johanpre44

I Agree with IH8MUD. They also always play the "bad exchange rates" card a lot, so the best is to get the best price now and buy, chances are that the 2015 models will be more expensive for the same. I have learned that the shops with the good prices are always sold out, the ones with the not so good prices always have stock.

Nice! What a mission to find a 2014 model of this fork in Gauteng (for a good price), I've been looking around for a couple of weeks already.

Very important that you like your ride. Nice Bike!

Nice Frame! Surprised that you are going for a steel frame (but that's what I picked as well). I see the price is not too bad, but how are you going to get it into the country without paying an arm and a leg for shipping? I also like the Ragley Bigwig, and since Dialdbikes are bringing in Ragley parts you may be able to get the frame at a good price (inclusive of shipping etc.).

Found Oakley sunglasses at northern farms, if its yours you should be able to describe the sunglasses and where at nf you lost it.

Think I will wait a bit before I enter, would like to do this one. May be more tough, but it will be brilliant if I can maybe beat my time from last year. I have a friend in Broadacres, think I will go and park at his place and do the 7km ride to the start, warm-up will be good!

Does Stealth mean you want a black frame? If money was no problem I probably would go for a Titanium myself... A year is a long time, bought my frame end of March, and is currently waiting for only 4 parts and I'm done, hope to get them in the next couple of weeks (just waiting for payday!)

Interesting change to the route, going to be tough with that Cedar climb near the end. Pretty sure it will be fun. The not so fun part is the parking, wonder if the change of venue will make it any better. I suspect William Nicol (currently being a single lane between Fourways and Diepsloot) is going to be a nightmare for traffic.

My son has a very entry level MTB (2012 Axis A80). Problem with the fork (Suntour M2025) is that it "sticks" and seems to fill up with water, so it only works half the time anyways. For his weight (35kg) it probably feels like a rigid all the time. Blue route (at Northern Farms) should be fine if the fork is stuck in lockout. Note that an LBS may be able to get it sorted because you need a special tool for removing the forks insides and cleaning it (special tool for the end-cap on top of the stanchions and very long Allen key to remove the stanchions from the lower).

Just curious if your problem have been solved? I'm busy getting all the parts together for my Momsen STR29 build, and will be running it Geared (not nearly strong enough for SS yet). I will be running 2x10 (which may be solving some of the problem you had with the bottom-clamp/top-swing front der). The LBS where I bought the frame suggested that I use a top-clamp/bottom-swing model because they last longer (much less play on the pivots). I'm slightly worried about if the clamp will be far enough form the bottle cage bolt so that I will still be able to use a bottle cage.

I'm still struggling to find the New 2014 29er Epicon. Sounds like the distributor is expecting a new shipment to land middle of July (5 weeks), but they have no idea if there will be 2014 29er Epicon forks. Differences: 1. New and Old through axles is easily identifiable, new one has a gold tip on the "nut" side which can be pressed and turned slightly so that the Red parts stay flush with the rest of the axle. See post above for problems with the old through Axle. 2. New Lockout is grey/brown with big release button on the side, the old lockout has a blue release button. 3. The "fixture" for front brake hose is much like those for the brake hoses on the frame, older model has got a screw on clip. 4. New fork is labeled as Epicon XC or Epicon TR, older model is either Epicon X1 or X3. If you are in doubt about what the new fork looks like, I think the 27.5er version is only the new 2014 models and most shops do stock them (saw one at Linden Cycles and another at Westdene Cycles). If anyone found a new 2014 29er Epicon fork in Gauteng, please let me know where I can go and buy.

Ribs and elbow damage from this fall? Not nice! On the plus side, free mud bath (ladies pay plenty for that at a spa, I've heard). I was at Heia Safari yesterday with a friend, stopped just before the new "curved" floating bridge, and chickened out. A big group was standing and watching, and they ragged me bigtime. I still think the chicken run was the better choice (I don't have a good history with floating bridges). Hope you heal up soon!.

I emailed CWC and they only have 26" Epicons (they were not sure if they were going to get 29" soon). I will be buying a 29" in the next week or so (R3.1k organized at an LBS close by). I will be sticking to the crown lockout for now (remote lockout seems nice, but not as nice as the Rockshox Pushlock). A friend recommended the fork, his put it on a Ghost (which came with a Suntour XCR), and raves about it. I would love to get a Reba, but not willing to pay the R6k price.

