Eugene

This woman has achieved more than most SA cyclists put together, but yet, she keeps being over looked for selection. Is there some other agenda that we don't know about.

You work at SARS?

Yes you can..........it's not compulsory to be VAT registered if your turnover is below R1million.

My experience with Sportman's Warehouse is that they are expensive and they shove anybody in their cycling section. That means you get a student, who has never cycled before, giving you advice on bikes. Stay with a proper bike shop..........better service and cheaper prices. I would stick with a Momsen. They are good value for money and proudly South African. Most of the options that you have quoted are much of a muchness anyway and most brands, in your price category, are going to offer you pretty much the same in terms of spec. Support the shop that has given you the best service or the salesman that tried the hardest to advise or assist you. They are the ones that deserve your patronage.

From what you have said, your best bet would be a cheapish mtb. There is no need to spend bike amounts of money. You can ride it on the road to get fit, it will be nice and comfortable for you and would be able to handle the odd off road excursion too. Axis is pretty good value and they start at R1 999. Other cheap options are Titan and Avalanche. They should come in at the R2 -R2.5k mark for their entry level models. Raleigh is making a comeback into SA and from what I've seen, their entry level stuff is damn good value for money. Your only issue there is that they are currently only sold at Makro. Makro will offer no after sales back up, they won't set you up on the bike properly and their advice would be questionable. Visit a few other bike shops and see what they have to offer.

The Scott

I have only ever heard good things about Gatorskins. This is the first negative comment. looking at your original post. Did you pay R800 each for the Gators or R800 per set?

I did one through Action Training Academy. They are nationwide (I think). I think it was level 2 or 3. It was brilliant. It was a one week course and we covered heart attacks, strokes, fits, stabbings, shootings, bone breaks, poisoning, snake bites, choking, burns, drowning and a bit of the legal consequences of first aid. It was worth every cent that my employer paid for it.

Looks as if the clear coat is peeling. Take it back to the shop and get them sorted under warranty (if they are under warranty). The clear coat should not peel like that unless you have been using some sort of solvent or chemical to clean them with.

With this.................. SA bike brand. I saw this on Bike Rumour http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/09/04/26-650b-or-29er-prototype-chiru-rmk-mountain-bike-is-all-of-the-above/

Going back to the OP's first question........Are you wanting to make a business or a little pocket money by importing and re-selling them? Plenty of Hubbers have already tried it and have had limited success. Some have put their own branding on, others have sold them as is.

I had a look at that Raleigh at Makro about 2 weeks ago and was really surprised. Sure, it is entry level, but R3 999 is a damn good price for that bike. There is nothing wrong with the forks or parts. If I remember, the parts were a mixture of Acera and Alivio which will do everything you need them to, the brakes were hydraulic and the fork was a Suntour XCM which is pretty capable. The only problem is the fact that Makro is selling it. You are going to get zero after sales service, the bike was probably assembled by a guy that knows nothing about bicycles and something could fall off, crack or something else and your chances of having it set up properly for your body type are almost zero. It might be work the extra money to go to a bike shop where you know you will walk out with the right product for you.

I was really hoping this wasn't going to catch on. Disc brakes on a road bike just doesn't seem right. Now Silverback is giving it a go.

Do they want R10 000 for the Merida 903? That is a bit on the pricey side for a Tiagra specced bike. You can get a full 105 Axis for R10 000.

I didn't know about the race levy that is charged by CSA. This morning, I had to pay my R75 to them, just to be able to renew my club membership. It seems as if we must pay something to the CSA everytime we turn. How do other sporting codes work? Do runners, golfers etc also have to pay their governing bodies similar amounts. I can't comment on what the CSA do with this money or how effective they are, but I have never heard anyone say anything good about them. I did see them screw up last year's SA's and I did seem scew the Tour of SA and they managed to exclude our elite riders from the world champs. I think it is time for the CSA to join the Hub and start defending themselves. Like it or not, this Hub has become a powerful tool and indirectly has become the cycling watch dog of SA. Some of the most influential ppl in all spheres of cycling are members here. CSA, needs to get on board too.

It's amazing, one guy has a go at Grumpy and you all gang up on him. Good Hub etiquette. Yes, R30 is not a lot, but I agree with him. He entered, he paid what was asked of him, then he arives there and is told he must spend another R30. Isn't that ilegal in terms of the CPA? I have no idea whether this happened or not as I haven't seen the entry forms, but all requirements of entry should have been explained before they took his money and not in an SMS later.

You are right, didn't realise that. Don't want to make him look bad. Was always a big fan of his.

Jan Ulrilch will probably earn himself another 3 Tour De France Titles. http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/08/23/lance-armstrong-announces-he-will-no-longer-fight-the-usada/#more-47845 Wait..............didn't Jan he also dope?..................oh no.............another inquest, another 10 years of fighting and another champion stripped. When will it end? Everytime a winner is stripped of his title, the next guy will stand up for his Yellow Jersey. Eventually, once all the winners are investigated they will end up with the only clean rider. That was the guy who came 184th. Everybody doped back then, we all know that. Can't these idiots leave Lance alone. Even if he did dope, he beat all the other dopers. That makes the win fair and square.

Firstly, you must decide which of the 2 disciplines you want to partake in and then decide what bike. Although you can ride a MTB on the road, you are going to struggle to keep up with your friends. Even if you add slicks, there is no comparison. Of course, you won't be able to ride a road bike on the dirt. If your aim is to buy both (you said another bike in 6 months), then get the MTB first.

My bike came specced with Shimano drivetrain and a Sram cassette. Also, no noise whatsoever.

and a simple reminder for the advertiser to respond to questions. So many people join the Hub to advertise their bike, put the ad in an then dissapear.

It was already discontinued as at end 2011. The 2012 range only included Foils and Cr1s

Sunlight soap mixture and a good old fashioned nail brush. Don't scrub against the edges of the tape, but scrub with them (if that makes sense)

This thread has been pretty quiet of late, so i thought I would get it going again with something specially for Gummibear.

KHS are very well known. They were probably the first of the big manufacturers to go 650b. They were out before 650b became the rage.