JRN89

@RossTopher Sorry I didn’t see this response come in - glad I rechecked the thread. Yip these were all Cyclelab prices, very helpful with the comparisons, wasn’t aware of the Omega BB issues. I’ll snoop around and see if there are any elites then to test. That Scultura 5000 keeps catching my eye though, dammit!

Sorry to hijack the thread but my question is the same - similar price bracket, first road bike. Not familiar with road components / value. I see the Valerians are: Titan V Elite ~ R35k Titan V Comp ~ R35k Titan V Ltd ~ R30k And the Merida 5000 ~R42k Not sure of the bike weights (which seems most important to the roadies) but I’ve got some of my own to shed 😂 Anything else to consider perhaps for cruising the smoothest of Jhb streets?

Nothern Farms, Asidlale (Leeukop Prison), and Cradle Moon (red loop I hear has taken a beating after the rain) are all in pretty good condition. Last 20 odd Km of Modderfontein yellow loop was alright the other day, first 10km or so of yellow route was quite overgrown unfortunately.

@ACE Cycles Manny, is that MTB, road or both? Just moved to Lonehill, recently got a MTB and would be good to meet up / cycle with some people in the area.

Agreed, I also did Asidlale on Sunday and can agree with everything above - cycled from Lonehill, did the red loop and then back via Kyalami and Beaulieu, a nice +60km loop which the legs weren't quite prepared for. The blue route (10km) is not marked/available yet, so you've got the 5km green route and ~30km red loop (which you could easily add sections onto once you know the lay of the land better) to keep you busy. The first few km's are grassy with two muddy sections but nothing serious, once on the red route, it's very straight forward, few grassy and muddy sections but nothing too technical at all. That sewage spill at the pig farm is a disaster and it's no wonder the Jukskei river is in the condition that it is, I'd hate to know how long it has been running like that for, and getting that all over your water bottles seems like a sure way to loose weight quickly. I'm only a few weeks into this MTBing 'hobby' and the flow line caught me by surprise too, clipped the pedals on the rocks at the start and ate some dirt and chickened out on the drop beneath the tree. That said, for the guys who know what they're doing, this must be some serious fun. I look forward to trying it again, knowing what lies ahead now. Needs some traffic to kill the grass, and I'm intrigued to see what this will be like in summer though. Great to have something like this close to home, the work done so far is commendable. I see an additional flow line is also nearing completion, hopefully it gets the traffic is deserves.

@justin_rhys_nicolau Mainly travel, wildlife and birding but now that I finally have a MTB, no doubt some images from the trails!

Is it possible to delete messages/conversations I've had when looking at buying items off the hub? So not direct message conversations as I'd originally thought. I'm probably missing something obvious, but can only find an archive option. I want to do some spring cleaning.

@Schnavel thanks for the info, votes of confidence are always well received - which front light do you have? I’d probably just look at getting one at the same time as the rear.

@JulienR what ended up happening with the repair? Looking for a rear light for my MTB - was directed to look at a Bontrager Flare RT. What model do (did) you have?

I’ve got the same fork and due for new tyres - so would be keen to hear how you found the 2.35 upfront (and tyre choice?). Currently running 2.25 front and rear.

@Marcv sounds promising - route markers seem like things are headed the right direction. Will head out there and report back.

Is there still a MTB route on the Leeukop grounds? I’ve just moved to Lonehill and would be great to have something around the corner - hoping for good news.

Hey all, I’ve never ridden the venue before, so some quick questions: Have the trails been repaired? If not. Only 10 & 20km loops? Can you ride any day of the week? appreciate any guidance 👌🏽

@Steady Spin thanks for the insight - sounds like a nice little colour scheme you've got going there, what colour is the new paint job? @RobbyB thanks, that's what I'd heard too, great relief in exchange for a few pennies. @kerradoh thanks for the advice, super excited to finally get out there on the trails. I'm one of those 'professional' researcher types, very much to my own detriment. Spend 5 months researching grips, creating spreadsheets, only to finally make a choice and there's no stock anymore. Enter another 5 months of research. Pathetic really 😂 @MTBRIDER1234 @MajG @Eddy Gordo @gemmerbal @ichnusa thanks for the comments, links etc, noted. 🙌 @RossTopher that's exactly it, I know they're 'just grips' but at R500 a set, I don't want to only get it right on my 5th brand/model. Hence asking here so I can hopefully get something that works at leats within the first 3 tries 😆 @MORNE @Jewbacca all those options look great, thanks for sharing! Makes sense having solid ends, I suspect I'll be hitting the floor a few times while I figure this all out.

Reviving the dead! Just got a 2nd hand bike (my first bike) and looking for new grips as the current ones will be wearing out soon. Are these ESI Chunkies still the go to at +_ R400? My riding “plan” to start, is just to try do some long rides for fitness and to get outdoors - unlikely to be very technical. So no enduro/downhill style riding. So looking for something that will be comfortable after a couple hours on a hardtail. I’ve just bought gloves (unpadded), if any of this influences your feedback. I saw some Ergon grips online with bar ends etc, but also three times the price at R1000-R1500. Would I get 3x times the comfort and longevity? Not sure where to throw my money 💵😂