Monark

Well I am going to have the bike at my place for a while so I will get to test it quite thoroughly. I just love my 26' so much... the 29' looks very bulky and I am still not used to seeing that much wheel on such svelte frames... for example the Giant Anthem X 29er looks odd to me...

I am only 1.76m tall and also wonder whether a 29' would not be too "big" for me... I am riding one this weekend so only time will tell. At the moment not much will separate me from my 26'

What I have found is that if you phone around and haggle a little you can really pick up a bargain. Cycle shops do not like being told that you can get X cheaper if you buy it at Y.... The Silverback that we purchased is a great example... was quoted R8900 by X and purchased it for R7400 at Y...

Thanks for the advice Drongo. Will do.

Thanks guys. I have noticed that the shocks do feel a little "lumpy" and have "hardened up" a little. I guess that it is time for a shock service. I look after the bike very well but you learn every day. To be honest, I had no idea that you need to service shocks! Now I do...

Can you feel it when you ride?

Hi I purchased my Anthem X in August 2009 and have never serviced the shocks (both front (Rockshox Recon SL) and rear (Fox RP)). This weekend I overheard someone saying that they ought to be serviced every 1500km?? I have done 2000km... Advice? PS: Good to Go Cycles in Durban can service both for around R1000...

My advice to you would be to go and ride one. Have you ridden a bike with a Lefty front shock? It is a little odd... I could not get used to it so I went for an Anthem. My mate has one and swears by it... different strokes. Go onto mtbr for a review

I was riding in the area at the time and came across a group of riders that had stopped in that one of the riders in that group had fallen on some single track and snapped his "shin bone" (tibia?) The guy was in a heck of a lot of pain and at that stage his fellow riders had already called Netcare. One of our crew,using his Garmin was able to give them the exact co-ordinates. There was no "ravine" as per the article though... maybe a different accident?

I was looking for new wheels for over 10 months... there are just so many options out there! I was set on American Classics but then Ha Ha Kieran offered me the Gippiemme Kenya XC wheels at a lower price so I took those. The American Classics are getting rave reviews all over the world. I am VERY VERY happy with my XC Kenyas, had a few jumps and drop offs already and they are hundreds. Will be doing my review in Jan 2011. Avoid Easton, 2 people that I know have had issues that the supplier dragged its feet in resolving.

Car polish FTW... remember that the paint will most probably have a clear coat so stay away from liquids that are corrosive. Try polishes and tooth pastes and brasso/silvo... do not use petrol/parrafin etc... that red clay is tough though... good luck!

I have not ridden the Merida but we have a SB Ventura in the family and it is FAST for what it cost. I have also ridden a Spectra and it weighs virtually nothing, is super fast up a hill and has good components. For me there is only one choice here...

Being in the legal profession I have seen a few advocates wearing them on late... seems as if they are trying to balance out their k@k arguments... What I truly do enjoy is when fatties/"shamu the friendly whale type folk" wear them and shovel food into their mouths... a balanced diet?

a carbon crank set... Truvativ... nom nom nom nom nom

I say buy the best frame that you can afford and do not worry too much about components on a beginner bike as you are just going to trash them... I did this with my anthem and now she is upgraded and sexy like... Upgradeatitis... I love that... has been laughing my ass off...

The XT is only 30g lighter than the SLX... That makes the TruVativ about 70g lighter than the SLX... I have no idea what an entry level Deore crank weighs in at but I suspect that it will be close to 1kg. I will dropping my bike into the 11kg bracket with this change. The 2009 Anthem X2 weighed 13kg brand new - with a few mods she now weighs 12.1kg... now for the new crank!!

I think that it is 40g lighter than the XT and R700 cheaper...

Hmmmm.... For the front Kenda Karma and the rear Racing Ralph or Small Black 8's... all weather dependant though... I have just put on a Maxxis High Roller front tyre and it is really really ***...

A Trance is what got me hooked on the Giant brand... she was matt black and red... what a machine!! Nice kit those are.

A lighter flywheel does not increase power, rpm or decrease torque... it helps the car rev up faster thus increasing acceleration... raced cars for years... always used on.

If lighter wheels do not make a difference then why do race cars run lighter flywheels and lighter rims? I have just moved to a wheel set that is 800g lighter than my old set... the difference is amazing...

I am about to do a review on the Kenyas, just getting some more miles under the belt with them. My bike dropped from being 13kg to just over 12kg. The improvement is massive. I ride an Anthem X2.

Hmmm... Some interesting reading. My experience is that if you are coming up behind a fellow MTB'er just call out on which side you are going to pass and then go for it... if they look like a noob give them a wider berth and pedal faster! I rode the Hill2Hill with a noob and the elite men caught us, these are the guys that race for a living and they were very polite when overtaking... If they can be polite, so can I.

I ride with a pair of these but mine have the yellow photochromatic lense and I swear by them! The tranition between light and dark is not noticeable at all! Awesome buy.

if it is going to be muddy then def go for the Karmas!