JamesBallantine Posted September 4, 2017 Share Hello biking community of South Africa. It is good to be back.I require assistance from the two wheeled internet world. Here's the story:About a month ago my significant other and I decided that we are going to start cycling, mountain biking to be more precise. We have encounted a few issues, the number 1 issue being that we don't have bicycles and the second issue being that we have very limited riding experience. The last time I rode a bicycle was a few years ago when I still had my GT ruckus, wearing a old motocross helmet that I picked up at a cash crusaders in lakeside, needless to say I thought I was the fastest thing in Tokai Forrest. (Not the case apparently) . After school I (sadly) let the bike go and now I find myself itching to get back into it. The plan: get two reasonably price Mountain Bikes and explore the heart of Eastern Cape (home for now) The challenge (where you guys come in) :- what bicycles to buy with a price range or 5-7k per bike ?- other than frame and fork what are the more pricey upgrades? - new vs second hand?- 29er? And why? - what is a "MOMSEN" ? And when did they appear? (Local bike shop swears by them) Sorry for the long post. Looking forward to a response Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddaman Posted September 4, 2017 Share Best advice:Buy a 26" 9 speed second hand bike of the hub. (cheapest option)Rather tour the Karoo (less people in the Karoo, the Eastern Cape is surprising well populated).If you do the Eastern Cape, at least find the "safe spaces" from the LBS and cycling clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Letum911 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Welcome to the Hub! As for the long post... Long post? C'mon man, where's the dedication? I've seen longer comments that that!! Now for the bike. Secondhand is the way to go. There's actually a few threads running at the moment that covers this in detail. Here's one: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/169790-outdoorjunkie-looking-for-a-mtb/ Re Momsen: It's a local brand. Makes very cool reasonably priced bikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theunissa Posted September 4, 2017 Share Good on you for wanting to get back. I bought a second hand silverback hard tail almost a year ago. For a good price. 7000. I was also looking at new. But you pay to much compared to secondhand. I would suggest you go second hand. I got a new bike with only 30km on. That ised to cost 10k+ new. You will get alot better for 5-7k used than new. New in that range is very entry level. I would suggest you look for the best components on a used bike. Try to get a proper shock firstly. You can also ask the seller to take it to the local lbs for a checkup before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 4, 2017 Share Welcome James At that price bracket - 2nd hand is the way to go. Most swear by 29'' ... larger wheels, rolls easier over obstacles ... yada yada ... it is the craze of the day, fight the trend at your own peril ..... translation - some damn good 26'' bikes have fallen out of favour ..... In that price range, look at :- Merida- Titan- SilverbackThough secondhand you may find some good deals on other brands as well .... You will probably find a "standard front shock" .... "air shocks" are substantially better, but also pushes the bike into a different price bracket. typical upgrades may be shocks, and "gears" .... though I wont pour that amount of money into a bike of this price range. Ride it till the wheels fall off, if the bugg has bitten, then buy what suits your riding style and wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBallantine Posted September 5, 2017 Share Good to be back. I'm doing some digging into the second hand stuff. My challenge being that I live in port Alfred and majority of the ads on the HUB and various other sites are western cape or Gauteng based. I have gone bike to my local bike shop since posting this and with some convincing I'm quite "sold" on a momsen AL129 2017. The significant other is the next challenge.What is the general concenses on Titan bikes? (I strongly believe if you can buy a bicycle at sportsmans wearhouse - you shouldn't) Thank you everyone for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Posted September 6, 2017 Share Momsen is a PE based brand. They are pretty good. They run their operation from Valley Road and have a nice in house bike shop called Bike n Brew. Sportsman Warehouse sells the same entry bikes as any other bike shop, however you are going to be assisted by a student or someone that doesn't even ride a bike. They are generally more expensive than a bike shop. If you are in PE, pop in at Wayne Pfeiffer Cycles. They do Titan bikes. You'll get better service, advice and prices than Sportsman warehouse Titan is also a local brand and makes some good entry biked Edited September 6, 2017 by Eugene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maknash Posted September 6, 2017 Share I know a few people that will turn their noses up at a Titan, but I have been riding one for about a year now (still a complete noob). I have no complaints on the bike, for a starting out bike it is perfect for everything that I have needed. You can always upgrade parts on it at a later stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FondTF2 Posted September 6, 2017 Share Would much rather look at the below: www.bikehub.co.za/forum/classifieds/262099-bulls-copperhead-price-drop/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted September 6, 2017 Share Good to be back. I'm doing some digging into the second hand stuff. My challenge being that I live in port Alfred and majority of the ads on the HUB and various other sites are western cape or Gauteng based.I have gone bike to my local bike shop since posting this and with some convincing I'm quite "sold" on a momsen AL129 2017.The significant other is the next challenge.What is the general concenses on Titan bikes?(I strongly believe if you can buy a bicycle at sportsmans wearhouse - you shouldn't) Thank you everyone for the help.Not to worry. If you find something you want to have a look at, ask on the HUb and someone will go have a look for you. There are loads of people willing to help out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14phoenix Posted September 6, 2017 Share Good to be back. I'm doing some digging into the second hand stuff. My challenge being that I live in port Alfred and majority of the ads on the HUB and various other sites are western cape or Gauteng based.I have gone bike to my local bike shop since posting this and with some convincing I'm quite "sold" on a momsen AL129 2017.The significant other is the next challenge.What is the general concenses on Titan bikes?(I strongly believe if you can buy a bicycle at sportsmans wearhouse - you shouldn't) Thank you everyone for the help. Nothing wrong with Titan. As long as it has similar spec to the momsen you saw it would probably be just as good and a lot cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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