Jakoos

Hi, All Time for feedback. The Merida was converted to 9 speed by Robert this morning. We spoke about it and he advised, based on the type of riding the bike is intended for, 9 speed is going to work well and it is a simple and straightforward job. Robert did the conversion for me and I must say, I am impressed! This guy knows what works and how to make it work even better. I will really recommend Robert if you want anything done on your bike, the man is a perfectionist and gives his full attention to even the smallest detail. Thanks once again, Robert, it was a pleasure to watch you work and an honour to meet you!

Thank you very much, this is very kind. I will contact you directly, if you do not mind? Thanks to everyone for advice!

Thank you, really appreciate this info. I am in Pretoria, will try some local guys first.

Thanks, appreciate the detail. Seems the idea is very doable but it may become an expensive exercise!

Did not even think to check there! 🤦 Thanks, will have a look.

HI, all. I need some advice/opinions please. My wife struggles with shifting the chainring side of the drivetrain (not sure if that is the correct description). I want to make things easier for her by reducing shifting to only the rear, like on the newer bikes. How difficult is it to convert a 24 speed mtb to a 10 speed? What is involved? How expensive is this conversion? And opinions, like is it worthwhile to do on an older bike - she is very attached to her Merida. The intended conversion will not be used for serious riding or competitions, so components need not be top of the range.

A question, please. Years ago I was a member of Think Bike and had a set of "dog tags" with my particulars, next of kin etc on it. Is there something similar for cyclists? I am thinking of a scenario (heavens forbid!) where one is injured in an accident or a serious fall, to enable medical personnel or SAPS/Metro to at least identify you and notify next of kin. I do not carry my wallet or ID around with me when cycling.

Some feedback: After playing around with seat height, level and handlebar height and a lot of short rides to test changes, it looks as if I have resolved my problem. Thanks for all the advice and info, I appreciate it.

@RobertWhitehead, thank you for the very generous offer! I will contact you directly if I run out of options. @thebob, I have checked the saddle height first thing and I think I have it on the right height - I am not rocking in the saddle and so on. If I have the seat to low uphills become a bigger issue than it currently is. I really appreciate the advice!

Thanks, I will play around with the fore/aft position of the saddle a bit as well and see where it takes me. I have been cycling for about a year now since I started again and decided the saddle on the bike when I bought it is not ideal. The new saddle I bought is actually worse! I have done about 60km in total with it, but I will stick with it and see where it takes me. Where do I get a pro bike fit done? I know higher end shops do that when you buy a bike from them.

Thanks for responding. I have done the measurement and bought a saddle according to the size as recommended. Unfortunately, I find it very uncomfortable and it leaves me with a sore butt after about 25km! This is why I want to try out different saddles, but it seems I will have to go by trial and error and that is going to be an expensive exercise. The other option I have is to play around with seat height and level a bit more to see if I can find a solution. Can someone enlighten me regarding the length of the "nose" of the saddle and the role this plays in practical terms? And maybe, some additional information that might be important: I am 67, cycled for years as recreational rider, then stopped for a few years and only recently started riding again.

Is there any bike shop in Pretoria where you can try out different mtb saddles before buying? For longer than a 5 second spin around the parking lot.