Tough bike for anti rhino poaching?

[craigmac]

Hi all

 

Hope Ive got the right forum here;

 

Am looking for advice on what bike to get for patrols. They wil be used in daily patrols by scouts helping to protect Krugers rhinos - The terrain is not particularly challenging, but the African environment is. ie bikes need to be simple and tough.

 

The classic old style newspaper delivery bikes that seemed to last forever (the black ones with no gears) all seem to be made very cheaply in China and dont last - cracking frames etc etc.

 

I have been pointed at an Avalanche Charge10 - which sellers claim has the following attributes, which seem to be just what we need;

No gears, strong frame, strong wheels, simple brakes, parts inexpensive and easily repaired.

 

 

I have however had no experience with this make, can anyone please help with coments on reliability of this brand - or the bike itself, particularly frame & fork - If there are other suggesstions Id love to hear them -due quantities & costs aiming to come in under R1k each.

 

Thks in advance

 

Craig

[(Deon)]

Avalanche, go for it! Cheap and simple to fix.

 

I'm sure you can even mount a RPG there somewhere, blow those poachers to kingdom come!

[Tiny K]

Looks good for the limited budget

[scotty]

Looks good and ideally low maintenance, certainly better than PnP/Makro bike rubbish. Suggest fitting tire liners for added puncture resistance.

[Juba2]

Looks good and ideally low maintenance, certainly better than PnP/Makro bike rubbish. Suggest fitting tire liners for added puncture resistance.

 

Agree

[kosmonooit]

You get what you pay for - stem, frame, construction, brakes etc might be rubbish and not stand the test of time in the long term, but cant comment on that brand or bike.

 

Also think about a tubeless setup (with sealant) - really works well, esp. with Acacia thorns!

[tunariaan]

i grew up in Kruger and those old dukwiel swarfietse seem so go on forever

Hulle maak dit seker nie meer soos in die ou dae nie, hoe meer basie shoe beter, jy weet mos dit nie jou eie fiets is nie sal hulle nooit goed na dit kyk nie

[Mojoman]

I have one of those Charges, done about 500km off road on it, from district roads to some single track, handles pretty well, obviously no suspension but then again there is no wasted power. Had no issues with it and no mechanical problems. Brakes are Promax, worked Ok, obviously not the stopping power of discs! Crank bearings are loose BB's. Crank itself is a square taper. Hubs are no name but run smooth. Headset is noname but also ran smooth. My only gripe was I bought a large and its too large for me! I weigh 100kgs I just changed pedals (to 520's), saddle and tyres. If you can't go tubeless then consider tyre liners and those Giant brand thorn proof inner tubes, has worked well for me but out in the bush, it could be a different story. In fact I have had a slow puncture on my 4x4 for a year or so, took it in a few weeks back, the cause was an old thorn about 3cm long!

Edited November 25, 2011 by Mojoman

[Juba2]

Looks good enough for the job

[Tumbleweed]

Small bit of advice: Make sure to tighten the bolts on the rear wheel. They can slip quite easily and damage the dropouts over time. Sold a lot of those bikes with very few comebacks.

[divernick]

Hi all

 

Hope Ive got the right forum here;

 

Am looking for advice on what bike to get for patrols. They wil be used in daily patrols by scouts helping to protect Krugers rhinos - The terrain is not particularly challenging, but the African environment is. ie bikes need to be simple and tough.

 

The classic old style newspaper delivery bikes that seemed to last forever (the black ones with no gears) all seem to be made very cheaply in China and dont last - cracking frames etc etc.

 

I have been pointed at an Avalanche Charge10 - which sellers claim has the following attributes, which seem to be just what we need;

No gears, strong frame, strong wheels, simple brakes, parts inexpensive and easily repaired.

 

 

I have however had no experience with this make, can anyone please help with coments on reliability of this brand - or the bike itself, particularly frame & fork - If there are other suggesstions Id love to hear them -due quantities & costs aiming to come in under R1k each.

 

Thks in advance

 

Craig

 

 

Hi Craig,

 

I run an initiative Build-a-Bike and I would like to contribute to preventing rhino poaching. As soon as I have a sturdy MTB built up, I'll contact you to donate it to be used by patrols.

 

Cheers,

Nick

[Shebeen]

Hi all

 

Hope Ive got the right forum here;

 

Am looking for advice on what bike to get for patrols. They wil be used in daily patrols by scouts helping to protect Krugers rhinos - The terrain is not particularly challenging, but the African environment is. ie bikes need to be simple and tough.

 

The classic old style newspaper delivery bikes that seemed to last forever (the black ones with no gears) all seem to be made very cheaply in China and dont last - cracking frames etc etc.

 

I have been pointed at an Avalanche Charge10 - which sellers claim has the following attributes, which seem to be just what we need;

No gears, strong frame, strong wheels, simple brakes, parts inexpensive and easily repaired.

 

 

I have however had no experience with this make, can anyone please help with coments on reliability of this brand - or the bike itself, particularly frame & fork - If there are other suggesstions Id love to hear them -due quantities & costs aiming to come in under R1k each.

 

Thks in advance

 

Craig

I think you've been given good advice.

 

my first mtb was an avalanche sirocco, got the usual teenage abuse and limited maintenance. was still going pretty well when it got expropriated after 5/6 years of use.

I think the avalanche agency is held by Dragonsports, the guys who bring in Giant. They're pretty reliable.

 

Really look at tubeless to reduce punkshas- maybe teach your crew the 'ghetto tubeless' option - google it,

[Cycho]

Maybe check these out... may be a good option, as they are designed specifically for what u want.

 

http://www.qhubeka.org/qhubeka/OUR_BIKE.html

 

PM me and I will drop you the email address

[craigmac]

Thanks for all the comments & advice thats very helpful & much obliged!

 

My guess was that tubeless probably too high tech - skill, sealant & Co2 required -will look up the 'ghetto tubeless'

 

I have never used tire liners, is that simply old tubes or is it a commercial product?

 

Nick - thats very generous of you, am off to have a look at your link!!

[Nimby]

How about ensuring that they have mounts for panniers - like touring bikes?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Thanks for all the comments & advice thats very helpful & much obliged!

 

My guess was that tubeless probably too high tech - skill, sealant & Co2 required -will look up the 'ghetto tubeless'

 

I have never used tire liners, is that simply old tubes or is it a commercial product?

 

Nick - thats very generous of you, am off to have a look at your link!!

 

Tire liners are simply that - liners for the inside of tires, to help prevent thorns & glass from coming into contact with teh tube, even when piercing the tire itself. They're a strip of silicone - like tape that you put in the inside wall of the tire before you put the tube in. It forms a protective layer between the tube and the tire itself. Cheap & efficient.

 

Also consider getting some Sludge to put into the tubes just in case a super sharp super long thorn gets embedded in there. When you pull out the thorn, the sludge will seal the hole (size dependent, of course) and you can continue riding