An R8000 price gap is quite high and a bit unfair to compare those bikes. The xtc carbon 2 is priced somewhere between R20k and R23k and also a good alternative. The Syncra-Range leans more to a pure XC bike than the xtc does, so it depends what most of your racing consist of. If you are however willing to spend R28000+/- on a bike, check out the Syncra 1, it got a nice review in Issue 24 of Tread magazine.
@Tim_Fair Why has the half marathon been shortened to 40km from the regular 56km? @martinsnyman Cut-offs:At Suikerbossie - 10h30 At USN halfway mark - 11h55 (all riders must start before 12h00 at halfway mark) At German church refreshment station - 13h30 At Outlaws Bar - 15h00 At Finish - 16h30 Edit: copied info from website and messed up the format
I'm also looking through various classifieds for a road bike between R3k and R6k. I am however not familiar with road Shimano groupsets. I'm assuming the quality and price order is: Dura Ace > Ultegra > 105 > Tiagra Would you guys consider a R5000 bike(2nd hand) with a 105 groupset as a bargain?
Hey Zander The only trails nearby can be found on the vaalmtb.co.za website (under Local Routes). Some of them are public areas, and I would recommend not riding them alone. I mostly ride the gravel roads toward Visgat and Goeiehoek and a few areas along the Suikerbos River. The closest dedicated trails are Rietvlei and Thaba in Alberton.
Make sure the cable and sleeve enter the 'shifter/lockout' in a perpendicular way, if the cable is skew or bent the cable is probably stuck and can't retract properly. Happened to me as well and I suggest a new cable or sleeve.
Hey North Shore I don't have a season pass at Groenies, so I ride Klapperkop much more often. If you are keen on riding there sometimes, just pm me, I'd enjoy some company. I'm also still a student and have flexible times to go ride.
I can't comment on Momsen's service and the communication between you and them, but I can tell you that the standard Weinmann rims that are fitted to the AL129 are below entry level for mountain biking in South Africa. Going down the mild Ghost House downhill at Rosemary is risking it.. I recommend investing in better rims and tyres if Momsen don't/can't help you.
Although manufacturers market and sell forks using terms as "travel", forks are engineered to provide a certain stiffness and damping coefficients. The large amount of travel is only to ensure a rider doesn't 'bottom out". You can't use 'travel' as the measuring parameter, because a rigid fork doesn't even travel 1mm. It provide much more stiffness and that requires the bumps in the road to be absorbed by another part of the bike or more generally; your arms. So unfortunately neither the theory nor the practice is correct.
Does the creaking happen when you apply pressure to the pedals and crank during acceleration or hard riding? I resolved my "creaking noise" by trial and error like you did standing out of the seat. I inspected the seat rails, BB, QR, actual frame for cracks and cranks bolts and eventually realized that the creaking comes from the cleat mechanism in the pedal. Q20 and no more noise.
I'm unsure for how long recent posts won't be available, so my apologies for a re-post. Cube GTC Reaction Pro stolen on 13th May in the Silverton, Pretoria area. The bike is similar to the attached picture only with American Classic Race wheels. There is a recognizable blue USN sticker on the top-tube of the bike which covers some scratches. Any information about the bicycle or info of known bicycle dealers near the Silverton area, would be much appreciated! Jan-Hendrik 083 641 6735
I don't know if there is already a system like this in place within the PPA, but how about they spend the excess on a marshal recruiting and organizing facility/body. This facility could serve as a middle man between race-organizers and public volunteers. PPA can advertise an event where the general public could assist as a marshal and help cyclists. Spend the money on administration, bright and reflective bibs and basic emergency training. This would ensure that marshals know whats going on and not just wave a stick with a red flag.
