CaptainKipper Posted March 20 Share Greetings hubbers. Long time lurker, 1st time poster... I have not been on a bike seriously since high school where cutting edge tech was a Diamondback or Giant Yukon. I have the ability to spend a decent amount on a secondhand bike. The question is more one of is R15k ish that much better than a R10k 2nd hand bike for a relative beginner? Would I notice the difference? The purpose of the bike is mostly to get my fitness up and I live near Tokai, so have lots of good options wrt places to ride. A hard tail bike is what I'm after, but also love the nostalgia of steel frames (Surly, Mercer etc - am I daft?) I wouldn't discount a gravel bike either, but not being familiar with them, I'm not sure it fits the bill. I'm also a believer in the buy nice or buy twice philosophy (I bought a real POS Mongoose dual sus bike a while ago and it was totally wrong for me and i learnt my lesson). Any advice or recommendations would be gratefully received. I'm 187cm and 88kg (45) if that means anything. Edited March 20 by CaptainKipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertWhitehead Posted March 20 Share First off, welcome and congratulations on the first post. My 2 cents, and just note that you'll get a lot of opinions from various folks and there's a lot of other posts on the same topic. To answer the question: yes and no, stuff like fork and gears are quite significant in terms of quality but the other thing to bear in mind is that if you don't know what a higher quality component will offer then no, you won't notice it. I believe getting an SME (Subject Matter Expert) to join you on your journey will add a lot of value At 1.87 I would go for an XL rather than L although L can also work. KatjieStewels, CaptainKipper, Dexter-morgan and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter-morgan Posted March 20 Share Personally, I would look at second hand ask advice here, post some links and the experts will comment but it is nice to pull in that NICE new steed - Enjoy your journey. KatjieStewels, Hilton. and Nickyr 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainKipper Posted March 20 Share Perhaps some examples that catch the eye: MERIDA XT EDITION SIZE XL 2022 MODEL | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub Merida Big Nine Limited (UPGRADED) XL | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub MERIDA BIG NINE XT2 | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub MOMSEN 29 Inch MTB | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub Another (Sold) example GT AVALANCHE EXPERT (XL) **SOLD** | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub Is it overkill? I just don't want to get something (again) that sucks/is wrong for me and it kills the enjoyment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebeen Posted March 20 Share 3 hours ago, CaptainKipper said: Greetings hubbers. Long time lurker, 1st time poster... I have not been on a bike seriously since high school where cutting edge tech was a Diamondback or Giant Yukon. I have the ability to spend a decent amount on a secondhand bike. The question is more one of is R15k ish that much better than a R10k 2nd hand bike for a relative beginner? Would I notice the difference? The purpose of the bike is mostly to get my fitness up and I live near Tokai, so have lots of good options wrt places to ride. A hard tail bike is what I'm after, but also love the nostalgia of steel frames (Surly, Mercer etc - am I daft?) I wouldn't discount a gravel bike either, but not being familiar with them, I'm not sure it fits the bill. I'm also a believer in the buy nice or buy twice philosophy (I bought a real POS Mongoose dual sus bike a while ago and it was totally wrong for me and i learnt my lesson). Any advice or recommendations would be gratefully received. I'm 187cm and 88kg (45) if that means anything. Welcome! Tokai ain't gonna work so lekker for a gravelbike. You can get a group discounted year permit through Uitsig bike park at about R350. I haven't been there in a while but Avron in Woodstock (https://cycle-traders.com/) is probably the bets place to go with your budget (and queries) to get a decent deal. Try your luck at Neils wheels in plumstead too, but def go to Avron first. You can probably get a better bike here, but you play hit and miss in the classifieds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Posted March 20 Share 2 hours ago, CaptainKipper said: MERIDA XT EDITION SIZE XL 2022 MODEL | Hardtail Mountain Bikes | Bike Hub This one seems excellent value with the component spec. I would definitely recommend getting a dropper post for Tokai. If after a few months you are enjoying yourself and realise a bike with better geometry and better suspension is what you're after, you could sell it for around what you paid and get something like a Merida 120 dual suspension for around R20k. Have fun! nonky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titleist Posted March 20 Share Budget = bottomless pit aka black hole... MORNE and nonky 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted March 20 Share 42 minutes ago, Titleist said: Budget = bottomless pit aka black hole... I am going to 8 hours ago, CaptainKipper said: Greetings hubbers. Long time lurker, 1st time poster... I have not been on a bike seriously since high school where cutting edge tech was a Diamondback or Giant Yukon. I have the ability to spend a decent amount on a secondhand bike. The question is more one of is R15k ish that much better than a R10k 2nd hand bike for a relative beginner? Would I notice the difference? The purpose of the bike is mostly to get my fitness up and I live near Tokai, so have lots of good options wrt places to ride. A hard tail bike is what I'm after, but also love the nostalgia of steel frames (Surly, Mercer etc - am I daft?) I wouldn't discount a gravel bike either, but not being familiar with them, I'm not