Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags '650b'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • General
    • The Bike Room
    • Sponsored
  • New to Cycling
    • Ask Anything
    • What Bike to Buy
  • Gear & Bikes
    • Technical Q&A
    • New Gear
    • Buyer’s Advice
    • Post Your Bike & Projects
    • Bike Shops & Services
    • Retro / Vintage Bikes
  • Events & Training
    • Events
    • Pro Cycling
    • Training, Health & Nutrition
  • Riding
    • Group Rides
    • Routes & Trails
    • Share Your Ride & Travels
  • Discipline-Specific
    • Gravity
    • Fixie & Singlespeed
    • Commuter
    • Multisport
  • Safety & Awareness
    • Stolen Bikes
    • Cycling Safety
    • Fraud Alert
    • Lost & Found
    • Good Causes
  • Help Desk
    • Site Announcements
    • Help & Support
  • Off Topic
    • Chit chat

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Website URL


Location

  1. I am in the market for a new set of tires and found a great deal on the Pirelli Enduro range through Takealot. However, there are two options, they offer the Soft range and then the Medium/Mixed range at a bit of higher price. Both are well within budget, I am just unsure which would be best for Cape Town and it's surrounds terrain. Any advice would be appreciated! Enduro Soft : https://www.takealot.com/pirelli-scorpion-27-5-x-2-6-enduro-soft-terrain-cycling-tyre/PLID71579396 Enduro Mixed : https://www.takealot.com/pirelli-scorpion-27-5-x-2-6-enduro-mixed-terrain-cycling-tyre/PLID71579393 I ride mostly short burst enduro trails (10-25km) in and around Cape Town.
  2. At first glance Silverback's Square is a big bike, the 27.5plus, 3 inch tyres dwarfing its frame and even the more typical 2.25" wheeled Silverback Slider model hanging with it on the bike rack on the back of my car. You'll be excused if you mistake it for a typical fatbike, or not know exactly what to make of it. I am in no way an XC racer, nor do I have steel gonads or a never-ending supply of optimism and energy. What I am however, is an aggressive trail rider. I like to do everything with a single bike, ride up at a semi decent pace then fly down. W2W one weekend and then enter an enduro the next weekend, without changing bikes or even suspension setup between events. My review is from this perspective - so please see it as such. I've spent a couple of days with two of Silverback's 2016 models, the Slider and Square with the focus of my time on the Square. FrameBike colours will always be subjective; Silverback has chosen to go the route of bright neons on their trail bikes, and some of them are a bit too bright for my liking. I normally ride my bikes black on black with only small feature pieces. The Square however is both bright enough and subtle enough to attract my attention and highlight it's features. The paint is durable and pretty scuff resistant and the decal design and colours under the clearcoat well thought out. The tubing diameter, profiles and layout looks well proportioned, and has an aggressive feel to it, and not the softer looks that some fat- and plus bikes offer. With a tapered headtube, hydro-formed 6061 alloy tubing, detailed machining and neat welding, Silverback makes a good looking stiff frame that inspires confidence in their build quality. The rear end buttons up with a 12mm Maxle for maximum stiffness. My right inside calf was touching the rear triangle on the upstroke, right at the top pivot bolt (due to the increased width to accommodate the plus sized wheels). This lasted for a couple of minutes and I thought I would get very annoyed with it, turned out I either got used to it, or adjusted my leg subliminally and completely forgot about it. ComponentsDrivetrain:Silverback uses Sram components on their bikes, and so the square features a 1x11 (10-42) Sram GX gear setup with a Raceface Turbine crankset and 32t NW ring. Shifting remained crisp and effortless during testing. I like the yellow cable on the display bike - a detail that works for me with the decals. Slowing down:SLX brakes on 180mm IceTec rotors, takes care of reigning this machine in, and albeit great for everyday trails, I found that they felt slightly under-powered when I was on steep difficult terrain where gravity was hard at work. A bigger front rotor could possibly sort this out, which would be a cheaper solution that upgrading to XT brakes. Wheels:52mm Wide Stans Hugo rims, on Sram hubs (15/110mm T/A front, 12/148mm T/A rear) and tubeless Maxxis Chronicle 3" tyres completes the running gear. The tyres roll fast and handles rocks and roots well, but I felt the front tyre could have more aggressive side knobs to aid aggressive cornering especially on loosepack. I tried different tyre pressures and ended up using higher pressure than recommended, to counter the feeling of sidewall flex in berms. Since the bike was an ex display bike turned demo bike, the bike slipped under the radar and did not get the PSS that would normally be done to a build before it gets sold or added to the demo fleet. This