Temporary Makro Bike

[JTK]

if you can stretch your budget a little then you can get a decent bike second hand. One that will tick all the boxes. Those steel frame makro jobbies are really a bad idea. it will frustrate you and put you off biking. I bought myself as a first proper mtb a Trek 26r with rim brakes for R900. Everything was working 100% on the bike and I still have it in the family. Love the frame. Still the most fun I had on a mtb.

 

ps: if you do buy a "makro" bike then please make sure it is not FS. front fork is OK but the suspension linkages on these are so heavy and sloppy it will cause you more issues than fun

Edited April 18, 2018 by JTK

[Arcep]

I got the Makro bike, assembled it and after going ten metres it stopped working. It appears that the cassette is loose (you can see the gap in the photo).

 

Yeah, the bad reputation is well deserved.

 

Postnet will get a bike to Musina without breaking the bank.

My dad told me that his local Postnet office gave him a quote of R14 000. Otherwise I'd have gone that route.

[Hackster]

Went through a similar exercise recently for slightly different reasons.

 

If you're just looking for a basic bike to commute with, over a short distance, you shouldn't need to spend more than about R1000 - R1500.

 

If you're lucky, or if you take the trouble to make an offer, you'll get something for under R1000.

 

Your makro bike is interesting because it comes in at that price point. I don't have any experience of that kind of bike but can tell you that most secondhand bikes at that price point will require maintenance/repairs at some point, if not immediately.

 

But I live in Cape Town where there are a large number of bikes for sale at any given time. Gumtree was my friend. The kind of bike you're looking is more likely to be found there than on the hub.

 

I would be inclined to ask around at your new work/bar/church if anyone has an old bike they'd be happy to sell. 

[ChrisF]

I got the Makro bike, assembled it and after going ten metres it stopped working. It appears that the cassette is loose (you can see the gap in the photo).

 

Yeah, the bad reputation is well deserved.

 

My dad told me that his local Postnet office gave him a quote of R14 000. Otherwise I'd have gone that route.

 

PostNEt normally is well priced.

 

 

That said ... "PostNet-to-PostNet" is the cheapest option.

 

As soon as they have to pick up or deliver a package the price goes through the roof.

 

 

It really should only cost a few hundred rand