Jump to content

Kaggel

Members
  • Posts

    19
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Public Profile

  • Province
    Western Cape
  • Location
    Cape Town

Recent Profile Visitors

1574 profile views
  1. This isn't something new. Other sites like Vital have been doing it for ages. And it works well there> https://gearclub.vitalmtb.com/?utm_source=vitalmtb.com&utm_medium=Nav%20Bar The issue is the contents. If it is something light-hearted and fun then great. Soft-goods, food, cheap, useful and generic parts and the occasional nice, universal item like that Lezyne pump. But things that are too stylized and personal such as shoes/bibs or colour-coded items are not going to be easy to sell. Good concept, but the implementation needs some adjustment to work out
  2. Dude is that a 26er? Can you still get 26er tyres that are new? Be careful because rubber goes stale and brittle over time. Last thing you want is to get a stiff Mary, muddy or otherwise. Better to rather save your cash and rent an Enduro 29er. Those things rip and are much faster than a 26er DH bike anyway.
  3. Hi Brady The only justice I had is via the banks. SAPS took the case number, but the difficulty relates to the cyber crime. They have a special "cyber crimes" division, but I don't even know how you get the case to them. The issue with regular SAPS is they would investigate a crime in the area it is reported or where the crime happened. So my issue was that nobody was interested in chasing down the guy even though I could tell them which ATM he withdrew the money from. You do always need to lay a charge though to get a case number. My suggestion, call the bank (in your case FNB and Capitec) and tell them you have been defrauded. For the e-wallet there is no recourse, but they can block the number. For the actual account, the bank offered to freeze and close down the fraudsters account and repay the money once the legal process had run its course. This was all over the phone and took about two weeks.
  4. Hi Hubbers For the two cell numbers provided I have tracked down rather a lot of information. This may ultimately prove to be fake, but it is part of the info I will use to build the case to nail these buggers. For those interested in pursuing this further, please PM me so I can hand over the details of how you have been scammed to the police. So far I have two other users besides myself
  5. Hi Hubbers I fell victim to this guy. I am trusting and have done MANY sales on the hub in the past with no bad results. This time it didn't work out. I spoke with "Arno" on the phone, via text and whatsapp. Definitely an Afrikaner guy or someone doing a very convincing Afrikaner accent. Probably a burner number though... The ATM he used to withdraw the cash should have a camera which can be used to identity him or his accomplice. This is a key identifying detail and possibly the only one we have. If anyone has any further information (including other victims), please PM me so I can use this to assist with laying the charge. To say I am pretty sad about this is an understatement. But I guess it will change my behaviour next time.
  6. What a fun descision to be making between the Hightower and The Following. I found them to be quite different in feeling. The Hightower felt like a bit a of bruiser with ultimately higher capabilities. The Following was more fun and nimble. Depends I guess on what you also plan to ride. I would also say the Hightower can be more versatile in terms of set up: 29er or 650-plus wheels with a boost frame Fork travel from 140 to 160 Even more interesting is now the talk about a long-shock options giving you up to 150mm at the back. It is also a light frame so you end up with a good, light build regadless I liked the rear suspension of The Following more than the Hightower though. Good luck and have fun!
