Newb bought bicycles from Makro, how bad is it?

[Captain Random]

My Neighbour across the road bought a Makro special on Black Friday. 

Initially it had been assembled incorrectly. I fixed that. 

 

Thereafter, at least, every second week the bike came back with a new ailment. 

Gears not working, play in the BB or hubs etc etc. 

Within a year, I'd replaced the rear wheel as the cups in the hub came lose. 

 

In your case, you have the bike. Ride it, look after it as best you can. But when it dies, and it will, get a bike shop bike. 

[Spaffy]

20 minutes ago, Captain Random said:

My Neighbour across the road bought a Makro special on Black Friday. 

Initially it had been assembled incorrectly. I fixed that. 

 

Thereafter, at least, every second week the bike came back with a new ailment. 

Gears not working, play in the BB or hubs etc etc. 

Within a year, I'd replaced the rear wheel as the cups in the hub came lose. 

 

In your case, you have the bike. Ride it, look after it as best you can. But when it dies, and it will, get a bike shop bike. 

It is in fact going to a bike shop next week. I'm sure Mark will go over all the parts for me.

[Chadvdw67]

Since you are a newcomer to the sport, I get your trepidation to spend a lot of money on a new bike, I remember when I started riding again 4-5 years ago, my buddy who got me back into the sport told me to just take the plunge and get a reasonable dual suspension bike, at the time that was around the R20k mark, I just couldn't bring myself to do that, and that is from me, a person who KNEW I would enjoy cycling, as I had cycled a lot in my younger days, and coming from a dirt bike back ground, knew I would enjoy the more difficult/extreme side of mountain biking, however, I ignored his advice, and went and got myself a R5k Silverback Stride elite, I literally did 3 rides on that bike before wanting something better, so I sold it and bought a Silverback Stride SX, decent little bike, I enjoyed it, for 3 months, then I sold it and got the inevitable Dual Suspension, a Specialised Stumpjumper comp, did all sorts of upgrades to it, fork, wheels, brakes etc, it opened a new world of speed and technical riding, and 3 months later, I sold it 🤣 in comes a nice shiny new Norco Fluid FS1, THAT was a sweet little bike, I still miss it, I had that one for close to 1 year, a handful of upgrades later it also got sold, and then came my Pyga Slakline, my longest relationship with a bike, had it for just over 3 years, it is the bike that helped me to learn how to hit jumps with a bit more confidence and ride a bit more aggressively, but it was a big, heavy bike, so I added a 2nd bike to my quiver, a Trek TopFuel, I quickly realised that financially I could only have 1 bike, so both went up for sale, but the Trek was the one that got sold, so I kept my Slakline, but all along I knew a shorter travel bike was what I needed/wanted, so eventually sold the Slakline and now I have a Pyga Tig, it is an amazing bike, does everything I ask of it, for what riding we have available locally, it just makes the most sense.

 

Anyways, the reason for my long winded post, if you start to enjoy your riding, buckle up for a wild and expensive journey....

[thebob]

I told you so

[Spaffy]

Using the bikes as we intended.
Green point to Bantry Bay and back via the promenade. Our longest run so far at 15km. Might not sound much but our first ride was only 4km.

 

[Dexter-morgan]

Cool, if you have strava post your profile link so we could follow you, if you want to.

[EddieV]

My advice would be, that if/when you are ready to replace your bike, look at what Bikehub has to offer 2nd-hand. By then, maybe you made some new cycling friends and they could give advice, or ask here on bikehub to point you to adverts that look like good value. And don't be scared of hard-tails ... 😉
I've almost always had buyer's regret when purchasing a new bike off the floor   .. especially when you look at the opportunity cost comparing what you could get here in the classifieds. I made a mistake a while ago again, while on holiday, on impulse I bought a Raleigh 29er for a nephew ... the bike's gears broke within a day, and by the end of the week even the frame (rear triangle) was bent. ... it was un-rideable.

A first bike may make or break a person's interest/passion for cycling. I built up 2nd-hand MTB for my wife, knowing that first impressions was crusial in getting her hooked. And it did, she loves it - I could not imagine what that extremely heavy Raleigh would have done to her enjoyment level if that was her first taste?
Glad you guys are enjoing your new bikes .... nothing better than cycling in Cape town 😉
 

[ChrisF]

8 hours ago, Spaffy said:

Using the bikes as we intended.
Green point to Bantry Bay and back via the promenade. Our longest run so far at 15km. Might not sound much but our first ride was only 4km.

 

 

That is good progress !!

 

Most of us started "around the block" .... 

 

The more you ride, the bigger the block gets ....