unfortunately meant that for the most components, I got a no-grease, bone dry bike. Only evident after taking a ride when trying to remove the rear wheel, realizing the 12mm Maxle has seized in place, resulting in a damaged axle when I had to forcefully remove it. Silverback assures me that this is a fluke - and all bikes gets a pre-sale service under normal circumstances. Saddle: Seating is provided by a very comfortable house brand Sector Perfromance series saddle on a Sector alloy seatpost. The newer bikes gets sold with internally routed 100mm Sector dropper posts, but unfortunately this display bike was built up before the dropper addition to the spec list and so I could not try it out. Bars/Stem: The cockpit comes in the form 740mm wide Sector double butted alloy riser bar, bolted to a 60mm Sector Box stem. Decent looking equipment, wide enough for good control, functional and clean with no clutter, and very little noticeable flex through the bars. The headset loosened up a few times in the first couple of rides, but after tightening it up the 3rd time, it retained it's place. This is probably due to a lightweight starnut. The topcap looks good, but the anodized alu feature bolt showing signs of wear without any over-tightening. The grips offers good tackiness and thickness, but is a bit hard for my liking and riding them for a long day on hard trails will result in some pretty hardcore calluses, once again that is very subjective. Fit: Geometry numbers on the Square are on par with modern trail bikes with a 69deg head angle, 625mm top tube and a pretty long 1169mm wheelbase. The large was a perfect fit for my 182mm (6'0) height. SuspensionFront:Suspension is sorted at the front by a 34mm stanction, Manitou Magnum Comp, 120mm fork with boost/110mm hub spacing. It has limited adjustability - air spring, rebound and ABS+ compression damper/lockout , but feels planted, plush and stiff, and more impressively - bottomless on trails, even with only 120mm travel. Surely the big volume tyres are partly responsible. Rear:IDS Revo is the name Silverback has given their rear suspension system (bottom bracket concentric cartridge bearings that mounts via linkage to the rear triangle), and running off a Rockshox RT3, the setup provides you with 110mm travel, that is both small bump sensitive, and big hit capable. I never flipped the lever over from fully open and did not feel it necessary on climbs, as the bike never felt like it was squatting or bobbing when pedaling, even out of the seat. The cable routing under the BB in an attempt to get it clean and neat, and to get it away from the wide rear triangle, seems a bit forced, with tight twists and turns. Changing brakes may prove a challenge, considering the length of the needed rear hose or completely re-routing, to make shorter hoses work. Riding the bikeUp:Mountain biking is not exempt from physics, and as per Newton's 3rd law of motion; what goes up, must come down. That means that to get decent downhills, you must endure the uphills. Consequently most good mountain bike trails typically start with a proprietary climb up a hill, leg powered or ski-lift, gradual or steep. Locally in SA, we don't have the luxury of Gondolas and so pedaling the bike to where you want it is standard procedure. The Square is good, albeit a bit slouchy on the climbs - the great suspension and endless grip only hampered by the 15kg+ weight of the bike. if you keep your cadence steady and your gear ratio light (with the legs to back it up), it will climb like a Sherpa over any terrain, but it does take it out of you on longer climbs. Once at the top, you may just want to take a slight breather before heading down. Down: Catch your breath, take a sip of your bottle (of which a full size bottle fits in the front triangle) point the 3" front tyre down and release a whole can of whoop-ass on the trail. The Square has immense roll over ability, and as long as you can imagine the line, the Square will obey, undramatically eating rocks, devouring bumps and ignoring ruts. The Square feels balanced, and composed, on trails, the geometry lending itself to going faster than you would feel comfortable on normally. Riding the bike on fast DH lines and quick Red routes like Red Phoenix, the bike reveals a planted character, unshaken by ruts or braking bumps. What you do also notice is that this stability comes at the cost of flick-ability, and liveliness and running flat out through a chicane will have you working hard to lean and keep the bike dropped retaining traction, especially in the quick switch from side to side. Some traction can be gained by dropping tyre pressures, but there's a fine balance of traction vs rolling resistance and the feeling of the tyre sidewall flexing, makes my stomach churn, especially since I know that if my wheel burps, I need a couple of CO2 canisters, and a whole lot of luck to get tyres seated or inflated. And a micro pump is about as useful as inflating an air mattress with your mouth. It will get you there eventually, but there's easier