Please I need advice .

[StewR]

I have just started riding for leisure so I'm looking to invest in a bike for me and 2 friends .so I'm looking at a totem around the price range of 1200 from makro and I also need help getting a bike rack ..I do not have a tow bar ..so I was looking at the buzz rack beetle 3 ..is it good ..where can I get it at a good price ?

[Sepia]

Stew, don't do the Makro thing. I have tried to repair their bikes and they are a nightmare.  Not worth the cost.  

Check out Urban Cycles as you are in Durban.

Check out the Hub.  Better deals here than at Makro.

[BDF]

Welcome to the BikeHub StewR.

 

Totem from Makro is going to be a huge disappointment for you. Don't do it! If you are looking something you will enjoy riding and are on a tight budget, rather look for a used bike here in the Hub's classifieds. The Buzzrack will be fine. It will cost more than your Totem though!

[Angus**]

Stew-If I was you id spend a few more months saving and get yourself a second hand bike off the hub- your money will go further as you wont grow out of it from a skill perspective after a few rides.

[Odinson]

Welcome to bikehub!
 
First off, you've got some lucky friends. I wish I had someone buying a bike for me.
 
Nevertheless, stay away from bikes that you can buy at Game/Makro. These bikes are only bicycle-shaped objects. They are not intended or built to withstand any type of off-road riding. On the first ride you'll start stripping the crank, snapping cables and bolts, etc. etc.
 
https://youtu.be/Y3eUfZuo5Bg
 
https://youtu.be/Vtbj4V5x4U8
 
https://youtu.be/wkMnk_eCDQU
 
You'll find much better value for moeny and enjoyment from a decent, looked-after second hand bike.
 
What is your budget and where do you plan on riding?

[FootballingCyclist]

Firstly Welcome to TheHub Stew.   Hope you enjoy your stay...

 

Secondly, please be advised that you will now receive approximately 5 pages in response to your qu, of which only about 1 or maybe 2(depending on the mood of the guys) are going to be beneficial to you and offer you any kind of advice, the rest, well just wait and see, LOL...

 

Cheers,

Rory

[StewR]

I enjoyed it this passed weekend when we hired some bikes and took a ride along durban beachfront ...so that's where I'm gonna ride so it's mostly road ...my budget is max 1500 for a bike ..I just wanna ride socially

[Odinson]

I enjoyed it this passed weekend when we hired some bikes and took a ride along durban beachfront ...so that's where I'm gonna ride so it's mostly road ...my budget is max 1500 for a bike ..I just wanna ride socially

 

Ah, a roadie.

 

*grabs coat and heads for the door*

[shaper]

Save some more... it will be worth it in the long run!!

[FootballingCyclist]

I just wanna ride socially

That's how it started for many of us on here, and very very soon, once that bug bites(which clearly it has), You are going to find yourself on here daily, checking the classifieds, checking your budget, saving more money than ever before, all for this little machines with 2 round wheels, and then you will start entering races, and the list of "and thens" is never going to end..

 

My advice though, Dont buy the totem, I got 1 for our gardener for X-Mas, and what a pain in the arse, the brakes blocks don't line up properly to the rims, the handlebars just wont get tight, in a nutshell, they are a mess, as stated previosuly, rather maybe save up abit more and then get something in the classifides because that Totem will end up standing still after a month and i doubt you wana waste cash repairing it when you could use that cash on a new bike...

 

Just my opinion,

 

Cheers

[FootballingCyclist]

Ah, a roadie.

 

*grabs coat and heads for the door*

i think he means tar/pavement, not particularly on the road itself.... Or i might be mistaken, if so, Please add a couple extra hundred Rands to your budget for a helmet...

[nonky]

Welcome dude.

 

Save your cash and get a nice 2nd hand bike on this website.

 

There's literally 100s of okes waiting to help you with your purchase...and they will help, believe me.

[FootballingCyclist]

on the flip side though, if you riding a R1500 bike from Makro or wherever, and you pass okes on their 145k bikes, You too will feel super happy with yourself

[dirtypot]

Don't buy the Totem, or any bike from Macro / Game / Checkers.  

They are all pieces of the most vile sh*t imaginable.  You will spend more money and time fixing it WHEN it breaks than it cost you in the first place.

They're also made out of mild pig iron, so apart from damaging the ground that they clumsily roll over with their extreme mass, they will also rust to pieces at precisely three minutes after you leave the store.

 

They're not fun or easy to ride, not safe, don't work properly, fall apart easily and will certainly ruin your street cred.  Don't do it.  Just don't.

[FootballingCyclist]

 

They're also made out of mild pig iron

Does this mean they're not Halaal??

[dirtypot]

Does this mean they're not Halaal??

 

They're not Halaal or Kosher