Very heated discussion... I have taken my son (almost 9) to do a couple of races (two 20kms with me), and he did two 10kms this year on his own. I'm not the most competitive mountain biker (very average), but I like to teach my son what it is to keep on going even if it hurts a little (perseverance). When it comes to motivation and recognition, the medal they get at the end of the race is fantastic (something to show the friends), even though its not winning anything. As a parent, I think the best thing we can do is to recognize when our kids have done well and to be next to them and keep motivating them. I just love our almost 20km Northern Farms rides where my son takes the lead on the flats, and when he makes life hard for my wife (or just beating her up the hills). When your kid is really good, you can take him for the 10km Advendurance Races (Trailseekers and MTN/Nissan series), he probably stands a real good chance of getting on the podium in his age category, but please let him decide if he wants to be on the podium or not. I know my kid isn't bothered with winning, but he loves taking part, that's good enough for me.

That sucks, I quite like watching the XCE. But then again, nothing wrong with the XCO, especially since the tracks are much more technical.

Way too tempting! My brother is in Art School and said he will do some vynil artwork I can stick on (cheapest option by far, but using all funds to buy the parts I need). Will post picks when its done.

Very Classy! Styling on the seat tube is brilliant! My Momsen STR29 would a custom paint job, unfortunately I'm in Jhb...

Interesting Rant? (maybe just change the title to Rave if you can). There are some good LBS's in Jhb.

I also have the B10, great light. Just hate the handlebar mount which is a little loose (pretty sure I can get it fixed easily, just haven't spent the time on it)

All the tires that I have had: Kenda Small Block 8 wire bead, not too sure how long they lasted, maybe 1000km until I damaged the bead on one tire because of pressure that was too low (with a tube nogal). Bontrager XR2 Team lasted just under 2000km, Specialized Ground Control (finally running tubeless), almost 900km and stil very good, hope these will go past 2000km. When my commuter wheels are ready it will get the good XR2 and SB8 to go for some more tar riding.

At least I've done the Greek church a couple of times, but I can see how the humor can fail when you are tired (especially the bit above the church). Think I will put in some good training over the next few weeks!

My 2c is to stay with the simple lights (no fancy mounting hardware or remote controls etc. is needed). Some of the cheaper models ship with some sort of headband that can be used to mount the light on your head/helmet if needed. Extremelights.co.za have some good lights.

To marathon or not to?

I think you will have a lot of fun on a Trance 27.5 (rather than 29er), 140mm travel is maybe too much for XC. Trance 4 is not the best spec, but the fork and drivetrain is good (will last and be cheap to keep running). The Trance 3 is spec'ed a bit better, both of these should be around the R20k mark. Have you have a look at the Silverback Slider (27.5 with 130mm travel), not sure about the price but I think I saw this at cycle lab for R22k (similar price as Trance 3). Pity that its not a 2x10 setup (not too fond of the triple front except if you spend lots of time Pyga 27.5 is very nice (test drove one of these a while back), but I think its very much the same price as the Santa Cruz. Not sure if 29er will be a lot of fun in enduro, but they are king for marathon (for which I think shorter travel is always better like the 80mm on the Momsen Vipa). If you go 29er, check the head angles, Giant Anthem is maybe too steep, but there are 29er Trances (older models), and the Silverback Sprada.

To Go 10 speed you will need: 1. Rear Shifter 2. Possibly new RD (As far as I know 8 and 9 speed uses same RD, but the 10 speed models are different because the cable travel is different, but you may be able to tweak the old RD if its not going to work straight away on 10 speed) 3. 10 speed Cassette (should fit on 8/9 speed free hub, but you can easily test by taking wheel to an LBS and ask them to see if a 10 speed fits) 4. 10 speed chain I think the crankset should be OK, but a 10 speed crankset will probably shift a lot better (note that swapping the middle and large rings may have the same effect). Why do you want to upgrade to 10 speed? I'm still running 3x8 speed and find the cost way too much to go 10 speed. Why not put the money to upgrade aside for a new 10 speed bike? May be a lot cheaper and better to get a nice 10 speed bike. The Entry level Merida may benefit more with a fork or wheel upgrade than drive-train.