It freaks me out when I take my bike to a shop to do something that I can't do - And it comes back in a worse state than it would be if I had attempted the work. And I paid for it! I have been trying to learn to do a few things and buy the associated tools, but a few of the shops I went to, dont/wont stock tools as 'it's kinda shooting themselves in the foot'.
Mule is the way to go. By the time you have 2-3 litres water, jacket, tube, tools, bar or two, banana, phone, keys, its pretty full. The new ones have compression straps so you can pull it all together and its not so baggy.
That sucks. My bike was stolen after Sani. Luckily my insurance was great and I managed to upgrade to the 2009 model. Hopefully you manage to score and come out on top. If not, I hope you find your bike and the scam bag that took it.
Didnt the bike come with a manual or anything? I take it you have searched the Merida website already... http://www2.merida-bikes.com/en_INT/Bikes.Detail.12 There is an instruction manual of sorts for download.splat2009-05-15 07:03:17
Dont forget to discuss and agree on who has the right of way on the singletrack and you should probably see if there are any trolls under the bridge...
My Med Anthem X1 is about 12.5kg - But that is R27k out the box. Not sure about other brands, but with some careful swapping and selling and buying on The Hub you could get it down to 12 without spending too much more. For starters: Gobi saddle is heavy - 270g The wheels are heavy - about 2kg
