Iwan Kemp

New frame goes for R16,500 last time I checked. PM Mintsauce for a price on his.

BTW, Grey Owl, does that mean I got the little bastard?

More important than the mime dilemma... Does the light go off when you close the fridge door?!!!

Compact: 50/34 Pro's: Climbing made easier cause of smaller chainrings. This means in granny or anything near you'll be able to pedal at a higher cadence and will be able to settle into a rhythm sooner/easier. This will save a lot of energy/muscle power for when you needit most...Suikerbossie! Lighter Cons: If you have sooooper strong legs you will loose a couple of gears in the back cause you won't need to go that light. At very high speeds they will spin out. Not once on Helshoogte or any of the Argus descents did I spin that much that it bothered me. Flat races you won't need it that much Normal: 53/39 Pro's: Won't spin out as quick If you're strong you won't need a smaller granny Con's: Effectively pushing a bigger gear upclimbs which can tire you quickly Heavier I have a compact crank on my Felt and I'm loving it. Makes climbing easier and saves my legs.

Great! Also great Slipstream got an entry as I'm a big fan of Felt Bicycles. They deserve the exposure.

For heavy mud/wet you can go 2.1 front and 1.9 rear if you're really fast and can handle a bike. If you're not chasing for a win or just out to enjoy 2.2/2.35 front and 2.1 will do the trick. Definately Hydraulic Disc brakes. For XC 160mm rotors will do. For trail use you might wanna go with a 180 front/160 rear combo. Some extreme XC racers use 160 front/140 rear. Saves weight and you hardly need more stopping power than that in a race. Braking only slows you down anyway! Kenda Nevegal Bontrager Mud X Maxxis Swamp Thing Panaracer Trailraker Panaracer Rampage Conti Mountain King Schwalbe Racing Ralph Schwalbe Nobby Nic For best pro advise read the reviews here : http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres

Get this one: https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=23069&KW=talon Will save you some money you can use for other gear.

Yip, Felt FC is a good choice. Before I decided on this frame I test rode almost evry single frame or bike there is in carbon form and the Felt came out tops for me. Granted there were some "nicer" and lighter frames, but at a premium. Like a Pinarello Prince for instence. Awesome frame, great heritage, not the lightest but light enough, freaking beautiful...but DAMN expspensive for what it is. If you wanna blow your budget go for a Cervelo, if not, get the Felt.

Is there a rider weight limit on the Merida?

So Mike Schutte finds himself lost while visiting England and stops to ask for some directions. "Excuse me, where is Buckingham Palace at?" The Lady replies: "Good golly dear sir, it is impropper grammar to end a sentence with the word 'at' ". "Sorry", Mike replies, "where is Buckingham Palace at Bitch?!"

PM, I'll translate for you. I also do Spanish, Russian, some Mongolian and Pashto...even know some Inuit. Khar kharra mishnassah.

Q720 for R5,700... Re frame weight. If you buy a bike and look after it, you'll be able to upgrade as and when needed. Then a lighter frame makes sense. Also one, like Silverback, who gives a lifetime warranty to first owner. Merida gives 5 years.

The Q920 is at Cycle Factory Store for R7700 and they are willing to neg for cash or EFT. qparsons: if you enjoyed the Commencal it would explain why you liked the Talon. The Talon has a relaxed cockpit aimed at more trail riding. The other bikes mentioned here are more XC orientated.

I'll be able to tell you a bit better in a hour. Will make a detailed post on the bikes in that cat. The waiting game begins...

GO WITH DISCS! V-brakes are great and all, but it's the 90's dude, get wif it! Seriously though. Winter riding, and you're gonna do lots one of these days, involves rain and mud and all sorts of other stuff and discs (hydraulic ones) are far superior to v's. Lots of okes still race v's, but that's for weight saving and when you race you don't brake all that much as it's jeep track or climbing most of the time. But us normal folk need brakes. Also if you live and ride in Potch V's will do.They only downhill there is when you ride off the pavement. But go to aANY trail in the lovely WC and you'll need stopping power. Every single guy I've cycled with have converted to discs or upgraded to a new bike with discs cause of this. Don't buy cheap first time round only to buy expensive. To upgrade costs a lot and trust me, you will want to upgrade. UNLESS. Unless you plan to not ride that much and maybe not at all after it's rained or better yet while it's still raining. That'll suit me just fine. That way I get to keep the beautiful waterfalls, river crossings and ripping single track to myself and the other brave souls who venture out in the wet. BRING ON WINTER!

Happy hunting! He he, the info never stops!

Giant's are underspecced for th eprice IMO. Talon costs R7800 for same spec as Nabraska (R6500) or TFS 500 (R6600). Giant worth extra R1k? Nope, not even close. Was asking cause I know Cycle Factory Store has a TFS 500, SUB 60D, Nabraska and Giant Talon on the floor. Might be worth popping in to have a test drive.

Where do you stay? Where's your LBS? What are you riding at the moment?

For your budget, go with: Silverback Nabraska Merida TFS 500 Merida SUB 60D Felt Q720 Go with hydraulic disk brakes. Will save you a LOT of money in the future as upgrading is expensive. Raleigh is not TOO bad in that category, but not the best either. Schwinn can be a bit heavy. Scott make awesome bikes, but their lower end bikes are sometimes a bit over-priced. Forget about just the frame and the name on it. Have a look at the spec and demo as many bikes as humanly possible as your final decision should come down what feels and fits best.

Photos and latest tech news...

I use KCNC cranks, handlebar,stem, seatpost and now skewers, seatclamp and road brake calipers and haven't had ANY issues. They are superlight and very reliable.

Ordered these as I've only had great service and reliability from the guys at KCNC. They weigh 45g and come in road & mtb lenghts and retail for around R500.

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=23396&PID=375680#375680

Same thing happened to me and a couple of other oaks coming into Hout Bay. Women actually looked upset that we wouldn't let her cross! Apparently you can be THAT stupid.

...they have Joe's! Behind the counter on the shelve...to the left!