Longbarn Killer

and the law requires you to wear a helmet

Take it for a second opinion. From what I've read, Silverback are top notch with regard to warranty issues, however, they will obviously go on the rep's opinion. He may be wrong. Paint normally cracks in areas where there is a degree of flex. i would imagine that a paint crack in that spot would appear horizontally and not vertically.

Toyota made a press statement some years back stating that they were NOT Toyota motors in those cars. GWM are using old tooling from a 1970s Toyota to make their own motors

I read an interesting article on these blank frames. Some are good quality, others are so poor that they use fibre glass to reinforce the thin carbon tubes. The problem is, when you buy one of these, which one are you getting.

It doesn't matter where the frames are built. That is not the argument here. The point is that somebody is trying to sell a frame that is not aDogma and claiming that it is. The buyer is being misled into believing that he is getting a superior product. Who knows what they are getting

I've heard some horror stories about these wheels breaking like this. There were a couple of stories on the Hub a few years ago on these wheels.

Had almost the same symptoms, it was a bent hanger and after several attempts to straighten it myself. I took it to a bike shop and they sorted it. In my case though, the bike blew over in the wind (I lent it against a lamp post) and it landed on the drive side causing the bend

Thanks Mr Butcher that helps alot. Basically, to avoid the complications of adaptors, i must make sure I get 160mm rotors.

I have an old Scott with V-Brakes. I want to upgrade to hydraulic disc brakes and I have a few questions. I’ve noticed that all bikes have a disc mount on the lower part of the seat stay. My disc mount is on the lower part of the chain stay. Will this make a difference as to what calliper I need? Are callipers a standard size and are all mounts a standard size? How will I route the hoses? My bike only has cable stops on it and obviously the hoses will not fit the narrower stops.

If you are new to the cycling scene and insist on going second hand, take somebody with who knows a thing or two about bikes when you view. There are plenty of sharks out there that will rip you off or sell you something that is not suitable for you. Size is the most important thing to consider when buying a bike.

Not sure of the gradient's, but 5K hill is not too steep and 1K hill is f**king steep. Either way, the route doesn't go all the way up 5K, it turns into Lower Seaview Rd with an even steeper climb there. It doesn't go anywhere near 1K hill as this road is still flooded (1K hill is on the Lakeside road) Just out of interest, if you measure 5K hill from the Seaview Village (where it starts), it is actually 7kms. Not sure why it is called 5K hill

Heart Problem?

That is such a pity, it is close to my house.........Hopewell is on the other side of the planet. I hate driving to a place to ride. i want to be able to leave from my house on my bike.

There is a small cross country course next to Profiles and Cyclopro. Rob, the owner of Cyclopro said they are negotiating with the municipality to turn it into a really decent bike park. i often see people riding there in the evenings after work and every second Thursday, they host a mini race.

Anybody heard of or have used Fosso tubes? Are they as puncture resistant as they claim to be and are they worth the R170 price tag?

Insurance seldom pay for the repair, they normally replace. Why ride a repaired bike when your insurance will replace it with a new one that will come with a warranty (since your accident, your warranty is gone too). You pay premiums for this type of thing..........get a new one.

Where does one get these 650b wheels from that are not expensive? The only wheel that I know of that is commercially available is the ZTR and they come in at a whopping R6 000 for a set. i am looking for something cheaper

Impress all your friends and go the Ultegra Di2 route. Not many of those around

This would explain my "near death" experience yesterday. i was commuting home on my bike, I was three quarters of the way through a traffic circle interesection and this stupid woman approaching from a side street rode straight towards me without stopping or even yielding to me. if it wasn't for her son shouting at her to stop she would have hit me. She just didn't see me although I was close enough to see the whites of her eyes

A stem is a stem is a stem. The weight difference between the lightest of stems and the heaviest of stems is about 50g or so, but the price difference is staggering. Buy the cheapest one that looks coolest on your bike. I have never heard of somebody breaking a stem.

Malcome Langer

Something pertinent to this topic. I had a chat to a bike shop owner and he told me something which made a lot of sense. We all know that most local brands use similar, unbranded, frames that are being discussed here. They simply add a paint job and a few decals. Some of these frames are hand picked from reputable manufacturers. Some are bought online, from some remote factory that the buyer has no knowledge about. Either way, these unbranded frames have virtually no research and development. The manufacturers use the buyers as their r&d. It works like this. You buy a frame from them (or through the SA brand) and it breaks. They replace it for you with a new one. Your broken one ends up in China (with hundreds of others). They look where the breaks or cracks are and then modify their design accordingly (maybe adding another layer of carbon for strength etc). Your replacement frame (still the original design) breaks again; they now replace it with the modified design and hopefully that one lasts, unless of course, another design fault crops up (which probably will). The process goes on and on until they get it right. If you are lucky, your frame won’t break. If you are lucky, you may have to replace it only once. If you are unlucky, the design fault will only manifest after your warranty has expired. An un-researched frame has a damn good chance of failing in some or other way. Reputable brands (for want of a better word) like Specialized, Trek, Scott, Giant etc have their own in-house research and development. They put their bikes through all sorts of tests etc to make sure that it is right the first time. They make sure that their product is correct before you buy it. This explains why very few of the big brands have launched 650b frames, despite the huge market potential? They haven’t been launched as they are still being researched. They are doing all the tests to make sure their frames are right before entering the market. The unbranded 650b frames were out there ages ago, obviously with no or very limited r&d time.

Out of all the "non mainstream" brands (if I can call them that), Token is one of the better brands. There is nothing wrong with them and would probably be a good buy.

Had something similar, except I had a calcification in that area. My GP, a well known sports doctor in PE, told me surgery was the last option. Also had a number of those injections you spoke of (cortisone) and plenty of physio sessions and nothing worked. Had nearly 3years of pain. Eventually I had the op and it was the best thing I could've done. It is so nice to be pain free.

The name Scott is the only thing that makes it more costly than the Silverback. I'm not sure of the specs of the bikes mentioned, but I can bet the SIlverback has far better spec for the money. Another brand you could consider is Axis. I don't think you will get better value for money anywhere. www.axis-bikes.com 29ers are all the rage for now and that is all people are buying. I suggest, ride a 26inch and ride a 29inch and see how you feel. I have read a few articles which say short people should stay clear of 29ers as the wheels are too big for the geometry of the smaller frames. You will be the best judge of that.