My other thought is to have a spare wheel set, fork pedals etc and just travel with my Dilerium frame and cranks. If I remove the rear triangle I could get the frame into a case with a foam liner. Maybe even take the rear triangle as carry on luggage. I dont have to travel with any other luggage so its doable. The frame is really pricey so my only concern with this is flying internationaly 6 times a year the risk of the airline loosing my frame is definatley a possibility??? I hear ya on CRC. I ship internationaly to Korea regularily. I was hoping to support a local bike shop but if its too pricey then CRC it is. Besides if its the only way to get my favorite rubber then so be it.
Back in the office. Just picking you noodle for ideas. My Wildcard will definately be left in CT for DJ and smooth freeride. Its a medium and I run it in 5" setting with a 160mm fork so too short for fast rough lines and too little travel to be stable. I have just invested quite a bit of money in a 2010 Knolly Dilerium and I really love this bike, everything I ever wanted. So this means I cant justify the kind of money to invest in a Kalula and even the Izimu could be too much of a push. I am thinking of picking up a Transition Blindside and building it up with parts on sale at Chain Reaction Cylcles. I already have a few spare parts to help initial build so this could be a really cost effective option. I am thinking SA might be rougher than Korea and the Blindsides single pivot could make things harder but I know the bike loves to jump.
Its a pity things have died down in CT. I really dont like telling people I am into DH cause I dont think most riders really undestand what Downhill actualy is. If I get into it I might do some races for fun but my main concern is that a full DH bike is really only good for DH. I am think more of a freeride bike which can handle some DH/mini DH. What is the second hand market like there?
Thanks for the info. I am rushing out to a meeting so I have to keep it short. I prefer freeride but definatley dont compete. Really I just prefer jump trails to fast rough trails. Loads of gaps, drops, berms or any feature gets me stoked. Think North Shore and thats what I am trying to achieve. I prefer technical lines to flat out speed and really like to go out and dig. I am not familiar with this format of messaging but I will look closer tonight and see how I can send you some pics of what I have built here in Korea.
P.S. I'm not sure if Johann Potgieter is in SA at the moment but Chris Nixon is involved down there as well and you can get hold of him on 084 7777 802 or send him email at chris@chrisnixon.co.za for more info.
There is quite alot of DH around Cape Town as far as I know so you should be fine if you don't mind switching over from freeride. Over the last 2 years, part availability has shrunk by scary amounts, a combination of the whole credit crunch deal and Chain reaction cycles has put alot of importers out of business, Marzocchi being one of them. Mongoose continues to import well priced bikes and Kona has started following in their footsteps and obviously Morewood make a hell of a bike. I know Commencal and Santa Cruz are(or atleast used to be last year) available. Shimano and Sram are very popular along with Rock Shox. Other brands like Formula and many others are available although they are normally only available on request. Its definately easier to buy a complete, but if you insist on building up a bike to your spec, do your shopping on chainreactiocycles.com, they smoke local prices by up to 40% sometimes. Cheers, Andrew
Hi John, freeride is pretty much non existent in SA apart from the freeride comp at the Dirtopia festival but even that seems to be fading. Downhill is huge up here in Natal(relatively speaking) and its growing every year. Although the cape definately used to be the dominating force in SA it seems to have died off a bit unfortunately, natal took 7 of the top 10 places at SA champs this year. But the Cape just got new sponsorship for their provincial series and seems to be back on track.
Primo, I am looking to move back home to Cape Town and I am looking to get a heads up on whats going on in SA. Mainly a freerider but I will be looking to get into DH since I think there will be way more DH orientated trails than there are here in SOuth Korea. I would love to know if you have any contacts for CT riders and builders. I have searched the net and cant seem to find anything. I also need to know what bikes are available and what components are most common with parts available. I will be bringing my Wildcard for DJ and will probably leave my new Delerium here since I will be working on a rotation. I am considering picking up a DH or FR rig. Mostly running 721 rims to Pro 2 hubs, SHimano Saint brakes, shimano cranks/casette/deraileur etc. Maxxis rubber - mostly minion, advantage and high roller. Any help and tips would be great. John