  7. As requested, a mini-review of the bikes I tested. Note that these are not all from bike-shops and some were private bikes from some very kind riding buddies. Trails ridden over a six week period: Jonkershoek (Firehut, Red-Phoenix, Canaries and Bennet’s new trails)Eden and G-spotTokai (Snake Trails, Switchbacks and DH 1-2-3)Contermanskloof (DH Main Line, DH-Revised, Cheeky Corners, Kloof and Tree Charge)Table Mountain (The Glen and Pat’s track)Rheeboksflook full blackWelvanpas full black With the exception of one shuttle day at Conties I pedalled up everywhere to bomb down. My focus was on speed and confidence on the downhills, but I wanted a bike that was still engaging and climbed well. I’m not a top ten KOM hunter, but I enjoy technical trails (up and down). Tested bikes in order of tests: YT Jeffsy AL Comp (with some notable upgrades like carbon wheels) First thing that blew me away was the lightness of this bike. If you want a featherweight look no further. I set PBs on every climb on this bike without the need to pedal-mode on the rear shock. This bike pedals insanely well and picks up speed very easily – so much so that I can see it doing duty on some very long rides. I found it to be quite progressive, but at the cost of plushness in the rear. This bike just wanted to pop of jump over everything rather than plow through it. The shorter rake on the fork also added to the sharp handling, but did make the front a bit more twitchy than I liked. I came away hugely impressed and very nearly bought one of these. Rocky Mountain Instinct 770MSL (built up to BC spec) Even though it was set up similarly to the others, I just couldn’t get confident on the bike. It felt like a long-legged XC bike rather than a modern trail bike which makes sense given that it is the oldest frame design of all the bikes I tested. It climbed well and pedalled very efficiently, but I felt too over the front on the downhills and couldn’t get the bike to flow even though the suspension was working well. I think if you are coming from an XC background you will feel more at home on this bike Evil The Wreckoning custom build Holy smokes! What a beast. Easily the fastest, most capable bike down a hill of all the bikes I tested. Pure confidence and speed made this bike just want to go faster and harder all the time. It also made it a bit dull (for me) at mere mortal speeds. The DELTA suspension is pretty amazing and was by far the best match with the Monarch rear shock. This felt like a big bike though and I just didn’t feel engaged unless I was going warp-factor five. DH-bike with 29er wheels I say, but not something I could fully take advantage of. Evil The Following custom build One of the original gangster 29er fun-bikes. True to the reputation this bike absolutely rips. It wants to hit everything, jump everything, takes some shots and start some fights. It punches above its weight, but I ended up finding myself in trouble without the talent to get out. As hard as it wants to hit the trails, I also found myself more tired at the end of a run than on bikes with more suspension travel. A bit of a difficult bike to label as it sort of blurs the lines for what a short travel trail bike can do. Could definitely do some big rides on this bike and have a blast doing it. I wanted it to be enough for me, but I needed longer travel. Trek Remedy 9.8 One of the bikes I was most interested to test given the rave reviews and awesome reputation. I really thought this would be the one. Unfortunately for me it wasn’t. The build was on the heavy side and certainly felt like it needed more deliberate effort to get up, down and around the trail. It was nothing special up the hills even though the DRCV shock was supposed to give epic grip and pedalling efficiency. Only when things got fast and rowdy did I see the genius. I also think if the bike had a lighter, more nimble wheelset that I would have had a very different experience. A bit too much of a handful for me and unfortunately I also don’t think I spent enough time riding it, but such was the availability of the test bike. Giant Trance Advanced 1 This was the first time I’d swung a leg over the 27.5 bike in a long time and I was pleasantly surprised. Smooth, efficient and fast… for a 27.5 bike. With a super light build this thing floated up the hills, but downhill I missed the grip and rollover confidence of the wagon-wheelers. I also felt like it had an odd cockpit with a narrow bar for the type of bike. With a little tweaking of the cockpit the feel was much improved, but still I missed the big wheels. I wasn’t really looking at one of these, but my mate suggested I try a 27.5. I was pleasantly surprised, but I kept thinking that this bike would be much improved with 29er wheels. If 27.5 is your thing, check our this bike as it is insane value for money. Santa Cruz Hightower custom build One of the unicorn bikes in the test and seriously impressive. With a monster build this bike also just wanted you to let go of the brakes, pick up speed and plough through gnarly terrain. I can see why some pinners swear by the Hightower as their one-bike solution. I personally felt like the bike felt a bit cumbersome at slow speeds and climbs probably due to the 160mm fork and long front centre (can run a 140/150 fork as well). I also felt like the Rockshox rear needed more support. The owner had set up the bike to come alive at speed and I think with a deliberate, big-bike riding style it could do great things (I was not that rider). Riding