Fillipe

Went for another quick 3.66km jaunt around the neighborhood. I really need to practice my gear selection in advance. 🤣 Got caught out a couple of times mounting a kerb and needing to trap hard to get going again. I felt like a learner driver always selecting the wrong gear and laboring in the moeilike ratte. So far enjoying the bike and I can see myself cycling more and more. But traffic and cars is another thing to get used to. I cycled in streets that are quite, but I feel so exposed. I used to ride motorcycle for years and never felt like this. Probably because I had the power on tap to get away from cars. 😄 I find myself constantly "looking in my mirrors", only to remember there is none! 😂 This unknown feeling of what is potentially behind me is weird and I tried cycling on the pathways, but it's littered with glass and rubbish and so uneven. Ideally I would love to cycle on like promenades or at places like Bahati where there is only foot traffic. I don't want to become a statistic. 🤔 But so far enjoying it. I'm itching to do a 20km or something. Slow. 😆

You have mail. Thanks so much! wow.

🤣🤣 yeah helmet is next on the shopping list.

I settled on a Avalanche Reflex 3 29er. Large frame for 5.5k at the LBS. My nuts just just clears the crossbar. 😂 Took a quick shakedown ride. 2km. Shees. One does not forget how to ride a bike but I could feel I havent ridden a bike in ages. Already got a puncture. 🤣 Took it back and they put some slime tubes and tire liners. Lets see how that holds up. Bike is not heavy. I can pick it up pretty easily. Gear changes are smooth. "Shitty" mechanical disc brakes works well. Overall, for someone with no recent experience with a bicycle I am happy. Wanted to do a 20km ride this morning but its raining cats and dogs. Bike is still new so everything works lekker. Will give feedback after a couple serious rides about quality and how the components holds up. The regular spot where the guys ride is a bit dodgy at the moment. Cyclist got killed in the plantations. 🤨 See ya!

Care to expand on that? Is microshift just not the best or is it ****? LOL

Olraait olraait ol righty then! Still looking at bikes. The more I look, the more confused I'm getting. Spoke with a gent here at work that cycles a lot. He told me what to look for (like hydro brakes instead of cable) yadda yadda yadda. Went through some second hand bikes and he put me onto a website he buys parts from and we came across this Silverback. https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/2022-stride-hd-alu-ht-29er-mtb-teal Any comments? Hydros. Tubeless ready wheels. Seems like a decent fiets?

It indeed is a L.

Thanks for the info. Yeah well look, my budget caps out at 5K. Maybe a smidge more. I know that is not a lot to fork out on a bike by ya'll standards 🙃, but for the riding I'll be doing, I should get a bike in that price range? But I also don't want to spend money on something that is going to cost me money short into the ownership journey. 😃 I've been speaking with Clive Berry on here forum that has a Giant Talon for sale for 5K. Looks like a awesome bike. So it's between the second hand Talon and the new Avalanche Reflex....Which one, I don't know. Opinions? I've read some more about the tire sizes and 29er might not be best suited for technical stuff, but I'll just be eating up tar with it, so I don't need a bike that will need to do tight turns ect. It's mostly to ride with my kids. IF I do decide to pursue this whole MTB thing (I have a friend that was big into it, now in the UK) I could pass my old bike onto the wife to ride.

Ok. I can get a brand new Avalanche Reflex 3 29er for R5500 at my local cycling shop. Is that at least a decent bike for a new beginner?

LOL! Lemme first find a bike and let's see how it goes. I am a self proclaimed lazy bastard. So yeah...😆

How about this one? https://www.olympiccycles.co.za/product/aval-reflex-29er-3-soot-blue-2020/

Yeah. 😁 So is there a comparison chart with inch vs M, L, XL ect ect?

Ok, so I looked at the classifieds. Your classifieds are really nice BTW... Found some bikes. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/581253/upgraded-patriot-enduro https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/588065/silverback-alpine-mountain-bike https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/589323/silverback-mountain-bike - Like this one... https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/581176/merida-mountainbike-with-slx-used - Also like this one. Looks sexy. But would a medium bike fit me?

BTW, I'm from Richards Bay.

Jirre...then the quality must have dropped since I last rode a Raleigh in '99. I abused my bicycle in school and I only had to change wheels because of balding tires... 😆