ways to do things. Riding typical trails where you are doing longer distances, the rolling resistance on wide tyres and extra weight will not go unnoticed unfortunately. Sure you'll get strong riding it all day, or - and more possibly so - you may plan or unwittingly keep your ride distances down to shorter rides than usual, with less traversing and exploring as a part of your ride. Let the brakes go, choose a line and commit and you'll soon go into hyperdrive, where trees blur, and tunnel vision takes over. The bike pops off jumps surprisingly easy for its size, and in the air is a place where the Square feels very at home. It's more comfortable with slight tweaks and dead sailors than with big whips and tabletops, since the sheer size of the wheels generate a substantial gyroscopic force that does not like to be change direction when at speed. Landing is uneventful and almost too easy. With a relatively long rear end, getting the front wheel to stay up and level at manuals takes some practice and technique adjustment - your front wheel needs to be picked up higher to get your weight more off the back of the bike, to counter balance the front end and get decent distance over obstacles. Alternatively, just roll over them, since you probably won't feel it. The real test of the Square's abilitiesAfter pitching the idea to Marthinus of Silverback, he was kind enough to let me run the Square in EzelEnduro 2016, a race that, although only in it's second year, has a reputation to break bikes and riders. The terrain on SS1 starting fast and off camber - sandy, and finishing off SS66 with nothing but steep boulder fields. To setup the Square for the race I did a couple of setup and component changes, just to dial it in. My own wider bars, XTR brakes, Ruby silicon grips to help with arm pump, and my Fox DOSS dropper with SDG iBeam seat and some cage pedals for more secure footing to replace my XTR clipless. Then I also added on loads and loads of frame protection tape and cut up a used tyre as downtube protection, so that I don't return a badly scuffed up bike to Silverback after the race. Other than that, I rode it all stock. The 120mm front suspension from the Manitou Magnum fork, was a concern in the back of my mind, but never felt overwhelmed on the trail, even though I did bottom it out a couple of times, it was never a harsh feeling. On that kind of terrain a 140mm fork would have been better suited, and I imagine the bike would be well suited to the longer travel. The rear suspension handled the rocks well, and not puncturing on any of the stages is testament to how well it coped. The weight of the bike hampering flowy swift direction changes, fast lines where a lot of skipping over sections would be needed, like I normally would do on a lightweight trail bike, but had me choosing seemingly impossible lines and not giving it a second thought, bouncing off big rocks, steep drops and riding in and out of ruts - mostly just over them with abandon. EzelEnduro photo Credit to Ewald Sadie. esphotography.co.za Pushing the bike up to the two final stages (that's just what you have to do - not compulsory, but impossible to ride and pointless to try), I was acutely aware of it's size and weight, as my body was tired from wrestling the terrain, and there is no way I could be carrying it on my back, up the slopes to the starting points. On the race, the Silverback Square proved to be, as my test rides would have suggested, a competent and very competitive and solid choice of bike for the terrain. I think my results, in part, shows what this bike lends itself to.Inspection after the race showed a bike for the greater part unfazed by the terrain, other than the rear wheel bearings may need a service/tightening up, rear spokes needs tensioning and there's a single small flat spot in the rim. The long and short of itBig wheels. Sure you can use it on the beach on your December holidays, and the 3" tyres would do well there running lower pressures; but once you've seen what this machine can do, you'll feel silly using it as a beach cruiser. If you look at it there on the car, dwarfing both the car and most other bikes, it is difficult to picture what the bike is designed for or what it is capable of; so take it to some trails to find out. I've been hitting downhill PR's with it on GSpot, Paarl DH and Eden normally on the first pass already. If you're not hard pressed for fast climbing or all day long distance riding, and more interested in a well mannered trail bombing machine, that goes as good as it looks, look no further. It won't replace a carbon framed lightweight XC machine, and it's not as responsive and forgiving as an long travel purpose built enduro bike. All-in-all though, a great trail bike, but shaving a bit of weight off the build, would definitely give this bike a bit more Synergy... The Silverback Square is a well designed, well specced machine, it is very capable and could make any trail, and especially challenging terrain, seriously fun. The drivetrain, suspension design and