position was also one of the best with the longesttop tube for a size large. Definitely worth the hype, but I also wish I’d had more rides on this beast possibly with a lower cockpit set up. Specialized Stumperjumper FSR 29er S-Works Also a bike I had high hopes for and very nearly what I ended up getting. All around awesome and in my opinion the best-suited bike for the majority of our trails. Great handling and just the right balance of pop-vs-plough ability. The perfect do-it-all bike! I didn’t think I would love the SWAT box as much as I did, but it is a game-changer. Seriously you can fit two boerie rolls and tools down there. Even if it isn’t an unusual or exciting brand, it is one of the most popular for a reason. Like buying a BMW if you like a car that is going to be a pleasure to drive. This bike is just as comfortable with a four-hour mission as it is bombing around a DH track. I think if I was a more capable rider or into longer rides, I think I would have bought one of these. Specialized Enduro Elite custom build So why did I get this bike? I’d totally stuffed up the suspension set up through my own foolishness and totally hated the bike the first time I rode it. I was super confused so that evening I put in some to set up the bike and cockpit correctly. Then it all just clicked. HUGE confidence and a good balance of big bump capability and playfulness. I’d expected it to be almost identical to my old Enduro, but I needed to muscle it a bit more. The slacker head angle and steeper seat angle meant the riding position was identical, but the geometry was different so I felt comfortable even though the bike handled differently. This Goldilocks set up and more aggressive riding resulted in personal best times everywhere – up and down the hills. I was hitting jumps and drops I hadn’t done before while having an absolute blast. I was sold… You don’t buy a bike to flatter things you can already do well so I wanted something that would make a faster rider downhill. Giant Reign Advanced custom build Even though I’d pretty much decided to get the Enduro, another riding buddy had a spare Reign Advanced in his fleet and offered to let me ride it while figuring out the details of the new bike. I was pretty blown away by the descending capabilities of the Reign. Short of the Wreckoning, it was one of the most confidence inspiring bikes I’d ridden down a hill. Low, long and slack is overused these days, but this bike is one of the original modern Enduro race bikes. The Maestro suspension felt super smooth, but also pedalled well. Colour me impressed. And then I had to pedal up a hill. FML. It can do it, but you won’t enjoy it. Even with the pedal-mode on the shock, the angles just don’t encourage enthusiastic climbing. Mini-DH bike for sure. There were some general things I learned like the difference between Fox and Rockshox suspension. They both perform, but in very different ways. I’m used to a Pike and I found I could easily transfer my settings and feel comfortable quicker on bikes with Rockshox forks (Lyriks and Pikes RCT3). When it came to set up the Fox forks (36 and 34 Factory Fit4) I took a bit longer to get it feeling how I wanted. I found the Fox forks more taught and racy while I found the Rockshox forks a bit easier and cushy. Conversely, I found the rear Fox shocks easier to set up than the Rockshox. Something about the Monarch and Debonair air-can made things a bit tricky. I also learned that I love the e-thirteen TRS tyres and these became my go-to for all the test bikes. Having a narrow rim width or average set of tyres let down the side so I did change the wheels/tyres on some bikes to equal the playing field. In the end I bought a bike to improve my riding where I could use the help instead of flattering skills I already had. Woohoo!
  8. Lol. Just for clarity. I tested more than just the brands I listed and thanked. Some of my experiences were less than ideal, but I'm also not here to name and shame. It is more about the process and a special shout-out to the okes that were awesome. In the end (against all my expectations) this is what I got> http://forums.mtbr.com/specialized/2017-specialized-enduro-1020120-23.html My criteria was 29er (even though I tested some 27.5 bikes just to see). I wanted 130-160 travel in the back with around 140-160 in the front. Brenton did suggest I try The Following which was a flippin riot! I just thought I would like to share a valuable experience I had
  9. The difference is noticeable and worth investigating. The ultimate performance (ie time up or down the hill) may similar, but each bike had a noticeably different way of delivering its performance. I've only listed the guys I had a good experience with - I'm not here to name and shame. A particular bike I tested was only really amazing when I hit warp speeds. And unfortunately I'm just not that fast. It's a good bike that reviewed VERY well, but didn't work for me. I wouldn't have learned that unless I tested it
  10. Evil - I tested The Following and The Wreckoning. Just wow! I didn't think about it really until one of my mates suggested I try his bike or rent a bike while I waited for my insurance. This got me thinking and when I asked around the bike shop guys were like Ja sure we have demo bikes. Mind blown
  11. Myles you are spot on. There were no bad bikes, but they were different. You read things in reviews and can't really understand them, but then you ride a few different bikes in quick succession and the differences become apparent.
