Eugene

Assuming that it is in a good condition, R2 000 sounds about right for a MTB of that age with that level of parts. Just make sure the whole groupset is XT and not just the rear deraileur. Most bike manufacturers are fond of putting a higher spec r/d on to a bike, but with other cheaper components.

Please explain in more detail. How can you cut a cable at an angle and how does this cut affect shifting? The part that is cut sticks out from the side of the deraileurs.

Complete Cyclist has exclusive rights to sell them. http://www.complete-cyclist.com

What is this country coming too when insurance companies have to put people in place to direct traffic. Is there no money for traffic lights or traffic cops.

A bike shop quoted me R3 500 for these wheels which was basically double what the equivalent Shimano wheel costs. They might be a good wheel, but are they worth paying double for.

Volcan is not exactly a rare brand. I'm pretty sure you should be able to get one, if the agents can't supply you with one, then they must make a plan for you. If I'm not mistaken Volcan is an in house brand of Emotion Cycling, so they should have something in stock or should be able to order one for you.

You are right, I have learned to my detriment that constantly applying lube is not a good idea because it gums up the cables, attracts dirt and makes them worse. That is why I recommended periodic cleaning with a degreaser do get rid of the old muck and to add a small amount of lube. Maybe cables don't stretch in the true word, but something does make them longer or change shape or form or whatever you call it.

It is the norm for most bikes to recieve a free service a few weeks after purchase purely to set the gears as new cables do tend to stretch. The fact that yours is happening over and over again suggests something more sinister. Are the cables clean inside the housing? Perhaps try to clean them with a decreaser every so often and apply a thin amount of lube to the cable.

The Oltre is much nicer looking and I'm pretty sure this link will convince you: http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-bianchi-oltre-super-record-12-46020 Then again, the Specialized is about R10 or R12 000 cheaper. I must admit that I am a Specialized fan, but the new SL4 (in fact the entire 2012 range) aren't very nice in the looks department

Are you talking frame here or complete bike? Because the S Works SL3 frame was discounted from R26 to R17 000 late last year.

I would go for the 4.7, purely because it is carbon and looks much nicer. Are these bikes new? I'm not used to Trek being reasonably priced, they are normally hideously expensive.

There are a number of Hubbers that bring in these wheels for re-sale. They charge a bit more, but they are offered with warranties meaning that they will take the risk of something going wrong. Do a search on wheels in the classified and you will find at least 3 or 4 guys selling similar stuff.

You mentioned Axis in your first post and your concerns regarding its ‘newness”. Axis might be a new name, but not necessarily a new brand. They are manufactured/imported by Probike. Axis was introduced by Probike to replace Raleigh after they lost the naming rights to the Raleigh brand in SA. For all intents and purposes, they are basically Raleighs with a new name. You won't find many people on Axis because they were only launched Jan 2012. Ask the 1000s of Raleigh owners about their bikes and I'm sure you will only hear positive things. Of your choices, I would recommend the Axis. By the way, Titan is also a new brand that appeared last year or so.

I was in that area a few weeks ago and saw the Solomons premises still closed up. Where is FPC? I did not see it there and I looked around for a bike shop.

There is a f/s 29er comparison in this month's Bicycling and both the Trek and Pyga are mentioned there. No sure if it is the exact models you are looking at. You also mentioned that you are worried about local backup on the Pyga. There are numerous posts on the Hub about the local back up on Trek and none of them look good.

Looks in awesome condition for a 20 year old bike. Not a scratch in site. Just goes to prove the quality of Cannondale and how well the owner has looked after it.

Thule are one of those nice to have carriers where you pay a premium for it's name (and I suppose looks). I bought a Holdfast for less than half of the Thule and it does exactly the same. Bosal also does a very nice rack, although I've heard they are hard to come by and there was a Hubber, I think his name is Dumela, that is selling another brand. Scroll through or do a search on the the ads and I'm sure you will come accross it

Not sure of all the specs, but considering the massive flock towards 29ers, I would stick with the Silverback. I very much doubt that the shifters are going to male much of a difference anyway. Also check out the new Axis range, you will probably get a decent 29er for a little less. www.axis-bikes.com Axis is basically the new name for Raleigh/Nomad.

If it is only the charger, surely there is somebody here who can fix it for you or perhaps you could even buy a new charger, maybe not specific to the light, but a generic type. Probably cheaper than the postage costs

That Trek 1.1 for R4 500 is a good price for a Trek. Is it new? If so, it is a bargain because Treks are normally massively overpriced. Either way it has entry level parts which will do the job you want it to do, but it will be on the heavy side. For about R6 500, you can get an Axis AR50 with the new Tiagra 10 speed.

Although it's not the be all and end all, inside leg measurements are a good indicator of size. Judging by you inside leg measurements that you gave, you should be riding an extra-small frame or a 14inch. Are your measurements correct because I cannot believe that you would have felt comfortable on a 17inch. What does the bike shop selling the bike say? They should be setting you up. I have a similar Scott. my inside leg is an 85 and I ride the 17inch

A few years back, I saw a bloke leaning against a dustbin eating his ice cream. This guy calmly tossed the wrapper onto the floor right next to him. I asked him what the hell he was doing and told him to throw it into the bin that he was sitting on. This guy looked at me as if I was mad and just walked off. There are people who just don't care.

You managed to buy one? My experience with CKT in SA (don't know if they exist anymore) was that they had no intentions of selling their products.

I replied to your Silverback post too, but didn’t know that it was this particular one you were looking at, so my answer was a bit general. The one in the link was the first of the Silverback range and came standard with a 9 speed Tiagra groupset. The only 105 part is the rear deraileur. It could be as old as a 2004 model. The ad does say a 105 groupset. Either the ad is wrong or the seller has done some upgrades to 105. If it is standard, I would say R2 500 is a fair price. If it has been upgraded to full 105, then R3 000 is a good price. Have a look at the shifters and the crank to see whether they are Tiagra or 105. I know you said your budget was R5 000, but if you could stretch it by another R1 500, you could pick up a brand new Axis with the new Tiagra 10speed for R6 500. At least if you go new, you have the warranty and the bike will be set up perfectly for you. www.axis-bikes.com

Depends on which Montery you are talking about. There have been a number of re-incarnations of the Montery name. The first models had aluminium frames 9sp Tiagra (with 105 r/d). Then they went full 105 10 speed. Then they went back to tiagra, but changed the frame to carbon, then went back to aluminium frames with 105. Having said that, any Silverback is good value for money.