johanpre44

I'm going to get a set of Deore M615s, similar to XT/SLX except without the Servo Wave (improved power or something), they can also use icetec pads. Currently running a set of Shimano Acera (M446) hydraulic disc brakes, no problems over the last two years, but they eat the resin pads quickly (3rd set in 4000km).

Interesting... As far as I know in some cases it costs the company more for you parking than your actual work space (in Sandton at least), so if you commute to work by bike (and you can fit 20+ bikes in one parking spot), it actually saves the company a lot of money. The problem for any company is to try and promote good behavior. The bigger the company the harder it is to change things. Money is also not always the best way to promote/reinforce the good behavior (someone somewhere will make a hash of it and then the benefit will fall away), it may also be seen as a bribe... If your workplace already provides showers, bicycle parking and a canteen with healthy food options (and maybe subsidized meals), I would say they are already doing a very good job! In return you probably already do one hell of a good job as well (because you are healthy, fit etc.). Now imagine what your company will do if 20% to 30% of their workforce cycles to work? I think they may have a seriously (good) problem on their hands! Don't worry too much about the money, I think you are getting the benefits. Maybe try and get your boss to cycle to work too!

Now that's a good idea (pretty sure plenty of single speeders will be fooled for a while, until they realize the rider isn't half dead at the top of a steep climb), but like Wyatt Earp said, it wont count as SS.

My shoes usually rubs some of the paint off the crank arms (looks really crap), think I will try and polish the arms as well. Will look a lot better and probably stay looking a lot better for much longer. I read that there is some kind of polish you can use (will have to find the thread) that helps with keeping everything shiny for longer, and if the shine goes a lot easier to make shiny again.

I've done some cycling related online (local) orders myself over the last couple of years and sometimes the mess-ups are epic. Patience seems to be the only solution (shouting at the supplier over the phone just makes things worse). Unfortunately bad admin seems to be some sort of South African epidemic, I hope that my good work (at work) will help to somehow make everything better. As for the cost of shipping I found that R75-150 seems to be the going rate. A lot of the time its actually cheaper to buy something from a local LBS, especially if you can bargain with them. But sometimes those on line deals are just to good to ignore.

Love my Silverback Stride 10 (2012 model with 2013 frame), been going well over the last 2 years (over 4000km done). The 2012 Stride 20 came with disc brakes (mechanical and not hydraulic), if you can find one of these for the mentioned price I think it will be a good deal. When I bought my bike I upped my budget from R3000 to about R4500 (this was middle of 2012), simply because of the amount of "better" components I could buy with the money. I now understand why some people will pay over R20k for a bike. A friend borrowed a bike, and liked it so much that after 3 months he spent about R8k on a new and much better bike, and he enjoys the riding now even more than before.

Safety first, I also stop at red and stop signs. I would love to see some nice cycling lanes in Jhb (at least way before "tweaks" to rules should be considered).

Got a set of 2.1 GCs in Feb, at that time I could not find better value tubeless ready tires for my 26er and so far very impressed with them (almost 750km done, including some muddy and dry/loose races). Hoping to get at least 2000km out of these (previous sets of tires did not reach 2000km, probably because I do a lot of tar as well). Currently running them at about 2bar each (94kg), very grippy compared to my previous sets of tires.

Good idea, problem may be to teach some cyclists to stay safe rather than fast. Interesting point that was made regarding cyclists that should be regarded differently than cars because they are not cars (a lot slower), like pedestrians being regarded differently again (slower still than cyclists). Motorbikes are very much like cars because of speed, but because of their size they are not regarded the same as cars (legal for motorbikes to drive between lanes on the highways in rush-hour/slow traffic). Makes sense to have different rules for different vehicles.

You guys are soo funny! I took a friend to cycle lab to show him around (new to cycling), and he walked out with a nice bike (29er). With all the new bikes around I still love my cheap and cheerful 26er! The nice thing about all my friends and myself upgrading is that you get to know what works well and what doesn't, kind of trial and error without spending all your own bucks on the learning.

What about Silverback or Momsen? I find Silverback very good value for money (but had a hard time deciding between Silverback and GT when I bought my first bike 2 years ago). And I like Momsen because local is lekker (local design but manufactured in the east somewhere like all other bikes)! Most important thing is that you like the bike, you will not go wrong with any of the major brands mentioned. Will be a very good idea to visit the Fourways Cycle Lab, they have a huge selection of bikes (different brands and budgets), I took a friend there a couple of weeks ago, got to compare some specs of the different brands in the same price range and he walked out with his first bike.

Wessel, Once again Clarens Half Marathon was an excellent event! I will be there again next year (making it another long weekend), hopefully I will have the guts to attempt the Marathon.

