Tankman

OP why are you not comparing the Silverback to the Merida Big Nine XT at the same price of R15 999?

Merida beats Silverback hands down, much much much bigger company and their service levels far exceeds that of Silverback. Merida is ridden by World Champs and feedback from active pro riders keeps advancing the brand, bikes, technology etc. etc. Also, a second hand Merida holds its value better than a Silverback.

There is a moerse difference between the two of you, you can not compare!

Santa Cruz sizing chart based on Height, so a guideline only. At 1.83m, you are 6ft ... smack bang in the middle of a large. At 1.94m you are 6'3ft ... border line XL or XXL (this is where the smaller choice was probably the better choice)

Your 2+2 does not add up. There is an 11cm difference between the two of you and an 11cm difference at 1.94m is the difference between sizes. Go with the Large. If you are in between bike sizes Kraynauw (which I dont think you are, you should be on a large) then go for the smaller frame. It will be more comfortable, handling will be better, more responsive and easier to manuver. (Blitzer, this is where the XL was Your smaller choice over the XXL) With the Ergofit, dont look at only the effective top tube, look at your reach also. Do you want a smaller frame with a 130mm stem? NO Do you want a bigger frame with a 60mm stem? NO You need to find the middle ground and more often than not, when you look at reach you will see what frame will work best. Your legs are not too long either. At 72cm you will not have an issue with the seatpost going behind its max. (on a Large) I have that problem myself. With a saddle height of 85cm I am sometimes forced to choose the XL frame because I can not get the saddle high enough on the Large and I am only 1.87m (410mm seatpost) Even then, the numbers of the Ergofit is a guideline, you still have to sit on the bike and have it fitted to you. Your angles needs to be checked and sometimes those angles and the numbers dont agree and ajustments are made for the better.

Yup, the Defy is not a carbon model and does not come in carbon. How long have you had the bike OP and what have you been told when buying this bike?

Round about 3000km, Bike was used for racing and a lot more training on the mtb. Buy the frame and we will chuck in the groupset, wheels, bars and all the rest! Not splitting at the moment

So you have never replaced a single bettery in 12 years and sat without a unit for a week?

Lets see MTB ... Singletrack, jumps, berms, dropoffs, mud, rocks, river crossing, sand, bunny hops, jeeptrack, technical riding, quick thinking, decisions, the unknown, nature, no cars, exploring, mountain ranges, traction, fresh air, wheelies, breathtaking views. Road ... tar, cars, exhaust fumes, wheel sucking, fast, strategy, team work You decide! Based on a smile factor, I cant stop myself from smiling waaaaaaaaaaaay more on the mtb than on the road bike.

I was thinking about exactly that, Martyn Ashton and his tricks ... thats why I stopped myself from saying a Road bike can only be ridden on the road! But no one else (the majority of us at least) cant ride a road bike like he can! Yes you do, Axis, Avalanche, Peerless and some other weird names, wont exactly call them MTB's ... they look like MTB's but its main function is more a bike of transport than a bike you want to put through its phases in the mountain or rough terrain. R2k, R3k (Axis A90 with coil fork), R4.5k (Axis A70 with hydraulic disk brakes) Road bikes you are going to start looking at R7 to R8k with some very basic components. Round about R8k for a Sora bike.

Many more cheaper entry level mtb's to choose from than road bikes. When getting into the sport, a mtb is more versitale as it can be used both on and off road. A road bike can well ... its a road bike.

A while still. Far as I can gather from Shimano, they wont be bringing in anymore full Ultegra or DA 10spd groupsets. Only parts like chains and cassettes. 105 still available. A lot of bikes still come out with 10spd groupsets, so parts need to be available to maintain them. You still get 7 and 8 speed Shimano mtb cassettes and chains ... so 10spd will probably be around for a while.

Damit, havent ridden in the snow! Some of the bikes I built have done so, does that count?

Looks like a demo model ... the dumbass probably got hold of it somewhere at a shop to take photos of. Those are the exact parts, wheels, saddle, etc ... that comes standard with the build kit.

That is correct JFC! Jaco stop messing around and just get this with some spare change! https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/70781-christmas-special-price-drop-69kg-bike/

You dont need to use the speed sensor on the bike, your Garmin has a built in GPS and it is very accurate. Delete the speed sensor pairing on your Garmin, happy days!

If you oaks still need points this late in the year ... you are doing something wrong!

I can have not get in pink no, sorry!

These are found locally and in different coulours. X-Zakt. Have black ones in stock R135 each.

For night riding you need a main light in the 1000 lumen range. There are plenty of options available. Local, imports, grey or chinese. Nice thing about local, like Ryder, is the warranty and backup is not an issue and you dont need to wait months for the replacement. Might cost a bit more than the cheap nasty stuff but worth it in the end.

Haha ... I have heard this a couple of times. Client orders item online. Phones when he gets the parcel. "This is not what I wanted, you sent me the wrong stuff" Lets check your order, nope that is what YOU chose sir! You pick your own items online, you see them in your basket, you see it at checkout, you confirm the items you chose when paying ... but it is not what you wanted? You confirmed 4 times that you did not what this item? Hmmm ... would have thought online shopping will eliminate human error it doesnt seem so.

Oh and you dont need a racing license to ride in the PPA league for Elite, SV or whatever either. Everyone needs to be a member of CSA - R75 per year or you can take out a day permit for R30 per event. (You dont need to belong to a club in order to take out yearly membership) You only need a Racing License if you participate in in UCI sanctioned events in your category or for Provincials or Nationals. R350 per year. You need to have your yearly CSA membership and belong to a club before you can get a Racing License. In other words ... if you are part of the alphabet soup forget the Racing License or "full License" or any other license, get the R75 yearly membership jobbie, it will do you just fine.

Yearly membership and Racing License ... not the same thing

Yes there were a coulpe of meters of single track ... where the one side of the jeep track was washed away, we had to ride single file yes! They might have been expecting the masses and you can not include miles of singletrack for the masses unfortunately. I quite like the rough stuff, sand, loose rocks, bring it on! Yes there was plenty of sand but it was all rideable. Droped the tire pressure, gooied big blade and power through 4x4 style The last 8km we could have done with road bikes, thise se tions on the pavement and tar, that was pretty boring ja! The waterpoints were pleny and any water point that has water colder than the luke warm stuff I have in my bottle, is good in my eyes. My biggest gripe is the start time. Starting so late ... is just dumb, plain and simple. Whatever the excuses, this was bought to the attention of the organizers with pleny of time to correct. The swim in the river in Wemmershoek (Garmin read 44 freekin degrees) was a life saver and totally awesome and we were able to withstand the sun beating a bit longer!

On a road bike for a little road race ...maybe. For 8 days around the Western Cape ... you are nuts!!