pbrizzolari

Hi river rat, just wanted to say thanks for the work on groenkloof. It's still an amazing place to ride, we were there this morning and glad to see other people starting to come back.

I've tried to support local shops. Their service has been horrible, without exception, and their prices have in some cases been double the price of the equivalent item from CRC. At this point I have decided against even servicing my bikes at the LBS because it seems they cannot even get that part right. Case in point. Selle Italia Yutaak Saddle - Landed cost from CRC R926, shelf price at Cyclelab (only place I could find that saddle) R2098. If I can't even trust the local shops to service my bikes properly then why would I bother to buy parts there? At the price differences I can afford to keep 2 of everything spare in my garage and it will still be cheaper.

As has been said before, I think there is a time and place for both. I'm in the process of getting a scalpel for those longer races and I have my Merida HT for those shorter blasts. Next up, the flash 29er.

The way I see it, you should honestly look at your budget and once you know what you're looking to spend then start looking at the bikes. That being said, I love Merida bikes. They tend to be good value for money with a high spec for the price. I have an HFS 1000 hardtail and it is a superb ride. If you're a middle of the pack rider and not intent on out and out speed then i think the longer travel bikes will suit you well, they're a fair margin more comfortable than the XC bikes and the only price you'll pay is not flying up the uphills like you would on a 96. I also think that you could easily tackle most stage races on that bike with no issues.

To be fair, most of the guys looking for dual sus xc bikes are not aiming at a 24 hour race. I know I'm not.

That's awesome charlie, my last 40km i did 2:08, but i think riding the longer races is upping my endurance, I managed to do my first lap in about 1:30 on Sunday.

Just out of interest Charlie, what was your time? I did 3:40 for the 70 which is my best yet, but only good enough for 86th out of 95 finishers.

I agree with you Charlie, I did the 70 yesterday. The guys at the waterpoint were great, the hospitality awesome and the competition friendly. Will definitely be back next month.

I almost bought the TFS 800 when I was looking and I am very glad that I didn't. You'll love the HFS frame if you enjoy going fast.

Hi Leon, I have the 2009 model which is quite similar. It is an awesome bike to ride; stiff, responsive and light. About the only downside is that the hydroformed tubes transmit every bit of vibration to your but, so you will know exactly what size the grains of sand underneath you are. That is a minor issue compared to the overall joy of riding the bike.

I don't ride road, but I can tell you that regardless of whether you're a pro or not, having a 2kg lighter bike helps stacks offroad. It's easier to throw around, goes over rocks with less problems and flies up the hills. I may never be pro, but I wouldn't go back to a heavier bike willingly.

Hi Bored-Girl, I personally don't think there is anything wrong with blowing your own horn occasionally. I did after finishing 65th in my first mtb race. My friends understood that I was proud of what i'd done and shared in my happiness. I think it's only a problem when it is habitual. I would also be proud to be able to keep up with Mannie for 5mins. The man is fast!

Hi Gumpie, unless something changes we'll be at groenkloof this saturday with cyclelab centurion. If you PM me your number I'll confirm with the club and let you know. There is normally a beginner, intermediate and advanced group riding there. Look forward to seeing you.

Hi Guys, I agree that training more and harder is the ultimate answer, I am gearing up my training to higher levels as I only started cycling july 2009. What I was looking for is more of an interim and coping solution for when cramping does occur. The idea is more to be able to push myself to the limit but still cope if I do get cramps. I'm not a very patient person so no matter how much training I get in I am still likely to push my limits in a race environment.

Thanks guys, after reading up a bit more it seems as though the slow mag idea should work for me. I do a lot of weight training so I am probably magnesium deficient. Same applies to my brother. Thanks for the ideas. pbrizzolari2010-02-13 15:04:13

Thanks guys, I figured it was overexertion, like when you first start riding you get cramps after 30km but after riding that distance for awhile they disappear. One of the girls on the ride today said that disprin helps if you do get cramps but it didn't really seem to help my brother. I haven't tried rennies before.

