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NicoBoshoff

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Everything posted by NicoBoshoff

  1. NicoBoshoff
    Seriously. You believe that Mr. X who weighs 140kg and sits in front of the TV all day playing Skyrim will suddenly see this and say "AT LAST! A WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT AND ENJOY THE OUTDOORS!'? Pretty sure if Mr. X was so inclined he'd have chukked his XBox in the bin already and gone for a walk in the park or gotten his behind in the gym on a treadmill or in the pool. As for Ms. Y, the 65 year old with a bum hip. Why would an aggresively shaped trail shredder exactly be the bike for her? Just because she can now pedal up that root infested rock-laded trail of doom, doesn't mean 9/10 GP's recommend she does so. I'm not begrudging anyone their chance at a good time. I'm not exactly picketing outside Specialised asking them to recall the damn thing. I just seriously don't get the product. It will either be too much bike for the places you can ride it, or you won't be allowed to ride it on trails that will make it as fun as advertised. As an aside, I have a massive problem with this "well now that guy who was previously too fat and lazy to do it can" attitude. It's the physical equivalent of lowering the matric pass rate. We can't all be special little petals.
  2. NicoBoshoff
    I touched on it earlier, but here's some more. Where would this find application (again, I don't buy the "But, gramps will now come and rock the black runs with us" angle) - as in, on what trails? No point in buying a heavier, more expensive bike just to climb trails you can climb on an actual bicycle - for that we have a thing called exercise and commitment. So that leaves descents, but I don't see any trail network allowing you to suddenly climb up descending trails just because you now actually can. It'll still be dangerous and a stupid idea. So where do you ride this thing where it still makes sense? Outback rides on hiking trails? Well that has it's own consequences and could end up giving MTB'ers a crap name since now "MTB'ers" will be seen to be shredding previous hiking sanctuaries. Trails that aren't open to riders or hikers? Well, I suppose, but odds are those would be seen as off limits, period and again the land owners will see it as MTB'ers tresspassing on their unspoilt land. So seriously, where is this a good idea in South Africa? We don't have 100's of km's of open access goat trails like in the Alps, and in any event, we rode those trails just fine last year on our actual mtb's. Hence - what gap is this actually filling (other than the gap in some marketing companies overheads)?
  3. NicoBoshoff
    I see what you did there...and it's a bit of a strawman. This isn't about being anti-change or anti-innovation. It's not innovating anything. It's just a new product that serves no real purpose (I don't buy the whole "This will get Stephen Hawking on a bike" malarky) other than "Hey look, here's something new and shiny you want. YOU WANT IT! YOU WAAAAAAANT IT!"
  4. NicoBoshoff
    Riddle me this...if the target market is the old and/or frail, why build it up with obvious aggresive trail geometry and spec? Not sure the aim of the game here is that. But like I said, it's no skin off my back if people spend money on this. I just have an irrational disliking in this and the fact that people have the gall to call this a mountain bike (it's not...it's a motorcycle).
  5. NicoBoshoff
    Buy a motorbike. Much cheaper and I won't judge you.
  6. NicoBoshoff
    I just don't get it. I don't like it. I know it's no skin off my back. Still think it's really stupid. But seriously, this is not a substitute for shuttles. The pedal assist works downhill as well and the bike is so fundamentally changed to accomodate it I don't think you'll get an honest ride down either. Another thing - if you get a newbie on this bike and they start riding like Ratboy and Chris Akrigg's lovechild after a month, please put them on an actual bicycle and film them trying that 5m gap jump out of a corner again. I will pay money for that footage.
  7. NicoBoshoff
    FWIW, everyone knows I am a huge Spez fanboy, but this is just so patently stupid.
  8. NicoBoshoff
    The VitalMTB review had the perfect "quote" (pretty sure it was an incentivised statement). It went something like "Struggling to carry enough speed out of that corner? Just give it two pedal strokes and you're clearing that double with ease." So basically: "Too little talent to otherwise ride that technical trail? Get a motor for your bike and look like a shredder. Nobody will notice and you will still know in your heart of hearts that you are special."
  9. NicoBoshoff
    It's almost like a bike, with a motor. What do you call those again? Really confused why Spez would spend R&D money on this. How does this take bike tech forward? I'm all for innovation, but what is this innovating? What problem is being solved other than making it easier for people to climb up stuff they struggled with because they were either too lazy or too unskilled to manage before. It's also not good enough to say, well this allows you to climb up stuff that was unclimable before, because that implies either DH trails being used to climb up on or riding stuff that isn't open as a trail to start with. It's not about the trail you condescending marketing scumbag. This is the Mavericks of bikes. If you are the guy leaving a strip club thinking those girls really, truly like you, this is the bike for you my friend.
  10. NicoBoshoff
    Want!
