XCnewbie

Makes me feel a bit better about my massively over-vealous under-skilled jump which got way too much air at the end of day 3 of the 3 Towers last year which resulted in a buckled front wheel, substantial skin loss and bruising - my only wish is that someone had caught it on camera too!

I can see how that could have been a bit ambiguous - LOL! I was meaning that the ride should be in the region of one and half hours long! 05h00 start is probably early enough for people to get to work in time.

I have been looking through this forum and cannot find any recent threads about Randburg weekday morning group rides (Engen2Engen Tues-Thurs excluded for now due to my chronic lack of pace), so here goes nothing ... I stay close to the Randburg Sports Complex and am keen to ride more regularly in the mornings during the week (around 1h30 long starting at around 05h00). I mainly ride MTB but could probably manage around 25km/hr on the road based on my 947 Cycle Challenge time and my loan road bike. Anybody riding through this area in a group who wouldn't mind me tagging along? I am quite nervous of the road having not had much experience (traffic, hijackers etc.) so the bigger the group, the better. Thanks.

Stans NoTubes list the following maximum recommended rider weights for their complete ZTR wheelsets (i.e. built on Stans hubs with their specified spokes in their controlled conditions): Crest: 86kg Arch EX: 104kg Flow EX: 113kg This presumably factors in things like some spokes losing tension, rim profile damage, impact loading during obstacle impacts etc. However even the best rim and hub can be built into a useless wheel by a bad wheel builder - spoke quality and tension is the most significant contributor to the wheel strength, as far as I can tell. The Crest, Arch EX and Flow EX have increasing internal widths (which adds strength), but another benefit of having a wide rim is that the same tyre will develop a wider contact patch on a wider rim than a narrower one. So instead of using a 2.4" wide tyre on a Crest, a 2.1" tyre on a Flow EX would probably result in a similar contact patch, with the advantage being that the wider rim is lighter than the wider tyre (especially in the case of a tubeless tyre). I am 94kg and ride Arch EX rims on SLX hubs - rock solid so far. If you are worried about being close to the limit, go up to a wider (stronger) rim - nothing like a rim folding underneath you to ruin a perfectly good set of teeth ...

I thought you had sold your FS to change to HT?? That being said, a FS is probably what I would choose if I bought again today, although I would try head for a mid travel trail bike (easier said than done in this price range). The Anthem is a bit more prone to cracking at the seat-tube than other bikes (Google will enlighten you - I know because I was also considering that same model), but if it's new with full warranty, then no problem. I also know people who have that model (not sure of the year) who have never had any issues. The one thing I don't like about that bike is the brakes, but that can be upgraded at some stage - Shimano Deore and up are really the benchmark at the moment in terms of stopping power. I also read in my fairly exhaustive research that the Fox Float Evolution CTD fork and shock are not the world's greatest, and are definitely more expensive to service in South Africa than RS. Also bear in mind that a FS is more expensive than a HT to maintain. But it is of course up to you!

The Sola 1 will fall between those 2 in terms of price and is probably the best value out of the 3, IMHO.

Apologies Pooyan - I completely misread the frame material on the Giant XTC Advanced range, that is a really good price for that spec carbon hardtail! RoboJedi, it seems that if you can stretch your budget by R4,000 (possibly less if you negotiate with a few LBS), the Giant is a great deal. Seems I was also wrong about the warranty in this case - Giant website confirms lifetime warranty on all frames. Alternatively, you could save R7,000 (possibly more) on the price of the carbon bike, and get the alloy Sola 1. The Giant might have slightly better re-sale potential due to the brand reputation, although in my own experience people are more comfortable buying alloy mountains bike rather than carbon when it comes to second-hand (just my 2c). Pooyan does have a point in that if you buy alloy, you might always wonder about the carbon ....

If you are determined to buy new (like I was 6 months ago), I would recommend the Silverback Sola 1 http://www.silverbacklab.com/bike/mountain/silverback-sola-1/, 2015 model currently selling for under R17,000 at Kyalami Cycles. Great fork, brakes and rims on a fairly light frame (not as light as the Giants above admittedly, but less susceptible to cracking at the intersection of the seat tube and top tube *flame suit on*) puts it well above the Scotts and Merida and probably just below the more expensive Giant. I bought my Sola 1 (2014 model) in July last year and have been very happy - I did decide to upgrade the brakes to SLX with IceTec rotors (probably wasn't required) and the builder rebuilt the wheelset on Arch EX rims for my weight (definitely necessary at my tonnage), in the interest of full disclosure. If you can find a better deal on a 2014 carbon hardtail, then go for that, but that level of components was the absolute best I could find when I did my research (I opted for a good RS fork instead of an entry level Fox based on my research). Alternatively, second hand will open up a lot of carbon options, but with warranties not transferring ownership, I was more comfortable with a lifetime warranty on my alloy frame. FWIW, most manufacturers only offer a 2-3 year warranty on carbon frames (for the original owner).

Ya, they did a lot of different types of scans on the area before they let me leave the hospital, including a scan on the operating table after I went under to make sure I wouldn't bleed out when they removed the lever (I got to see the ultrasound with all of the arteries and veins pulsing later in the week). They said I was very lucky to miss all the blood vessels in that area and only have soft tissue damage. Even though it went through muscle, there was no real damage internally because it was a clean puncture as opposed to tearing.

