TwiggzSA

I'm contemplating getting a spare wheelset to use for races and use my current wheelset for training. At the moment I've got a pretty entry level wheelset that came standard on my bike, set of Alex XD-Lite 29ers with XT hubs. I'm really not clued up on decent wheelsets and if I would need to get another cassette and rotors or how easy it would be to swop them when I need to change wheelsets. Does anyone have some experience with having two wheelsets for racing and training? And what racing wheelset do you have/recommend?

The insurance is through MiWay so I don't have a broker. Phoned them directly.

That would be awesome if my premiums stayed the same. When I asked MiWay about the premium implication they said that the increase - as a result of the claim - will only reflect at the anniversary of the policy when regular increase are effected. Have you had an annual increase? Otherwise Santam is the way to go!

How did a claim on your bike insurance affect your premiums. I have a claim for R1300 and pay R75 for R12000 cover. Excess is R400. What would the implications be on my premiums if I claimed. And would it be better in the long run to pay it cash rather and not claim?

Try Bridge Cycles in Diepriver. I'm told that they have loads of stock on the floor and you can take it for a ride. I'm not sure how much of a ride though - if it's just in the parking lot or off road. Also I've seen a test track around the back of CWC so maybe they allow proper off road test rides.

For me it was a case of being so frustrated with the different opinions and my own indecision that I eventually just said I'd buy a 29er hard tail alloy in my price range and bought the best deal I could find. At the end of the day, the difference in cost between a similarly spec'd 26er vs 29er is minimal - about R1000. Look at the Merida TFS 900 and Big.Nine 900. Same spec, R1000 difference.

I had the same problem with test driving bikes and not getting much advice. After much article reading and chatting to bike shop salesmen I was as confused or if not more than what you are now. There is no definitive answer. I went 29er because if I really wanted to make my own opinion about it, the only way I was going to get a good enough test ride is if I bought one. I'm happy with the choice.

I went for Alloy because of my price point. Also I don't know carbon frames that well and they break easier, although under warranty you shouldn't have a problem. Some people prefer alloy over carbon from what I read up. Advantages of the carbon are that you get more shock dampening and a stiffer ride. But going 29er and if you went tubeless with lower tyre pressure you'd dampen the shock through the tyres and not the frame. Set yourself a target, mine was 29er, hardtail, alloy, XT groupset under R17K. I ruled out 26er because that's what I have and wanted to try the craze of 29er - so far so good. Ruled out soft tale because of price and weight, I'd have to compromise components to get my price point. And set a benchmark of XT groupset all round, the standard M505 brakes on most bikes in that price range are rubbish. Ruled out carbon because of price, the Titan Carbon is nice and well priced but I wasn't going to keep the entire package under R17K. Also remember that you'll want to get extras like saddle back, spare 29er tubes (if you're coming from a 26er like me), bike computer, bar-ends, water bottle cage, ect. This all pushes your price up. Another thing you'll want to think about is at some point upgrading the wheels and tyres. Going tubeless will set you back about R1700 alone, not to mention upgrading the rims at some point.

Jungle Oats Yogurt bars and bananas.

Oh, something I forgot to mention is that Titan is built in the same factory as Merida, same supplier, distributor and warranty. I stand corrected but I've been told they are even designed by Merida but this is unconfirmed.

I've just bought the Titan 29R Pro Alloy (+-R14500), upgraded the M505 Brakes to XT (+-R2100) which came in under your price tag. It has a tapered steerer, full XT groupset (including hubs, the Merida has Alivio) and a RockShox Reba fork. The Vida and Merida don't have a tapered steerer so you're sacrificing on firmness up front but they both have a better fork in the Fox. The Vida has SLX brakes which are decent but the Merida comes with M505 (Shimano Uncategorised brakes). Be careful of a "deal", they will sacrifice some component to drop price. The M505 brakes are a common price saving strategy by the manufacturers. I've just been down this road in the exact price range you're looking for. Also look at the Momsen AL529, it was between those two for me.

What about items that help reduce the maintenance required like a fork protector like this one: http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/lizardskins-forkboot Anything else you guys use? I'm presuming that most would have a chainstay guard, what else if any do you use?

Thanks guys, that's very valuable information. Basically what seems to be most MO's is drive train clean with hose and some Green Clean or Prepsol and re-grease. Then general bike clean and maybe some Q20 on the forks would do the trick. That seems reasonable enough to maintain a bike after a ride and shouldn't take too much time.

Hey Guys, So after a ride or a race what is your routine for maintaining your bike? Be it cleaning out some dust on the fork, crank, chain, rear derailleur. Re-greasing the chain ect? What keeps your bike in tip top shape after a ride and why do you do it?

What would a reasonable body weight to bike weight ratio be? I was told that 5kg on the rider equals 1kg on the bike. So losing 5kg is like getting a bike that's 1kg lighter. What do you guys think?

As far as I know RaceTec does all the timing for PPA events which are pretty much all of the timed events in the Western Cape. I have had no problem using RaceTec timing chips as long as you have a PPA membership. No membership, no timing.

Hey Guys, I've been looking for a decent 29er for a while now and have come down to these two options. They both have a tapered head tube and RockShox Reba forks. That's almost where the similarities end. The Giant is a SRAM X9/X7 mix which Avid Elixir 5 brakes, it has a full 15mm thru axle and tubeless compatible rims and tyres. Cost R15900 The Titan is mostly Shimano XT components with M505 brakes and non-tubeless compatible rims and tyres. Cost R14400 If I went for the Titan I would upgrade the brakes to XT brakes and a full 15mm thru axle. I haven't gotten a quote for this yet but I have R1500 to play with. So it comes down to SRAM X9/X7 with Elixir brakes vs Shimano XT. So which bike would you go for? Or any other comments/suggestions?

Hello Hubbers! I'm in the market for a new/used bike that's a reasonable upgrade on my current bike (Mongoose Tyax, hard tail, suntour XCR, LX derailleur, v-brakes). It's getting on in years (about 6 years old now) and components are starting to fail. I'd like something with at least SLX components, air shocks and hydraulic discs, tubeless tyres. Does anyone have a good recommendation or know of place in Cape Town that has a good deal? Also undecided about 26in or 29in as well as soft tail or hard tail. This mainly because I've only ever ridden a 26in hard tail and have nothing to compare it against. Any words of wisdom will be appreciated.