Daxiet

Highlights from my list: Subaru Sabie Classic Tour Durban Groot Marico Sun City (Road/MTB) Hill 2 Hill Crater Cruise Cradlequest Amashova Telkom Satellite Road/MTB 94.7 (Road) OUTSurance Experience Sabie Experience Will try get around to 6 Mazda/MTN Series events Many others budget dependant

My last 2 cents worth, check the weight of the bike! The Merida's, Raleighs, etc in the price range are very heavy >13kgs. On the topic of pedal bob, the MC40 in Lock-Out suffers from it , but not noticable on 60% Travel and considering I only use Full Travel on steep descents I can't really say in this mode. Oh yes and the seat position on the MC range and for that matter the FX range tends to encourage the front wheel lifting on steep ascents (even in lock out). If you go HT you will get use to the "hard" ride and you'll out climb the FS's in this price range for sure, if however you can get hold of Sausser's bike you may be able to challenge a HT in this range.

FX-15 I believe ways 13.5kgs, nice bike, but the spec is on the lower end. I got the Scott Genius MC40, awesome bike. Paid R14.5K back in July. My MC40 weighed in at 12.5kgs (Small). Bike goes down hills like a rock rabbit. The Genius range has the 3 mode rear shock (Lock Out - 60% Travel and Full Travel). The FX range only has Lockout or Full Travel. Consider I spend most my time in the 60% travel mode the FX15 just wouldn't cut it. The Front shock on the FX-15 is on the low-end of the Rockshox range. Go hunting for an 08 - MC40. Otherwise go for the Scale 35 HT, awesome spec for the price. I have few regrets opting for the MC40 over a better spec'd HT. But I do agree if you want to win races go HT. If you want to do ok and walk away comfortably go FS. Daxiet2008-11-24 13:23:55

Agree with the previous post, Harrismith does make for excellent MTB'ing. Back on the topic, I bought new and would have done much better going 2nd hand. You get a lot more for your buck. If you want a recommendation on a good bike shop, Linden has my vote, good pricing, knowledgeable staff and a decent range of bikes, they also don't suffer the typical cocky bike shop syndrome (arrogance).

Correction the Nabraska has at least one big plus over the indeed sweet looking Felt, it has a RockShox Tora SL which ~R1K more shock for your buck than the Dart 2 on the Felt. Keeping in mind shocks make up a much bigger portion of the total price of your bike (frames in this segment are "cheap"). From what I can see from the Felts pic, it doesn't come with clipless peddles which the Nabraska does. Some shops still have the 08 Nabraska in stock and the price on that is very competitive. The 09 might be more pricey by ~20%.

A friend of mine has the 2008 Dakota, only complaint so far has been the Haynes brakes which on the 09 model they have replaced with Shimano entry level and the front derailleur which seems to malfunction every so often (could be the rider). The 09 model looks better in components than the 08, don't like the bend or as mentioned the ding in the bottom bar. The Merida TFS500 is a very nice bike as are most of the Merida's, but Silverbacks prices make the difference.

I wouldn't go with the Phoenix (glad to see they've changed to hydraulic discs on the 09 model). The fork is a no go (Upgrading a fork is costly around R2.5-3K at least). At least get a bike with Rockshox Dart 2 (Silverback Dakota). The Phoenix also is very heavy for a HT. I would look at the Nabraska or Raleigh RM5, the RM5 has the better shock, but the Nabraska has a better rear derailleur. Phone around there are good deals on these bikes out there. However the best I've seen is around R7700 for the RM5. On the topic of DS: I upgraded to DS, but if I could shop over I would rather opt for a HT, would have got more value for money. Upgrade vs New - Upgrade works out more costly in the long run, go new.Daxiet2008-09-30 12:50:56