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Gripen_85

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Everything posted by Gripen_85

  1. The other day, the chain hopped off. I put it back on, and the bike felt different; it seemed easier to ride. Then during yesterday's ride, while changing gears, it would sit between gears and make a racket. Sometimes just tapping the shifter would help, but most times not. Is that also a rear derailleur problem?
  2. I got one for R20 from the LBS. Not as bad, but while shopping for a saddlebag, I settled on a medium-sized one; I wanted the larger one, but it was around R100 more. A week later I go to another bike shop and find exactly the same larger saddlebag, for only R10 more than the medium-sized one.
  3. Bought one of your "Foul weather jackets" recently. The bright green one without the zip. The collar and wrists are comfy, and my gloves fit over nicely. Unfortunately it doesn't have the lower section at the back to protect from the spray and mud kicked up by the rear wheel. But I like it. And if I wear a thermal shirt underneath, I stay warm even on these chilly days we've been having.
  4. Stopped in at The Gear Change today. Great service. Friendly and helpful. Nice shop; plain and simple. Only downside was there was coffee, but no one knew how to use the machine
  5. Hi there, What bike do you ride, and what colours do you normally wear? Will keep an eye out. ------------------------------ I find the same thing in the Cape. The fancy cars (normally SUV's-type things) with the bike racks kitted out with the Cannondales and other flashy toys, are the ones that go screaming past at 140km/h in a 100km/h zone, cutting people off, with their headlights off (in poor-visbility), and driving with no regard to their safety, or the safety of others.
  6. It is simple. And I try my very best to stay far away from cyclists, especially if I am doing 100km/h down the R44, because I know what it feels like having a car blast past at that speed while riding a motorbike, so I can only imagine what it's like on a bicycle. I also often wait behind cyclists at turn-offs on the R44 because I don't want to rush ahead and cut in front of them to make the turn. And when I do wait behind, I make sure I'm at least 10m away, so that they don't feel threatened by me. On the R44 specifically: What gets to me is when groups cycle line-abreast in the yellow line, with the person on the side riding to the right of the line (ie, in the road). I know it's more social riding line-abreast, but come on. Now that cyclist is in the road, so I slow down and move over. But a lot of the time that puts me in the middle of the two lanes, and that puts me close to other traffic (especially when there's a lot of traffic, if not, I simply change lanes). It's even worse when it's only two cyclists riding line-abreast, and the one is to the right of the yellow line, when there is about 1m of room next to the cyclist on the left. Oh, and my favourite... a single cyclist on the R44, riding to the right of the yellow line, with the entire yellow lane open. I don't want to hit you, so I DO move over, but come on, don't be an idiot. I drive from Somerset West to Stellenbosch on a daily basis, so I see these guys (and girls) often. Sometimes pairs, whole groups, or people riding solo. I've encountered one group where it seemed very structured; two people, side-by-side, and the rest staggered behind. That was awesome, because I could stay in the middle of my lane, and there was still oodles of room between the cyclists and my car. Something I learnt from riding motorbikes in a group is that everyone rides in a staggered fashion; it gives the bikers more breathing room, and also that way if one person falls or something happens, there is enough space for the people behind to move out the way, or slow down. I don't know how the dynamics of cycling in a group/pack works, but can one not adopt a similar thing in certain environments?
  7. Picking up my "new" bike this week. Found a secondhand Merida in good condition. Thanks to those who gave advice!
  8. Might have found a secondhand Merida, going for a reasonable price. Only issue, it's a large frame. I see on their sizing chart they say Medium or Large is for people 175cm tall. I'm around 175cm tall. If I enjoy the bike but find the frame too much of a stretch, what can I do? Shorten the stem and try a different seat post?
  9. But how can tomorrow be permanent if, after tomorrow, Sunday comes along?
  10. Visited the guys at Velo Life today. They have the Scott Aspect 640, for just under R6000. If I were to buy new... Scott 640 vs Silverback Stride 10. Opinions?
  11. Thanks for the feedback. Will try out as many as possible, and decide at the of the month.
  12. I'll test ride both the 26er and 29er and see which I prefer. Many thanks, that's some great info! I also need to factor in a helmet and maybe gloves. So if I bought the bike new, I could see if the shop will give me a discount if I buy some kit too. But I'm not too worried about that.
  13. Ta. Will see which shops have them and take them for a ride to see which feels better.
  14. Amazing seeing the variation in price depending on where you shop. A friend who's into cycling said the Momsen AL129 sounds good. Bit out of my price range, but I can always save some more. I went to Velolife earlier this year. I'll swing by again. Wayne, the Spectra 2?
  15. CWC Merida's... the ones I see are over R10k (after discount). Thanks anyway. Re 29er. If I can find a good deal, I'll take it. Not super stressed about 26/29" at this stage. vbike, I have been keeping an eye on them, thanks!
  16. Hi Wimmas, Thanks for the reply. I looked at Cycle Lab, Helderberg Cycles, William's Cycles, some place in Strand, and the Cycle Factory website. Where are other reasonable places in Somerset West/Stellenbosch/CT? Don't really want to go with 27.5" as it seems they are more expensive. And I also want to factor in purchasing new tyres down the line etc. As for the 29er, I'm not looking for speed, so is it worth it?
  17. Hello, Been watching quietly from the corner of the forum for a few weeks, but now it's time to get out there. I want to get into mountain biking. Earlier this year I hit Oak Valley with my sister. I was on my cheapie Makro MTB, and when going over one of those A-frame bridge things, my handlebars came loose (just as I got to the top), and I went flying over them. We didn't have an allen-key to tighten the bars again, so I had to walk the last few km, which really sucked because it seemed like an awesome section. Anyway, now I'm looking for a more solid ride. Requirements: - 26er - Hardtail - Hydraulic disc brakes - Medium frame (I think... 1.75m tall, and weight +-60kg) Budget (don't laugh) - +-R5000 Uses: - Oak Valley - Jonkershoek - Bit of tar stuff - Nothing hectic. Will try ride once a week to begin with I've been looking at the shops around Somerset West... Titan Sport - R5200, Silverback Stride 10 - R5200, Giant Revel 0 - R6200 (heard the shock is a pain). Silverback Stride 10 seems like a decent entry-level bike. But I've been reading all these "Which bike" threads, and I've started looking at the secondhand stuff too. Which makes sense- spend less, maybe get a bit more, and if I find that I don't actually enjoy the cycling, I won't have spent over R5000 on a shiney new bike that's just going to sit in the garage. Now, I know very little about bicycles, so I Google all of the components and read reviews. I'm not too concerned about having awesome components, because I found my cheapie Dunlop alright (apart from the handlebar issue), but that being said, if I'm going to spend R5000, I want it to be on reliable stuff. So, if you gents (and gals) see any specials, or have a mate who's selling a bike and it's in my price range and would suit my needs, please help me out and point me in the right direction. For example, while browsing the Classifieds section here, I came across a GT Avalanche for R4000. According to Google, the components seem to be the high-end of the more entry-level stuff. https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/54493-gt-avalanche-medium/ Opinions? *EDIT: Should I wait until the 2014 bikes come out, and see if I can find some good clearance specials/bikers who are upgrading their rides. Many thanks!
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