Advice needed from cyclists

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Wino

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Cape Town
I want to buy a mountain bike, just for recreational purposes - urban and mountain trails etc.
So what is the best bike to buy and where to get it in Cape Town?
I want a very good quality bike, budget of say under R5000 incl helmet and other necessary goods.

Any sage advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
If you can up that budget slightly, Xmile Cycles in Durbanville had some stock left end of last year of a beginners kit special. 2012 Silverback Alpine 3 with all accessories for R6700... That is actually a very good deal.

Here is the website:

http://xmile.co.za/index.php
 
Where in Cape Town are you?

You can get a good setup for R5K to get you going but it will require you to upgrade in the future. You can get good helmets from Game these days for R200 that would protect your noggen better than a R2K helmet - just make sure it uses the grey foam. Also check out Mr Price Sports, great place to start and also Sportsmans Warehouse - the only thing I would not by from Mr Price are their pants as MTBing is hard wearing.

(LBS: Local Bike Store)

Your basics:
* Helmet (R200 Game / R500 from LBS for BELL)
* Pump (R100) or CO2 bombs (R200 to start, R10 per bomb from CycleLab)
* Spare tube (R50)
* Slime for tubes (2 bottles , R70 total)
* Tyre lever (R20)
* Water bottle (R30)
* Hydration pack: Camlebak (R500-R100) or Mr Price special (R200)
* Patch n Solution (R20)
 
cbrunsdonza said:
Where in Cape Town are you?

You can get a good setup for R5K to get you going but it will require you to upgrade in the future. You can get good helmets from Game these days for R200 that would protect your noggen better than a R2K helmet - just make sure it uses the grey foam. Also check out Mr Price Sports, great place to start and also Sportsmans Warehouse - the only thing I would not by from Mr Price are their pants as MTBing is hard wearing.
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I will disagree with that. I would have agreed if you had said "as well as". The thing you need to be cautious of is the lack of decent ventilation with the cheap helmets. This is usually what dictates price. The more expensive helmets tend to have far more ventilation. I started with a cheapy helmet but in the Durban climate I soon needed to go more expensive, not for added protection but to stay cool.


Your basics:
* Helmet (R200 Game / R500 from LBS for BELL)
* Pump (R100) or CO2 bombs (R200 to start, R10 per bomb from CycleLab)
* Spare tube (R50)
* Slime for tubes (2 bottles , R70 total)
* Tyre lever (R20)
* Water bottle (R30)
* Hydration pack: Camlebak (R500-R100) or Mr Price special (R200)
* Patch n Solution (R20)
Click to expand...

I would limit the basics list to the ones in bold only. Tubeless tyres, hydration packs and the like can come later. Along with cleats and cycling shoes. For comfort I would suggest getting padded pants fairly soon but not an essential as you can ride without them.
 
ClintZA said:
I will disagree with that. I would have agreed if you had said "as well as". The thing you need to be cautious of is the lack of decent ventilation with the cheap helmets. This is usually what dictates price. The more expensive helmets tend to have far more ventilation. I started with a cheapy helmet but in the Durban climate I soon needed to go more expensive, not for added protection but to stay cool..
Click to expand...

Its been proven countless times that your premium priced helmets do not offer you the same protection as your cheaper ones. In order to cut down on weight, the cut down on volume. The only reason why people buy a R2K Giro is for bragging rights.
 
ClintZA said:
I would limit the basics list to the ones in bold only. Tubeless tyres, hydration packs and the like can come later. Along with cleats and cycling shoes. For comfort I would suggest getting padded pants fairly soon but not an essential as you can ride without them.
Click to expand...

He still needs his tyre levers and slime for tubes - that is an absolute non negotiable, saved me many times from having to replace a tube or even walk 20km.
 
Thanks guys. Is there a make of bike I should avoid, or rather which makes should I look out for?

Also, I would presume the best place to buy a bike is a specialist cycling outlet, not Game/Makro etc. Am I right?
 
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cbrunsdonza said:
Its been proven countless times that your premium priced helmets do not offer you the same protection as your cheaper ones. In order to cut down on weight, the cut down on volume. The only reason why people buy a R2K Giro is for bragging rights.
Click to expand...

I'd be rather interested in the source of these studies. I am aware of this one which tries to prove than cheap helmets are no less safe: http://www.helmets.org/testbycost.htm

The cheaper helmets in this testing did not outperform the more expensive ones, despite their smaller vents that usually mean more foam. Although there are probably at least some helmets out there with more or less than this uniform level of protection, we did not find any in this test. Neither the lab nor BHSI could find significant differences that would lead to individual brand recommendations. That is remarkable considering the $10 to $200+ range of prices.
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Dont forget a chain guard - nothing worse than coming down a hill and all you hear is your chain rattling away.

Silverback, Giant, Merida - you can't go wrong with those.
 
ClintZA said:
I'd be rather interested in the source of these studies. I am aware of this one which tries to prove than cheap helmets are no less safe: http://www.helmets.org/testbycost.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks, interesting site and one needs to read a couple of pages before making a decision. Pretty much tosses everything I've read out of the window.

Confirms thats feature creep has caught up with entry level products and it clears up claims made about thicker helmets offering more protection.
 
gregmcc said:
Dont forget a chain guard - nothing worse than coming down a hill and all you hear is your chain rattling away.

Silverback, Giant, Merida - you can't go wrong with those.
Click to expand...

I bought a mountain bike last month. A Scott. Also a good make; its sold by Cycle City at Canal Walk (upstairs on the left of Game)
 
Wino said:
Thanks guys. Is there a make of bike I should avoid, or rather which makes should I look out for?

Also, I would presume the best place to buy a bike is a specialist cycling outlet, not Game/Makro etc. Am I right?
Click to expand...

With my noob knowledge - correct. I went to 3 bike places; Chris Willemse Cycles behind Tygervalley center, a place in Montague Gardens and then Cycle City in Canal Walk. I looked at Merida and Giant etc but the Scott appealed to me and price was ok. Only Cycle City seemed to have Scotts.

Another thing - I went tubeless, but the kit and conversion is at least a grand.

Also note that with a Bell helmet if you fall and it breaks, you can replace it at 30% of original cost.
 
ClintZA said:
The Silverback's usually give you great value for money. The Spectra 3 is well spec'ed with Deore components. I am not certain where you would get it for under R5k though? New? If you can, I'd grab it.
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Sorry I should have mentioned its over R5K. The one mentioned above on special is obviously sold out.
 
Wino said:
What did you pay for it?
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The particular model I went for is outside your budget (was R10800), but there are more affordable ones. As a beginner I tried to strike a balance between paying a lot and then parking bike in garage for ever, or enjoying it and not having to pay for upgrades.

What I read over and over was that it is far cheaper to buy a bike and have the right components, than to have to buy those components seperately later to upgrade. It seems (to me) bikes are all about the frame and then what components are bolted on. i.e a Giant is the frame but then the brakes, gears, pedals, fork etc are all bought from component manufacturers such as Shimano.
 
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