suspension components really standing out in testing as well considered parts of the build, with nothing falling in the "why is that on here" bracket. The bike is not cheap, but, at it's price point and impressive part list, it is great value for your hard earned money. Official spec list (slightly different from the bike I tested): Frame: Silverback Intelligent Design System (IDS) Revo Technology, Exclusive Suspension Science, 27.5+ Trail Machine, Hydroformed 6061 Alloy Custom Butted Tubing, Tapered 1-1/8”-1.5” Headtube, Silverback 12 x 148mm Dropouts, Super-Stiff StaysFork: Manitou Magnum Comp 27.5+, 120mm, Tapered Alloy Steerer, Crown lockout, 15x110mm Dropout, Post Mount DiscRear Shock: Rock Shox Monarch RT3, 110mm Travel, 184x44mmRims: Hayes/Sun Ringle Mulefut 50 27.5”, Alloy, 32H, Hayes/ Sun Ringle Rimtape and Valves, BlackHubs: Front: 2 Cartridge Bearings, Rear: 4 Cartridge Bearings, 3 Pawl Chromo SRAM XD 11 Speed Freehub Body with 10° Engagement, 32H, 6-Bolt Disc MountTyres: Maxxis Chronicle 27.5” x 3.0, TR and EXO, Kevlar BeadStem: Sector Box, Alloy, S/M: 60mm; L/XL: 75mm, 6° x ∮31.8mm, BlackHandlebar: Sector Gradient, Double Butted Alloy, W: 740mm; Back Sweep: 9°; Up Sweep: 5°; 15mm Rise x ∮31.8mmSeatpost: SBC Dropper Post, Remote Lockout, Internal Cable Routing, 100mm Drop, ∮31.6mm, S/M: 350mm, L/XL: 400mm, BlackSaddle: Sector Performance series, Cr-Mo RailsBrake set: Shimano SLX BL/BR-M675, Open Hydraulic System, Metal Pads w/Fin, Levers Rotors Front: 180mm; Rear: 160mm, 6-Bolt, BlackShifters: SRAM GX X-Actuation SL Trigger Shifter, 11 Speed, BlackFront Derailleur: N/ARear Derailleur: SRAM GX X-Horizon w/ Rolling Bearing Clutch and Cage Lock, BlackCassette: SRAM XG-1150 11 Speed, 10-42T, BlackCrankset: Race Face Turbine, 32T, 11-Speed, 175mmBottom Bracket: Race Face, BSAImage from Silverback's website.
  3. Hello hubbers, My bike, Scott Genius 750 (2018), has the ability to switch between 27"+ and 29", and now I'm interested to do exactly that. The reason is mainly because my bike has quite a low BB, and I believe 29er will be able to just add a few needed centimeters. I just want to know if it's possible to trade my current 27"+ wheelsets for 29ers? I have the following: Rims: Syncros X-30s, 32 hole, 30mm Hubs: Front - Shimano HB-M6010-B CL, 15x110mm Rear - Shimano FH-M6010 CL, 12x148mm Tires: Maxxis Recon 2.8" I also have a Shimano CS-HG50-10 speed cassette, which I believe is not compatible with Sram XD hubs, but in the future I'd probably want to upgrade to Sram SX/NX and I don't know if XD hubs and Shimano cassetes are compatible for the time being? What can I expect to get for my wheelset aswell? Thanks in advance!
  4. Hi I'm upgrading to carbon rims. Currently using ZTR Crests with Hope Evo Pro 2 hubs. 32 spoke count. My question is whether I should also change hubs and drop to 28 spokes? Weight saving probably around 30 grams (7.5g per spoke and nipple) so probably negligible. But carbon rims probably already strong enough not even needing the extra 4 spokes. I weight around 75kgs and do the odd jump. Thoughts? Thanks JL
  5. With all the hype surrounding a certain large company's suspension design and reasonable pricing, I was excited to get behind the bars of one of their offerings. When Dragon Sports offered me a Trance to test I obviously jumped at the opportunity. But two days before I was due to pick up the bike, I was told that the Trance was unavailable. Click here to view the article
  6. Hi hubbers I know what I'm about to ask is probably thee most debated thing in mountain biking history and that there won't be a real conclusion to this. I'm about 1.8 meters tall and race in the u23 category. I was wondering if a 27.5 dual xco/marathon bike would be a good choice for me. I currently ride a carbon 29er hardtail and my friend and I are equally skilled and stick we each other on the single track. Every now and then I take my old aluminum 26er out and I leave my friend eating my dust on the same trails. I take my training very seriously(I have a coach) and I'm also a skilled rider. I race both xco and marathon but I can only afford one high end bike. My local marathon races does have a lot of single track involved and well national xco is 90% single track. Are there any tall guys riding 27.5s out there for marathon/stage racing
  7. So I've managed to get hold of a 650b Intense Tracer 2 and am looking at fork options. Most Intense's are spec'd with a 150s or 160s which give a head angle of 68 and 67 respectively. Obviously everyone wants a pike but I don't want to throw R20K at the fork and there isn't much about 2nd hand in the 150+ realm. There is though a couple of deals out there on new 140mm Rockshox sektors. While not the top of may peoples list it's a solid fork built on most of the Revelation hardware and will do as a stop gap until something longer comes up (but that could be a bit). Just wondering how much it will effect the angles and ride with a shorter fork that will steepen it it up a bit and if it's going to go well or dilute the frame design?
