates that chafing irritation.
So which Assos bib do you use? I see there's prices range from R3k to R6k 😳
31 minutes ago, Titleist said:Good old Vaseline....smells like oil, but it works.
Really? You use Vaseline? Didn't know that would work
I have only ever used Ass Magic, but hate the smell... and no it's not my ass that smells like that. Do any brand actually have a bearable smell?
39 minutes ago, ChrisF said:Maybe search the specials on new ebikes.
Couple of bike shops offering big discounts on 2022 models ... yes, couple of brand new 2022 models up for grabs.
A new, 2022 model, hardtail can be bought for 2019 prices.
Second hand prices needs to be very low to make the deal worth it ...
Buyers market at the moment.
Thanks for those links. Pity I’m looking for a dual suspension. I’ll definitely keep a look out from something new as well now
9 minutes ago, Nick said:No science behind this but the second hand market lags the new market. With the boom of ebikes only happening fairly recently (relative to other bike types), the second hand market was pretty sparse as bikes were still new purchases and not yet being sold. Now there are many more bikes at varying ages, so the second market starts getting 'stocked'. Might explain some of the increase.
That makes sense. Thanks
43 minutes ago, ChrisF said:For the most part it is just a normal bike. Check the frame, rims, brakes, drive train, etc, like you would for a normal 2nd hand purchase.
The e-bike part has basically three components:
1. Battery
2. Controller
3. Motor
Most ebikes now have some sort of an app that links the bike to your cell phone. On this app you can see the full history of the bike. From the total distance covered, to the number of charge cycles the battery had, even the condition of the battery. On the Giant ebike app I can even see error codes for the bike.
The three things you cant see:
- Issues with the controller. These things dont take kindly to pressure washers .... This is always going to be an unknown .... maybe check what a replacement controller would cost, and availability ... or should we rather check for compatability of new controllers to older motors ....
- Motor bearings and/or internal drive systems. Specialized have replaced motors due to internal drive issues. My own Giant had a bearing issue after 1 000km ... a tick-tick sound from the BB area ... now on 6 000 km and no further issues. More and more shops like Knipe_Racing service a wide range of these motors .... easy to check what a major repair might cost.
- Chipping .... I would stay way clear of a motor that was chipped .... many of these are quick plug and play devices, so difficult to know ..... (now if you could see they sellers Strava ... long high speeds on flats will tell all...)
Thanks Chris. This is exactly the kind of advice I need . I'm looking for an ebike a second bike to ride, when I'm not really feeling up to the climbs. For some reason there's all of a sudden many secondhand ebikes for sale and makes me wonder whats going on 😄
Hello fellow bikers.
I am looking to buy a secondhand ebike. What are some red flags I should be looking out for? I see some ebikes for sale have close to 10 000km on the clock. What would you consider high mileage? How long do these motors last? I've also seen ads saying things like, drive train replaced or motor recently replaced, which makes me wonder how or when do these things need replacing. Have you had problems with your ebike you'd like to share? When test riding an ebike, what sounds should i listen for?
Thanks in advance for the feedback
15 minutes ago, droo said:CSU creaks can make a few noises, usually closer to a click.
If your LBS can't cure it, pop in and we'll have a look for you.
LBS?
1 hour ago, droo said:It's definitely not meant to do that.
Could be a few things:
Headset loose / undergreased / badly assembled
Topcaps not tightened properly
CSU creak
Not the fork at all, but some other bit of the bike that's creaking
First two are easy enough to sort out, CSU creak less so but it can be done. You don't say where you are, but if it's easy enough to get to CT I can have a look at it for you.
That bit you've pointed out on your photo is normal.
Thanks for the reply. Someone else also mentioned CSU creak, but it's a click not a creak on every compression. Not sure if there is a difference. I am in Tokai, Cape Town. Would be great if I can bring to you to have a listen, before I take it back to the shop that worked on it.
Thanks for the reply. As far as I understand, the whole mechanism is replaced. I do know that fork is capable of up to 150mm. And the travel adjustment is fully allowed.
the noise is coming from the shaft, not the headset or any bike part. I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what they before I try to diagnose it myself
Hi. About a week ago I took my Fox 34 Rhythm fork away to have the travel increased from 120mm to 140mm. Due to the rain I only managed to go for a ride a week later. Climbing was fine, but, then, when going down the fork started making a clicking sound. Literally on every bump. It was fine for the first 50m or so on single track. I'm obviously taking it back to have it fixed, but what can cause this? A friend of mine said his buddy went to the same place a while back and had the same problem (different fork) and they told him that it is supposed to be like that 😐.
I also notice that the one side seem to be lifted on top... or maybe it was like that and I never noticed before
Hello everyone. So I'm wanting to get to get a motorbike licence and struggling to find anything online pertaining to:
Thank you
5 hours ago, capediver said:Ha....be careful is all I say....so to get the most out of a 360 camera, you need to mount it away from you and the bike as you say...on your head is cool...once....then it gets boring cause there's no reference in the shot.
I've had one taped to top tube and extended out front on a retractable pole but you need to be real careful:
Helmet mount with short pole also possible but needs break away point if you plan or don't plan to face plant!
Back pack mount also works but looks a bit weird....
Drone works as well for B roll....
Oh and look after those lenses....
Hand held works well for gravel and road
Check out my channel, plenty of samples there...
Thanks fo this. I must say that some angles that show the path bending in a u-turn looks very weird. And you're right, the backpack one is odd. I like how wide the angle is of the lense, allowing it to capture the whole rider with the surroundings.
Hi there Hubbers.
Have any of you used a 360 camera doing mountain biking? I am looking at buying one, because I've have seen some nice videos of guys doing mtb and wondering how you manage to mount the camera away from their bike. Any other advice regarding these cameras you can give? Are they worth it to get those unusual videos?
Thanks
Hi Hubbers,
Let me start with a story. I recently met someone while cycling on the mountain. We're friends now and have since gone on a few rides at Tokai, Cape Town. Four years ago he was knocked over by a bakkie with a bullbar while he was commuting from work home on a motorbike. It almost completely obliterated his right leg from the knee down. He almost lost his leg. He is currently 25 years old and is the nicest person you could ever meet and carries such positive energy with him.
So my request is to find a 29er full suspension frame for him to replace his hardtail. He can transfer all components. He is more enduro, but anything would help. Even though he only started riding for over a year now, he lives for the sport , but unfortunately, he's hardtail is killing his leg, though he complains very little about it. A donation would be great, but we can consider paying something towards it as well. I hope this request does not come across as absurd.
FYI he doesn't know I am posting this.
Hi Hubbers. I've been mountain biking for a more than 20 years now and have never invested on a decent cycling shorts. I've been told to buy Ciovita bibs. Any advice on a cheaper, but good brand? Say max R1000. I see the Ciovita Corsa can be picked up for R1300 on sale.
Thanks
Edit: I bought a Ciovita Corsa at Chris Willemse for R1000. It was on special for R1300 (from R1900) and they gave a further discount of R300 so was a great deal. Road with on Saturday and Sunday and makes a big difference. I think I need to add more chamois cream to certain spots, but otherwise it's great not to have an unbearably painful bum.
It is, however, an older model as someone has pointed out to me. Thank you for all the advice.
47 minutes ago, Mongoose! said:mmm. Sometimes this cheap way of commuting can also bite back...
Last week I saw an oil leakage at the rear end of my motorcycle.
Was the rear shock leaking. (non serviceable part according to agents...) new one R25K
guess nothing last forever....(2010 F800 GS' 40 000 ish km; zero off road millage' owner since new...😥
There goes all my fuel savings for the past 11 years. 😜
....currently send off to some kind of aftermarket suspension guru, and waiting feedback for if it can be "service/fix" ...
Yesterday was my first bicycle commute to work again in a very long time...lol
Ouch.
Stolen: Specialized Turbo Levo (orange) - without battery 2016 (Western Cape)
in Stolen Bikes
Posted
That description very much looks like a copy and paste from a spec page