jnsmith

@Titan Racing Bikes - thanks for the prod, I actually did see some Titans on the web, but my challenge has been finding anywhere with stock of something in my size! I took delivery of a (used, bought here on Bikehub, shoutout to @BarnardM) 2021 Talon E+1 in XL, and I'll say this, it's amazing. Unfortunately it caught me at a time that everyone in the house is sick with colds, so apart from a (really) quick ride around the block, I haven't put it through its paces yet. All in all I'm very satisfied. It looks versatile enough that I can use it to get to the office in the week, and hit the trails on the weekends.

I really liked the Darrvins, I tested both a Crest and an Evolve. It's just that the frames only came up to size L and I really need XL. The dynamics were nice (the motor was similar to the Giant, a bit more peppy if anything, though I thought the Giant was a bit smoother). But I can't get over the size being too small for me. Even with tweaks in the seat height and handlebar stem, I could feel I was on a bike that was too small, and it wouldn't be comfortable. The Giant comes in XL, otherwise I probably wouldn't be considering it. Though this is more of a me problem than a problem with the bike as such. If anyone shorter than me is looking for one, I'd definitely point them to Darrvin to try out. Value for money is pretty great.

So I went to try out a Giant Talon E+ at Olympic Cycles yesterday. I've ridden on Bafang converted bikes before so I have an idea of how the motors work. I found the Giant SyncDrive so much better, that I think it's worth the extra money. I know it's not as fast as a BBSHD, but I don't need ultimate speed, I really like the feel of it! I'm busy doing my sums at the moment, I'm at the point of pulling the trigger and going for that one. Not exactly the ideal commuting bike, I guess, but it's a hard-tail so it's pretty versatile on Cape Town roads. I do wish we had better cycling infrastructure.

Oooh, you are making my life harder. That's a decent price, and I like that it's derestricted. My main reservation with this one is the L size, I'm 193cm so I really prefer an XL, especially if I'm going to spend lots of time in the saddle. How tall is your dad? I'm under the impression that direct-drive motors add resistance when you ride without the electric assist on. Is that true in this case or have Specialized worked some magic? (Regen is nice but not a critical feature for me since I don't really have many nice hills to roll down on my commute)

Good point about the Darrvin, I seem to remember coming across them before but I couldn't remember the name so I couldn't search for it! Thanks! They're here in Cape Town so I think I'll give them a buzz. The pricing on most of their bikes is quite comparable to the Giants that I'm looking at (2nd-hand), and indeed the Chilled Squirrel kits. The Darrvin Cross specifically talks about assist up to 45 km/h which is great, IMO, more than enough. All of them are pretty good-looking too.

Thread hijack (sort of). I am currently using a semi-old XC MTB for my commute. I do have shower facilities at work but it's 20-odd km and I'd appreciate a bit of help with pedalling. I've visited Chilled Squirrel, their kits seem OK, but at the current pricing it's only a little bit more for a secondhand Giant Talon e-MTB here on the classified section, and then you get something that's sort of designed to be an ebike from the get-go. The main disadvantage that I can see with Giant's offering (and most of the other commercial ones) is that the assist cuts out after 25 km/h while with the Bafang DIY stuff, you can keep going until much higher speeds. Does anyone have experience commuting (or general road riding) on a commercial eMTB with this restriction? What's it like? Often I can average above 25 km/h, but with Cape Town winds... my average goes down to like 12 or 13 km/h and then I think about that electric assist really longingly. It's just a large wad of cash so I'm keen to choose judiciously. Anyone who has a commercial eMTB and wishes they'd gone with a conversion instead? Or vice versa?

I rode on both Gatorskins and Hardshells for a few years because on whatever el-cheapo tyres I had previously got lots of punctures. I was young and inexperienced and listened to what a more seasoned friend told me. I got very few punctures and the tyres held up well, especially the hardshells. They survived some nasty stuff (I was commuting on the bike and went places I probably shouldn't have). Grip was OK in the dry, I wasn't terribly brave (still am not). Wet grip was atrocious, as has been mentioned already. I got caught in afternoon thundershowers in Pretoria occasionally, and I had to ride very carefully not to lose grip. I'm currently looking to get my road-bike back on the road, and need new tyres, so I'm interested in what's been suggested. I might shell out for GP5000s as well, if they're as solid as described here.

Would also be interested to know.