StevieG

Haven't had a full tank of gas in what seems like years. Still paying off the last one.

Lol, agreed, if it were for me personally then yes, but it's for a kid, who will most likely outgrow it before anything wears out anyway, and for R5k, i'm not really losing out that much. (seems i've already convinced myself it's a good buy, damnit, blinking twice)

Was looking at the 26inch for my kid. Is the Volcan brand any good? I worry because the price seems too good to be true, but the build quality seemed better than expected

Check out the Burgtec range. I use them for Enduro and they're the business. Nice and soft, thick rubber grips, vibration killers.

Ok maybe I was being a bit dramatic. Its not scratched per se, but a buff definitely won't get the marks out. The paintwork did look damaged over time

Possibly the most cost effective route. Did it to my bike, so makes sense to do it to the car too.

That looks like an interesting solution, will see what the cost is to get one built up

Will give it a try, but often have to take my kids bikes too, so will only work if I go out on my own.

So i've just recently upgraded my cabbie, and now have to be extremely pedantic about protecting the tailgate. My last bakkie had some major scratches from the tailgate pad, because dust would get behind it, and then scratch the paintwork. Taking it on and off is a PIA, so i'd prefer to leave it on. Have any of you got any experience with this issue, and what did you do to alleviate it? I've seen someone put a massive vinyl sticker over the back, but I imagine they had to get it specifically made for their vehicle. Any ideas would be appreciated. Carrying the bike on my tow hitch is a no go, since the frame is massive, and requires a bit of mcgyvering to get it to fit on my rack, which is also a pain if i'm just going for a short ride.

Its my home turf. Very lekker place to ride, with a wide variety of trails to use. Depending on what you like to ride, the trails are mostly cross country oriented, but the new pink route, which is about 30kms, has some epic new single track sections that feel like you're doing an enduro (which I love). All sorts of terrain to ride through, so you won't get bored easily, and it's quite safe there. I ride on my own a fair amount, and haven't had any issues. Just remember to get a day pass when you pull up to the trail head.

Cheque book racers!

Does it vibrate too?

And just to add, tons of the local trails were decimated with the recent floods, especially Giba and Holla (although Giba isn't good for beginners so not an issue for you). Holla have started rebuilding, but you have very limited, short distance options available to ride at the moment. Still worth looking into though if you're that side of town.

Heartbreaking Mel, worst news ever. Have you got something to ride in the meantime?

Learn to ride on flat pedals, learn proper technique to keep your feet on the pedals, and then decide if you want to go clipless pedals or not. Its's much easier to put your foot down when you get into trouble than with clipless pedals. Most new bikes come with flat pedals anyway. I swap between the two of them, depending on what i'm riding, but flat pedals are just so much more fun