Took my family for a hike early this morning, before we got off the trail the elites on Marathon came through, made my day! Very stoked that Kleinhans said thanks for the cheers, even while sitting right behind Platt and Bell. Cant wait for Tomorrows half marathon. Sterkte to the family and friends who lost the rider close to the end. Saw the 2 ambulances close to the finnish just before 1.

Think I will pass them on Friday at the beginning of my ride, will be nice to do a chilled ride where I haven't been before!

Clarens Extreme is not organizing any mtb group rides for Friday, but they have my details in case anyone else wants to go for a ride. So far it looks lime it will only be me and my son doing an easy ride sticking to dirt roads in and around clarens. Anyone else is welcome.

Will do, Thanks Dubbelbuys!

Almost the Clarens long weekend, seems like I will be doing a solo fun ride.

So far looking like it will be a couple of degrees warmer than last year, looking forward to it regardless!

I upgraded my wife's bike from 26er to 29er (she is 1.72 tall, and fits perfectly on a medium Silverback Sola), she loves the 29er especially the added stability, but I have to add that her 26er was very twitchy/nervous (because of a very steep head angle). Like some of the others said, see if you can get an extended test ride on a bike before you buy. My wife took the Silverback for a ride inside the Fourways Cyclelab for a couple of minutes which helped her make up her mind, but this was not nearly long enough to realize how uncomfortable the saddle was for her, which I replaced with a wider/shorter model a week or so later after the first longer ride.

I bought my wife a Silverback Sola 4, she loves it (but only doing the occasional rides like the easy routes at northern farms). Great value for money. I was tempted to buy one for myself (to upgrade my cheap 26er). Must add that I upgraded my wifes bike from a 26er with V-Brakes and the 29er made a big difference on her confidence (lots more stable, much less twitchy). If you want to take your wife on rides through the spruit or northern farms I suggest that you maybe look at a good 2nd hand 29er (if she is not too short), her confidence will make for a much more enjoyable ride.

Set a budget and see what you can get for it. The Momsen AL429 is a very nice bike in my opinion. Like MrBaker said I suggest to start with a very low bike budget if you are starting out, all the extras like Helmet, Cycling Shorts etc. actually costs a fair amount as well. With this low bike budget I do suggest that you at least get an Air fork (weight and tune-ability). I started out almost 2 years ago with a budget 26er (R4200), I have only replaced the wheels on it and did the regular maintenance, and its still going very strong. The only thing I'm not too fond of is the fork, but in terms of Coil forks its a fairly good one. Now I now exactly what I want and is willing to spend lots more to get the sweet ride I prefer. Some of my friends spent around the AL429 price on a bike about the same time I bought and they never looked back. The most important thing is that you like your bike, regardless of the price you pay for it. Enjoy the bike hunt!

Gold? Why not Platinum?

Think the possibilities with the Electronic suspension control is endless (imagine adding an electronic dropper post to the setup and travel adjust like you said). Taking it a step further by letting the "computer" automatically set everything up based on the current terrain, like knowing when you are climbing and locking out the suspension for better efficiency, and opening up everything on the rough downhills. Pretty cool idea! But you probably end up paying a lot for this cool idea, and then adding all the wires and batteries etc. (makes me think of spaghetti). Unless if it comes with some sort of wireless (thanks for the idea Hyper7, I never really thought of it). For me Less is More. I still ride a hard tail, hate the fact that there is already so many clamps on my bars and not sure if I like the idea of remote lockout for the fork (not using it now, so why will I need it on a new bike). Then again, I understand if you getused to something and really find it beneficial, it is sad when its no longer available (and hard to go back to the old way).

The Cost of rebuilding wheels is somewhat expensive (you may need to buy a new set of spokes as well - check with your LBS for a breakdown of the cost), I would suggest getting a new wheelset. Depending on your budget you can get something very nice and light that will be a huge benefit to your son (Mavic Crossrides starts at about R3000, with mainstream wheelsets getting to R6000) CWC currently have special going on Crest Rims with Hope Hubs for R5800 (your son will ride these wheels for years), but you can also look at other brands like America Classic (very light especially the Race model)

Most regular MTBs run a 135x10mm Rear Hub which usually have the standard 5mm Quick Release that runs through the Hollow Axle (which is a little longer than 135mm so that the 10mm axle fits into the frames dropouts). The 5mm QR thingy always seem to bend (maybe because of my weight), and is eventually a mission to remove out of the hollow axle. Just having a look on the American Classic Website and found this: http://www.amclassic.com/en/products/components/9mm-and-10mm-thru-axle-quick-release. It also seems like DT Swiss have a similar product (called RWS Through Bolt). Just wondering if any of you use something like this. I'm keen to get an American Classic wheel set with this rear axle option (just because it looks stiffer and much neater than the regular axle setup). The Front Wheel will be a 15mm Through Axle.