  12. I ended up with the bike I least expected, a new Enduro Elite. Having come from the previous gen Enduro 29er I fully expected to go for "less bike". The new version ticked the boxes for me, but only after I put in a ride to set it up
  13. I'm not buying plane, but I do feel like testing bikes is something people often don't think about. I had a rad time and hit helped my process. If you ever want to buy a plane though, give me a shout
  14. Recently I found myself in the fortunate position to buy a new Mountain Bike. I’d cracked the frame on my beloved Enduro rig and the resulting insurance pay-out meant I was now in the market for something new. I decided to take some time and try test a few bikes on my dream bike list. The experience was a huge eye-opener and I can highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a new, potentially different type of bike. If I didn't test the bikes I would probably have bought a different bike and probably bought the wrong size. I decided I wanted a new bike or frame so at least if I broke something I might have a warranty. This ruled out my normal go-to of second hand bike purchase. This would be the fifth bike I'd be buying in about 6 years, but the first time I'd be buying a new bike for myself in nearly fifteen years. Step 0: What is available locally? I would have loved to test and buy some of the latest Enduro exotica, but some brands are just not that widely supported locally. Even if the brand is available locally, they may not focus on your type of bike which may result in poor sales advice, waiting for stock/parts and compromised service if they don't work on a particular type of bike that often. I would have loved to sample a Canyon Spectral, Mondraker Foxy or Yeti SB5.5, but this was just not on the cards. It may also be possible to buy something for cheaper while overseas, but again - check the warranty support. I know a guy who bought an incorrectly sized bike while on holiday because it was cheaper, but could not exchange it with the local agent for the correct size when he returned to South Africa due to the conditions of sale. Bleak... Step 1: What do you want? If you know a thing or two about the biking world, make a wishlist of bikes you might like to buy or may be interested in. If you don’t know much about bikes, try and describe the type of riding you do, the frequency of riding and your aspirations for the near future. For me I was looking for a decent climbing enduro bike or a brawny trail bike. My wife allows me to spend whatever I want on one do-it-all mountain bike so it better be a pretty versatile beast. There is some overlap in the trail and enduro categories and there has been some evolution in the biking world around geometry and suspension design which made the tests even more interesting. I basically selected about ten bikes which had reviewed well and which were available from local suppliers. It is worth mentioning that I actually just wanted a frame, but would consider a complete build if the price was right. Step 2: Make friends. It helped a lot that I was a customer at a few local bike shops affiliated with the brands I was interested in. If you are an unknown entity it is not always likely that a local bike shop will lend you a bike for testing. I reached out to each shop/brand and explained I was interested in testing and buying a new bike. I guess I have a trusting face because most of them were able to arrange me a test bike relatively quickly. Visiting a local bike shop will also allow you to do an initial size check – I sort of sit between a medium and a large for most brands so this was especially important. I had two negative experiences with pushy sales-people where these guys tried to either sell me something just because they had stock or something ill-suited to my needs> "all you need is our marathon rig with bigger tyres and a longer fork". Meh… Be careful of these overzealous sales types trying to force a solution on you. With the best sales people they offered useful advice for free and let me move at my own pace. Even if they don’t have the exact model you want, it is still worth testing something from the same family. One brand only had aluminium test bikes, but the fork and shock were similar enough to what I wanted for it to be comparable. Similarly, if you test the top end bike, but only plan on buying the entry level model things may not be rosy with your purchase if key components are very different. Step 3: What if you can't get a test bike from a shop? My local bike shop was affiliated with a brand who no longer had test bikes available. They were not very helpful when I explained what I was after which was a great disappointment since they’d been fantastic with service and my insurance claim. I went elsewhere to another bike shop who had their own fleet of test bikes. Moral of the story – don’t be afraid to walk away and find a bike shop with an awesome sales experience. I found more than a few so don’t settle for average. I wasn’t winning with another local bike shop so I emailed the brand