Rolf Hansen

Holy Hell 4.5bar? It must feel like you are riding on solid steel wheels. I am a light guy at 73 kg but I run front at 1.6 and rear at 1.8. Tyre pressure aside, if you like the way the Crossmark II felt you can go for the EXO one with the tougher sidewall.

I currently run a 2.25 Maxxis Ardent EXO on the front and 2.25 Maxxis Crossmark II EXO at the back. I don't have a lot of experience but these are treating me well.

Myself and two friends bought bikes over the last couple of months. What I have learnt is that there some things that are non negotiable. 1. The bike absolutely has to have an air fork. 2. It has to have a proper groupset. No Shimano Tourney! Asking the gears to change and getting no response sucks. 3. Hydraulic brakes are really nice if you do some gnarly trails. Mechanical disc brakes are still pretty damn good but the pressure required on hydraulic brakes is so much less that on longer rides it actually makes a big difference. All of this anly applies if you intend on doing trails. If you are just going to commute, ride around the neighborhood or ride light trails with the kids you can go for any bike.

What size bike do you require? For that money if I needed a size XL I would go for this: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/466521/trek-roscoe-7-2019 or even better this one: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/472305/commencal-am-ht-for-sale-or-swop

Yes I know it is the same old Cannondale but man do I love this bike! Pictured here with my wife's Silverback before our ride this morning at Big Red barn.

My black Cannondale.

I have been a member for a while and have been browsing and reading for quite a bit longer. I started mountain biking in September 2020. I started on a Silverback Stride 275 MD which is an entry level 650b from Silverback. Not bad for recreational riding but after doing Big Red Barn, Hazeldean, Rosemary Hill, Wowespruit and Buffelsdrift I realized that for the type of riding I enjoy I need something more substantial. I have since bought myself a Cannondale Rush SL and have given the Silverback to my wife who is a little less serious about the trails than I am so the bike suits her well. We try and ride a trail at least every weekend with my two sons on their BMXes.

Oh OK. We were long gone by then.

We were also at BRB today. Was in a group with 4 kids - they would have crapped their pants. What were you riding?

We are in Gauteng. Went riding at Big Red Barn in Centurion over the weekend. My two boys aged 8 and 11 did the #3 12km trail with their BMXes. I am very chuffed with them but time for mountain bikes I think.

My Cannondale. I put some of my old pedals that I removed from my Silverback on there until I can fit some decent flat pedals.