Hi Guys, so my brother and I did our first 70km mountain bike race today and although we had no real issue from a cardio fitness perspective he was cramping from about 50km and I started cramping at about 65km. So what I was wondering is what amazing remedies other people use to avoid this or if it is just a question of doing more long rides. We really enjoyed the race up to the point where he started cramping but he ended up coming second last because of it.

20 Votes in. Good luck Pornstar.

To everyone that expects no bitching. You are being unrealistic. We pay to ride in a race that we expect to be well designed and well organised. I personally felt that as the most expensive short course race I have entered it was disappointing. Why should I not express that? Edit - I just want to make it clear that I do appreciate the work that goes into hosting a race. It is not that I am ungrateful. I just didn't enjoy the race as much as I had hoped.pbrizzolari2010-02-10 03:41:03

I rode the 20km with my brother in law as his first race. I was very disappointed. We couldn't ride the forest section because of the 40km back markers, for the same reason we also couldn't ride the section before the tunnel. Once we could ride again we started passing people and all was well - until we hit the mud that had had 300 people going through it before us. By the time we got there it was unridable, my wheels were sinking in until halfway up the spokes. So we landed up walking large sections of the loop across the road. I then really enjoyed riding until we went through the last forest section, not unridable mud but once again people stopping all over the place preventing you from getting any real momentum. That was my race. I like playing in the mud as much as the next guy, but I think it was just the last straw when combined with having to walk the best parts of the course.

Hey Foxy, I would probably stretch to 6500 and get the Bianchi Mutt 6600. It is already 27 speed with hydraulic brakes and a rockshox dart 2 shock. If you have any extra after that the fork would probably be the first thing i'd upgrade. Here is the link to solomons. http://www.solomons.co.za/node/1026 The reason I'd go for this over the tfs 100 is the shock and drivetrain, but I'd try both if I was you. See which one suits you better. Make sure that the bike is the right size for you as well. good luck.

Hi Foxy, I think you might want to look at a bit higher budget if you're serious. At that price level you are still making quite a few compromises on drivetrain and fork performance. If it is not possible to look at the budget then i would say go ahead. That frame will handle upgrades quite nicely.

Hi Jibbing, I had another look at the bikes and I thought I'd let you know that Solomons has the Bianchi Doss 5200 listed at R5000. The benefits that the Bianchi offers are as follows : 1. Deore rear derailleur - means that upgrading to 27 speed is as simple as changing the cassette, chain and shifters. 2. Suntour XCT fork - not the greatest, but it worked okay for me when I was starting. 3. A frame that has been developed by one of the best known bike companies in the world with the associated geometry knowledge etc... You might be able to negotiate the price closer to what you were looking at. I'd at least take a look if I was you. Here is the link. http://www.solomons.co.za/node/1025* Otherwise my pick would probably be the merida. They do a lot of work around trickling down knowledge gained from their higher end frames and I think it pays off. Edit - I bought a felt Q620 for my brother in law last year. At the time it was the lowest end bike with hydraulic brakes at R6000. It has a very nice frame, tektro auriga comp brakes, a deore/alivio 24 speed drivetrain and suntour xcm fork. It looks to me like manufacturers are moving to a full alivio drivetrain in order to add hydraulic disks at a lower price point this year. This is not necessarily a bad tradeoff as a deore rear derailleur is cheaper to buy afterwards than a set of hydraulic brakes. pbrizzolari2010-02-07 11:34:05

Having had a look at the 3 bikes, the Saturn is definitely the better specced of the 3. I do however love the geometry and feel of Merida frames. My gut feel would be to go for the Saturn off the bat, I don't think that at this level you're going to be doing a lot of upgrading. All of the frames are heavy and the components are at the bottom end of the market. If you decide you love the sport and want to upgrade you're probably better off looking at a second hand bike from the for sale.

I'm with Break on this one. If cyclists want to complain when they are run down by cars, perhaps they should show a little respect for the rules of the road. As for riding without a helmet; isn't suicide a little easier with a gun or rope?