T-Bob

Love it. I pulled all my old boards out a couple of days ago. Man I'd forgotten what I'd kept in the big sell of before we moved from Sydney. In the usual shortboards there are a couple of sick modern single fins (6' and 6'4") as well as a wood keel'd twinny which is thicker and wider than most longboards. Not to turning this into the surfing thread but I was looking at something like this Calyton board before the lockdown as I want a decent cruise board that will work in most small stuff through to about shoulder high. Mainly as I want to get my kids into surfing now they are old enough (your hood and the usuals), want to still surf but I'm fatter and more unfit then I used to be but I honestly don't like long boards. What do you think and who would you recommend to do a good job on something like this? It's basically a Takayama Scorpion. I think Hurricane do something similar. I was thinking in the 6'6" range.

Makes a lot of sense but I have a feeling that the car park is going to be packed tomorrow with alot of peeps frothing for the mountain. Jeez, the beach must be torture. Just saw they opened up Bondi in Aus' with taped off lane for people to run down, surf and come back up. dropping in isn't social distancing so that would make a nice change there!

100%. Tokai is easy to manage as it's a case of asking and if it's no, then it's no. Places like Rhodes, Table Mountain and Lions head are a different matter. I've not seen anything that says what the 'cycling' part allows but people are already lining up their missions to Pats, Slab, waffle, slippery etc which is fair as it's in their 5km radius and it's cycling unless told other wise. The Glen is a mess after the fire so I think that isn't a conversation starter. I don't know what is and isn't hence the question in the first place but believe me I'm am guessing the Nek to Kirstenbosch and beyond is going to be packed from tomorrow morning beyond belief. I'd also put money on it that a big percentage will be straying outside their 5km during those walks, runs and rides let alone adhering to social distancing. Is that a San Parks route as well? So theoretically should be closed as well?

So I'm guessing that the exercise allowances includes dawgs. Jeez my pooches won't know what to do I'm guessing Friday morning is going to be mayhem anywhere where there is a stretch of ground. 5km is great, that covers all my pack's fav' places bar the beach. Mountain, greenbelts, forest. Dave (our new one) isn't going going to understand there is a world outside our block!

Okay, so riding is back on and Tokai is in my 5km radius... does anyone know they will be opening up the mountain at all in level 4?

Ah nuts... I really like the philosophy and the ideas behind it and I'm guessing it'll ride as good as all PYGA's do but man, I really don't like the looks. I want to like it but I just can't. I know I might be about the only one and it could even be construed as treason but just think the rocker, the weave, the shape and the layup all look weird. I'll get my coat.

Hold on... I missed this. You're doing what? Isolation is obviously causing you mental health issues and we need an intervention!

I ran my Following with a Spike Spank 40mm Stem and 800w Renthal Alu bars (with rise, can't remember what tho) and found that combo super stiff and not in a good way. Where as that combo on the previous alu frame was great. I ended up swapping out for 50mm Renthal stem and Renthal Carbon bars at 800 wide and love them. I shouldn't really like them as advice says that they are to wide (now we're dialing back from the standard 800mm wide mantra). Not sure why they work for me but they do. Maybe they work because I don't really fancy taking a hacksaw to my bars and then find out it was an expensive lesson as I hack each end repeatedly trying to balance them out before trying to start the new '690-is-the-new-800' cult. Those Vibracore bars look a good idea. I'm always a little worried about carbon bars. Have I over tightened them. Are they fatiguing. Am i gonna see the ground rushing up as they sheer on that rock drop followed by a quick trip to my friends at the ER... but nope, they have been fine. Lyne is always great value and rock solid if you're looking local. I guess now I have my main bike build dialled in I can focus a bit on the 'smaller' stuff and what you never thought would make that much of a change (like bar / stem and pedals) really do.

Kingdom bikes have a special on the Vendetta X2 LE for €949 down from €1299. And it's hot.

Trailtech have a special on OneUp droppers from R2000 for a 150mm and through to the big boy 210mm for R2999

Lyne have 20% off all wheels using 'WHEELDEAL' at checkout.

Lye are having a wheel sale... 20% off all wheels, hubs, rims using WHEELDEAL GO!

Those one-ups are a great call. They are adjustable height and rocking in cheaper than the local fav', as for the those Zees... No brainer, bend the credit card. Virtual build project under way!

