Hilux 4x4 Forum

I will be in the market for a mountain bike shortly - any advice you can give will be appreciated - it is for recreational purposes and it will do the Argus as well. Price must not be mal either.

I bought a Scott from bridge cycles years ago,that time they beat everybody's price by R700-00.I think they are in ottery ,go have a look,they have a great variety.

Hey Niel
I recently bought a very nice mountain bike from City Cycles in Canal Walk.
It is an Axis. It is a very nice bike and i only paid R 2400-00 for it. The service at City Cycles was excellent.
I used to do serious cycling when i was younger, so i am full of crap when it comes to buying a bicycle.
They also have Scott bikes there for about R3000-00
I plan to do the Argus on the Axis that i bought, and i plan to do it under 4 and a half hours

Pay a bit extra, and get a decent bike, otherwise it is going to be one big frustration and no-one is going to enjoy it (We bought a bike for my wife in the R4500 - R6000 price bracket, at that stage it was the middle of the range. According to the sales guy, bikes fall in three classes, low end, middle of the range, and extremely expensive. In my opinion, any bike in the middle of the range group will suffice. The low-end is going to frustrate you, and the top-end is for pros.). Furthermore, I would stay clear of cable disk brakes - I don't know if any development went into it, but a few years ago, the cable disk brakes were not up to scratch. Hydraulic disc brakes are in a league of their own. I have a Gary Fisher with v-brakes and enjoy the bike very much. I would rather take v-brakes than cable disc brakes, but that is just me.

Opt for an aluminium frame - the chrome-molly (spelling?) is quite heavy.

I did the Argus with my Gary Fisher. A week before the race a friend of mine lend me slicks, which made a huge difference after I trained with knobbies.

Niel wrote:I will be in the market for a mountain bike shortly - any advice you can give will be appreciated - it is for recreational purposes and it will do the Argus as well. Price must not be mal either.

Price must not be mal either.

Ag kom nou Niel, don't be fickle, get something decent !

I bought a Silverback Mecury 3 from ReCycle Hobby Planes in the cape. They have some fantastic deals on bid or buy, usually with free overnight delivery.

I wouldn't recommend buying an entry level bike, what you pay is what you get.
T

anyone planning to do the Argus who hasnt done it is in for a shock, its a tough ride, at the end of the day whatever you buy doesnt really matter as its all about the person that rides it, buy a cheap bike its gonna be heavy, however the difference between say a entry level bike weighing 15 kgs and a mid level bike weighing 8 kg's is no different to a overweight person of 7kgs riding a mid level bike and vice versa....

Saying that, riding a lighter bike is more comfortable especially when you are pushing it up Chappies.. this I know, I have done 8 Argus's with the last one not finishing, although I didnt get a medal I still class it as one as I only called it a day at the top of Chappies, this was down to lack of training and nothing else....

I am also entered for the next argus so anyone else on the forum doing it and living in the Cape area we should definitely get some rides in on the actual hills of the event, Suikerbossie, Millars point, Chaps etc, it helps greatly psychologically...

So as for bikes if you can spend about R4000 then you can get something decent which also gives you the option to upgrade along the line, as long as the frame is the best you can afford then you cant go wrong, as wheels , brakes, handlebars, brakes, gears, seatpost saddle can all be upgraded .....

So when does TeamHilux4x4 start training.....hope I havent started something now...LOL....

Jaco Versfeld wrote:Pay a bit extra, and get a decent bike, otherwise it is going to be one big frustration and no-one is going to enjoy it (We bought a bike for my wife in the R4500 - R6000 price bracket, at that stage it was the middle of the range. According to the sales guy, bikes fall in three classes, low end, middle of the range, and extremely expensive. In my opinion, any bike in the middle of the range group will suffice. The low-end is going to frustrate you, and the top-end is for pros.). Furthermore, I would stay clear of cable disk brakes - I don't know if any development went into it, but a few years ago, the cable disk brakes were not up to scratch. Hydraulic disc brakes are in a league of their own. I have a Gary Fisher with v-brakes and enjoy the bike very much. I would rather take v-brakes than cable disc brakes, but that is just me.

Opt for an aluminium frame - the chrome-molly (spelling?) is quite heavy.

I did the Argus with my Gary Fisher. A week before the race a friend of mine lend me slicks, which made a huge difference after I trained with knobbies.

Niel wrote:I will be in the market for a mountain bike shortly - any advice you can give will be appreciated - it is for recreational purposes and it will do the Argus as well. Price must not be mal either.

I second that , mid entry bike go for hydraulic disk brakes I have a GT avalanche I bought a few years go still goes well.
Most bikes in the mid entry have the same shimano components just the forks and frames are different it is just finding a bike that suits you.

Just make sure that the bike frame size is correct for you, if you buy new try get a old model on special if there is a 2013 model try get a 2012 or 2011 they drop the price allot for old stock.

Have a look on HUB sa if you want to buy second had you can get good deals on here

http://www.thehubsa.co.za/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

for components and new bikes as well look at chain reaction they will ship for free for big orders

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems I am going to go for the Scott - Aspect 910 - Thanks for the advice

Niel I LOVE my mountain bike.

best part is the 650 cc single cylinder engine .....






skuus Niel.

Niel wrote:I will be in the market for a mountain bike shortly - any advice you can give will be appreciated - it is for recreational purposes and it will do the Argus as well. Price must not be mal either.

Will you also be doing the Argus or will "it" be going by itself?

ChrisF wrote:Niel I LOVE my mountain bike.

best part is the 650 cc single cylinder engine .....






skuus Niel.

Niel, nou kan jy lekker oefen! Trap daai pedale tot by my, geniet n Tafel en trap daai pedale NOG HARDER terug huistoe! Dan sal die Argus putsticks wees! LOL!

I got myself the Scott Aspect 20 for R5.5k at Cajees Cycle corner in the middle of the year, enjoy every bit of it. I try and go out once or twice a week, in between my running, did 70km yesterday. Preparing for 94.7. If funds allow I want to do the Argus.

As far as Team Hilux4x4 is concerned I think tannie Val was busy sorting this out or finding out some other info, maybe she can fill us in

You are almost as heavy as me , so I think you should look for one that takes 33' tyres and a carrier for at least 12 beers.

Did a 45 km this morning after 9 years. The legs are ok but there is other parts that need a rest. A very nice bike and worth the money.

I'll never take up cycling.. I hate needles....

Ja Lance,..... eh ..... ek bedoel Thys!

Niel, jy kan by Japie gaan draai langs Rooies se winkel, wat weer langs Elastic PC is daar by Brakcenfell Mall(agter KFC) in Old Paarl rd Brackenfell.

Thanks Tertius - sien my PM