ajnkzn Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Hey guys Need some help here! (And I'm aware that the below question is almost impossible to answer haha). I have a pretty basic Alloy Cannondale HT 29er. Weighs about 12.5kg with 1 x 10 SLX conversion and upgraded bar / stem / saddle. I'm definitely more focused on gravel riding / MTB but do ride the occasional Amashova etc. Living in Durban I've realised that one has to ride on the road if you want to improve on the bike. It's way too time consuming to drive somewhere like Giba or Holla all the time. I'm enjoying riding circuits around the Kings Park area and assorted hilly routes in the area. Obviously one can't really compete with the big boys on a 29er with knobblies but it's fun regardless. One just sees the fast kids zooming past with their aero road bikes and it's kinda tempting to get involved haha. I'm trying to decide if I should buy a cheapish road bike for training but then I won't have budget to get a better MTB anytime soon. I also wonder about the value of upgrading my MTB much beyond its current state as I don't think I'd recover the R 5 - 6 k it would cost to upgrade wheels and possibly to used 1 x 11 setup. Also unlikely to drop THAT much weight? Alternatively, something like a Spez Epic HT can be had for just under R 40 k for the carbon frame base model with 1 x 11 (would need to change the blade to a 34t from the 30t) and weighs about 10.5kg I think. Will it make that much of a difference on the road going with a bike like the above (obviously will be massive offroad)? I've looked at Gravel / CX bikes but I feel that they're a bit of an "OK at everything, good at nothing" type of n+1 bike. Thanks for any thoughts / suggestions - especially around upgrading my current MTB and if my assumptions about upgrades not being worth it are correct...
ajnkzn Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 decide if you are a chicken or a fish Bit of a turducken as I'm also a paddler and dabble in trail running too...
IceCreamMan Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 me in your shoes would go for the fancy MTB...then later on look at a cheap road bike...anything else would be settling and settling just leads to additional purchases in the future.
eddy Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 me in your shoes would go for the fancy MTB...then later on look at a cheap road bike...anything else would be settling and settling just leads to additional purchases in the future. I would do it the other way around. First get yourself a cheap roadbike (old is fine - 11/10 speed is not required) and unlike a MTB very little can go wrong with a roadbike. You can get something good for under R5k and something very nice for around 10k. Then look at a good second hand (but new) DS MTB.
Andrew Steer Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 If you've got R40k to spend, R10k on a nice road bike, R30k on a nice hardtail mtb... winner, winner
Vetplant Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Personal choice, which I did make incidentally about two years back: Get a decent second-hand Road Bike. Budget around R1500 for a professional bike fit to give you the optimum geometry to shop around for, the Stack and Reach dimensions are the critical ones to get correct. Then spend around R10k and you could get a proper road bike. Mine was 8 years old, well looked after, with 9 speed groupset and it still rides like a beast. Those Amashova downhill sweeping turns are incredible on a proper road bike. You don't have to spend more than that to keep up with the Alphabet Soup groups.
Zorro5614 Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 If you've got R40k to spend, R10k on a nice road bike, R30k on a nice hardtail mtb... winner, winner Agreed. You can get a nice Tiagra road bike on the hub for less that R10k https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/286076-silverback-strela-2/
Vetplant Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Agreed. You can get a nice Tiagra road bike on the hub for less that R10k https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/286076-silverback-strela-2/One more to look at: https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/290431-specialized-allez-large/
Andrew Steer Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Agreed. You can get a nice Tiagra road bike on the hub for less that R10k https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/286076-silverback-strela-2/I picked up a Cannondale Caad 10 with Mavic Ksyriums and Ultegra for R10k... road bike bargains come up regularly. Just get your cash ready and keep your eyes peeled!
mrcg Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Dude, there's a ton of sugar cane field roads all over to ride. When I stayed in Umdloti, I just hoped on my (HT) mtb and rode all over and wherever....and saw a few riders and loads of tracks. No need to join the dangerooos roads.If you do want to ride/race some road events then maybe cheaper to get a slick rim/tyre set for road to exchange. One bike, two sets of rims. Cheaper than the n+1 or +2.So def. best/lightest version carbon HT - you'll have a ton of fun and be competitive on road too.HT no worries for most KZN tracks either.....
ajnkzn Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 Dude, there's a ton of sugar cane field roads all over to ride. When I stayed in Umdloti, I just hoped on my (HT) mtb and rode all over and wherever....and saw a few riders and loads of tracks. No need to join the dangerooos roads.If you do want to ride/race some road events then maybe cheaper to get a slick rim/tyre set for road to exchange. One bike, two sets of rims. Cheaper than the n+1 or +2.So def. best/lightest version carbon HT - you'll have a ton of fun and be competitive on road too.HT no worries for most KZN tracks either..... Agree - tons of road and track North of Umhlanga but living in Musgrave out of the door at 04h30 it's easier to hit some circuits / back roads in the week. I do feel that my current MTB is starting to hold me back and agree that for most KZN riding a HT is fine. I also like the simplicity, lightness and lower maintenance. Leaning towards Spez Epic HT / LaPierre SAT 629 and then a R 5 k road bike when I can...
mrcg Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 You might also want to consider: https://www.bikehub.co.za/features/_/gear/build-project/bike-check-luke-moirs-silverback-superspeed-r7064...or other models. It's definitely building a better name and doing it well...also on the trails.
Andrew_Smith Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 If you've got R40k to spend, R10k on a nice road bike, R30k on a nice hardtail mtb... winner, winner I second this, cannot go wrong. The road bike is really nice, especially with the speed you can gain and maintain. And of course, you will have best of both worlds going this route.
arendoog Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 A MTB HT with bigger gearing [2x11] and a set of maxxis crossmark tyres pumped to 3 bar for the road days and 1,8 for the gravel days .Then patiently sit and wait until a perfect used road bike appears in the classifieds
Longbarn Killer Posted February 1, 2018 Posted February 1, 2018 Keep your current mtb and get a decent road bike. Carbon mtbs are over-rated.
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