TheDee

CRC?

Very sad. RIP and condolences to her friends and family.

Seriously wish I could ride next year! I think the anniversary edition will be something special. But, alas, I've got fairly HUGE exams in August and October and then need to set up a practice in February. Maybe 2014, if I can acquire the skills before then. Fitness is the easier bit, I think.

I'm sorry, I don't think KE and DG have got what it takes to win this race - at least not unless some of the other big names have serious mechanicals. This year Sauser and Stander showed what a class act they are. I reckon, with some real competition, they could probably have shaved some time of their winning time, in other words, even if KE and DG didn't have problems, they would still have won without too much effort.

I have the Nomad 30 - nice entry-level bike. Having said that, if I had to pick again, I would probably go 29'e - I'm more comfortable on my mate's XTC. Also, what size can you get the Nomad in? It has a relatively short toptube. I'm 1.78m and according to my ErgoFit I should have gone for the large.

There's really not much in it between those two offerings. The Merida in Team Green/Black is very good-looking. Try to ride both and see which you prefer - or prefer the look of. You'll be wanting to upgrade soonish in any case, once the bug's bitten.

If they're Niners, definitely sell them. Probably not worth much either. I'll give you a fair price 'coz I'm a nice guy.

Out of those, probably the GT because I prefer Rock Shox to Suntour. If you like Merida, go for it - nice bikes in general, and like you said, you can upgrade what you want when you want.

At least it wasn't this chap(these chaps?)!

Any idea where to get said SERFAs?

Mmm, also a noob. When you say "hardtail no-brainer", does that mean it can't be done on a dual-susser? If I want to get a new bike(have upgraditis), should I look at the races I plan to do in future and buy accordingly, or buy what I want and race according to that?

We doctors don't call them donorcycles for nothing...

RIP Ertjies.

Camerons, which shop are you buying from?

There are several threads very similar to this on the forum, all with basically the same advice. I myself was in a similar position 2 months ago. You'll always get more bang for your buck if you go second hand. This does lead to some issues, though - you might not know what to look for in a second hand bike; you won't know how it's been treated; you seem to be on a tight schedule, which makes finding a real gem at a bargain price more difficult. New - you get less spec for your money. However, you do get to enjoy a brand new bike, start a mutual, caring relationship with your LBS and you're more spoilt for choice, to a certain extent. You get to testdrive all the different bikes in you price range and pick the one that feels best. My advice - stick with 26" hardtail - doubt you can anything else (new) for the money. The Merida is a very nice entry-level bike. Also check out Titan(made by Merida - their cheaper options) and Silverback - generally good value for money.