RobynE

I used to think it sounded SO arrogant and entitled when 10k was considered low for a bike. I feel that seeing Makro bikes pricing has lulled the non-cycling public into a false sense of bike worth. I bought a 13k bike as my first “proper” bike. I felt so fancy. Coil fork and all 😂 I had great aspirations of tinkering myself. Ja, no. Big LOL. I am not my own mechanic. My peace is second hand with good quality proven components that are serviceable. On the 2 second hand bikes I have bought, I have had no need to tweak and they are super reliable. Granted I bought them from someone ethical who stands by his work (@Robert Whitehead). But still. The components themselves have been flawless. The three new bikes I bought (before buying the second hand ones) needed so, so much tweaking. It felt like I was at LBS after every 50km. Something was always skipping, squealing or jumping. On all 3 bikes I had to do the rear hubs within 200km (I am not the rider of all 3). Three different brands of bikes and not cheap brands; entry level models with components from the likes of Tektro, Nutt, Microshift, L-Twoo. On the 26”, once the components were upgraded to good used (rims, hubs, drivetrain, fork), never a moment’s trouble. Rims and hubs from TRC OEM to used DT Swiss. Fork from TRC OEM to old model Rockshox SiD WC. Drivetrain from Microshift Mezzo to SRAM GX 1x10. Headset bearings had failed after a crash. I did a few mods on the 700c before selling it and those good used parts didn’t fail either (the OEM components had failed/were getting increasingly problematic at 1000km in - I’d had to replace hubs from OEM to Novatec, OEM Suntour fork to Fox). All 3 bikes have since been sold and are serving their new owners well - albeit that the only one sold “stock” still needs frequent tweaking apart from the hub which was upgraded. People have their comfort levels for sure but I will always go for component level before “newness” after my experience. Sometimes you luck out and get decent components at a bargain price, but that’s not the way it usually works out. Lots of talking and words from me but anyway.

This sounds very cool. I think your dates are muddled as the text says July and Entry Ninja says June.

That’s a very heavy hardtail with a lot of entry level components and I can’t find a thing about it online.

I haven’t personally, no. What are the specs?

I did the HM last year and the HM Short this year with my daughter. I find most of the Cradle venues to be pretty tricky, mostly because of the terrain. Last year it was 36 degrees, I died a million deaths. But I did find that in my event this year the rider etiquette was really lacking. Lots of close passes and people being impatient at bottle necks - even on the HM Short which has a lot of kids in it. I didn’t do Jackal Dash this year because of the same sort of etiquette on it last year (I was riding the 25km with my kid and some of the riders were awful) but hadn’t experienced this level of dangerous riding at Trailseeker last year where we did all the inland events. So I was kind of taken aback this year. A guy tried to overtake my kid on the crest of a rock on a left bend - he could see her, knew she was there, still bumped her hard, and carried on without so much as an oops or sorry. A little kid went down when an adult rider hit his wheel. NB: this is all on the 20km. I think the trails are very well planned, but the pace is a little hectic for some people and if you aren’t aiming for podium and spending the race out at the front, it’s decent manners to be lekker and ride safely and let everyone enjoy their day - not just you. To me Trailseeker is an unparalleled event when it comes to just about everything about it, and I will continue to do the events - I just hope that riders can think about being less d**slik when all that’s in it for them is a Strava segment PB. Thanks to the kind and patient people out there - there are plenty of lekker people, too.

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/790078/scott-scale-970-sram-1-x-12-rockshox https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/795264/momsen-soft-al-alloy-dual-mtb-m Any of the above will feel worlds apart from the one you have. I had the same one, briefly. Unfortunately it’s a very k*k bike.

Some options with decent components from BH Marketplace but don’t know what size you’ll need https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/796592/merida-big-nine-800 https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/646365/silverback-stride-expert-m-2022-12spd-judy https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/791155/scott-scale-950

Height? Type of riding you do? Location?

But then I think I must hang around for some Am Classics!

Not something being thrown away as such but I’m looking for a set of 27.5” boost wheels, to replace the Sunringle Duroc 30 on my kid’s bike. Thru-axle. Something fairly tough as she does meet rocks/stumps sideways sometimes 😊 Current rims seem to be rotting for want of a better word - rear wheel valve is pulling through the rim.

Speaking of pumps this is very handy and the battery lasts really well. Not nearly as noisy as other small compressors I’ve had and you can preset to whatever you need and leave it to do its thing. Lumeo pump

Enjoying riding around at Mabalingwe while making sure I stay faaaaar away from the ellies and buffalo.

I’d say the gearing is probably your biggest obstacle. Microshift 2 x 8 isn’t a whole lot of fun if you don’t get the shifting right front and back. The bike itself shouldn’t weigh a ton. The gearing coupled with probably not sitting exactly where you should is going to throw everything out. What groupset did the Silverback have? 1 chainring or 2? I’d suggest starting with a bike fit. It’s turned my bikes from bikes I sort of like to bikes I LOVE. I remember once riding to my bike shop feeling completely unfit and useless, struggling on every hill, and on the way home after my fit it felt like I was riding an e-bike LOL. Might be a bit far for you but Mitch at Mellow Velo near Fourways is great. They can also give the bike a once-over for you to check that there isn’t something fundamentally wrong like a worn rear hub/bearings for example. The bearings and hubs on entry-level bikes wear out remarkably quickly.

Only thing that works in all climates and doesn’t make me look like a spotty teenager a few days later is Eucerin Sensitive Protect 50+. I use very little of it and it lasts a good while.

Just my local (Northern Farm) - but if not for my bike I wouldn’t have been pedalling 30something kms at Northern Farm today and would probably have been mindlessly lying on the couch.