RossTopher

There are currently 3 guys on Bikehub selling TRP Spyre mechanical calipers. These are EXCELLENT brakes, and being dual sided/piston, both pads move and it avoids alot of the finicky adjusting most mechanical brakes require. For the price it's a great start. There are also 2 guys selling a single TRP HY/RD each. These are cable actuated hydraulics, so the reservoir is in the brake. Not sure how risky they are to buy 2nd hand, but by the time you spend on those, you may as well go proper hydro. If you're on a budget and want to use your shifters, grab a set of Spyres and you'll be happy

i had a 34 cassette on, and swapped to 36 purely because of the annual pilgrimage to Jonaskop. 31-34 just didnt feel like it would enough. i then tore ligaments and havent had a chance to test the climb. re the max tooth, i think bike manufacturers conservative limits are storied, be it tyre clearance, tooth capacity etc. i havent had to do any adjustments, and i've read others using 810 up to 42, but I did buy a longer B screw in case (cost R40)

my anecdotal evidence, i have a converted old giant escape, running fsa omega (48/32) and an 11-32 cassette. i did PA to Die Hel and back and didnt suffer (too hard). the 1:1 ratio on Swartberg was fine, but it would have been nice to have a little extra in some parts. i've never done the full swartberg, so don't know if it heads steeper from there

1x gearing really depends on your preferred cadence, or your power. as you see from these comments, both @Jbr and @DMJ are running 10-50 cassettes, but one has a 38t and the other 46t. in my lack of knowledge, i feel a granny gear ratio of 25 gear inches to be about minimum for a gravel climber. 1:1 wont cut it

add it to your cart, select South Africa and then pay. Tip, the more bits you order, the cheaper shipping gets :). merlin doesnt stop Shimano to SA. i think sram is an issue though.

if the owner has filed a police report, surely the owner/police should be able to request Facebook to release the chat transcript for the advert? i know, i know, wishful thinking.

105 shifters and brakes. Originally had a 105 RD but the "almost new" item I bought from the hub was basically scrap, so went for a GRX 810 RD along with the grx FD and 810 crank and a sram 11-36 cassette. Great gear ratios and no extra bits and pieces to make it work. Bought the grx stuff from merlin so didn't work out too expensive

i really dont think there is an ultimate winner between the two. if it comes down to what you can get your hands on and what groupset/shifting you prefer. i did a build with a 105/grx mix - 2x11 (48/31 front and 11/36 back). ITS GREAT i have another bike with sram apex 1x11 (44T up front and 11-42 back): ITS GREAT. the 1x is now more of a dedicated road bike and both speed and climbing are not an issue. what i have noticed is that the sram brake feel is streets ahead of the shimano

merlin has an incredible price on ultegra 2x hydraulic

thanks all for the comments and insight. looks like the Decathlon ones are a win @Eddy Gordo thanks for the tip on the MrP ones. good price. @Thomo i completely forgot anatomic was still going. i've had a couple jerseys before, quality was always good, so will take a look when i am next up north @Vaultboy appreciate the info on the Ciovita ones, i'll swerve for now

That comment was mainly to avoid responses recommending winter/fleecy layers. While counter intuitive, the additional layer actually helps keep me cool, and the moisture wicking is important. I've got a coupe from decathlon, but with sleeves, so wanted to see what the other options were like.

hmmm, add in the 10% off on the app, and the free shipping code and i may have to order a few. sizing? i typically have to go 1 to 2 sizes up with Decathlon.

thank you. i went on their site but didnt see the baselayers. size wise, is the fit the same as your jersey?

i know there have been previous posts with some info on baselayers but most is fairly old. I am looking at no more than R400 for a couple sleeveless summer baselayers. I run hot, so don't need insulation or anything for winter. Currently the following options are available: Specialized - R400 - SL Sleeveless Base Layer Ciovita - R675 - Strato Undervest (2 pack) Decathlon - R359 - Van Rysel summer training cycling base layer Enjoy - R675 - Emotif Regulator bundle (2 pack) would appreciate info on which you have/like/tried etc and if there is anything i am missing or some cheaper options. i would like to go for the Monton layer, as i know the quality is good, but its a stretch to R550. thanks

many many orders over the last few years and never anything less than 5 star service. the only issue is sizing on clothing, which is well documents. i just buy a couple sizes, and when i do go up to JHB, pop into a store and return what didnt fit. never an issue and their staff are great, in store and on email

are you a member of, or do you have a mate with, momentum multiply. i think their prices come out great if you have someone with a high discount level (i think up to 40%).

I thought 1 was enough, given they "expire", but then I got a 2nd helmet and I saw that it was good. Then I got a 3rd helmet and now I feel complete. The lightweight racy black helmet, the comfy, safe, sturdy, added visibility white helmet, and the airy, grey one that fits in the middle.

i presume these are all Cycle lab prices. skip the Comp - assume thats full retail price, you're getting about the same bike as the Ltd. between the Ltd and Elite: on paper, 105 vs Rival is much of a muchness, BUT the elite has a full sram groupset, rather than a 105/FSA mix, getting away from the dreaded FSA omega bottom bracket, plus you're going from mechinical to hyrdo brakes. add in the carbon wheels and its a no brainer to me. i think the Valerian can now take a 32mm tyre, so try wangle a for the shop to fit a set of pirelli cinturato velo 32, tubeless and you'll be more comfy on JHB roads. but when i was last up in JHB, riding/running offroad was smoother than tar.

Excellent, thank you. Mind if I steal that route, looks ideal

Cheers Chris, indeed those routes are how we normally go too. Generally the safest. I was wanting to mix things up a bit, but peace of mind trumps change.

looking for a slightly new road route to get out to Paarl/Franschoek. Coming from cape gate side, is waarburgh road safe nowadays? I remember reading about an incident but seems like it was about YEARS ago. i was thinking of the stretch of waarburgh or sandringham, either side of the n1 to get me to teh Giraffe House/Old Paarl road. cars on bottelery in the last while have been hectic, and want to avoid passing fisantekraal early in the morning. thanks

thanks Barry, the 75's would work perfeclty. its one of those Melinda bikes and the mounting of adapter to frame is fairly flexible, large section to bolt on. it was just getting the caliper onto an adapter. would you be able to send me a couple via Pudo?

I bought a set of tektro Novela calipers to fix a guys bike. Trying to solve this pig of a bike out before i end up spending the same amount a replacement would cost. The bolt spacing on the Tektros is 75mm but the bikes adapters and current calipers have a 70mm bolt spacing. Anyone possibly have a set of adapters that will work. @Barry, i recall you said you had a box of various adapters a while back, any chance on this one? Pics attached with old and new caliper. The adapter is for a 160mm rotor.

toyed with the idea of getting the bolt bundle with tickr, but had read so many bad reviews, i went with what seems to be the gold standard - the Polar H10. not a single regret. IT JUST WORKS. 18 months in, not even changed a battery.

hi, i am looking for a grx 810. i believe i can use a 400 for 11 speed, but not certain, and the price difference on merlin wasnt material. do you have stock?