  8. For 2015 Giant builds on the foundation it has laid for it's Trance in 2014. The latest model makes a worthy claim at being the true do-it-all trail ripper that it's always promised to be. Click here to view the article
  9. Hi guys.. I weigh about 110kgs. Currently ride a Giant XTC carbon hardtail. I want to go 650B as I'm never going to be fast. Looking at the Trance Advanced 2014 with full XT and a carbon frame versus a Pyga 650B (probably the Onetwenty) The Giant is R43k and the Pyga R47k Which would you choose bearing in mind my weight. I'll likely build my current Guide RS brakes onto the new bike. Will also likely sell the new bikes wheel and my current Hope+Flow Ex wheels and buy a 650B set of Hope + Flow Ex. I'm not nearly as skilled as full 140mm travel requires but I dislocated my knee on Die Burger and want to limit my falls by going from a 29er hardtail to a dual sus 650B. I'm 183cm.. Hope to get some good arguments for/against..
  10. Anybody know where I can get some 650b WTB Vigilantes in Durban? Apparently you have some good shops here!?
  11. A few years back, lets say about 10, my dad took up MTB'ing and he loved it, still does. It didn't take long for him to get hooked. A while thereafter he wanted my mother to join him in his cycling adventures and, needless to say, she was quite skeptical about doing something as ridiculous as whizzing about with a mix of alloys and rubber between your legs. My dad eventually got her cycling by getting her a bike without her knowledge and simply placing her on top of it, and chased her around the area a bit. This was not at all what she expected and really started to like it! Even after a while warmed up to the idea of clipping your foot into the pedal. Here is Alpha, the first and the one she started on. And no, it has not had a wash since... well I can't remember. After what seems to be a lifetime, and minor upgrades and fixes here and there, they came to a point where my parents decided that they need softtails, using the excuse that they where getting old. And after much fussing to put the wheels in motion, I was assigned the task of building my mom her a proper softtail with a budget of 25k, and the permission to salvage parts from her old ride. Step one would be to gather all the parts needed for the dually. So I blew through most of my budget, purchasing a medium carbon dual suspension frame and many extras including a headset, handlebars, Rockshox Monarch RL, 105mm stem, setback seatpost and clamp and finally a set of tyres. Granted the stem and seatpost will most likely change, but this was the deal, all for R16 000 from one of our own hubbers. All seemed to be good, until I swapped out the QR hangers with the through-axle... Both screws stripped on the way out and upon replacing them and fitting the hanger, I saw that the hole for the screw wasn't aligned properly... I'll see later if this will have an effect... Here is the damage But the rest was as good as gold. Well black gold in the form of woven carbon fibers. The next step for me and my dad, was the wheels. Having gone through a process of elimination we ended up with very few options, mainly Stans ZTR Crest or a set of Rapide R27 wheels and for only R3 690 and weighing in at 1659 grams they seemed like the route to go. And upon their arrival impressed we all where! Behold we had a set of very good looking and quite light MTB wheels! Complete with QR and through axle options which swapped out quite easily. Upon them I mounted a set of Arisun Mount Graham 2.2 tyres with their moderate weight of 650 grams each, they seemed to go well with the rims. I seated both tyres with Stans NoTubes Sealant, 80ml in each tyre, and a single 25g canister. They seated without a fuss and sealed properly. Being R18 690 into the budget already I needed to start salvaging. So I dug up a crankset we had kept for just such an occasion, a basically new Sram S2000 crankset. I can see the envy and jealousy brewing even on my own face whilst putting this magnificent being together. I'm jittery with excitement to carry on, and will do so as soon as I can. I'm currently hunting for all the necessary parts, scouring the internet for what needs to be found, for the right price of coarse. I'll continue with the following parts of my forum as I carry on with the build and find or fashion the parts I need. It's quite exhilarating to see what course the unfinished black steed of carbon fibers is going to take!
  12. Nicko

    Canyon Strive

    Hey guys So I'm going to Europe in May/June for a short trip and to do a bit of riding in Switzerland and Italy. And I was thinking of getting a bike while I was over there. Currently I race Enduro and Downhill, I'm not going for the podium, but I do aim to always improve my times and my overall position. For Enduro I ride a 26" Giant Trance 2012, it's pretty well kitted out... For Downhill I ride a Giant Glory 01, it's a 2011, fairly stock. I'm toying with the idea of selling both of these to buy a Canyon Spectral Al 6.0 Race... One of the reasons is that my trance doesn't seem to be able to cut it anymore, when I'm going really fast through bumpy stuff with the Revelation fork it just doesn't quite cut it. So I toyed with the idea of getting a Pike, but that's a 10grand fork on it's own. And i think it will be capable for downhill, cause most of the tracks in KZN aren't too gnarly, and I don't do the big jumps yet (that's the main reason). So it could possibly be faster for me in face I know a lot of people are going to say get the YT Capra, but the availability of that bike is an issue, I won't be able to get it in time. I think this Canyon Strive is definitely in the same bracket of bike... So what do you guys think about my plan? Any insight will be helpful...
  13. Hi guys after being extremely happy with the full range of Maxxis tyres on my 26ers I have not had much luck with any tyre on my 27.5. I have tried Continentals - sidewalls leak Schwalbe - weak sidewalls several big tears Maxxis Crossmark - I have now lost 5 tyres to small sidewall tears just outside the rim area in about three months where I have really not been riding much. Tyres are inflated to correct pressures and I have taken care to seat and seal them 100% So I am at your mercy here I know many of you swear by contis and most by schwalbe with snakeskins on your 29ers but please if there are any guys or girls out there specifically with 27.5ers let me know what you use that does not 'poof' at the first sight of a few rocks. Also if there are any of you that use or have used the new Onzas please share your experience.
  14. A custom build is always a rewarding project. Part of this is the agonising process of looking for the perfect fit of design and components. For me, the direction of the build gets locked down once the look, or in this case the colours, has been decided. Once that is done, then the hunt for a complementary build kit begins. Click here to view the article
  15. So before posting this I took a read at some past chatter about new wheel sets (all sizes) for MTBing , with the hope of getting some clarity for my new 650b dirt killer. All it did was open up more options (which is great) add more technical muscle to what I didn't know (rim width etc) and lastly realising that the bigger brands may not be all that they are cracked up to be. What I would like to know from other Hubbers is where would a laymen start to look for a new set of wheels should he have a Giant Anthem Advanced. I originally looked at Mavic crossmax SLT but judging by some rider comments their may be better options to consider in a lower / similar price range. Most of my riding is done in JHB south (Thaba Trails and Rietvlei occasionally) and my bike takes a good beating over the rocky terrain on most weekends. The end goal is to have a good set of tubeless wheels to use to train with as well as do the occasional race after a 3 year sabbatical. Again, after reading through a few threads I'm not sure what the best option would be for my anthem - hope hubs + custom built crests vs off the shelf rims vs just keeping the standard rims, etc etc. Can anyone shed some insight?
