Edge_Design

Close enough to the same person that I'm happy if you order from them, but thanks for the reference! They're more efficient than I am!

I agree completely - there are many questionable offers where people have very expensive stuff and don't seem to know what it is they are selling... As someone who buys and sells a lot of stuff, I am extremely wary of who I buy from when there are deals that might appear to good to be true. I have also assisted with recovering 2 stolen bikes through being wary (including one from the infamous Neil). On the other hand, there are people who just have money to throw around and don't really care what their rear derailleur is called.

Looks silly without the "boot" on it... Doesn't mean I'd say no to taking that bike for a test ride though!

Nope, Easton EA70 XCT's...

For those running them tubeless, is there a trick to get them to seat properly on the rims? We had an absolute nightmare to get 2 of them to seat on full UST wheels last week - managed in the end, but it involved far too many people trying and I'm a little concerned about what happens when they burp out on a trail late at night! They are the Snakeskin version...

You definitely won't go wrong with that! I got hold of an X29 0 frame alone and custom built with SID XX, XO groupset and Easton EA70 XCT wheels... 11.8kg's all in for a large so not the lightest, but an absolutely awesome ride. I can't imagine there is anything truly comparable at the same price level for a normal weekend warrior - all of the competition seem to have some weakpoint to develop on still, the Giant just seems to be the best all-rounder bike.

Based on the alu version, I agree with the post re the carbon Anthem 29er! I'm tempted to say I'd go with XT groupset for reliability (even though the XTR is seriously pretty!)... I ride SRAM myself, but Shimano just feels more solid to me. As far as wheels go, get good ones! Let's be honest here, once you get to R6k+ wheels, the only real difference is the stickers and the marketing (hence the pro's not all riding on the same wheels!).

I haven't ridden the Fulcrums, but have a set of the Eastons (29") and so far they are rock solid and roll incredibly smoothly...

Neil --> I would like to challenge you to supply the paperwork you are legally required to have for the purchase/acquisition of that bike (including a copy of the ID of the "seller). If you have nothing to hide as you almost manage to indicate in your message then you should have no problem with your shops records (as required by law). I have also asked you previously if you would prove that you have no bikes in your garage at home (I have been told otherwise) so that everyone can know you are being honest and not hiding the truth. Surely you would like to clear your name or do you really not care at all that you are known as the one stop stolen bike shop in the Southern Suburbs? If anyone has the time to find links to all of the threads involving stolen bikes recovered from Neil, please would you PM me links to them. I would like to take the details to the police station and see if it would be possible to lay criminal charges against him (if you have had your own bike recovered there as I have then please send me your story and contact details) - I have one senior cop who is quite keen to assist with this, but I still need to find out the possibilities.

If you're heading up there again and there's some space for amateurs, please let me know! My non-existent jumping skills could do with some work! Invested in a 150mm GT Force to learn on, now to find some time to ride it (pity it's too small for me, but seems to work fine going downhill which is the important part).

Can I ask a question - how "independent" is this review/comparison? After the first 2 lines I knew exactly where it was leading to as far as a conclusion is concerned (and very coincidentally a day after I mentioned that I would love to get some independent feedback on the different lights)... You just seem to have put more effort in this post that most magazine authors would do which concerns me that you might be more closely connected to Hannes (Pyrolights) than you have indicated?

I did say it was a personal opinion - everyone can decide for themself what they prefer... If I'm not mistake the Kelvin (hope that's spelt correctly, wouldn't want you to have to correct me) scale does have a white range (roughly 4000 - 6000K) and above that it moves into the blue colours. I would think the law is in place for the benefit of oncoming traffic, but I might be wrong? Maybe you could clarify why that law exists as it would impact the point of your argument as you seem to be defending it based on it being a better colour due to the law restricting manufacturers to it... I hope you don't mind me having the opinion, but I still prefer the white light (which I have admitted does have some weaker areas). I'd be interested to get some more independent feedback from people that have used both as to whether they could even tell the difference and, if they could, whether it made any difference at all to their ability to cycle at night?

And now the excess are available on the hub at a further discounted price (just to twist the knife a little more for those that stuck with the Groupon deal!).

You are correct about the difference... What you prefer is complete personal preference. My view is that "warm" 4000K light is great for homes where you want nice warm light and you're not too worried about visibility and also easier on oncoming cyclists/cars whereas "cold" 6000K+ light is great for high visibility (think hospitals/latest bi-xenon car headlights etc) as you get more contrast on the object you're looking at so better perception of the tree trunk/rock you're about to ride into (if you're as skilled as I am on a MTB). I battle with night-vision so prefer the harsher white light as I find the additional contrast gives me much better vision of objects which are tucked away in the shadows. Although I do admit the warm light is closer to a "natural" light, that isn't what I want from my riding light (if it provided the same amount of light as the sun, then I might start worrying about having a nice comfortable colour, but right now my concern is visibility).