I had an almost identical injury during a training ride at Northern Farm in January this year - rider fatigue (exhaustion) was mostly to blame in my case, was riding a longer distance than I could manage (trying to build up fitness after fracturing my left wrist in August 2013 also on a training ride which had me off the bike for almost 4 months) and wasn't concentrating on the singletrack. Managed to hit a large enough rock at a slow enough speed at a sufficient angle to whip the handlebar to the right as I sailed OTB, catching the brake lever (Tekro Draco) in about the same place in my right thigh as shown in the OP at enough speed to pierce all the way to the pivot. The rest of my week from there went a bit like this: 2 hours lying immobile in the sun to prevent spurts of blood from escaping the wound with my right leg suspended so as to not put pressure on the handlebar between my legs while my mates stripped the entire bike down as far as possible - not pleasant (wished for hinged brake mount!!). Another 2 hours to get into the ambulance and from furtherest point of Black route to Fourways Life, while travelling very slowly over the farm access roads until exiting the farm - wasn't a happy chappy by the time I got to A&E. 2 more hours until I got into surgery while the doctors and nurses discussed what scans could be done with the patient on a scoop stretcher with a steel handlebar between his legs, and new staff kept on tugging on or bumping the handlebar before realising it was still attached - serious sense of humour failure. 3 days in ICU after surgery with drain due to risk of infection. Another 2 days in general ward after drain was removed and open dressing started. 6 weeks of changing open wound dressing at home daily to allow the hole to close naturally while expelling any nasties (I owe my wife big time - sorry babe). Back on the bike now - apart from the scar, no issues. Pic below on day 3 just after removing the drain and cleaning up the area (excuse the spilt saline on my sheet cover). NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW

Some interesting reading: http://www.helmets.org/bicyclingmag1305.htm And the Bicycling magazine article they are referring to (for those who missed it last year): http://www.bicycling.com/senseless/index.html?cm_mmc=Google-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Story-_-helmets-senseless

Fractured radius (wrist) in August 2013 (over the handlebars at 15+ km/hr) - 8 week recovery. Brake lever embedded into right thigh in January 2014 (over the handlebars at 15+ km/hr) - 8 week recovery. Hit a tiny tree stump in a twisty forest single-track when I looked up to see why the cyclist ahead had stopped at the next turn in April (sideways and over the handlebars at a slower speed just after a corner) - still waiting for the swelling on elbow and knee to go down. Considering I started mountain biking in April last year, should I be taking this as a sign?! Currently riding a 26" aluminium bike with coil-sprung fork and tubed tyres (if that is relevant) due to economic constraints - 92kg and 1.84m tall.

I am seriously considering buying the 2013 Momsen X-AL because of it's really good spec (see below - apologies for the formatting) in relation to price, but I am apprehensive because none of the distributors have stock to test out. Basically I need to commit to a 50% deposit just to see it .... Frame: Race Tech SLA -Alloy 7000 Butted Tubeset - Internal Routing -Formed Tubing - PressFit BB - 142 x 12 Thru-Axle Rear Fork: RockShox SID RL 15mm Thru-Axle - 100mm Chainwheel: SRAM X9 44/32/22T Bottom Bracket: SRAM GXP PressFit F. Derailleur: SRAM X9 R. Derailleur: SRAM X9 Type 2 10 Speed Shifter: SRAM X9 Ball Bearing Trigger Brake Levers: Avid Elixir 7 Carbon Brakes: 170 Fr /160 Rr Cassette: SRAM PG1070 - 11-36T Rims: Sun Ringle Inferno 27 - 32H Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph SNAKESKIN Tubeless 29 x 2.25 Pedals: Nil Handlebar: Alloy Flat Top 29er - 680mm - 31.8mm Oversize Stem: Alloy 3D Forged Superlight - 31.8mm Oversize Seatpost: Alloy 3D Forged 31.6 Seat: Fizik GOBI XM Headset: FSA No 42 Alloy Taper Colors: Matte Black w/Red Details Chain: KMC 10 Speed Hubset: SRAM X9 15mm Fr - SRAM X9 142 x 12 Rr - 32h Spokes: Stainless Butted with Alloy Nipples Grips: Silicone Race Weight: 11.73kg ( X-Large, without pedals) Has anybody bought one of these or heard anything about it? I know that the brakes and rims aren't the greatest, but I should be able to manage - any other boegies in the spec that I should watch out for? I have also read that the rims aren't the easiest to get tyres to seat onto in a tubeless conversion either .... Thanks for your comments!

Thank you again so much for strapping my fractured radius on the trail and for those ice packs from your car to keep the swelling down for the drive to the hospital - casualty staff were very impressed with how well my wrist was stabilised when I arrived. Without your help, the fracture could easily have displaced which would have meant surgery etc. I consider myself very lucky to only be in a shoulder-to-hand cast for 6 weeks. You guys were the ultimate Good Samaritans, from your caring attitudes to your medical preparedness, and for that I am extremely grateful. Sincerely, the novice MTBer who unexpectedly and spectacularly ran out of talent on one of the easiest parts of the trail.