  16. At last the day has come that I can build a bike that is exactly the spec I want (mostly), if one really managed to build the perfect bike then there would be nothing to upgrade and we can't have that now. Specs for now (12.58kgs with pedals and old tyres): Fork: 2013 RockShox Revelation RL with remote lockout (1.84kg inc axle and remote) Currently in for warranty repair and hopefully removal of the lockout. Shock: RockShox Monarch RL Frame: Anthem Advanced 27.5 frameset large (2.4kg with thru axle) Wheels: Giant P-XC2 27.5 Groupset: Full Shimano XT, 2x10, RT66 Rotors, 180F, 160R Stem: Easton Haven, 70mm, 0degree Bars: Nukeproof Warhead, 720mm, 20mm rise Seatpost: RockShox Reverb, 420mm, 125mm drop Seat: Pro Turnix Pedals: Shimano m520 Tyres: Onza Canis 2.25 front and rear (pictured with Racing Ralph and Honey Badger) Grips: ESI Chunky Future Upgrades: Wheels: ZTR Flow EX on something or AC Wide lightning. Bars: Raceface Next Riser carbon Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth Pedals: Shimano XT m780 Frame arrived 2 days after the order was placed, good form William! The fork with remote on its way back for warranty. Basically the concept of this bike is to create a trail bike that is as light as possible but without compromising on strength and descending ability. Traits I require are a stiff but supple fork, plenty of grip from the tyres and a dropper seatpost for downhills and cornering. On the flip side I have a strange love affair with brutally steep climbs and so I also need something thats not too heavy and pedals well while seated or standing. Frame with 12mm thru axle but no cable grommets. Other frame options were a Santacruz 5010 (ruled out because of price) or a Pyga OneTwenty650 (ruled out because of weight). Although ideally I wanted 120mm of rear travel, enough good things have been said about the Anthem's descending prowess in its standard spec (100mm front and rear) that I thought I would give it a try. Personally my favourite review of the Anthem 27.5 came from right here on the hub. I trust the opinion of a guy who rides in baggies, a t-shirt and FiveTens far more then a fully decked out lycra jock, so thank you for your review Claudio. It was rumoured a while ago that Giant was toying with the idea of making an Anthem with a 120mm fork, this sounded like a great idea to me as my previous bike was a Morewood Zula with a 130mm Sektor and I loved it but it was a bit portly. Recently Giant announced their 2015 bikes and the Anthem SX was among them. So now that I have a name for what I'm building lets get started. Daryn wrenching, he should have his arm in a sling but he's bad like that! I'd like to dedicate this build to my good friend Dazza (Mechanic at William's bike shop) who is currently recovering from a severe meeting with a tree in Jonkershoek. That didn't however stop him from giving up his evening and doing alot of the work to get the bike together in quick time with fractured scapular and all. Also a special mention to SJ from Revolution Cycles for great service & advice. The Reverb hose needs better securing but otherwise I'm extremely impressed with the finished product, orange grips and all. When the Revelation returns I'll update with pics. Once again massive thanks to Daryn, I would have spent twice as long and done the job half as neatly.
  17. Hi all . I am looking at upgrading so the two that I am looking at is the Gaint Talon 1 OR the KTM Ultra fun . My budget is up to R15000 . I do some short endurance events ( PTA Boys High 24 h ) and then some medium distance races 35 km - 70 km . Any advice on witch one will be the better one and if there is any other makes that I should look at . Thank you for advice and input.
  18. It's new bike time! I've recently sold my Commencal Meta 5.5, and am planning to buy a new full-suss trail/enduro rig sometime next year. In the meantime, I'm getting back to basics, and looking at a hardtail to get fit and do some trail riding. I probably won't race an enduro on it, but I will ride it everywhere I can. I've narrowed my search down to the Silverback Sola 2 (29") and Slade 1 (650B). Both 2014 stock. (Note: please don't recommend other brands / models - it's going to be one of these two). Given my height (1.86m) and the rave reviews the Sola is getting from a mate of mine (who went from a Slade to a Sola), I am leaning that way. However, I have a lot of perceptions (probably misconceptions) about 29ers, so I'm also drawn to the Slade - is less of a mind shift coming from a 26er. The Slade's spec is what's enticing me too. RockShox Recon Gold (vs Silver on the Sola), better rear hub, better shifters (XT vs Deore on the Sola), and slightly wider (21mm vs 19mm on the Sola) and tubeless-ready rims. Given my fat ass (almost 120kg), I am worried about a narrower, larger diameter wheelset - and the Recon Gold seems like a nice upgrade over the Silver. That said, I've been told by someone who's opinion I trust to disregard the difference in spec and go for the larger wheels. So - I welcome any input. Especially if you've ridden either (or both) of the above. Do I go for the bigger wheels and what is starting to sound like the superior frame / ride feel, or do I go for a better fork and more robust wheelset? Or am I just being paranoid about the spec? Thoughts?
  19. These two bikes were stolen from the Spur MTB Classic at the Post House Vineyard, Somerset West/Stellenbosch (28/09/14): 2014 Giant Anthem 1, baby blue with American Classic Race wheelset and X0 derailleur. 2010 Giant Anthem 1, polished aluminium/blue with Raceface crank and X0 derailleur (among other upgrades). If you have any information, please let me know on 082 883 6910. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Giants 27.5.pdf
  20. So I was looking at the geometry of my full sus Giant anthem 26er and wondered "if I change the front fork and rear assemblage would a 650b conversion be possible? Anyone know if it'll work?
