Danger Dassie

Cracking lead photo by Cor Vos! https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/the-tour-de-france-ice-rink-who-crashed-and-whos-hurt/?fbclid=IwAR15VhqADFP46kU2ccxdJ7tkrp56buGiXWZO4Ikm0p_EjRtf6qSq7FwZL0M "Riders described Saturday’s opening stage of the Tour de France as like riding on a skating rink, the result of a combination of oily roads, heavy rain, wet road paint, and, apparently, a caravan float spewing soap bubbles. “I’ve never seen so many crashes in my life,” said NTT’s Max Wallscheid."

Nope. Nothing to do with the debate on brakes, everything to do with oily roads and first rains, thats all farm/rural inland area pretty much. So the roads see plenty heavy vehicle use.

Switchback Sports are the agents. Charles and Harry are good eggs and can put you in touch with the right crew down there. https://switchbacksports.co.za

There be your ocean e-bike. e-surfing is a THING

So body boards are good? ... Asking for a bru

Not sure who does Dakine, may still be the Billabong agency surfer boys from Jeffery's Bay. Their stuff is great though, have a camera bag that has literally been through the wars. Evoc is now handled by Omnico, so any of their dealers. Also take a look at the Bontrager hip bag. Nice piece of kit and well priced with Bontrager's lifetime warranty. Sprocket & Jack in Parkhurst should have stock. Chat to Ashley, one of the mechanics. He often rides with one.

Support isn't an issue, Cycles United as an agent are pretty sorted across the country with a collective of bike shop dealers who are also essentially shareholders. Ian and co at Mellow Velo are known to turn around bike builds for customers in record time.

Define too high and fair price? Entirely subjective. The other side of that coin is people feel they've set a price that they feel is fair and an offer may be a low ball or messing them around. Bike Market may upset with the way they do things and a bit of an arrogance. But on the whole they've built a platform that actually does give many newbies access to riding. They also employ a number of mechanics who give bikes a strip down, inspection and rebuild. The majority of private second hand sellers do not do that. There's competition though, a couple of others are now doing the same thing and catching up.

They are the unicycles of the surf world.

I'd honestly take a look at the Titan Cypher 120 in those as well. Especially if you can sneak a 2020 model. https://www.titanracingbikes.com/product/cypher-rs-expert-carbon/

Muizies is properly kiff though, nearly moved there some time back. Love the creppes/pancake place that doubles as a surf school. Beachfront vibe reminds me of Warner beach and those areas.

The Toti shirt my bru! I thought it was funny. Was told at the shoreline by some legend that I can't just take pictures. I told I was waiting for him to fix his hair and get out of my frame. Actually was looking for a lekker angle of the huts, but over the water with the surfers/sea out of focus. Got mates, Jacques and Nic who often surf Fish Hoek side. Super chilled.

Very cool

Nice to hear localism is still alive and well, makes for lekker fireside and OBS kakpraat. Always thought that some spots in KZN were the most ridiculous for it, barely 2km between spots. Umhlanga the funniest, trust fund Byrons who are HARDCORE bra! The Muizies and Kom is typical though, got tuned at both of those spots for having camera gear. Maybe it was my Amanzimtoti SLC shirt.

From your requirements and budget described, would say the Trek is the option out of the three. Comfortable and responsive bike, bargain at 35k with a carbon frame. Possibly also have a look at the Titan Cypher or Silverback in that range.

Yes

Vok

Will give that a go Oom M ...

Welcome to a whole new life Sands! Titan is a solid and reputable brand, along with Signal and Avalanche in this space. It's a good bike and should last you plenty miles of smiles. Decent geometry, sealed Shimano bottom bracket, air suspension fork and backup as a local company, along with an appealing warranty package on the frame. Which should last a lifetime anyway. Keep an eye on servicing and maintenance, possibly every 4 months or so, depending on your mileage. Wipe the fork stanchions clean up any dirt build up as this improve the longevity in the long run. These model forks generally aren't workshop serviceable and can be pricey to replace either the fork or internals. Also consider converting to tubeless with a Ryder conversion kit and keep some spare sealant at home. Relatively inexpensive and will save you much hassle in the long run. As far as second hand goes. Sure, if you have an understanding of bikes and/or an objective riding mate who isn't swayed by their own vices. There's no harm getting advice on an open forum either. But it does open the door to a lot of bad advice and can become an overload for someone starting out. Starting out with something new will give you peace of mind as you navigate bike life and overcome newbie status.

Notifications don't seem to be coming through, one ad has generated three leads apparently. But these haven't shown up on the home page?

Might be an option for you ... . https://community.bikehub.co.za/features/_/gear/gear-news/new-merida-bigtrail-targets-fun-packed-hardtail-trail-riding-r8164

Wait wut? ... top three how, and who did this "rating" ? "Best" is an entirely relative and subjective term. If we look at the top tier brands globally we're looking at, in no particular order; Specialized, Scott, Trek, Cannondale, Giant and Merida as the biggest players. Much of RM's growth has been in the Pan American region. SA doesn't seem to take to Canadian brands, Cervelo for example. Although Norco seems stable within Cycles United. Hullabaloo arguably may not have done the brand justice, but they did plough a boat load of capital into the brand, along with other brand items. It would be a brave move to re-enter a market such as South Africa, especially with a niche/boutique brand that many local riders don't have a connection with in an entrenched market. As it is we're a brand diverse market, overly so. A market that is competing for share space that has contracted at the mid to mid high end. The bike boom has been on kids and entry level bikes. Have ridden a few RM bikes, they're great. But as far as opportunity goes, not sure what kind of expectation can be balanced against the investment though.

As well as Zandri Strydom, that young lady should go far. Right attitude towards riding and life in general, along with exceptional riding ability and skills. Saw her pulling off Nino style whips at 15 years old, during the one SA Cup at Thaba Trails. A natural on the bike, be it cross country or gravity disciplines.

Cannot deny. Fair and accurate.

The onus is on us as the rider. Bottom line, if you're riding and there are pedestrians within a couple metres, you slow right down. Right down. It is just the right thing regardless. As you yourself said, with freedom comes responsibility. That works both ways. Too many people riding the spruit don't want to acknowledge this.