DR ◣◢

Thanks for all the replies. I really feed motivated to get my health in order this year. Hitting 30 in some way opened my eyes a bit. Time to ditch the smokes and replace it with a bite-valve in my mouth

So I got the shock of my life today... For the past three years or so Ive really had to focus on my career and a back injury kept me off the bike for a while. Today I got the old girl out, sorted the rear shock, set the gears and sorted the squeel out on the discs. Took the bike for a +- 2km ride and I died. I can't believe how unfit I am. In my younger days I used to race DH, did lots of XC and I could throw myself off almost anything on a trials bike. Today I am a fraction of the man I used to be. Any advice on helping a 30y/o get his lazy ass back into shape?

I can also vouch for Fritz Piennaar cycles just off Witkoppen (Paulshof I think). Bought the wife's Merida there and the sales staff were extremely clued up and helpfull. Helped us to fit the bike to her size and helped pick equipment for her. Ive also had good experiences with Fontainbleu Cycles on Rabie. Only ever had bad service from Cyclelab. Then again a friend had excellent service from them.

Just goes to show that trustworthy people still exist. PS. Nice tiles. I have the same ones in my lounge

When I started out in DH we all used hardtails with some beefy forks up front. Marz Z1's, RST Mozo's etc. I remember winning the entry class in DH at Pretoria nationals in (correct me if I'm wrong) 1997 with that setup. I think it was a Wheeler 5700 19.5" frame with some XT parts and a set of Magura brakes. The same bike was used for trials, xc, jumping etc etc because being at school meant cash was very tight and one bike had to do it all. These days I still take on a bit of DH here and there using a softail Fuji Diamond. I might not be as fast as when I had my proper DH bike with 6" White Brothers forks and an 8" travel frame, but it still puts a massive smile on my face!

Thanks for the advice guys. Sitting with a Fuji Diamond Pro that has done 600kms and developed a horrible noise on the discs. Popped the pads out to check and they are still perfect. Now to check all the mountings carefully.