My Bikes

Mountain Bike:


Most of my riding is done on this baby:

It's is a Merida TFS 800 hardtail and I absolutely love it. I might make the move to a 29er when I can afford it, but for now this bike serves all my needs. It's done the 2010 Epic as well as numerous other races. This bike was a gift from Robbie Luis at Merida bikes in SA after I sent him the following e-mail before the Epic:

Hi Merida Distributor

I thought my story might interest you.

I have taken up mountain biking in December 2008 following a dare by a friend to ride the Cape Argus. He also had an old rusted and dusty Diamond Back Sorrento with a rigid fork hanging in his garage that he offered me to train on.

My first few rides were with huffs and puffs and lots of stops to catch my breath, but it got better and I started to really enjoy my new hobby. My biggest obstacle was however my lack of cash to spend on any new endeavours. With 3 kids under 7 in the household and their mum taking the plunge to quit her job to spend more time with them at home we were already facing some serious financial challenges without me spending any money on hobbies or sport. A friend of mine who quit cycling gave me an old Limar helmet (I am still riding with it!), some bib shorts and some very ugly branded cycling jerseys. I were still riding with tekkies and toe clips at that stage. I started to train really hard by my standards and eventually managed to finish last year’s Argus (the windy one) in a time of 5:32 on the Diamond Back. I also rode my first mountain bike race – the Wilde Wellington 50km which proved to be quite a challenge on the rigid fork, especially the single tracks. I managed to complete it in a decent time however.

After this the mountain biking bug really bit me and I rode more and more. I started to shop around for an entry level bike, but knew I couldn’t really afford one. After quite a bit of research I settled on the Merida Matts 20V from Cycle Lab in Tokai (they offer an extensive maintenance package on new bikes). By cancelling my gym membership and making a few other sacrifices I were able to purchase the bike and SPD pedals and shoes on my credit card budget facility. Now my real adventure started. I entered the Amarider 100 miler and trained for it, but was put off by the stormy weather on the day – a real disappointment. Our mtb club organised our own 100miler a few weeks later which I completed with ease. After this it was the Knysna 85km, Karoo to Coast, the Coronation Double Century and finally the Attakwas! All of this except the DC was ridden on my trusty Matts 20V. I lost count of how many times I was asked whether I am doing the Attakwas on THAT bike! In the end I finished the Attakwas in just over 9 hours with even the most technical sections no problem for the bike.

The week before the Attakwas one of my riding partners asked me to ride the Cape Epic with him; he managed to purchase an entry from someone he knew. He would pay for the entry on the condition that I train hard with him and pay my own way regarding my bike, nutrition, clothing etc. I was really excited about this,  but knew that it was going to be a challenge physically, financially and for my family. The first thing that I realised was that I would not be able to afford a new bike. I did a few upgrades which includes the following: 27 speed conversion (swopped with a generous friend!), Ritchey stem, bar and seat post (second hand gift from a friend), Selle Italia seat (bought 2^nd hand on The Hub for R100), fitted an old Rock Shocks Judy (bought on The Hub for R300) and did a Ghetto tubeless conversion (with used Specialized Fast Track LK2’s) myself. Apart from that I still have to buy 2 pairs of bib shorts (we got our shirts sponsored by Cafe Juno), get a new helmet, sort out my race nutrition and some other odds and ends.

I was lucky that I got loads of support from my wife and children up till now and the training has been going well (average of 15 hours per week since January). I once again face the question “are you going to ride The Epic on THAT” almost daily and this has turned into a challenge for me.

My story might inspire other who think that they need but can’t afford a R20 000 bike. I know that the bike shops and probably your company as the distributors would like to sell as an expensive bike as possible, but I think that my Merida and is an example of what can be done on an entry level bike (it has done over 10 000km already). It also shows that all your bikes are strong and reliable, not only the expensive ones.  

You are welcome to follow my progress (our team is called Team Juno).

Your truly

I never expected the reply I got:

Hi Natie

Thanks for the mail and your story is quite amazing given the events you have finished and the bike you have ridden.

What size bike are you riding?

Best Regards

And then this:

Hi Natie

Okay, I am going to sponsor you a Matts TFS XC 800-D. The bike will be in Cape Town on Wednesday and we can arrange a delivery or pick up point then. Your story touched us and we would like to get you something that will be much more equipped with handling the events your taking part in.

Now you can be excited!

This obviously had me over over the moon with excitement. Merida has also gained a customer for life. My loyalty towards the brand goes very deep. Maybe I'll get a chance to try out this baby soon:

29er 

Road Bike:

My good friend and Epic partner blessed me with this old steel classic last Christmas. He saw it at a bike shop and knew how much I wanted a road bike to use for training.

I am not sure of the exact year of manufacture, but it's got a Dura Ace groupset with indexed down tube shifters.