Introduce yourself

[Slowbee]

welcome russiaM... join the Wannabees club in your area.

 

hopefully the lung burning is not so bad

[FrancoisRoux]

Hi all,

Francois here.

 

Not the most magnificent bicycle rider there is, but I ride none the less. Been lurking for a long time and might not be overly active, but just wanted to do an intro

 

Been chugging along on MTB's for many years but mostly on the road, yes I know... Still have and ride the MTB's, but acquired a Scott Hybrid at some stage and then later "upgraded" to a Titan Stryker Expert road bike.

 

Some days you'll see me on the road, other days you won't. But I'm always up for a chat if in some cases you're willing to go slower or in other cases don't mind if I go faster when my words run out. :-)

 

Safe km's!!!

[Barry]

Hi all,

Francois here.

 

Not the most magnificent bicycle rider there is, but I ride none the less. Been lurking for a long time and might not be overly active, but just wanted to do an intro

 

Been chugging along on MTB's for many years but mostly on the road, yes I know... Still have and ride the MTB's, but acquired a Scott Hybrid at some stage and then later "upgraded" to a Titan Stryker Expert road bike.

 

Some days you'll see me on the road, other days you won't. But I'm always up for a chat if in some cases you're willing to go slower or in other cases don't mind if I go faster when my words run out. :-)

 

Safe km's!!!

Welcome!   

[Barry]

Hi all so I registered a while ago to post an item my brother (the 1 who was into bikes) wanted me to post for him, im VERY diy and love building,  bmw vehicles is my passion( E36 6cyl) but so I got started on finishing a mongoose we wanted to build years ago, did that and gave it a kid that needed it, then I came across a bike / frame and started building it , the more I built the more I wanted to try it out, now I see you invited  newbie for a 60km morning ride lol, let me get this out the way from the start, I cant even ride 5km and im sure my lungs will burn and I will end up leaving it somewhere and fetch the car lol, hence im building a downhill type bike, I dont have money to throw into this sport as my other hobbie bankrupts me just fine as it is, so all myparts are either made, modified or salvage,  with the exception f some nice part my brother said  could have, but yea

h thats my story, I hope to learn alot , I live in helderberg strand gordons bay 

Welcome! 

[Dadbod Racing]

Oi! Is that you lurking outside in the bushes?[emoji6]

 

SHhhhhhh..... Nobody was supposed to see me!!!

[Ronniek]

Hi everybody. Just joined the site. Am an injured runner trying to keep fit and came across the site while searching for a second hand mountain bike. Complete newbie last rode in Matric which was ages ago but somehow I’m already scheming and dreaming of doing a triathlon once I’m back on the road.

[Slowbee]

Hi everybody. Just joined the site. Am an injured runner trying to keep fit and came across the site while searching for a second hand mountain bike. Complete newbie last rode in Matric which was ages ago but somehow I’m already scheming and dreaming of doing a triathlon once I’m back on the road.

Nice one !

 

You should do one of the xterra lites just to get into it

[Ronniek]

Nice one !

 

You should do one of the xterra lites just to get into it

Thanks Slowbee. Had to google that but it definitely looks like fun.

[GrantMcD1]

Sorry for the double post but didn't see this thread until I started a new introduction thread. So here it goes again...

 

 

Hi everyone

My name is Grant and I currently live in Cape Town as I’m completing my studies at UCT. 

I ride a 26inch MTB and absolutely love it, not planning on going bigger until I can’t find 26inch tyres. 

My main hobby is motorbike riding. 

I came across the forum searching for a tandem bicycle to buy as I’m wanting to do Argus with my dad next year. I have a few questions relating to tandems so thought it would be a good idea to create an account and try find some info. 

Happy riding
Grant 

[DeityRaid]

Howsit Guys,

 

Ex-weekend warrior returning to the trail in Cape Town. Back in 2013 I'd be on the trail every weekend, but unfortunately stopped when the group I was riding with bailed. Finally getting back into it with my partner and a couple of friends and would love some help with the following:

I have a Trek 6300 recently serviced and in good condition & a Merida Matts 1000Lite also in good condition but with a light layer of rust creeping in on the chain & derailer ect. from sitting in the garage ever since I stopped riding. 

Am I looking at replacing parts or will a good service do the job? Are these bikes still good enough for now or should I be looking at upgrading sooner than later? (Just for weekend warriors around tracks like Meerendal & Contermanskloof)

Any advice will be appreciated, thanks gents

[gurns]

Hello Everyone

New to the forum and cycling. Im a runner, but want to get into triathlons.

No knowledge of cycling whatsoever, so any advice will be appreciated.

In the market for my first bike. Had myself measured im a small or 51cm.

Budget around R10 000. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

Look at second hand bikes here on the Hub

Edited September 20, 2018 by gurns

[fajou786]

Howsit Gents

 

Just picked up this sport after many moons of not riding a bike, owned a hand me down red line bmx from my old boet.

I hope to learn a lot from you okes and that I have a welcomed stay here.

 

I bought my first road bike and hope to have more seat time soon, and to get some more

tips from the seasoned riders.

Edited September 20, 2018 by fajou786

[JacBrand]

Howsit Gents

 

Just picked up this sport after many moons of not riding a bike, owned a hand me down red line bmx from my old boet.

I hope to learn a lot from you okes and that I have a welcomed stay here.

 

I bought my first road bike and hope to have more seat time soon, and to get some more

tips from the seasoned riders.

