RossTopher

no experience with either but just a comment: that triban is currently on an insane sale price. 12k but only in size small (although their sizes are big).

agree with @Jewbacca and @ChrisF. excuse the essay, but i'm in a similar boat at the moment, post Ronde van Riebeek. My back went after 85km and i spent the next 75 riding in agony with the pain shooting into my groin/glute/hip. i'd be able to ride full gas for 3-4km at a time, stopping from the pain. come the Monday, it was still bad. Booked with a back specialist who had been recommended. he's so full up that i will finally get to see him on Tuesday - hopefully i get some answers. X-ray and MRI seem the only real way to find out whats wrong when its that nerve pain and not just a muscle spasm. i've had on and off back issues for years, invariably triggered by hinging motions, sometimes running, riding of even washing dishes/doing laundry. i always thought it was muscular, and i've spent $$$ on physio (massage and needling). last year i spent some time with the bio, we worked almost exclusively on activating and strengthening my glute medius (its a common weakness among men especially). 7 sessions in, he told me to go for an x-ray as there was no progress despite me dilligently doing the exercises. Patients invariably show improvements in that time. the physio told me not to bother with an x-ray, we continued with needling and i did more yoga to take the edge off, and avoided lunge/squat/deadlifts. that was modus operandi until RvR. I am PETRIFIED of chiro's, i know its not true, but my brain says they just buy a bed at a seminar, print a certificate and blindly bugger around with people's skeletons. Good luck @lechatnoir and hope you get your answers

truly tragic. many of us have had close shaves like this, and it's a sickening experience. i was thinking about the headline and words in the article last night. While we likely wont all agree, spare a thought for the person on the other end here (i can't begin to imagine their mental state right now). while we can plug the cyclist and motorist narrative, and people on bikes are regularly dehumanized, a bunch of peoples lives have been immeasurably altered by this. lets be considered in how we voice our thoughts, keep our pitchforks in the shed, and focus on the fact that a family lost their kid. Absolutely gutwrenching!

@BuffsVintageBikes what a brilliant, refreshing forum post. with all the negativity that can breed here, this is one that just reminds us why we're all on this site. the love of bikes, the adventures they take us on, nostalgia they stir up, and the search for the ONE. *photo found on the net, not mine. my pride and joy as a kid was a Trek 800 trail. at a time when all the kids were into "shocks" and grip shifting, i just wanted this. the colours, the brand (peak USPS era), the yellow touches on the grips. I loved this bike. was stolen 1 week into my time at uni and i didnt buy another bike for about 10 years. i did eventually buy a similar one a few years ago, stripped it down to the frame and rebuilt it with some cool parts, but nothing could make it as cool as this. plus it made me realise that that things were heavier than sin.

yip, i've heard and read this kinda thing loads. i've never second guessed it, just dont wear nice/new kit on the wattbike. this is where the likes of the cheaper decathlon/maxed shorts (or temu?), or clearance stock (i buy whatever fits that i find at northcliff) comes in. i'll never understand people in 1k+ bibs at gym.

I second this approach. Only ever had one pair come up with that white pulling and going see through. Ciovita and I've never bought their shorts since. All my others are perfectly fine, irrespective of brand, and I just chuck all my kit in after a ride. The only thing I do "special" is use a clothes hanger rather than on the line

2017 seems right: https://99spokes.com/en/bikes/scott/2017/aspect-960 here is are a couple 960s was previously sold on BH, one marked as 2017, one 2016: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/452876/scott-aspect-960 https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/426042/29er-scott-aspect-960-mtb-hydraulic-disk-brakes

have had a pair the Trail for about 4 years. back then they were about 5-600. light, sturdy and 3 lenses (shiny, clear and polarised). the anti-fog on mine didnt seem to be too great, they fogged up easy, and they scratch kinda easy, but i dont regret buying them. still use them on some rides. its cool how they've gone big on the ocean impact and recycling vibe, and its a local company.

thought this was worth sharing. so after bikemarket offered me 3k for my MTB that i sold for 10, and 9k for a gravel bike i sold for 23, i called them. i wanted to just be a voice of reason, that their bidders were doing major damage to their name, i'd supported them in the past, and backed them up on forums, and it wasnt a good look. they said they'd raise it interally. this was quite a while before this thread emerged, so clearly they took no heed. around the time of this thread, a friend is in the market for a bike. reluctantly, and against my better judgement, having sworn off even recommending them to a friend, i mentioned they had a silverback siablo. it hadnt moved, and had been in stock for at least 6 months, and i'd seen it drop from over 30k to 25. given my experiences with their low balling, i said he should offer 19. he started at 21, they basically told him to take a hike. a few days of back and forth, and suddenly/coincidentally, he was informed someone had put a deposit down, and he'd lost out. it smelled fishy. that was nearly 2 months ago... that bike is still available. i just see them buying up more and more stock, nothing is shifting, and the schadenfreude is overwhelming.