[Nuffy]

On 12/6/2024 at 2:08 PM, Spaffy said:

We'll see where I am in a year

If the bug really does bite I predict you’ll be wanting/needing to upgrade well within the year! I think you’ve been given some great advice already, but would add a couple of things:

1. Do as much learning as you can now so that when you are ready for the upgrade you are better prepared and have some idea of what to look for.
2. Buying second-hand is probably a good call, but you need to know what to look for. I would see if you can buy through a shop you trust, or a bike-specific platform like this one with seller ratings, but see if you can get a potential bike checked out by a shop or someone you trust. The sizing and basic specs is one thing, but it takes an experienced eye to spot things like suspension that could be problematic and lacking service support and spare parts, incompatible builds, etc. The seller may not be deliberately trying to pull a fast one, but might just not know any better, so don’t rush into a buy just because the seller seems honest. Many people will say a bike is in excellent condition if the wheels and cranks go round. You’ll want more than just that basic functionality.
3. A second-hand bike is an attractive option because it has already lost its value. So, assuming it was fairly priced, you could potentially resell it for the same as what you bought it for if you realise it is the wrong size or not appropriate. A new bike will lose a significant portion of its value as soon as it goes out the shop door.
4. Try to test ride as many bikes as you can. Friends’ bikes, demo bikes, whatever. Make notes on everything that stands out to you, positive or negative, from things like the sizing and geometry to the grips, saddle, handlebar width, etc. You’re unlikely to find a new one that has everything you like, but once you’ve worked out what’s important you can prioritise that and budget for changes to the small things.
5. Try to get an idea of what a bike will cost to maintain in the short, medium, and long term. Some parts, like the drivetrain components, wear out and will eventually need to be replaced. You can prolong this by looking after them, but the day will eventually come. Too many people have the idea that once they’ve paid the big initial purchase price, any future expenditure is just cheap basic maintenance. If you buy a bike with a Sram Transmission drivetrain, replacing that cassette and chain is going to cost more than a lot of the complete bikes in the classifieds, and you don’t really have a lot of choice for alternatives. But if you’ve got a 10-speed Shimano drivetrain there is a much wider array of replacement options and they’re a fraction of the cost. So, a bike purchase is not a once-off – you will be paying again and again and again over the years, sometimes out of necessity and sometimes for the joy of an upgrade or some bling. The choices you make in that initial purchase will determine how expensive those subsequent costs will be. A high-spec bike on clearance sale may be attractive now, but will you be just as happy with that choice three years down the line when you’ve had to fork out for an overhaul or two? Unfortunately this is something that is difficult without experience, but you can start by asking a few questions about a potential bike: 1. What are the consumable parts? 2. Are they available? 3. How much do they cost? You might be better off spending a bit more on the initial purchase to save on running maintenance costs or give yourself more upgrade options in the future.

Welcome to the sport, have fun, good luck, and drop in to ask more questions – you can see there are lots of others keen to help you!

[RobynE]

Lots of good info here! 
 

I will say though - get rid of those gel seat covers. That is chafe/abscess city. 
 

Rather get yourselves decent bib shorts. 

[Spaffy]

11 hours ago, RobynE said:

Lots of good info here! 
 

I will say though - get rid of those gel seat covers. That is chafe/abscess city. 
 

Rather get yourselves decent bib shorts. 

We'll definitely look into this, it's actually at the top of the list. The sore butt is something we're not getting used to as quick as I'd like.

[RobynE]

52 minutes ago, Spaffy said:

We'll definitely look into this, it's actually at the top of the list. The sore butt is something we're not getting used to as quick as I'd like.

The sore butt is probably a combination of things, but the seat cover will force you to not ride due to a bad chafe or abscess, plus a whole lot of your pedalling power is going into that seat cover and not being transferred to the bike.
 

You will probably feel nauseous at the sight of the bib shorts prices but please know it is a serious game changer and you’ll never look back. Make sure you choose one with the right pad for you. Not all pads are created equal and what one person swears by is someone else’s worst nightmare. 

 

[ChrisF]

4 hours ago, Spaffy said:

We'll definitely look into this, it's actually at the top of the list. The sore butt is something we're not getting used to as quick as I'd like.

 

saddle fit .... jip, you butt is just another muscle, and needs to get saddle fit.

 

Saddle WIDTH .... it is critical to get the correct saddle width.  You SIT on your "sit bones" .... do a bit of googling on this .... 

 

Once you have the correct saddle width, a "padded pants" does help.  But as you increase the distance (or hours spent on the bike), you will feel it again until your butt gets saddle fit.

 

 

Cycling shorts, or bibs .... just go straight to Rapid Sports !!  They manufacture and sell from the same premises.  No middle men, no mark-ups on mark-ups ....  My 3k bibs are no better than the R700 cycling shorts from Rapid Sports !!  (tested back-to-back on a 3 day stage race)

 

 

Coming back from a few months of the worst sinusses I dread the thought of getting saddle fit again .... ouch !!!  2 or 3 uncomfortable  sessions post 3-hours in the saddle .....