  11. NicoBoshoff
    It's the Kieno Kammies Show. Not the "let's hear what my guest actually has to say Show". Talk radio is the mental equivalent of Brooklax.
  12. NicoBoshoff
    Sorry, what was that about you not being able to???
  13. NicoBoshoff
    It puts the lotion on the burn...
  14. NicoBoshoff
    Is it? Awesome how you equate what's happening in Paarl (a landowner that has undertaken to give the takings back to the trails and has given us absolute freedom to build on their land as long as it doesn't cost them money) with what is happening in Cecilia (an inept government agency that makes it impossible to actually enjoy the trails that they didn't put there, don't maintain and don't secure, but still gladly take your permit money). Learn to read. I wasn't promoting trespassing. It would however be great if government agencies sustained with our tax money, actually fulfill their mandate - in this case managing public property for the benefit of all users, conditional on payment for access (which as I undertood OP's post was not in question - they were fined for riding their bikes there, not riding without permits). We encourage payment at Paarl because we need the money to maintain and improve the trails, not to line some official's pocket.
  15. NicoBoshoff
    I love how people reckon if the rangers weren't out fining "entitled" mountainbikers (who are making use of public property that their taxes sustain - the bloody audacity of it all!) they'd actually be out catching criminals who are scaring away tourists, killing jobs (and people) and denying the paying public the simple enjoyment of a day out. Cute. It's hard to keep my wife motivated to stay in this sh*ithole country when I tell her how free one is to enjoy public facilities (built and natural) in the Alps without any fear of crime or harrasment by overzealous officials (because they actually like people enjoying themselves), whilst here we have to arm ourselves just to go ride our bike. But hey, signage my bru! Signage!!!! Rationalise away. The Stockholm Syndrome is strong with you lot.
  16. NicoBoshoff
    Ah, I see now that all three Saffa's made it to the top 15 of the "small final" (no clue what the hell that is), so I assume if Pottie's time put him in 45th, Bull and Garlicki also top 40'd. Decent. But strangely enough, if you go on times alone, they all placed high twenties to mid-thirties, but I assume because they didn't make the "Final" that doesn't matter?
  17. NicoBoshoff
    Seems POttie managed a 45th. He's had a few IXS podiums, but still it's a decent showing on a proper Euro track. Hope this bodes weel for his remaining World Cup campaign.
  18. NicoBoshoff
    Paarl is plenty English. Most of the schools are double-medium and offer full english options.
  19. NicoBoshoff
    Paarl has been voted best Municipality in the Western Cape a few times, is home to arguably 4 of the best schools in the Country (all public schools i.e. max R35k a year in fees), has a rapidly growing economy and the property market is climbing (more and more multi-nationals and listed companies are setting up shop there). It's a very outdoors-friendly town, solid policing, mostly petty crime and it's within 100km of 99% of the best trails and tourist attractions in Western Cape. I live in a suburb in Paarl and we are very happy. If you really want to burn R35k a month, then there are three private estates to choose from, but I think your money will go way further just living in the town itself. I'm serious when I say you'd have to pay me to live in Stellenbosch. The crime really is getting out of hand there and frankly it is 50% more expensive than Paarl.
  20. NicoBoshoff
    If Pierre De Vos were to read this thread he'd have a white privilege aneurism. Just move to Paarl dude. R90k a month settes you on Val de Vie Polo and Wine Estate and you'll still feel like you're living in the countryside. Stellenbosch and Somerset-West are crime-ridden.
  21. NicoBoshoff
    Come live in Paarl. Trails all within 5km of town centre and awesome place to raise kids. And we have the interwebz.
  22. NicoBoshoff
    You don't...
  23. NicoBoshoff
    More importantly, you spent R35k on a drivetrain, but still run Alu stem and bar??? Sies man!
  24. NicoBoshoff
    If you knew (and were told by your LBS) that the XT version is coming as soon as say September, would you have waited? I'd be pretty bummed if I forked out R10k more than I had to if I could just have waited a few months. I'm not even sure I'm going for 1x11 XT just yet. My 1x10 setup treated me very well on Sani2C and that's as hard as I'll suffer on that setup, so what will I really be gaining by going 1x11? A bigger chainring? Meh. A bailout gear? Haven't felt the need for one yet. I'll rather wait till I build a new bike (probably next year) and then go across to 11 speed.
  25. NicoBoshoff
    Just to be clear. I never said the bike is junk. How would I know? It's just retardedly expensive. As are S-Works, Carbon Scalpels, Trek 9.8's. I just don't see how (other than Giant) no one has attacked the market by doing this cheaper (maybe with XT 11 speeds it will drop a bit) or making it worthwhile to buy second-hand (by making warranties transferable or extendable). Instead, we get "cheap and easy ways to finance your dream bike" - because more consumer debt is what this country needs. It's a bike, not bypass surgery.
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