Bicycle Advice?

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I'm in the market for a good road bike, I've repacked my outdoor storage area (our house is like 40 years old so it has an outdoor bathroom for...erm... maids... ;) and a living area sort of that we use for storage)

And I unpacked my gym equipment and made a nice little space. Entered for the Argus Cycle Tour next year and want to begin training ASAP.

Those in the know, what can I expect in price? What should I look for in a bike? Haven't needed one for 11 years now :eek:
 
It depend on what your goals are. When I started out I bought a R2000 road bike and what I got was excactly what I paid for. The bike ended up giving me allot of problems and cash out of my pocket in repairs and upgrades.

My advice for you is to go onto this site www.thehubsa.co.za and have a look at the classified section. Plenty of decent road bikes out there at bargain prices instead of buying new which could cost you anything between 8 and 30k.

Also make sure you get yourself properly fitted and get the right size frame otherwise you could end up with allot of medical problems like back pain ect which can put you off cycling for good.

Good luck and like Lance said remember it's not about the bike :-)
 
Price of bikes vary hugely. Go to a good shop tell them what you want from the bike and your budget and let them help you. Shop around though as you know that they all stock different brands, I just bought my first new mountain bike in about 12 years paid was rather pricey.
 
One of the issues I had with bikes were that the bit that connected the pedals used to strip off and the screw fell off and the whole pedal came off, ended up having to tighten the screw every 10km or so which is very annoying.

So any bike that won't do THAT I'll be happy with.
 
alf101 said:
Damn! My last bicycle cost R89 at P&P Hyper.
Lasted 10 years.
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Yip like I said it depends on what your goals are. Do you just want to ride and finish the race as a funrider for health to lose weight ect or do you want to race
competitively?
 
I agree with WiseCrack and come and join us on www.thehubsa.co.za instead. You will get the correct advice there. The hub also has all the info you need on training and nutrition and our resident mechanic, Johann B, will help you out with any bike problems and save you a stack.
 
LandyMan said:
Pop on over to http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Default.aspx ... change your settings to SA and ZAR, and you are all set ... you will pay about half the price that you would in SA ... they also have reviews and what not on the site ... very good IMHO
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Not always. There is a guy, Icycling in the Southern Suburbs who can source far cheaper than CRC. Heck, even my LBS beats CRC on most prices.

Got some XT Cantis from Icycling for R500. CRC where R800 (ex VAT /ex Duties / ex Delivery). But CRC help give you an idea what you should be paying.


EDIT: Sorry LandyMan, I see your in Centurion and I know that CRC is far cheaper for you guys. Here in the Cape between Chris Willemse / Icycling and my LBS, CRC is seldom worth it.
 
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I must agree prices for bicycles especially here in good old SA is ridiculous to say the least.

Unsure if it is the suppliers or the local bike shops who is to blame.

The high prices of bicycles and parts is part of why people see cycling as such an elitest sport.
 
They are expensive my new mountain bike was listed at R27850 but I got it at "cost" for R20800 so you can get an idea of the mark-up but they will always give you discount if you ask and pay cash
 
cbrunsdonza said:
Dude, thats entry level stuff. My cheap-ass MTB was R4500 and then I've still spent another R4K and its still entry level. My next bike will be R30K before upgrades :D
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Hosehead said:
Well if it makes you feel better, I've seen some Italian bikes with a price tag in excess of R70,000 in some bike shops...and you still have to pedal but on the plus side you could hang it from your dick.
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Well. I can appreciate the beauty of a finely made machine, but surely there are cheaper ways to punish yourself?
Could a daily smack in the groin with a R25 hammer not also give you testicular cancer?
 
AcidRaZor said:
Entered for the Argus Cycle Tour next year and want to begin training ASAP.
Click to expand...

i also want to do the argus next year.

i've got a normal mountain bike from mongoose. 24 gears, hydraulic disc brakes and the normal shocks in the front. was around 7k and i'm really happy with it.
 
WiseCrack said:
I must agree prices for bicycles especially here in good old SA is ridiculous to say the least.

Unsure if it is the suppliers or the local bike shops who is to blame.

The high prices of bicycles and parts is part of why people see cycling as such an elitest sport.
Click to expand...

its not SA ;)

you must check out the bicycle prices in germany..... you can't really get something below a thousand euros
 
holy crap people have a lot to spend :p

i'll go with the.. 'what's your goal' pitch. Why spend 4+k on a bike that you won't ride more than a year if that! bicycles, mtb go from the standard R650 up etc but i think find a few decent shops ask opinions.. But always ensure

1. bicycle wheels and as many parts are aluminium.. don't feed rust.
2. good breaking system and not the old cruddy one(that looks like a U those break + rust) ;)
3. right amount of gears for task at hand
4. over all weight.. you will think of this when you going up the incline there by me :D and further alone the route.

I think 2-4k depend deals, timing of purchase(end of month or sales etc) maybe you can get it slightly cheaper. But i know my friend who use to ride his bicycle a lot worked out well and his was like 2k. If you spend more than 4k then uhm.. yah.. better be riding it often.
 
I saw a 2nd hand Canondale today for R4000!! Trouble with road bikes, is that the roads have become like obstacle courses. Maybe try mountain bike for long term use.
 
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