mtb buying/product advice

[Slowbee]

hey slowpoke

i am kinda hoping that by taking the Ministeress of Finance and Home Affairs with that the sales people might convince her that I need to think about upgrading a bit - so need to be carefull on spending to much money on new shoes, curtains, etc etc etc

[Tjommie]

Silverback nebraska

 

Xt rear derailer

 

Lx front derailer

 

Avid juicy 3 brakes

 

Rockshock tora

 

Hollowtec cranks Novatec sealed bearings

 

Lx shifters

 

Wtb speeddisc wheels

 

Retails for about R6800 , depends if you can get a couple hundred bucks of at your LBS

 

Im happy with mine

 

 

[PappaBear]

Basically the nebraska has identical specs to the Schwinn moab then, except for the gears.  Schwinn has SRAM gears, same level as the Silverback, but I prefer SRAM......

[Slowbee]

Ok guys - so I called the far away LBS (takes 45 min to drive there).

 

He reckoned what about a Felt Q720..do any of you know anything about these bikes? There does not seem to be much info on the web about them other than their own website.

 

Apparently Crow has one??? Sold his really edxpensive MTB for a felt?

 

 

[sampie]

Go for the Scott. I,m riding a Scale 60, more than 2 years old no problems. A nice upgrade i did was to change the bottom bracket(hollowtech II).If you do it straight away your cycleshop should give you a good discount for your old one.

[PappaBear]

Here is the specs for the Felt Q720.  Looks ok, but I don't know the price.  Keep in mind that the gears is one step lower than the Schwinn Moab or Silverback Nebraska, and IMO the RockShox Dart is not quite as good as the Tora which is on the Schwinn and Silverback....

 

 

 

Q Series 6061 Aluminum, Hydroformed Top tube, Externally Butted Tubing,

A-stay Design, Semi-Integrated HT, 3D Forged Dropouts Disc brake

Specific

 

FORK:

RockShox Dart 2, Turnkey lockout, Preload Adjust, Alloy crown, 28mm uppers, Alloy crown, 100mm travel, Disc brake Specific

 

DRIVETRAIN:

Shimano

27 speed, Deore Rapid fire shifter and front derailleur, Deore LX rear

derailleur, Truvativ Iso-Flow Crank, Sram PG-950 Cassette and PC951

chain

 

WHEELSET:

WTB SX-24

Double-Wall Rims w/eyelets, Shimano RM-65 Hubset w/ Centerlock disc

mounts, Black Stainless Steel Double Butted 14/15G Spokes, Maxxis 2.1

Ignitor Tires,

 

COMPONENTS:

Shimano

M485 Hydraulic Disc Brakes, Semi-Integrated Headset, Felt Fa?ade Dual

Density Saddle, Alloy Seatpost, Forged Aluminum Stem, Butted Alloy Bar,

Dual Density Grips, MTB Design Pedals

 

[Slowbee]

Pappa that makes the decision as clear as mud !

 

And the funny thing is its not like spending 10K makes the decision any easier !

[PappaBear]

Slowbee, you should also remember:  Buying a bike should be about specs, value for money and if you're a pro: weight, but in the end personal style and taste ALWAYS plays a major role....

 

Go with your gut, without being stupid... 

 

[Slowbee]

With style i was looking at a scott - but expensive - or so I thought.

 

Just chatted with some nice guys from the karoo at manic cycles - he has made me think about the need to disc brakes. He reckons plenty of guys use V brakes and do pretty well. If you take discs out the equation you can get a good frame and components especially shocks. Weight is not all that critical. Just train more !

 

Also I dont want to bet first - in fact if I come last then I have acheived my objective - had a jol! I would like to do sani 2 c next year - but then its the adventure and not about the racing - just being there and taking part and comming in just before the cut off time.

[Iwan Kemp]

Happy hunting! He he, the info never stops!

[Tjommies]

Slowbee, have a look at Silverback.  I was is your position a few months back and the Silverback  was definitely the best value for money in that price range, plus it looks pretty damn cool.

 

[Hog_]

I think the best is to just go and buy the bike that looks nicest and get it over with. The longer you wait, the more info you get, the higher your budget gets, and the more confused you get.

 

If you keep looking for the best value for money bike in your budget you'll still be talking about buying a new bike this time next year.

 

 

[Iwan Kemp]

GO WITH DISCS! V-brakes are great and all, but it's the 90's dude, get wif it!

 

Seriously though. Winter riding, and you're gonna do lots one of these days, involves rain and mud and all sorts of other stuff and discs (hydraulic ones) are far superior to v's. Lots of okes still race v's, but that's for weight saving and when you race you don't brake all that much as it's jeep track or climbing most of the time.

 

But us normal folk need brakes. Also if you live and ride in Potch V's will do.They only downhill there is when you ride off the pavement. But go to aANY trail in the lovely WC and you'll need stopping power.

 

Every single guy I've cycled with have converted to discs or upgraded to a new bike with discs cause of this.

 

Don't buy cheap first time round only to buy expensive. To upgrade costs a lot and trust me, you will want to upgrade.

 

UNLESS. Unless you plan to not ride that much and maybe not at all after it's rained or better yet while it's still raining.

 

That'll suit me just fine. That way I get to keep the beautiful waterfalls, river crossings and ripping single track to myself and the other brave souls who venture out in the wet. BRING ON WINTER!

[Slowbee]

Crow how does the 500D compare with the felt 720?

 

What would be the difference between the 500d and the 700d?

 

 

[SRBVI]

I agree with crow try get a bike with Hydraulic discs brakes already. I have built up many bikes  and the costs to upgrade at a later stage are excessive. e.g disc hubs +/- R800, Hydraulic brake +/- R2000, disc rims etc.

Still have a hardtail with V's on and do not enjoy riding is but its nice to look at . I also added cable discs to one of my bikes and it was a waste of money should have stuck with the V's.

[Slowbee]

HOG

 

have to wait till next week saturday - thats the only time I can book the Ministeress of finance and home affairs for a visit to the far away LBS.

 

So trying to make sure I know what I am talking about to her on the way there. Plus hopefully the salesman will give me a discount on my product knowledge and give me some nice mtn bike shoes. Even better they might convince the wife that the painting can wait till next month and spend more money on a MTN bike !