Butterbean

What kind of riding are you planning on doing?? The Silverback is more versatile than the titan with its extra travel, so for western cape style mountains, its great. The titan looks awesome but seems more marathon focused than the Silverback. Thw Silverback seems to have better specs on the expensive upgrades (forks and shock), than the titan. Both fit two bottles, and 1x12 although I'm partial to sram after all the Shimano clutch issues, but SX is ***. Dont know what the titan weighs, but the Stratos is a heavy machine... Again, depends on your riding style i reckon... Longer days in the saddle and less technical, go titan... More mountainous and gravity fed riding, go Silverback.

I wish he would drop the long winded ranty videos... He has the tools and the know how to be critical of these frames and components, but i think his personality and presentation puts a lot of people off from what could be extremely informative and intrresting content. I mean, he needs to do his thing, but its refreshing to see someone in the industry whos not sucking on the teet so can be properly critical and honest. Its nice to see the fact that all that money you spend on a bike and its still not close to perfect. I dont mind him too much, but i can see his rants almost bordering on the sour and its off putting for a lot of people.

Yeah i like the blue... I found it kinda weird that Silverback decided to colour code the "tiers"... Makes a very difficult time when they have to replace frames under warantee, from what I hear:)

And some not-so-close-ups

Okay, im not the best photographer, and shes a little dirty... But, heres my Stratos Build. The change in cable guide for me seals the deal... I hated the peft side of the bike with the stock cable guide. The new one here is so much cleaner and doesnt get filled with crap, and i think it makes the bike look amazing! Loads of weight could he lost with this bike.. But im 120kgs and i chose to build strong and reliable rather than weight weeny. The only stock items left are the frame and the shock, and the stem.

Ill post some pics in a bit... Just weighed it - scale isnt the greatest. But, shes 14kgs on the dot as speccd above. I think the 13.1 was sans pedals and on bike tools...

Its a Large boss

Im at 13.1kgs. AL5 frame (same thing) Reba Forks with the stock shock Lyne Amp Wheels Lyne pulse bars Sram Guide RE brakes Rapide Seatpost GX eagle shifter and RD Sunrace 10-50 cassette SLX crankset with 32t chainring Phenom 155 Saddle Spez bandit strap with spares 2xCages Pedals Spez Conceal carry tool in the steerer Garmin mount Vittoria Barzo/Saguaro tyres

Mr Horn, im not going to lie theyre not ideal. But i think we got it close enough to right. Wife (not riding) and i and another couple stayed in citrusdal Friday and Saturday nights. Wife dropped us off, and then dropped the other lady off (she did the 38km). Fetched us all at the end. They did have shuttle or drive your car there for you services, but i have no idea how that went.

Well, the "no sand, only thorns" was a ******* lie... As was the distance... Firstly, there were a good number of very loose sandy patches, which saw everyone having to push bikes. Its also 110kms, not the 105 from the profile, or the 107 as advertised. But, it was a great event! The Carmien tea input is awesome. The water points were absolutely fantastic with a huge selection, well stocked (even for us backmarkers), and the iced tea on offer was a revelation... Was the first ride on my gravel bike longer than 40kms, and honestly, i dont think id take it again. I reckon about 60kms of the 110 are gravel friendly, the rest its just torture. I had 42c tyres on the spez and the sand was still an issue. But im also not hardcore so its definitely doable... How someone won on gravle bikes is beyond me tho! All in all, fantastic event. Loved it!

Youre googling the wrong one... This is the one im talking about... https://images.app.goo.gl/YWL4KbFx1cm4S9Hk8

The post from redshift looks really good... No idea on pricing tho, but looks as effective but less hideous than the cane creek one...

Ah good spot! Didnt see that... Should be much easier...

Would Silverback maybe be able to track the owner via the serial number?

We can talk all day about them. But for me, the confidence i have on a road with traffic and SA drivers is massively increased when i ride a disk brake bike. Will i sell my rim brake roadie? Not a chance. Will i buy another rim brake bike? Not a chance. For mere mortals, i reckon the stopping power in all weather condition faaaaaaar outstrips the potential weight or aero oenalties of disks. Lets be honest, a good rim brake setup is just as finicky to set up anyway, and after a long descent on both, my arms sure as hell know which they're holding onto. In other words. Disk brake bikes are better everyday real world bikes and you won't convince me otherwise.

Hey man im just gonna add my vote for the Stratos. Get the highest spec you can afford as the difference is pretty big in brakes, gears, and suspension. They all use the same frame. Ive got a AL5 frame with GX, Guide brakes, a reba up front, and Lyne Amp wheels, still rocking the X fusion shock. With on-board tool storage, M540 pedals, and some soares and cages, shes around 13.1 kgs. Which is heavy. But the 120mm of travel, combined with the very playful geometry means it really eata up both long miles and tricky trails with much ease. Its a great do it all bike and that POP geometry is really amazing on the climbs, it certianly doesn't feel 13kgs heavy... They have, however, gone through a couple of iterations of pivot bolts and bushings, so ask the shop to make sure you have the latest ones installed from new. There's also an alternative to the plastic cable cover that most owners hate, so if it bugs you too, PM me. But really, a great bike and i love how it looks.

To be fair, the very regular interval services are generally easy enough for someone to do at home with almost no special tools. A lubrication service can be done quite quickly and by following the manufacturers manual, you will be fine. If you really dont want to touch it, then its mostly accepted that a service once a year is good enough, as long as you're cleaning stanchions inbetween rides, and keeping a close eye on the condition of the seals. Bear in mind this will then become anmahor service, sorting lowers and damper service in one go. But honestly, your fork is one of the most expensive components on the bike, generally. Why risk it for 30 mins every 3 months or so? Especially when something like damaging the coating in stanchions will basically write the fork off in most cases... My fox forks and shock on my old bike demanded a lube service every 30 hours. I paid little money to buy the right oils, and did it mostly on time. And it was so sweet riding with that peace of mind.. Just my two cents.

For sure! Will chat to wayne to get it in the box in time!

Yeah, im 120kgs kitted... So a granny is kinda necessary a long way into a ride! But glad to hear its so solid... Love this bike!

I literally have a set of Rapides about to ship to me... I cant wait - 800gram saving! The bike rides so great but the wheels really do hold it back if youre not touring. Cant wait to feel it with proper wheels on there. Fortunately i havent run out of gears just yet, but i worry about the longer rides where tired legs need a bigger granny. So will see whatsup.

Thats great news! Same bike, so thats a better solution. Would still like a clutch for future but at least good to know the extender will help with the gearing!

So, ive googled like made, read tech docs, and cant find a conclusive answer. I have 11 speed RS505 hydraulic brake shifters on a gravel bike, and its running an 11spd GS cage RD from the factory. Id like to have an MTB RD on there with a longer cage and clutch, to expand my gearing options. Current gearing is 48-32 front, 11-36 rear, and I'd like to go to at least a 11-40 as a bailout gear for these WC hills... I don't want to change the front gearing, and I'm not interested in 1x. Anyone know what RD will suit and be compatible?

I just take a garden weed sprayer along, and spray the bikes down after the trip. Works great, is light and compact, and does a great job at rinsing the bike off.

You sure thay disk is mounted the right way around?? Writing on the outside?

Have you checked your shoes? Have you checked the cockpit bolts? How are the axles? Any cables rubbing anywhere?