I probably wouldn't buy anything from any of them that isn't on special or where I've been sent a voucher of some form. CRC especially has enough of a range that there is always an alternative on special if the item you wanted isn't discounted enough. If you shop around you can find better prices on specific individual items (I've personally only bought from Total Cycling, CRC and E-bay), but if you need a range of items, it is not often that there is anywhere better than CRC. I'm sure you could find 100+ items with cheaper comparative prices if you really wanted to (you chose to post 3 very random items for whatever reason - I'm sure I could pick 3 that would show the opposite result very easily too). It's the same as people post lists of items to prove CWC is cheaper - they definitely have some cheaper products and I would definitely include them as a place to look when shopping around, but they are also definitely not always cheaper than CRC (or many others).

Just to clarify, my comments were purely based on the similarity between the registrations... Same web host, same area and a few other details (including the coincidence of being posted on Groupon on the same day and extreme lights having a link to Pyro lights on their website)... I hope you can see how I can draw the conclusion that it's likely to be the same person.

As far as I can tell, both Pyro lights and Extreme lights are most likely run by the same person which would make the comments to you misleading by them and not by Groupon... The domain registrations just appear remarkably similar to me... Try the phone number it's registered to (0218871433) and see where that gets you (that's from publically available information on the internet so no funny business in posting it).

I'm definitely keen to give it a go if the time/location allows me to get there after work!

Nice looking light - 20% higher output than Magicshine MJ808B with the same LED and 3 times the runtime out of the same battery! That's seriously impressive stats... One of those on your bars should be more than enough light for any riding though except for technical single track if you want to race down it at night. If you're looking to do technical stuff at speed then a flood on your bars and spot (like the one advertised) on your helmet or an MJ816 on your bars which gives you the best of both in one light.

I have sold literally hundreds of items over the years on the hub and Gumtree and am always willing to refund if there is a problem the buyer couldn't have been aware of (postage is for the buyers account though - I always sell openly and honestly so the problem is either an accident or they didn't ask the right questions). My only real refund I can remember giving someone was for MTB wheels which were a few years old and he decided they were more scratched than he had expected when they reached him in JHB! I had warned him they were well used, but he obviously didnt' look at the pictures closely enough. I refunded him and sold them a week later to a local buyer who was extremely happy with them. In my opinion, you would be perfectly justified if making postage the buyers risk as it is their choice to buy from a distant seller (not the way I work, but wouldn't blame someone for working that way). If the part is genuinely faulty then there is absolutely no question that the seller must refund in full (only way you refund less is if you're covering repair costs in full and the buyer is happy with that). Whether that's the law or just plain, simple ethics I couldn't tell you, but no question in my mind. I have been burned by someone selling me carbon wheels with a crack in them and then denying any liability for it, but I didn't have the time or money to take her on legally so she scored a brand new set of wheels of mine in exchange for 1.5kg's of almost worthless plastic! I have also bought many many other items made of carbon, alu and every other cycling material with virtually no problems so definitely a supporter of the 2nd hand market!

I haven't ridden the Trek, but can definitely vouch for the Anthem (I have a custom specced X29 0 and the the older XT X29 1 briefly before it)... I'm sure the Trek is also an awesome bike though so I wouldn't count it out!

My understanding of it is they have a responsibility to deliver the parcel (exactly the same as your courier does) so you are entitled to claim compensation from them if that doesn't happen. If it gets damaged in transit then you might battle as it is your responsibility to package it appropriately. I will let you know the outcome of my claim (hopefully sometime in the next few days) which is exactly as mentioned above - the driver signed for it and it never reached the PO (Speed Services). The manager of the relevant PO has indicated in writing that they would refund me though which will make it more difficult for them to dispute it.

Postage is generally the buyers risk unless otherwise agreed. I have been fighting the post office since March last year for a R7,5k package Speed Services has admitted was stolen by their driver. They agreed to pay, but I have never seen a cent of it. You can apparently complain to ICASA, but after 3 months I am still trying to get an answer from them on my complaint... Basically just keep trying! Icasa's website gives you a good idea of the process to be followed. As far as I am aware the insurance is only for damage to the goods in transit - it is their duty to get it delivered to the destination as that is the service you have employed them to do and that doesn't require additional insurance.

The only reason to use it at gym is just to get used to the different position you sit in the water when swimming... Much better to do in open water if you have somewhere to train. Get from Chainreaction is they have your size on special, landed my suit for <R1k (Aquasphere Pursuit which retails for R2,8k here if I remember correctly). Keep in mind you'll be hit with 40% duties and tax when it gets here though...