sure it fits the bill. I'm also a believer in the buy nice or buy twice philosophy (I bought a real POS Mongoose dual sus bike a while ago and it was totally wrong for me and i learnt my lesson). Any advice or recommendations would be gratefully received. I'm 187cm and 88kg (45) if that means anything. I am going to gooi a XL Merida 96 XT edition carbon/alloy frame up for sale tonight 👍🏼😁 probably for around 6 ish. Frame, shock, carbon seatpost, seat, bb and headset 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headshot Posted March 20 Share Don't listen to them. You need to bypass the incremental gains and go straight to the top step. Budget for an Epic 8 S Werks. You'll be ahead of the envy curve for at least 12 months and everything else including your Epic entry will seem like small change! Bonus! MORNE , nonky and BigDL 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORNE Posted March 21 Share 9 hours ago, Headshot said: Don't listen to them. You need to bypass the incremental gains and go straight to the top step. Budget for an Epic 8 S Werks. You'll be ahead of the envy curve for at least 12 months and everything else including your Epic entry will seem like small change! Bonus! While this obviously has some humor/sarcasm mixed into it…i like what i like, and when i decide to do something, I don't want the tools to have a part in why i might not be improving. I want to drool over my own things too, it makes me want to use them more. So I always get the best things i can reasonably afford at the time (i don't buy on credit), because i also know myself relatively well after 40y on this planet: i’ll buy the budget friendly version and immediately start planning how i can get the better version. It’s a disease unfortunately haha. In that sense…’goedkoop koop is duur koop’ for me. Now im not saying I’ll pay 200k for a bicycle (yet👀)…but i won’t be wasting any money on things i feel i will 100% want to upgrade/replace within 6months either. Thats also why i dont buy complete bikes off showrooms. They are almost always a compromise somewhere. get what you want (within reason), not what you need!😅 Edited March 21 by MORNE Skubarra 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinmug Posted March 21 Share If I can add my 2c worth of possibly-useful info: pay attention to the groupset on the bike before you peel back the velcro on your wallet (if I gauge your age correctly; i.e only a little younger than I am 😀). When I returned to the sport I first bought a good frame (I get points for that), but an iffy crank/derailleur/shifters/brakes. Mere weeks later I paid again to upgrade those bits. You quickly learn where the quality lies – and what is overkill – and settle on something reliable, durable and pleasant to work with. I am not siding with one brand over the other – I ride what I used in the Eighties and that works just fine for me, wife rides my Eighties brand and the new brand on two different bikes and she's absolutely content with both – but will campaign for a certain level within each brand. I am rambling too much. Welcome, and enjoy the new venture. 👏 Bike Dewing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamil Posted March 21 Share 54 minutes ago, tinmug said: If I can add my 2c worth of possibly-useful info: pay attention to the groupset on the bike before you peel back the velcro on your wallet (if I gauge your age correctly; i.e only a little younger than I am 😀). When I returned to the sport I first bought a good frame (I get points for that), but an iffy crank/derailleur/shifters/brakes. Mere weeks later I paid again to upgrade those bits. You quickly learn where the quality lies – and what is overkill – and settle on something reliable, durable and pleasant to work with. I am not siding with one brand over the other – I ride what I used in the Eighties and that works just fine for me, wife rides my Eighties brand and the new brand on two different bikes and she's absolutely content with both – but will campaign for a certain level within each brand. I am rambling too much. Welcome, and enjoy the new venture. 👏 That's good advice. Take a chain checker tool to any viewing. Zebra, tinmug and Scary Rider 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinmug Posted March 21 Share 9 minutes ago, Mamil said: That's good advice. Take a chain checker tool to any viewing. Excellent idea (excessively worn chain equals worn drivetrain). I learn't something today, thanks Mamil. Mamil, Zebra and Scary Rider 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainKipper Posted March 26 Share Thanks to all the advise so far. My conundrum is that 1) I am currently in Dubai for a month, and 2) even if I was in SA, these bikes aren't in CPT. That aside, I seem to have narrowed it down to the following 2 candidates. Both seem to tick the right boxes, but 1 is 12k while the other is 16k. Alternatively, what other suggestions might you have? This brings me back to my original question: is it worth a beginner spending 4k more for 1 over the other? Is there that much difference between the 2 to warrant it. Is there perhaps a reputable hubber or LBS that could inspect the bike for me (happy to pay for the privilege) Also - courier options - who to use? https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/711185/merida-xt-edition-size-xl-2022-model https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/712196/silverback-sola1-xl-gx-12-spd Edited March 26 by CaptainKipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Stewart Posted March 26 Share 1 hour ago, CaptainKipper said: I seem to have narrowed it down to the following 2 candidates. you posted two links to the same ad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainKipper Posted March 26 Share Thanks Robbie. Fixed. 1 Merida Big Nine XT 1 Silverback Sola 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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