And one day it could look like this.

Alternatively your budget will allow you to (just) get this frame and not much else but I still would see that as we massive win.

This is great but again the exchange rate kills you. Same with cotic and the rest. https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-ht-725/ I've seen some great second hand bargains but you're never guaranteed something will turn up so that Honzo would be first prize. Great frame and then take your time picking and choosing parts. Shame it's a 29'r as CRC are bound to have sale where Mattoc forks go for sub £200... but I've seen more than a few Pikes going for around R5K. Jeez there were some coil MRPs going for about R5 - 6K mark and that is insanity. Hook up an 11 speed groupo for a bargain as everyone goes nuts to have 12 and you're pretty much there. These are decent if you get R500 off. AMC, hope, happiness. Decent tyres. Alternatively go Lyne. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/mountain-bike-wheels/398591/american-classic-wide-lightning-29 If you play it right then you're sitting there at about R17500, get some Cura Brakes on special, pimp it a bit (dropper) Lyne bar / stem combo, grips with flange and you've still got enough take the mrs, girlfriend, boyfriend for a fat meal, good wine, and an eventing at a decent boutique hotel near Muizenburg where the proprietor will happily an explain the N+1 theory in detail to your partner and why it should've been a single speed all along.

Ah man... that was harsh!

But itches are there to scratch!

The Honzo looks good as well, Slades seem great value, that Commencal Meta would be my choice for the price the Honzo as a stand alone buy. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/400020/commencal-meta-ht-am-essential It depends where you're based and what you want out of riding. I'm looking for something that will good (as a given), rail single track and then get rowdy on the descents. I'm not worried about hours in the saddle and mile munching (though I prolly should be). I'm looking for a fun, goofy bike that makes trails different and throws up new challenges to mix it from my full sus'. In that respect the On one DeeDar is bang for not much buck but could be a bit slack. I ran mie with a 140mm fork and it was great fun. £190 for a steel HT is pretty good. I'd automatically be thinking of Mr Mercer locally but if you weren't into that then I'd normally be looking over to the uk Stanton, Bird, the new Ribble, Orange... so many. With the rand how it is... not a hope. Loads of sick, sick HT's from the land of HT fun but nope. Can't just pay loads more for something that was not loads 3 weeks ago. Not until I forget what the price was... or it's a Titanium Vendetta Kingdom X2. Then take my kidney, my cash and my first born. What you have in your favour is alot of HTs are fun second or third bikes and with how things are you might see some decent ones come up for sale as people need to free up some cash. Not a nice thing but if people are selling then get a goodie rather than something average.

Jeez, that is a great frame.... Love the fact you might have to sell because of the way things are going then the very next line is a new frame you fancy! What would the right price be I wonder?

Shame man, that's tough. So sorry for you and the gremlin. Tough thing to work through especially with the circumstances. We've lost 2 dogs this year and was a harsh thing for the kids to navigate. My daughter still worries she's going to lose us or one of the other dogs in specific manners so it stays long with their lil' elephant brains.

Was just reading an article on the badger and this quote gave me such a laugh. Man, Hinault was a such a unbelievable character. You'll never see that kind of rider again unfortunately. "Bernard Hinault never saw a fight he didn’t like the look of joining. And if nobody else was fighting, he’d start one anyway."

Shame they didn't see fit to start making anything wider than 2.3 in 29'rs. 27.5 have up to 2.8... and no one rides mini wheels any more.

Look peeps are trying to make a buck and there are very few buck to be made at the moment. If you don't like the price don't buy them. The price will soon drop if someone has a box of them on their desk as a paper weight rather than moving stock. I'm not in favour of ripping people off ever but I'm a small business owner who has had all income slaughtered by Covid lockdown while still having staff (and their families) / running costs to pay for and no real sign of getting income in the next 3 months (even if the general lockdown is lifted tomorrow). I am going to start selling off things just to pay my staff and put food on the table and if I had 3 of those dongles in a box on the shelf I'd be selling them for all I could and for what people would pay. Fact is everyone has rushed out and bought expensive trainers for the lockdown and now need extras. People with the extras are just playing the market here. If distributors are gouging the system then that is a different matter. Make a bulk order and sell them at cost but that is gong to take forever because we're in lockdown and that is exactly why people are buying trainers and need the dongles...