Longbarn Killer

Both bike are top notch. Forget what people tell you about stiffnes and responsiveness and all these funny things, 99% of us won't be able to feel the difference anyway. Unless your plan is to turn pro and win the Argus, I wouldn't be spending R30k plus on a frame. Rather look at the Bianchi Sempre or Specialized Tarmac comp. Both will offer you more "stiffnes and responsiveness" than you will ever notice and are half the price.

Scott changed the namd of these bikes in 2005 to"Speedster" So this one is a 2004 or older. R6 000 for a bike this age with what is probably 9sp is pricey. R4 000 is more reasonable. There are plenty of newer 10speed bikes on the Hub for R6 000 odd. The one you are looking at is probably the silver one. I saw one for sale not to long ago for R3 500

Could be anything..........creaks tend to resonate along the frame tubes and give you the impression that it is coming from the crank/bb area. Has happened to me twice. Both times I thought it was the bb, the one occasion turned out to be the headset and the other was my saddle.

Try Solomons in Pretoria. I was there last week and they had a stack of 2008/9 Bianchis at give away prices.

That was the whole crux of the ad. They were eating the plastic and it was causing all sorts of problems with their internals.

There was a Nuwater rider who ditched his gu wrapper, but it wasn't Jaco Venter. It was the chap that was part of the original 4 man breakaway (which at that time did not contain Jaco Venter), which was later caught. Unless Mr Venter also threw his gel wrapper and I missed that. I saw an MTN rider put his used container into his back pocket. If MTN can do it, so too can Nuwater What irks me is the lengths the organisers go towards requesting people not to litter and the top guys think they are too important to heed these requests. Wasn't there an add about how the baboons eat the plastic at some point in time? I'm sure there were thousands of others doing the same, but they aren't pros and they didn't transgress in front of a tv camera. I hope the rider's team has a few words with him.

Weigh them with the cassette and then deduct the weight of the cassette. You can easily get the cassette's weight of the internet. Most cassettes are around 300g for a 105 level.

I wanted to respond to this post, but don’t really know how to. I have shopped there a lot in the last few years and sometimes have received brilliant service, other times bad service. I don’t know whether to join the group who are complimenting them or those who are complaining. I have this “Love Hate” relationship with them. Sometimes I love them other times I hate them. Dee Jay.........I think you should have headed this post "Silverback - Excellent Service" They are the ones that got you your new frame within 2 days.

You are going to get Gummibear all in a twist with this one.

Don't bother. I made a query about some wheels and they sent me a mail telling me they don't ship to SA. Pity because their prices are generally better thanCRC. Try Probikekit, they are pretty cheap on some stuff and have free postage over R2 500

You won't be able to use your 8 speed shifters, however, CWCycles are selling Sram Attack shifters for R299. These are 9speed and are compatible with Shimano. Otherwise, you could pick up used Deore for R200-R300.

The website doesn't open up at my work. Is there a program or something that I need to view it?

I lost 7kg this year and my hill climbing has improved 10 fold. Going back to your gear question. To change to a triple chain ring (3 up front) will cost more than you paid for the bike as you will have to change shifters as well. Your best and cheapest bet would be to change your cassette at the back for one that has bigger cogs. I'm not sure what you currently have in terms of ratios, but bigger ones are available and will cost about R500 for an 8sp Sora cassette and chain. Then again, maybe you just need some good old fashion training in your legs.

Never heard of that brand, but Mr Price sells nothing but junk in their cycling section. I can only assume the same for that bike. For R2 500 you will get a brand new, entry level hardtail from a bike shop that is streets ahead of that Huffy in terms of quality.

Don't forget to add the custom's VAT (calculated on a 10% upliftment) and you will see that you didn't really save yourself much. In fact, you saved nothing. At least through Buycycle, you would have got a warranty that you could use without having to post all over the world.

Looks nicer than the Pinarello that is parked next to it.

A lot of riders ride a frame that is one size too small. So, if you are bordering between and medium and a large, you would probably be able to ride this one. Assuming the condition is good, R4 500 is an absolute bargain for that bike. The frame alone is worth that on the second hand market. I would buy it and ride it for a while, if it doesn't suit you, then sell it. At R4 500, you won't struggle to find a buyer.

Another option is to sell your wife's bike. RC3000s go for R3 000 to R4 500 depending on the year model. Worst case scenario is to sell it for R3 000 and then pay in the R3 000 plus a little extra you were prepared to spend on the wheels on this bike: https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/17008-raleigh-rc-6000-carbon-sram-rivalbargain/ This way, for a similar amount of money you would have spent, you will get a better frame, a much better groupset and the upgraded wheels you wanted in the first place. If the frame is not right, there are plenty of similar frames going for a song on the Hub or, just swop the parts around and sell the RC6000 with your wife's parts.

Consider it a small price for realising how dangerous it is to slipstream a truck. The cost of that rim is pretty cheap considering what else could have happened.

Please post a picture of your new ride and the face of your wife before she saw the invoice and after she saw the invoice.

A 27 will make a noticable difference. Another reasonfor struggling is that you might be too used to the easier gears on an mtb.

That's a Chopper, not a Bomber. It was my dream bike as a kid, but they were'nt available in Zim. Had to drool over my neighbour's one. His one was customised, the red gear lever was replaced by a little ball.

Now that Specialized and Mclaren have teamed up, he will have to start riding something else. I suppose, as a driver for Lotus, he will have to start riding one of those rediculous looking Lotus Time Trial bikes that they brought out in the 90s.

What about chain length? A bigger chain ring may require a new chain.

When it comes to stems, bar ends, bars, seat posts etc, they are all the same. They all do exactly the same job. One brand may be a few grams lighter etc, but nothing to shout home about. Get the parts that look the nicest to you.