Mr lee

I think this has more to do with the fact that 75% of the time new bikes come with tubed tyres and in order to go tubeless you need to get a decent tubeless tyre anyway! It is however great that Titan are selling most or all of their bikes with TR tyres even though they may not be the best tread for everyone's application. It at least helps anyone new into the sport/(hobby ) to go tubeless without the added expense!

Ok so on the topic of scrotum....a saddle bag is cool as long as it is not overly huge and flapping around like a bull's happy ball sack on his way to mount a fair cow . Like everything else there are a few do's and don'ts! Select the appropriate size for your bike and needs and mount it securely so it does not sway around and make hideous noises as it bangs everything around it... the mounting straps will also start to rub the paint and/or carbon if not tight! Make sure that the contents are tightly packed too so your tool and tyre levers don't rattle and potentially cut into your spare tube.

Whether you look cool or not in whatever gear, as long as you are riding, you are cool

Now there is something I would never rock on any of my bikes!!! It's not crap if it helps me out of a pickle

I like to be prepared, well as much as possible, so I don't have to walk a million miles back home or to the car! So I an one of the uncool I always ride with a camelbak...road or mountain. It's just easier for me to keep my over-sized phone, keys, additional bomb, tubeless repair kit, money, cards, glass cleaner and cloth (I have prescription sunglasses that sweat always seems to obscure my vision from time to time) and whatever else I feel I need to take with me! I cannot stand to have all that weight in my jersey pockets, pulling and bouncing around! I only ever keep bars and gels in there as they are easier to get to while on the move. The bladder is only used on long and hot rides so it also provides for extra storage space if I need to take arm warmers or a jacket off on those cooler rides. A camelbak actually looks like a little saddle bag on my back cause being such a big oak I tend to obscure the proportions a little My mountain has a medium sized saddle bag with tube, levers, bomb, C02 adapter, multi-tool, quick links, tube patches, and a few other tiny bits and bobs that may help with trail side repairs. I have a micro saddle bag on the road as the tube is obviously alot smaller than a 29r with pretty much the same contents as the mountain....at least it looks more road specific and slightly streamlined in comparison

It all depends on different people and their actual and present financial situations. I personally would never want to finance a bike cause the total amount paid over the full period scares the crap out of me and I see it as a total waste of money. ...but if I did not have the cash handy and really wanted or needed a reasonably priced bike for my needs I would probably go the finance route....BUT I would definately make sure to use it and not leave it with cobwebs and a few layers of dust in the garage

Was on my way to a local bike race yesterday morning with the wife...we were actually riding there, and I passed a roadie with floro kit and no lights. I obviously had mine on as I now do not believe in leaving home without them (day or night), cause I don't want to become another statistic!! Anyway as I have mentioned before, when passing under the shade of overhanging tree's and if the sun is in a motorist or other road user's eyes THAT FLORO JERSEY IS NOT GOING TO HELP!!!

Saw quite a few roadies around linksfield off ramp area in jhb(not sure of exact road names) yesterday without lights and it was overcast! Those with lights were visible

And how was it Andrew?

Don't worry about being charged for a guided ride....total rip off and you can ride wherever you want...within reason. You will see loads of cars pull in with bikes, especially at the vacation club!

You can always ride the hill climb from the entrance (the one that travels next to the mono-rail). Keep left as you enter! I did that last year and could not get to the top without stopping....granted I was not that fit at the time though If you ride that a few times over I am sure you will look forward to that cold beer or a dip in any of the pools, especially with the temps these days. We rode around the golf course later in the afternoon after 5 on the golf cart paths and didn't have any problems...almost got lost a few times too . Even saw a lonely elephant up on the mountain slope There are more than enough paths (on and off road) to keep you busy and exploring. As mentioned above though I would not venture out of the grounds for your own safety!

Looks great....that chainring looks ssssoooooooooo tiny now!!!!! :lol: Are you using the medium or long caged derailleur? Can't make it out cause of that monster cassette throwing off the proportions a little

I feel that cyclists need to take it upon themselves to make sure they are visible at all times of the day and not only when it is dark! FOR YOUR OWN SELF PRESERVATION! It is always the drivers fault for not seeing us but we are also in part at fault for expecting drivers to see a small and often dark moving object while trying to concentrate on all the other hazards on 4-16 wheels. I make it a point now to ride with lights on during the day as well now, along with the usual bright clothing....I use the black and darker colours for the bike parks. What really got my attention was when on a morning ride with the better half. She had disappeared into the shadows of a large tree at the side of the road when I looked back to see if she was ok. The sun was so bright that all I could see was the flash of her front light . Motorists would not have seen her either (from the front or back) had she not have had anything to grab their attention! EDIT: spelling mistooks

Some good info on here

Make sure your derailleur is the long cage(pulley cage) if going bigger than a 42 cassette! From what I understand the medium is alright up to 42...

My 96 600....all grown up! Only original parts left are the frame, shocks, hubs and spokes! It now has the full M8000 XT 1x11 groupset (34T/11-42), RT81 180mm ice-tech rotors front and back, Rapide saddle, Merida Carbon 400mm seat post, Ryder "erection-like" 35 degree 100mm stem, Rapide H Rise R 780mm bars and Rapide TR29-25mm rims. Looks a bit weird but they unfortunately do not make an XXL frame so I had to make do with what I could find to sort out the comfort side of things. The XT groupset and wider rims transformed the ride feel immensely

Ouch....! Would love to see a pic

Very nice bar for the price. Left mine at 780 and love how much extra control I now have

Care to share how your wheel builder went about strengthening your rear wheel? Thicker spokes?

So most XL's come with shorter cranks and not 175mm like on the XL mountian bikes?

When you say tweaking to the Merida...are you refering to using a longer stem or seat post? What other tweeks could be done? The 61cm of other brands are usually the same as the 59cm in the Merida with a few changes here and there...I suppose it is just marketing at the end of the day but they all seem to be pretty much very close...

Keen to hear what you decide to go with and why ....and then once you have ridden it a few times come back and give us some further feedback

As for tyres you would have to check the clearance yourself or at the shop but 28c should be ok. 30 might work at a push but you would have to test it. Maybe get a shop to test with spare tyres if they have.

Cycle Lab has the Merida scultura 300 on special for R10 999.98 and it has the Tiagra groupset which is one up on the Sora/Claris of the Titan.

Finally got my 25mm ID rims Had Wayne from Rapide rebuild my wheels using my existing hub, spokes and nipples to keep the costs down and boy what a difference they make! Much stiffer and more confidence inspiring....even got a few more PR's on the usual technical sections I do. There is much less tyre roll now, especially with the 2.4 ardent up front, which was kind of too wide for the original cross country like skinny rims anyway . With the original wheels I ran 2.2-2.4 bar at the back and 1.2-1.5 bar at the front depending on the terrain. That was Ardent 2.4 front and Ardent 2.25 rear. With the new wider rims I have changed to an Ardent Race 2.2 rear as I was worried about frame space clearance and it seems it was the right thing to do as I have the same clearance I had with the old setup, which is about 6mm either side! It is not bad now that it is dry but when it gets wed and muddy it will pack up quickly! I also wanted to give the Ardent Race a go out back anyway as it is a better roller than the Ardent and I can definitely feel it. The only downside is sacrificing the raw grip I had with the Ardent in the corners....have had the rear slide out alot since the change but getting used to it. I have a Rockshox Recon silver and the is ample clearance all the way around with the Ardent 2.4...12-13mm.