Baracuda

Can't vote up enough. I have been riding in NZ, Italy and France over the last couple of years. Most of the XC / Enduro riders buy a Deore / SLX equipped bike with emphasis on good suspension and that is it. They have phenomenal skills and emphasis is on riding hard and charging. Chatting to the guys, they see S-works / XO / XTR etc as something for pros. Whereas here, guys seem to be obsessed with show pony bikes and to be frank, most don't have the skills to match. 20K is all reasonable, but over 80-100k on gravel bikes??

Further to the tripster noted above, Bike Addict seem to have significant specials on their 2019 bikes. In terms of ones with more relaxed geometry under 20k: Merida silex is known for its more upright geometry: https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida-gravel/products/merida-silex-400-2019 https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida-gravel/products/merida-silex-400-2020 I am looking at the Cannondale for my old man: https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/cannondale-gravel/products/cannondale-topstone-se-disc-105-2019

I just built a Kinesis Tripster AT - found the frame for 5k second hand and built it up from there. It has the relaxed geometry etc that you are after: https://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Adventure/Tripster-AT On some sites, e.g. Merlin, the frames are discounted and your probably get close to a build for 20k. (just remember the 15% VAT on parts coming in).

I wonder which half it is going to be? Or perhaps Bloem to Bloem.

I also built a gravel bike a month ago, all good, but then Spec has started a lock down special with the Diverges discounted by 40% or so. The comp carbon with Ultegra is now R35k instead of R58k. Good luck to anyone trying to sell gravel bikes second hand when the new ones are far cheaper.

Most of our MTB night riding group here in Cape Town use: https://www.extremelights.co.za/collections/bicycle-lights/products/endurance-bicycle-light-1 Also for morning commutes and so forth. Tough, straight forward, plenty of light.

Indeed, I was super skeptical, until I had a good on a Trek Checkpoint for the weekend. A karoo road, jeep track and road route that would have been a boring old schlep on my Pyga 110 (which i love), turned into an absolute jol. The fact of the matter is that the majority of South African mountain bikers are actually off-road cyclists. Most of can do 100km without a worry, but can't ride a 1m drop off. Many may prefer a more efficient gravel bike to an MTB.

Got a 140mm Pike on my 110 with a Minion 2.3. It has turned it into a serious semi-enduro bike.

Thinking of buying a full face helmet for Enduro. Going faster and faster and doing bigger and bigger jumps and my cycling helmet is starting to feel very small. At the same time, climbing to the top of Jonkers with a full face helmet is not appealing. Can one take off your helmet when you climbing at an event? I know there are helmets with chinbars that come off, but there don't seem to be too many made in my size (I have a 63.5cm head).

I have heard some guys in Stellies refer to it as "green death" - that shiny green stuff that grows on the smooth clay that is in the shade 100% of time in winter. There are sections of it on some of the jeep-track climbs in Jonkershoek where I have seen guys on XC bikes slip out and land completely horizontal, while climbing, not descending - like when you wear roller skates for the first time. Just stay very clear of it.

How can one enter? Not sure if I am been silly, but I can't find the link. Cheers.

Morning, I would like to start commuting from Muizenberg to Salt River Circle. Not too keen on just going up Main Road. I road cycle and MTB. The crux is between Constantia and Salt River. Is it safe to do the Constantia Nek - above Kirstenbosch - to UCT off-road path by yourself in the mornings and evenings? Is there anyway of "dropping down" from just past Rhodes Mem to Salt River without cross Dewaal Drive, or is the only crossing the pedestrian bridge at UCT / Windmill Cottage? All advice would be sincerely appreciated. Cheers.

He could win on anything, even a Cannondale.

One of the most effective and cheapest options is buying 10cm of yellow reflective tape from Midas (the stuff they stick on the back of trucks) and cut out blocks for the back of your shoes and possibly the back of your saddle and seat post. There is an old navy dude that rides between Muizenberg and Simons Town in the dark in the mornings. All he has is that industrial tape on the back of his shoes and you spot him a long way off. Especially because of the pedalling motion. That with a back flicking light and a handle bar light would be good. But I am amazed how well 50c worth of tape works.

After going to New Zealand and Europe, I realised that 99% of SA mountain bikers are actually off-road cyclists. There is a select group that do DH and Enduro, but most of us have little in the way of skills but are exceptionally fit. Most will nail 100km per day events, but can't ride a 1m high drop off or gap. If you going to do normal SA mtb rides and stage racing, perhaps get a trail orientated XC bike. e.g. Pyga, Camber or similar with a slightly easier head angle and a 120-140mm fork. Best of both worlds.

First, in line with most of the posts, South Africans just don't get "second-hand" pricing. In the UK, US and elsewhere. if something is used for a year or two, it would be 40% off or half price of retail. In SA, guys still want 80% of full retail price. You can just order a new from overseas for cheaper. BUT, second, and the main reason I have stopped buying from the hub classifieds, is that people are selling trashed gear. I bought disk brakes that once you install, you figure out they don't work and then the seller doesn't want to know about it. Obviously he sold them because they are broken. Likewise, I have bought wheels and even a Giant Anthem, that looked fine, rode fine, but then problems quickly started. When I took them to the LBS, the mechanics told me "ja, that bike belonged to X, he trashed it on the Epic, told him the bearings etc were about to go, can't believe he tried to sell it at that price" (and this is not from dudes on the flats, these purchases are from motherf..kers in Constantia).

Extremely prudent. I ordered handlebars from CRC in October, they arrived today - not kidding.

After many years of riding in the Karoo, it is the way I tackle it, as much due to the wind as well as the heat. Sleep from 12:00-16:00 and then cane it through the night.

As mentioned on the previous page, I still love mine. I have tried the new spark and cambers and believe the 110 is still up there. I still fly past all and sundry on downhills, especially when it gets gnarly. With a 130mm fork, short stem and dropper post (so you can get your ass way back), it is seriously incredible what the bike can handle. If money was no object, I would probably try a Stage Max, but bang for buck, the 110 is great. I bought mine for 27k with good wheels and XO cranks. It came with Hans Dampfs (which were tons of fun for enduro riding), but I have since popped on Barzo's for multi-day marathon events. As is, it weighs about 12kgs. To obtain a spark or camber with similar spec and weight, I would have to spend over 60-80k.

I have a 110 and love it. Been on mates new sparks and cambers etc and I still think the 110 is better for me. BUT it is a 4 year old bike now. I honestly don't know why they (or any other bike) should be more than 30k second hand after 4 years. .

And what is a watt bomb?

http://www.pygaindustries.com/support/faq

2.35 Hans Damphs, absolutely fantastic downhill.

Thanks for the reply, the 170mm is a Pyga 110 with a seat angle of 74 degrees and my other bike is a Giant XTC with a seat angle of 72 or 73. Shoes etc are the same. I suppose that all added to together - seat angle plus shorter crank length all adds to my saddle being further forward relative to pedals as they are being pushed down. I may get a Thompson lay-back saddle post to see if it makes any difference - that should shift my butt back about 20mm. I

I would sincerely like more advice on knee problems relating to crank length. I have two bikes with 175mm cranks and one with 170mm. I have continual frontal knee pain on the 170mm bike. The other two I am fine. I have been to physios etc and done all the exercises and it makes little difference. I can't really move my saddle further back as it is dropper post and the layback dropper posts cost a fortune. I would love to know if this is a common issue and if it is worth buying a further set of 175mm cranks. My bike has XX1 on it, so it is not cheap. Cheers