Welcome

[MDJ]

Howsit Guys,

 

Ex-weekend warrior returning to the trail in Cape Town. Back in 2013 I'd be on the trail every weekend, but unfortunately stopped when the group I was riding with bailed. Finally getting back into it with my partner and a couple of friends and would love some help with the following:

 

I have a Trek 6300 recently serviced and in good condition & a Merida Matts 1000Lite also in good condition but with a light layer of rust creeping in on the chain & derailer ect. from sitting in the garage ever since I stopped riding. 

Am I looking at replacing parts or will a good service do the job? Are these bikes still good enough for now or should I be looking at upgrading sooner than later? (Just for weekend warriors around tracks like Meerendal & Contermanskloof)

 

Any advice will be appreciated, thanks gents

 

Welcome! You have one bike running in good condition it seems - so I'd suggest getting out on the trails ASAP, start with the easier trails at Meerendal and building back your base fitness .

 

With regards to the second bike, it depends how long the bike has been standing, normally a good clean and lube will go a long way, but you might need to replace chain, cables, tires etc.  The bike itself should be fine, if you aren't mechanically inclined you could take it to your local bike shop and they'd be able to give you an assessment and a quote. You can then decide on bike value v.s repair costs.

 

With regards to "good enough" - the boring answer is yes, provided they are in working order they should be perfectly fine for the average trail ;P. 

 

That's probably not the answer you want to hear though! MTBs have come quite way in the last 6 years with regards to tubeless tires, dropper posts and shocks on newer bikes - they make a huge difference DEPENDING on the type of riding you plan to do. If you plan to get into riding the more technical trails a nice slack geometry dual suspension 29er with 2.35 tubeless tires and dropper is insanely fun and much easier to ride on more technical trails. You do need to be fit enough to get to the top of the trails though and you still need bike handling skills - those should come back to you once you start riding again though. The costs have unfortunately increased a lot in terms of purchase and maintenance ... so its going to be a decision driven by passion/fun/heart ... logically it makes no sense to spend that much on a bicycle, but then again cycling up and down a mountain is pretty pointless too from a logical perspective .

 

You already have two bikes so you are half way down the passion road .... in that case, yes a new bike will be awesome, the tech has gotten better - plus after buying it you'll have to ride more!

[DeityRaid]

Welcome! You have one bike running in good condition it seems - so I'd suggest getting out on the trails ASAP, start with the easier trails at Meerendal and building back your base fitness .

 

With regards to the second bike, it depends how long the bike has been standing, normally a good clean and lube will go a long way, but you might need to replace chain, cables, tires etc.  The bike itself should be fine, if you aren't mechanically inclined you could take it to your local bike shop and they'd be able to give you an assessment and a quote. You can then decide on bike value v.s repair costs.

 

With regards to "good enough" - the boring answer is yes, provided they are in working order they should be perfectly fine for the average trail ;P. 

 

That's probably not the answer you want to hear though! MTBs have come quite way in the last 6 years with regards to tubeless tires, dropper posts and shocks on newer bikes - they make a huge difference DEPENDING on the type of riding you plan to do. If you plan to get into riding the more technical trails a nice slack geometry dual suspension 29er with 2.35 tubeless tires and dropper is insanely fun and much easier to ride on more technical trails. You do need to be fit enough to get to the top of the trails though and you still need bike handling skills - those should come back to you once you start riding again though. The costs have unfortunately increased a lot in terms of purchase and maintenance ... so its going to be a decision driven by passion/fun/heart ... logically it makes no sense to spend that much on a bicycle, but then again cycling up and down a mountain is pretty pointless too from a logical perspective .

 

You already have two bikes so you are half way down the passion road .... in that case, yes a new bike will be awesome, the tech has gotten better - plus after buying it you'll have to ride more!

 

Awesome thanks! Just dropped it off at Cycle Teknix to strip down and service.

 

I'll likely ride these out for awhile then once the bug has truly bitten again look at getting a dual suspension. What would be a good entry price for something that I'm not going to want to upgrade again in a couple of months?

[MDJ]

Awesome thanks! Just dropped it off at Cycle Teknix to strip down and service.

 

I'll likely ride these out for awhile then once the bug has truly bitten again look at getting a dual suspension. What would be a good entry price for something that I'm not going to want to upgrade again in a couple of months?

 

It really depends on the kind of riding you want to do/enjoy and how much you want to spend. Its the same as buying a car i.e 4x4 vs. SUV vs. Sedan vs. sportscar. Which is better ... depends on what you want to do with it! Then also consider new/used, waranty, brand, colour, local support etc.

 

I'd suggest getting your base fitness/handeling skills up to speed on your current bike, then ask your LBS to recommend a test bike based on the trails you ride. There are lots of great bikes at various price points and I'm going to be labasted for recommending something specific. However, for me, looking at the trails you mentioned and MY PERSONAL BIAS ... assuming buying new, but still not wanting to spent too much, I would recommend something like a Scott Spark 940 with a tubeless conversion. You should be able to get a deal on the 2018 model for under 35k. Take one for a TEST RIDE, if you love XC and the feel of a hardtail - you might hate a slacker dual suspension bike . Most brands have similar bikes for the main types of riding styles/trails i.e Giant, Trek, Specialized, Merida, Santa Cruz, etc, etc.

 

There will always be stuff to upgrade - wheelsets, drivetrain, tires, etc. However unless you are three seconds off a podium or change riding styles/trail types, you hardly ever NEED to upgrade, human nature is to want to upgrade though ;P