Lang Frans

Hi all I recall an incident or 2 were posted in the community news paper regarding incidents at Groenkloof in the past 2 years. Can anyone perhaps confirm if they ride the Groenkloof trails and feel safe doing so. Regards Francois

Good day all Are any of you perhaps aware of current good deals on 3 bike plat form racks. I am looking for a basic, good value tow bar mounted rack that can safely carry 3 off MTB with 2.35 inch tyres. I wish i could but i can't afford to pay > R 5 000 given current circumstances. I don't mind buying 2nd hand. Regards

Thank you all. Purchased a bike this morning from Rob, a fellow BikeHubber.

Hi guys Apologies if this is the wrong forum. I am looking to purchase an entry gravel bike for commuting, training and the odd road race (for fun) I am 172 tall, guess that makes me a medium. (53 cm?) My budget stops at R11k, i have no issue buying a second hand bike with mechanical brakes and an alu fork. If any of you are aware of specials at your LBS in Guateng area or a mate looking at selling his bike, please let me know. (i am aware of the bikes for sale on-line at the larger retailers (most of them out of stock on gravel bikes) and obviously Bike Hub) Thank you.

A cycling shop and add or detract from the cycling experience, i am sure we all have stories to tell, i share mine. 1. Take bike for a service, choose a pair of bar ends, ask mechanic to fit, he replies that he has a pair in the work shop, these are fitted foc Cycle Lab Fourways. 2. Want to purchase a pair of MTB shoes that are on special, no stock, shop will call me when in stock, i pay for these as i wan't to ensure i get them at the sale price, when i visit later to collect, the system shows that I have already collected, shoes was booked out on my cell, definitely not me, i was at work on this day, branch manager will investigate, get a call 2 days later, matter resolved, they courier the shoes to my house - Cycle Lab Lynnwood. 3. I negotiate discount on a Stratos AL 2 last week in March, tells salesman i need to think about it for a few days (needs to soft talk wife), then lock down happens, CL drops the price of Merida 120-600 by R 10 000 during lo ck down, i purchase, order is assigned to Boksburg branch, i visit to collect after lock down, it turns out size M can not accommodate a water bottel in the triangle (Merida ?), tell them i am no longer interested in Merida, want to purchase the Stratos, problem - list price is R 4 000 more than what i negotiated at Fourways branch 5 weeks ago, they call Fourways to confirm, no problem, discount price by R 4 000. Boksburg does the basic foc set up, no master bike fitter at the smaller Boksburg branch though (i have an issue with left knee pain, I call Bradley Potgieter at Fourways (master bike fitter, pro rider), no problem, come through, i will have a look. The cleat fitment turns into a complete bike fitment, walk away almost 2 hours later, fee - NIL Thank You Cycle Lab.

Hi Guys I have a pair of Shimano model PD-M424 clipless pedals on my cross country bike. What i find disappointing is that it seems that the design has poor sensitivity when it comes to adjustment. Attempts to adjust the spring tension by means of turning the adjustment screw in or out has little effect on the effort required to get the cleat out of the pedal. It is a question of ridiculously easy or extremely difficult. I am expecting delivery of a trail bike soon and am hoping to purchase better pedals for the new bike. I have noticed that Cycle Lab is selling Look Xtrack pedals at 50% off. To the untrained eye it looks like the cleats for the 2 types of pedal might be similar. (i am keeping the Shimano's on the cross country bike but intend to use the same shoe-cleat on both bikes. Will the Shimano cleat work on the Look pedal? Any advice is welcome. Thanks

The Rockhopper expert is a good buy at R8000, not often that you get an air fork at ths price point. Make sure you order the correct size! See if you can find a Spez sizing app for the Rockhopper range on line.

I read with interest that Martin Dreyer has set his 2019 Freedom Challenge (2 300 km, 26 day) record of 9 days on a Cannondale Scalpel. I would have thought that guys tackle these ultra endurance races on more forgiving trail bikes.(relaxed geometry, higher volume tyres) My guess is that long portage distances give lighter race bikes the edge, but still... Is Dreyer one of the few ultra endurance guys who follow this strategy? Would be interesting to know.

Hi Naz If you are after a do it all type of bike you need to consider a 120 mm travel trail bike with modern progressive geometry. You might not get 1 of these if you purchase a second hand bike older than say 3 years. This type of bike will cover XC, marathons and you will ride trails with more confidence. It will also be a bit lighter than a full on trail bike with with longer travel and beafier frame. I agree that the Cypher Carbon Pro is super value, personally i will not consider the 100m travel RS model as my 50 year old frame will not enjoy the agressive race geometry. Do yourself a favour and study the new long, slack and low geometry (66.5 to 67.5 degree head tube angle, short chain stays, long reach and steep seat tube angle at 74 to 75 degrees) I believe that SA based PYGA bikes pioneered the above geometry which is now followed by the large bike companies around the world , well done! (If only i could afford a Stage Max, are you listening Patrick?)

Hi Guys, i would like to add to MorneS555's opinion of Deore brakes, Deore M6000 brakes have been receiving good reviews in the press for the price point, boxing above their weight. I will give the MT500's an opportunity to prove themselves on the trails that I ride, should i end up disappointed i will consider Deores on 180 mm rotors with decent pads, thank you for the informative contributons! In reply to Talk Wrench's reply - i find the speccing of components on bikes an interesting topic.I can appreciate that it is a challenging job as market share, reputation and the balance sheet are all at stake. I say this with respect but i sometimes get the impressions that with some of the bike companies the account has more of a say than the product specialist when it comes to component specification. (An actual example is a Deore M6000 set on a R15k hard tail XC bike but MT 500's on their R37k FS XC bike.) We do however appreciate the effort to keep the sport accessible and affordable for all.

In issue 6 of the 2019 Bicycling magazine, tech ed Jon Minster compares 6 Best Value Dual Sussers. Canyon's Neuron AL7 (R43k) walks away with the honours but Jon comments "The only negative is the brakes. On a bike that can go this fast downhill, you want brakes that can stop you just as swiftly. The bargain-basement Shimano MT400's are simply not up to the task" This got me thinking. My very first MTB, Fudji's entry level hard tail, Outland Comp, purchased in the early 2000's came fitted with Deore brakes. My 2nd mountain bike, the entry level Specialized Stumpjumper came with Elixir R SL brakes, if you buy the AL Stumpie (R35k) today, Specialized gives you Tektro brakes. Until not so long ago, Merida was very generous with SLX and XT brake sets on many of their mid-tier bikes. Today, the R 35k model 120-600 will only bless you with MT 500 brakes. If you purchase the Scott Spark 960 (R35k) today, you will get MT 200 brakes, The R43k model 950 will come with MT 500 brakes. Titan Racing, so keen to capture more of our market, only offers you MT 400's on their R37k Cypher RS carbon bike. It seems that the average week-end warrior has to rely on Silverback for decent value offerings. The R31k Stratos AL will add a decent wheelset (Stans Crest) along with more tolerable MT 500 brakes. My question tonight, what do fellow week-end warriors believe is the lowest ranking brake set that one should consider on a mid-tier trail bike? You are welcome to give me your opinion for the Sram range as well. Stay safe.

Hi Guys The bike that i use for commuting has mechanical Promax 310 calipers. I have a hard time finding new pads for these. Can anyone perhaps help before i replace the calipers. Thanks

I live in Centurion, thank you!

I think the picture is misleading, the current stem is actually slightly positive, 2 or so degrees, i will have to consider riser bars. My neck is taking strain with the current setup. Doing sociak rides at the moment, hoping to stretch this pending shoulder and knee rehab, tks

Was the comp model (aluminium frame, Sram 7/9, Reba RL, Fox Triad) Was a great trail bike, sold it after a 7 year lay off due to poor health. Easing back into cycling now.

Hello all I have swopped my Stump Jumper trail bike for a XC Silverback - always wanted a light hardtail. I am a little bit overwhelmed after the first ride, it is like climbing out of a Land Rover Discovery and getting into a Ferrari! I definitely need to get this hard tail more comfortable - see attached pics of the current stem and handle bar (725 mm wide) I am thinking a more positive stem and high rise handle bars but I don't want to totally spoil the character of the bike. Can experienced riders please suggest specs for stem and handle bar? - I do 20 to 30 km social rides. I noted that there is a load of these items available in the classifieds and I can use your specs to do the mods myself. Can you also please list middle of the road brands, not too cheap but good quality. Appreciate

Makes sense, thank you for the advice J.

Hi There Cyclists I am looking to purchase a Thule hang on bike carrier to transport 3 off medium frame mountain bikes on my wife's Ford Eco Sport. I have been advised that even though I only need to carry 3 bikes, I will be better off to purchase a 4 bike carrier and use it as a 3 bike carrier as 3 bikes is a very tight fit on the 3 bike carrier. Do any of you perhaps have experience in this regard? Any tips regarding hang on racks will be appreciated. Safe Riding GOD bless

Thank you bike comrades. It is quite clear from the replies that the sentiment is that a boot rack is a compromised solution. Appreciate the constructive conversation. God bless

I am looking at purchasing the Holdfast 3 bike boot carrier to be used on my Volvo XC60. What concerns me is the pronounced spoiler at the top of the back window. I trust this won't be damaged when the straps pull down onto it. Then again, many SUV's have this type of spoiler. Also, the straps actually pull away from the roofline as opposed to directly down onto the spoiler if you consider that the pivot point is just above the rear bumper. Can anyone please confirm successful use of the HOLDFAST boot carrier on a SUV with a spoiler above the rear window. Francois