Dubber

There can't be many of these in PE - if it is ridden in the open it should get spotted. G' luck.

Ahh - figured it out. Giant Talon 29er - going for about R8.9k. Anyone got one? Anyone got any feedback on it? Cheers

Thanks Onetime Could you tell me which model this is? and estimated price? Cheers G

yep - also an option. But then I could save a little more and get a 'enter model name here' for 'enter original budget + 20% here'. But I hear you load and clear. The Vida 2 is on my radar - as well as the Scott Scale Team. Both just under R12k G

I couldn't agree more with Geecee. The Nikon / Canon debate is like Audi / BMW or SRAM / Shimano - personal preference, both are excellent products. It's debatable, but I would say Canon has a bigger second hand market so you can pick up lenses a little cheaper. Not sure where you are located, but go into a decent camera shop and play with both. See which one feels better and works more logically (sounds wierd but the new cameras have a lot of features enabled/disabled via the menu system - so make sure the menu layout makes sense to you. They are fairly different across Canon and Nikon.) I doubt you will be disappointed with either of them :-)

The Suntour Raidon is an air fork from what I've been told - or am I mistaken?

lol - no flames from me but I'm sure others will have an opinion Your point is makes perfect sense - my question is, surely the wheels (rim's) are one of the easier components to upgrade going forward? G

Just doing some research. I'm not all that clued up on the various components so any feedback would be great. The attached image shows the components from the Vida and the recommended Momsen model. In my mind (which may be incorrect), the items in green are are the better spec on the Vida and the one in Red is the 'winner' on the Momsen. Where nothing is highlighted the components are either the sam or I don't know which is better. If I'm correct, the 'only' thing better on the Momsen is the weight. Is my very limited knoweldge of components incorrect - have I missed something?

I must say I am pretty partial towards the Scott - always liked the look of them. But the Scott Comp has Alivio groupset where as the S'back has Deore. The Scott Team looks the better spec with the Rockshocks/Deore combo - but more expensive. I'll check the prices on the Sott Team again - might be some 'post xmas' deals out there. G

are entries closed for the event? Just tried to sign up online with no luck. Are they still taking 'offline' entries?

Gotcha. The hunt is back on

Got burned once with a 2nd hand bike - so not overly keen again. But I have had 1 eye on the classifides. Not too many 29'ers in my CT, in my size, in my price range going though. As you may have guessed I'm pretty much a newbie so don't know all the tell tale signs of a well kept vs dud 2nd hand bike. So for peace of mind I don't mind paying the extra 20% for a new bike.

lol - not a single store in Cape Town !? Or am I missing something. Closest is Worcester or Stellies.... No wonder I haven't seen them around - and I've visted a lot of shops over the last couple months

Cheers Danger - will keep that option open. Do you know who stocks the Momsens (in CT)... g

I'm not too hung up on Spec's - just looking for best bang for your buck. Looking for a hardtail 29'er under R9k. Mainly do weekend warrior type stuff but do venture onto the road now and then - hence the preference for the bigger wheels. I've considered the GT Karakoram - but no stock. Also looked at the Scott Scale Team - but apart from the Shock they are pretty much the same spec. But the Scott was about a grand more expensive (albiet that was last year around November - haven't checked recently). My current 26'er is an entry level bike from 2005 and weighs more than 14kg's - so 13.3 KG's is lite Feel free to throw out some suggestions - as long as the bike is readily available. Suggesting a great bike that is nowhere to be found helps me nought. G

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a Silverback Vida 3 - price R8.7k from my LBS. If anyone thinks I'm making a huge mistake, shout now Also, if anyone know of a better deal on the same or better bike, please sharethe details. Cheers G

Prices (and bikes I assume ) are available at cyclefactory for those in CT. The Vida's start at R5.5k up to R9.3k. http://cyclefactory.co.za/bicycles/silverback.html I'm also looking for a new weapon. At the moment I'm considering the GT Karakoram 1.0 , the Scott Scale Team and now the Vida 3. (All around the R9k price mark). I'm trying to get a ride on each one before making my final deceision - not sure if all models are in stock though. But in terms of components, anyone have a view on which offers best value for money?

Taken last weekend on a visit to Aquila Game Farm (Western Cape) while a whole bunch of folk were suffering on the K2C Canon 5d with various lenses g

Thanks - actually out in Bellville tomorrow so I'll pop in... G

Any bike suggestions for a 5 year old girl? I've been trying to decide on a bike for myslef for the last 6 months - probably the OCD coming out in me So going to need all the help I can get trying to find her a bike. She's about 1.2m and weighs about 20kg's. Even if you can't recommend a brand, a place to buy in Cape Town would be great. Apart from Game / Macro etc I haven't seen too many of the cycle stores stocking kiddies bikes. (Cycle Factory had a selection abouttwo months ago - went there 2 weeks later and they were pretty much sold out!)

no 29er Moda either. Although there a number of 29er options. Just not sure which ones will be released in SA? Anyone know when are they due to hit the shops here in SA?

There is always the chance that he prefered one of the other models but it was out of his price bracket? So he then settled on the next best thing? Just throwing it out there as an option

according to CycleFactory's website the two 2012 Merida's in that price range are caled 'Big 9's'. Not sure if that is the model the OP was refering to though. For R8k and R10.6k you'll get plenty change from your R15k http://www.cyclefactory.co.za/bicycles/new-bicycles-from-cycle-factory.html *no affiliation to Merida or Cycle Factory...

I'm pretty much in the same boat and can't offer much in the way of advice. Suffered with Asthma my whole life. I cycle with my Combivent inhaler which, if putting in effort, I use a few times a race. Works fine for me... G

Hi Just had a look at the Silverback 2012 line up. From the website it doesn't look like the Moda 29er has made it to the 2012 line up? Rather strange since the Moda was pretty much sold out in SA? Maybe it wasn't that popular in the EU market. All that said, I haven't checked how closely the 3 new 29er full sus models compare to the Moda - they may well be very similar - just rebranded under a new name? http://www.silverbacklab.com/brand.htm