Colin Cooper owns two Qhubeka bicycles and uses them extensively as he rides in the bushveld Marico area of South Africa’s North West Province. He’s customised both bicycles to meet his needs. Here’s what he’s done:
Bicycle no. 1
This is Colin’s expedition bicycle. He has also built a trailer to carry everything he needs with him when he’s camping.
To make the bicycle lighter, Colin removed the mudguards, chain guards, stand, rack and steel handlebars. He then added an aluminium rack, MTB alloy handlebars with bar ends, and foam grips made from 20mm black hosepipe. He also added four bottle racks and made a front rack, which carries containers for lunch, bike tools, pump, a first aid kit, compass and top box for maps.
“I changed the chainring to a 36-tooth from 42 and installed the old fashioned toe clips so I can ride with tekkies [sneakers],” he explains. “Knobbly tyres, courtesy of China, made the final improvement. This is the bike I rode for 300km in 21 hours a few weeks ago.”
Bicycle no. 2
“I stripped off all excess weight, as per the expedition bike, and fitted straight alloy bars with bar ends,” he says. “I also fitted clipless pedals so I can use MTB shoes and train harder. I kept the gear ratio at 42/20, which makes going uphill ‘interesting’! All bike spares were bought from Cassim’s Furniture and Bicycle Emporium. That way I get alloy handlebars for R26 and foam grips at R17 a pair. In a bike shop, these can each go for R100 or more.”
This is the bicycle that Colin used in the 23km Groot Marico Mountain Bike Race a few weeks ago.
If you’d like to pimp your own Qhubeka bicycle, whether you want to simply change the handlebars or give it a complete custom paint job, we’d love to feature your pimped bicycle on our website. Read more about how you can purchase and pimp your Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycle.
Comments are closed.