@love2fly glad you came right. hope it serves you well. the price of those roam V1 bundles is very attractive, although i only hear bad things about the TICKR straps. yip, you can turn the lights off, and sounds too. i don't want my device beeping and flashing, and its kinda annoying in a race/group ride where everyones device is beeping endlessly. when you have navigation on, you can mute it in the route info menu. another handy feature is the new dark mode, it just makes reading in bright sunshine easier

Just wanted to check so we don't give you info on the wrong device. i think most with wahoo's have bolts. I've got no experience with the Roam. I have a Bolt V2 and absolutely love it, so i'll check out on further info, other than to say, if you're looking at the Hammerhead, go to the suunto international website, looks like that price is all in.

are you talking Bolt or Roam? I presume Roam V1 due to all the sales they are on. Roam V1 came out a lot later and was more focussed on navigation, and introduced colour screens, so above comments about the wahoo not having full Nav may refer to the old bolt. Bolt V2 then improved on the Roam features

on your previous forum post, this bike was recommended by someone who must have missed the post where you said you are 1.55m tall. so before anyone else puts energy into advice on ANOTHER topic, please check frame sizes.

well thats perfect. this is ONLY available in a small, and while a little outside your budget, you wont come close to this kind of value anywhere else, and wont need to do any upgrades for a long time: https://www.decathlon.co.za/mountain-bikes/308986-14749-xc-500-29-rr-cn-fr.html i think you can even use payflex, so split it over 4 payments (every 2 weeks) interest free.

i presume this is the 100miler. last year 50 miler was 655m according to my wahoo, and i think the route details said 660

AGAIN??? that doesnt look like the old location on Dartfield Road

@mspalk how tall are you? obviously depending on height, there are some good options going

Websites like cnet, theverge, whathifi and techradar are your friends. They have group tests, loads of reviews and recommendations in various price ranges.

Bang in range. I just checked, and they are around 1000 from most places, 800 on bidorbuy. Ive had mine for just over a year, dropped the case a few times, and dropped an earphone in coffee, and no issues. Highly recommend

Earphones will be just like HRMs, saddles etc. You'll get a million opinions, and people can be fiercely brand loyal. How much are you looking to spend. I recently went down this road, and did loads of research, ending up with the Sony WF-C500, and I am super happy with them. Battery life, signal, sound quality and fit all great.

Gauteng has 5 stores, in odd places, with little to no foot traffic when I've been up there. WC may have a smaller pop, but the % that is "outdoorsy" is massive. A single shop, using the JHB DC seems a no brainer, but them in not in logistics/SCM. Completely agree on Leroy, starved of a decent one stop home&outdoor store. Would certainly shake Builders up.

i've asked a number of times through various channels and its the same story. those bikes on the foreign sites are not part of the SA catalog, and they wont receive any of the newer stock this year. you can let them know of a specific bike you're keen on. they will log the request with the supplier (8-10 week turnaround to likely let you know its a NO. we only get overflow. what baffles me most is how they havent opened a store in the WC yet, they'd clean up

go for the decathlon bike, especially at that price. good warranty, and if you are in gauteng, the stores will help you out well this video covers all you need to know about it. don't worry about the derailleur hanger issue, its only a problem if you crash it badly right at the back

I've never purchased a bike from them, just small bits and bobs, but the dealings in store have always been 10/10. The 1 email i sent, enquiring about suspension seat post availability, got no reply. I mentioned that while in the shop on Sat, as they now have stock, but i'd got one elsewhere.

Sounds like a classic case of upselling. I am willing to bet most of the Dusts weight/limitation is in the groupset, wheels and tyres. Youre going to have to go to over 30k for a decent Speedster Gravel, and the Titans come with mechanical discs, as those fsa cranks with bbs made of cheese and fsa parts supply issues (good luck getting an omega chainring or bb), so it's double the price for good wheels and a carbon fork. Is it really worth an additional 10-15k. Are you going to get twice the satisfaction/experience as the Dust? Again, you've proved you can do all the races on the Estrada, you may be faster and more comfy on something else, but that is probably something higher up than the shops suggestions. You could blow your budget now, or ride something that works and slowly upgrade wheels, tyres and groupset, making it quintessentially yours. As for resale value... The Scotts and titans that land on the hub (and there are many) either sit forever, or sell for a massive discount. Perceived value based on "brand". Titan was once viewed how many now portray avalanche.