durbano

Agree somewhat with agen. It is not the R250 an hour at the LBS. That is actually VERY cheap. I moved back from the USA and was so stokked to be able to get my bike services for a reasonable rate compared to $90-$200 for a full service in the USA. That does not exempt the owners from ripping it. I can understand ripping it if that was a sustainable model. My question again goes back to why must every transaction extract the most out of the consumer? What about pricing the bikes fairly, competitively with the rest of the world and selling more of them. The market here...at least the MTB market right now is ready for that. Have people replace thier bikes every 2 years instead of every 3 or 4. You sell 6 bikes in 12 years intead of 3. Big difference! That also gets you better pricing with the manufacturer or importer (it should anyway). Or if you are going to rip me off then at least give me something....like a free service plan so every 6 weeks I can get the bike sorted.

Ultimatley we should be able to buy bikes for very similar prices to the USA except about R2000 for the shipping. The structure of Manufacturer, Dealer, Retailer is the same in the USA as SA with each making less margin from the Retailer down (they push more volume as a dealer so make less). This price fixing and single importers allows ZERO competition for not only bikes but almost everything and most often the "importer" or "dealer" is also the retailer so they corner the market from top to bottom. Unfortunatley most foreign manufacturers simply don't know anything about our market and are often very scared to make changes. Dark Africa and all that... They also don't follow up to find out what prices their products are being sold at because South Africa is a small market. Case in point that you can buy a bike in the USA from an online retailer and ship it here for far less than buying the bike at your LBS. Same for components. If they outlawed single distribution rights it would solve a lot of problems and create some competition until both distributor got together to fix prices again. They should also outlaw distributor/retailer in the same transaction. This is a HUGE problem in the cycle industry. I know a few bike manufacturers are making big changes to ensure this, so hope that helps. It just amazes me that the general moto for SA is get as much as you can in one transaction (cars to bikes, to whaterver!!!) We have one of the fastest growing markets for mtb in the world and yet our prices are insane? Anyway....I have covered my Rant...kind of...

You don't get "jacked" in the USA and the right to bear arms means you can carry a nice warm Uzi to dispatch any possible bandits. Any locator GPS units are for people wanting to ride in remote area's like CO, UT, AZ etc... A lot of the offroad motorbike guys use them when riding in the dunes. Saved a few redneck's lives Because the terain does not change it is not hard to get lost if you have never ridden a trail before. You can ride 200km in one direction in Arizona because it is all federal lands. You could fall off and get a cactus in your ash. Thanks for the heads-up. I am originally from here so understand how it all works and the safe/not safe posts on area's is helpful. I think there are a few places that are probably no go area's but my impression so far is that it is mostly guys taking a chance in the moment to rob you. We ride in Inanda Valley which has some of the best riding in the world, but even as a group we are taking a chance. We are talking to local chiefs about creating an informal bike park where riders pay a nominal membership that goes specifically to the community and also to clearing trails and watching for stolen bikes etc... So far the response is pretty good....

Hubbers, I have just moved here from the USA and was rather shocked to see so many bikes getting taken in various ways. Are there any GPS or tracker type products for bikes? Are they effective and how much do they weight? Also does your home insurance cover bike theft when you are riding or do you need specific insurance. I have a lot of bikes and some are top of the line so prefer they stay in my possesion. Do they sell any emergency locators here? So if you keep one in your pocket and everything gets taken when you are 50 miles in the bush you can signal for help. They have them in the USA, but it is mostly for people that get stuck out in the desert scrub area's like Arizona. Stay safe!!

Have a look at the incoming Ellsworth. The pic is while they were still building it. Should be in the country in about a month. They did extensive wind tunnel testing and like everything from Ellsworth the bike comes with a lot of love.

Ysterman. Awesome bike mate! Sorry about the delays on the parts. Have resolved the issue for all future orders. Will make sure it doesn't happen again. Please let me know how it rides. Have you picked out a name for the bike yet?