Grease_Monkey

But now you spend more time on an idt and less time outside on your mtb.... your mental state must be in much worse shape

Second this, but they are no longer made - that does mean if you find a pair they are cheap. Got mine for R1100. Well I guess cheap for Oakleys. The Oakley Jawbreaker are also good. POC Aspire are also great, just pricey. All of the above are a bit bigger, especially the wind jacket and aspire, so if you have a small head they will not help.

I rode 2 piston Curas for around 3 years, then bought myself the 4 piston version just over a year ago. I have long been a Cura fanboy, I don't think there is anything better out there rand for rand. Maybe I have just been spoiled for too long and my expectations of the Guides are a bit high.

Bit of confusion. I though it was 2 piston due to terrible braking performance and small caliper size (besides for G2 and Code I am not too clued up on Sram brakes). When I actually checked on the bike (it's not mine), I saw it is actually 4 piston - the caliper is just quite small compared to other 4 piston calipers I am used to. But yes, they are "R". It's my old man's bike. He uses it twice a year, and when he does it is on Jonkershoek circle route at a leisurely pace. So no point in even trying to improve performance as for what he does there will be no difference between v-brakes and Codes....

Definitely guide calipers and levers.

Ja sounds like the seller was a bit of a box in this case. Not even worth losing sleep over. Happens alot on the 2nd hand market.

Haha, I would not have kept up. I struggle to keep up with that group on my normal bike, they are that level of fit where a comfortable pace for them is a hard one for me. Great for my fitness. Anyway, not complaining, it was nice no to break myself on Helderberg for once. All I am trying to say - ebikes even at low levels of assistance are way faster than normal bikes. Especially on steep stuff. Guys that can ride ebikes off are machine though. This one I had is an early gen alu levo - near 30kg and there is a fair bit of resistance from the motor when it is off. Anyway, I am returning it tomorrow. My bike will be working again...

Nope, just terrible brakes haha

Some more context needed in your post. Did you offer to buy someone's item and they tried to alter the price after the fact, did they not want to sell you the item? Very difficult to enforce any of this in any case. What if I advertise an item and by the time I get to my phone I have 4 offers for the item at my asking price, surely I don't now have legally binding contract with 4 people?

More travel does not equal more weight (not always). If we take a 140mm RS Pike fork vs a 150mm RS Pike fork they will weigh exactly the same. The 150mm version just has a longer air spring in it. In fact the cheaper bikes probably use cheaper forks, which are heavier. So a mid level model with a 150mm fork will weigh less than a cheap model with a 140mm fork. But, I don't think they offer different travel options, and if they do it will be 10mm difference. Remember, the platform (frame) is built around a certain geometry. Changing the travel changes the geo (unless there are changes to linkages, etc), so generally speaking a model bike (eg: Stumpjumper) will have +/- the same suspension travel across the spec range. And, 150mm on an ebike is down the middle. The only reason you won't use all of it is if it is set up wrong for you (ie: too much air pressure, or too many volume spacers). If I ride a 100mm travel bike and then a 150mm travel bike down a red route (for argument's sake), I am going to use all the travel on both of those bikes on the same trail. How I ride will just be slightly different. And cost wise, more travel also does not equal more cost. A top of the line 100mm XC fork will cost the same as a top of the line 150mm trail fork.

You're right they are. Wow, then they are even worse than I thought. This is the 2016 version though, don't know if they have gotten better over time? Comparing them to 2 piston Shimano Deore brakes they are bad... comparing them to 2 piston and 4 piston Formula Curas they are terrible. Second time I have ridden a bike with Guides, and both times I thought they have no stopping power. Anyay, don't wanna derail the thread. Point I was trying to make is, if you are buying an ebike, make sure it has decent brakes. An extra 15kg over a normal bike makes a difference when trying to stop.

Double post

I borrowed an ebike again last night (mine in for some warranty issues). Reminded me how fun these things are. But you really have to ride with other people that are on ebikes otherwise you are getting zero exercise. I rode Helderberg with a bunch of very fit guys and they were hammering it. I didn't even break a sweat and that was on 20% assist the whole way. One thing though - manufacturers really need to spec good brakes. On this Levo there are Guides with 200mm rotors front and rear. Felt like a bloody death trap, I pulled the brakes and absolutely nothing happens. These things need 4 pot brakes as standard - good to see the new ones are coming out with it. And to be fair, I think even good old 2 pot Deores would stop better than those Guides. It was quite interesting descending Helderberg in the dark, on a heavy ebike with crappy brakes that were the wrong way around for me, with a short travel dropper post - not something I am going to do again. Anyway, I can see myself owning an ebike as a second bike in the near future. Especially if my little one is interested in sitting on one of those yellow seats on the top tube. But one thing is for certain, however fun these things are - I like pedaling a bike with my own steam, it could never replace my normal bike, and definitely won't be a primary bike for me.

Ah, but you know the hub, everyone is a financial advisor. Buying an expensive frame is a waste of money when you can buy a whole bike

I linked to a Yeti SB130...

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-mountain-bike-frames/470253/2021-yeti-sb130 Best frame I have ever owned, hands down. And I've had a few very lekker frames in the last few years.

Jonkershoek is 100% safe to ride. It's a pity you couldn't come a few months ago before the fire that destroyed quite a bit of the trails and most of the vegetation. Even so, the builders are putting in an immense amount of work to fix the trails, and compared to 2014 you are still in for a very pleasant surprise!

Sho sho, I paid R1900 for a set of Cush Core not too long ago. But I guess the price has gone up seeing as Trailtech no longer bring it into the coountry.

For that, I’d also stretch! If there was stock last year when I was buying a frame I would have bought one...

Cush core is about half that... still dam expensive, but at least not 3,5k

Not on that budget

We live in an online world where people just cannot wait to signal how virtuous they are. Side tracking the launch of a lekker local product with rubbish like this.... eish.

Well priced, good looking. Looks like a really good option for a commuter. Well done!

Another vote for Mercer.

Sho, so on the narrower side. The last time I ride under 25psi I ended up putting a lekker big ding with a few smaller ones in spank rims (2.5” Minions on 30mm internal rims).