directly. They pointed me in the direction of a “brand ambassador” who could arrange a test on their personal bike. How awesome is that! Step 4: Terms and Conditions Certain brands have shared test bikes for a few shops while others force individual shops to buy demo-bikes. In each case the conditions for a demo can be very different. Some brands have big demo days which are great, but often don’t align with your timeline for buying a new bike. Some places had me fill in a shared liability form saying I would pay a certain amount if I damaged the demo bike while others just let me take the bike out for a spin. Respect the terms and conditions. Stick to agreed test periods and give the bikes back in a good condition. If you can, hose off the bike before you return it and the let them know if there were any issues. Test bikes are also a serious cost so they are not there to be abused or for your mate to use as a spare bike for the weekend. I took one test bike on a shuttle day, but only after asking the owner. If you break something, be prepared to offer to pay for it or contribute to the repair. It is just the polite thing to do. Step 5: Take the time to set it up Initially this was my biggest mistake. I expected to do a car-park suspension bounce, set the saddle height and off I go. Listen to what the bike shop or sales-rep has to say about setting sag, rebound, compression and cockpit. Better yet, get them to set it up for you. If you prefer running wide bars for example, see if the demo bike has similarly wide bars to try and get you comfy as soon as possible. I found that I really needed to write off one ride to suspension set up – especially on suspension with many adjustments and a narrow “sweet spot”. My suggestion would be a short ride on a trail you know well to just get the feel of the base suspension settings. Tweak it as you need (or based on the advice of the sales rep) and then go into full trail-test mode. It also goes without saying that you should try and test bikes on the same trail as much as possible. I had three test tracks which allowed me to do a reasonable comparison over varied terrain. Some bikes might only be good on smooth, flowing trails while others excel at rough stuff – that is why you need some variety (or something representative for your riding style). This is not to say I rode every bike on all three trails, but I did get to expose each bike to an apples-with-apples comparison. Step 6: Give feedback and be honest There were no lemons, but there were some bikes I just did not like. This is not to say they were bad bikes, but just not well suited to what I wanted or the kind of riding I was used to. No big deal, the bike shop okes were glad to get the feedback and they understood when I told them it wasn’t for me. If you tell a sales rep you didn’t get on with the bike and they make you feel dumb, slow or guilty then be warned. Some guys suggested I try the bike again after some tweaking which is far more constructive. If you don’t think you will be interested in a bike, let the rep know and don’t keep them hanging on. Step 7: Make a shortlist and test again if you need to From my initial ten bike wishlist, I’d narrowed it down to three. Two of which I tested again before deciding on my final selection. All the time I was honest with the bike shops about my opinion and why I wanted to test the bikes again. In my case I’d thought the first new dream-bike I’d tested was the best thing since sliced bread. In reality, it was just so different to what I’d ridden before that it felt disproportionately good. When I tested it a second time it was still good, but not as amazing over different terrain as I’d initially thought. The second bike I retested was a strange beast that defied fitting into a certain box. Unfortunately as much as I liked it, the second test revealed it was just not enough bike for me and I wanted something with a bit more suspension. Step 8: Have some manners You should not feel like you owe the bikes shops anything other than a polite thank-you. Just as you are not expected to buy every car you test, you are not beholden to every bike shop that arranged a demo for you. That said, hopefully your parents raised you with some manners and you thank those that helped you. Similarly, it is a d!ck move to test a bike with one shop and then buy the same bike overseas. I had a situation where one shop that had been really helpful had a higher price than another less helpful shop. I gave the helpful guys a chance to improve their price which then resulted in a sale. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Happy bike hunting and I am happy to answer private questions about my experience in more detail. I would also like to say a special thanks to following rockstars: Stirling Junior at Revolution CyclesMarc DeDecker at This Way OutBrenton Bowers at Trailtech CyclesThomas Rood at Giant Cape TownRoman Kumpers at YT Industries
  15. Kaggel

    O2 hubs?

    Thanks anyway - agree. So far so good for O2 hubs
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout