MORNE

I read somewhere that since the Adidas acquisition, they use eco friendly adhesives and other materials, which is part of the reason why they aren't as reliable. Remember, the Man wants you to buy new ones every year rather than every 6. I guess as we know, the best materials, chemicals for the job also usually are the worst kind for the environment. I have addidas versions of the freeride pro as well as hellcat and my soles are still attached after 2 years. I will say though that the quality isn't great. My hellcat soles around the cleat box are basically non existent. The rubber just comes off in chunks. The freeride pro’s are still going strong but they have a super annoying slipping tongue issue that has me re-lacing them halfway through every ride. lets just say I’m glad i got both sets on half price sales😅 Just get specialized 2fo. They are super close in feel and the quality is better imo. Local warranty too.

Upper Bloemendal on the way to the mast. Ive read somewhere that there was a large older male living around 360. I think he was found dead by the trail builders last year (old age) This must be his successor(s). Still, super rare to see them in the open.

Always nice to see the locals on the trails

Might have popped up here somewhere already…if so, apologies. A while back someone created a thread querying why their basically new (2023?), high end Trek wasn’t selling for something ridiculously low like R35k or something. They were reminded that Trek decided to shaft him by selling the top end full carbon model on one of their ‘stock purge sales’ for 10-15k more than his asking price. Lets be clear, the big cookie cutter brands controlling the supply chain, then purging R100-150k bikes for less than half price - are a big part of the problem. Also why smaller brands need to do flash sales to keep up and/or go bust…latest one being YT. So…it’s hard to sell a second hand bike if its not something particularly special or unique, there are 14 variants of it already in classifieds, and you can get a new version next month on a flash sale for the same price as secondhand. These points all of course feed each other too.

No sir, im not interested in your fox podium fork thanks😋. Im on the twintube damper-heavy-ass-expensive-coil-fork train ps: one could argue that there are no ‘good’ fork dampers sub 140mm travel. Their internals are all toy grade to save weight.

Yes. I always want to need it. 😅 Suspension is perhaps an outlier. I’ll argue that better suspension is always better. It’s not just about performance, it’s about control and comfort on the bike too. I’ll rather have a cheaper frame and groupset..and splurge on squish. It’s laughable seeing sram transmission on bikes with ‘performance’ (or even lower!) level suspension imo. Even comparing stuff at the very top end of the spektrum…the differences between say a fox factory x2, and an Ohlins TTX is enough that even a plonker will feel the difference. More control = more fun. I say this as someone with what might be considered nice suspension, but also someone who is singlespeed and rigid bike curious and dabbles in the kind of “out of control riding” that goes with that lol.

Maybe Campy 7/8 speed? https://branfordbike.com/new-page-1

This comment should be edited asap…it gives away either your age or your experience working on bicycles😁😅 neither of those things are present on a cluster…since this is not a cassette hehe. Also, @Pieter De Klerk, this looks excessive but ive never seen one of these cheap shimano ones without a slight wobble out the box. They are like R150-200. I had the exact one on a vintage bike, although 6 speed and that one also had a slight wobble. That was on a roadie…which i doubt someone jumped between driveways lol. It worked fine for years.

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-mountain-bike-frames/800339/pyga-tig-dc-frame Obviously dont know your budget but i think this is a steal

You obviously need a slacker, more modern drop bar bike….with disc brakes. Two birds, one stone?. Maybe even put a 30mm suspension fork on it, some early 90s mtb tyres will do too, but i think they now call them 50c tan/skin walls. Should be just enough retro to not make you feel you are riding something modern. 😅 Added bonus is you can wear either your roadie kit or your old outdated mtb kit, or just your old work clothes and look fine. Just remember not to shave.

It’s not hard to sell a second hand mtb (or any bike) if you are realistic, not sentimental, and understand the market at any given time. Then, having nice or weird or unique things usually puts the ball in your court…you then just need to find the guy/gal who also likes your weird things. Otherwise you’re competing against 500 other people trying to sell the exact same cookie cutter thing...to people who likely know they are better off buying that mass produced thing new.

If you ship one rotor or random item for R700 odd rands you are doing it wrong and you are better off paying extorted local prices😅. You sure can get that rotor for R589 (ex vat and duties) if you do it right. But you need to make the shipping fee worth it. If that means being a ‘baller’ and racking up a R10k cart by coordinating an order with your riding buddies, then so be it. shimano is a great example…i havent bought shimano locally in years, partly because there is never stock of anything, but also because the local pricing us ridiculous. example:

Surprised you got ‘correction’ right/wrong in that sentence? 👌🤣🤣🤣

Merlin always comes in at about +25% total excl. shipping for me. Ive been ising them for almost 10y. You should have received comms from UPS by now asking for id numbers and payment if you made the order on 7th. My merlin orders are usually here within 4 working days if i’m on top of the local UPS email comms. I also always place my orders on a sat/sun. They process orders over the weekends sometimes depending on volume. I also prefer DHL express’ self service through the app though. Means you’re in charge of making sure all the paperwork and payments are done quick. Once you start dealing with a (local) person it takes longer. Thats the only gripe i have with UPS, but Merlin switches courier partners every few years and i’ve not had an issue with either in the past. They do cost more…ppl never want to pay for shipping. But i want my stuff yesterday so i’m happy with paying for the service. In anycase, merlin offers free shipping over s certain value. So buy more!😅

Not anymore. But yes thats actually something you learn from being an unfortunate owner a fox x2 more than anything else i’d say…spending your evenings inflating that POS 25psi at a time, balancing the chambers, rinse repeat until you get to 240psi…just to realise it sounds like a fist doing questionable things to a jar of vaseline… You hit the nail there though, the amount of people that don't know how to properly inflate modern air forks or shocks is scary. Or don't care to know. But then how would they? Most people push bikes off the showroom and just ride and don't care to know how their things work. Then moan about it not being ‘plush’. And then you even get 3 chamber forks (ohlins, mezzer, dvo etc)….and thats when the tor properly falls off 😅.

Import costs are one thing. But shipping is another as Chris alluded to. You want to avoid any service that hands your package over to SAPO, unless you revel in uncertainty or like gambling. DHL does not equal DHL express, UPS (NOT USPS!) and Fedex. The latter options are door to door couriers and customs agents. Bike Inn do not offer these to SA last time i checked. The math is a bit more complicated… but general tule of thumb…price you see on website converted to Randelas + 25 % ish is what it will cost you EXCL shipping. this includes VAT and a clearance charge assuming 0% duties on parts. If duties apply…add that on top of the 25% ish. Theres a 1000 odd page SARS doc with duties on specific goods. General rule of thumb…avoid clothing, helmets, shoes. They attract up to 70% duties. If this all seems daunting…rather support local. But there are deals to be had if you know how it works. But this needs homework / experience. edit: new SARS personal import limits on ID numbers: max R150k/unlimited transactions in a 12month period. more than this…you need an import license. this is a nice bump from the previous R50k/max 3

Drove past this mess this morning, judging by the amount of people running all over the place, I doubt there was anyone left to receive the eviction notice.

Didnt pick up on the 27.5….yea then get it before soneone else does lol. Those are as rare locally as that unicorn bike of yours😊

Also on flats, riding a bike brand that doesn't exist anymore go away with your voice of reason, only room for moar betterer here😅

Yes, New ones? the chassis stiffness improved greatly between the 2.1 and the new ones. Nobody is saying a lyrik is bad…juat that a charger 3.0 Zeb is going to be stiffer than a rc2 2.1 lyrik, just like a charger 3 lyrik will be. I’d go as far as to say the old lyriks are about as stiff (fore/aft) as the new pike. ive owned lyrik ultimate 2.1, Pike ultimate 3.0, Zeb ultimate 3.0 at the same time across bikes. Again…the Lyrik 2.1 was a great fork. I think I actually preferred that damper to the 3.0. Mine was 160mm, the only thing i hated about it was that it was not the red one lol. my next bike will have a lyrik or 36mm fork on it. For what its worth…i currently run an 38mm Ohlins. Not as stiff as the zeb either…but superior damper.

The Rook scouts are also 650b so Rook cycles stock some usually. WTB ones on special atm: https://rookcycles.com/collections/parts-and-accessories/products/byway47-tyre-each

The rc2 lyrik was a nice fork…but a noodle if you’re heavier or went faster than the average weekend warrior.. You will absolutely feel the stiffness of the zeb coming from a lyrik….for better or worse. 38mm forks are for hard charging lightweights or heavier guys imo. They aren't that much heavier than a 36 either…So don't listen to the people going on about weight…my coil rxf38 weighs nearly 2.5kg and it’s fine. If you want a light fork…ride a xc bike. Then, make sure its not a first gen charger 2.1 zeb though…those are basically your lyrik in 38mm. I wouldn't bother then. You want charger 3.0 or up if you want to satisfy your upgrade itch. The 3.0 is/was notoriously harsh off the top while breaking in…mine took a few weeks too. They also take stupid low pressures due to their huge negative air chambers. Thats also why they dont work great for lighties. Im talking 65psi for a 80-90kg rider low. They were over damped. People basically ran them open on all the dails…(why they work better olif you are heavier) The 3.1 fixed this.

Is it even a bicycle?🤔

I have a stainless single speed cog that has 1000s of km on it with no visual signs of wear. Similarly…paid an arm/leg for steel idler pully’s for my big bike because the alloy ones lasted as long as ice in a braai. Wolftooth use to make stainless chainrings…guess they stopped because it was an forever chainring and a bad business model.