  21. Apparently Bryceland and Peaty were riding these white horses at the recent British National DH champs... http://ride.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/santacruz-v10-650b.jpg http://ride.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/650b-v10-santacruz.jpg
  22. She is finally complete! Two years of saving and waiting for the right components I finally build the perfect all day singletrack warrior for South African conditions - 10.9kg, dropper post, 120/100mm travel, 650b, carbon beauty! Almost too low BB height in the 26" version of this bike, makes this puppy a cracker when converted to 650b! Running 120mm travel front and 100mm rear changes the head angle enough. Combined with a wheelbase of only 1062mm makes this bike extremely nimble, and ready to attack most singletracks in South Africa. And you have to get custom rim and fork decals... Rocky Mountain Element 70RSL Carbon Small XTR 10 speed Fox 32 Float RLC 120mm Kashima Fox RP23 100mm ZTR Crest 650b Conti X-King 2.2 front Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 rear Giant Contact Switch dropper, stealth routing ​Bikes for People who Love the Ride
  23. I have a fs 26' carbon frame lying around and have been wondering if I could take it to a carbon frame repairer and extend an extra 2.5 cm at the skewer , that would make it be able to run a 650b wheel? Would this work?
  24. Hello fellow cyclists :-) I'm looking for some advice & your opinion please. I's a road cyclist, been cycling for 5 yrs & enjoying it (ride 100 to 125 every Sunday morning, riding a Silverback Space 2.0, full carbon, Ultegra), but recently thought I'd start looking into getting into some mountain biking on a Saturday to try & build up some strength & if I start enjoying it, then maybe also do some MTB races in the future, but for the moment more to just do some basic riding in JHB on a Saturday morning. Been doing my research, & visiting a few cycle shops & there is a wealth of info out there, enough to confuse anybody. I was initially convinced that I was going to get a 29er, but over the weekend, I tried getting onto a Titan 29er a small frame (http://www.titanracingbikes.com/29relite.html) & there is no space in-seem wise, so I'm beginning to think that maybe a 29er maybe be too big for my height size. (I'm 167cm tall). I was also looking at the following bikes: Specialized Rockhopper @ R8999. http://www.specialized.com/za/en/bikes/mountain/rockhopper/rockhopper-29#manuals Silverback Sola 4 @ R6999 http://www.silverbacklab.com/upload/2011_website_SILVERBACK/sola4_14.htm Titan 29er Elite @ R10k http://www.titanracingbikes.com/29relite.html So based on the above, what do you guys think? Am I too short for a 29er & will I battle on this size of bike, should I go with a 650b, or just go with the 29er. Also, any other tips to look or for (i.e. Air shock is a must, 8, 9 or 10 speed) or recommended bike to look at (budget is +/- R10k) Thanks in advance...
  25. Hello fellow cyclists :-) I'm looking for some advice & your opinion please. I's a road cyclist, been cycling for 5 yrs & enjoying it (ride 100 to 125 every Sunday morning, riding a Silverback Space 2.0, full carbon, Ultegra), but recently thought I'd start looking into getting into some mountain biking on a Saturday to try & build up some strength & if I start enjoying it, then maybe also do some MTB races in the future, but for the moment more to just do some basic riding in JHB on a Saturday morning. Been doing my research, & visiting a few cycle shops & there is a wealth of info out there, enough to confuse anybody. I was initially convinced that I was going to get a 29er, but over the weekend, I tried getting onto a Titan 29er a small frame (http://www.titanracingbikes.com/29relite.html) & there is no space in-seem wise, so I'm beginning to think that maybe a 29er maybe be too big for my height size. (I'm 167cm tall). I was also looking at the following bikes: Specialized Rockhopper @ R8999. http://www.specialized.com/za/en/bikes/mountain/rockhopper/rockhopper-29#manuals Silverback Sola 4 @ R6999 http://www.silverbacklab.com/upload/2011_website_SILVERBACK/sola4_14.htm Titan 29er Elite @ R10k http://www.titanracingbikes.com/29relite.html So based on the above, what do you guys think? Am I too short for a 29er & will I battle on this size of bike, should I go with a 650b, or just go with the 29er. Also, any other tips to look or for (i.e. Air shock is a must, 8, 9 or 10 speed) or recommended bike to look at (budget is +/- R10k) Thanks...
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout