what lar.. you asked for upgrades mar...
wheels are the most easy to damage in a crash... i suggest that you listen to the bike shop until you can ride confidently...

frankly... groupset is very personal biased.. so, go with what you like... although not as easy to mess up in the event of a crash... scratches to the shifter and RD is a common thing.. you've got to think this through the same as your wheel..

as for SRAM Red 2012... i would tell you to stay away from it unless you are looking to invest into a sub RM15k bike sometime soon... SRAM Force would be the highest i recommend you to go... and personally on a value for money basis.. even the rival or apex would have done good enough as they function and feel almost the same from top to bottom of the lineup...
i won't say TREK is not the suitable choice... but flatbar is definitely the way to for touring...

another good and cheap example is the Polygon F100.. a hybrid based on a road frame rather than MTB on the TREK...and should fit within your budget.. it has the same triple crank - 24 speed setup but a rigid fork instead of suspension for (more on this later)

http://id.polygoncycle.com/index.php?pgid=...eid=326&par=179

with touring comes the question of mounting panier racks.. and depending on how many bags you intend to mount up front and rear... having a suspension fork is actually not he most recommended since after loading the front of the bike up.. the weight might have taken up most if not all of the fork travel leaving it a pointless thing to have and you have to drag the extra dead weight of the fork along as you ride...

then, also the question of disc brakes...with touring setups... riders tend to choose parts that are most easily sourced and repair even in remote locations.. normal caliper brakes on the polygon should be more easy to repair in case you have a brake failure of any sort on the trek...

most importantly is that it is will be a tough bike as you will be on the road without much support... your dependency on your bike will be very high and you can't be expecting it to fail in times like that.

haha.. from poison needle to poison antidote... you really know how to follow the wind...

it's all in the mind.. it's all in the mind...

this new set of racing quattro's are only a tad over RM1k per pair... a bit un-expected and shocked me a bit when i saw the price...
http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/en/news/2012/.../racing-quattro
last year's F100 is silver and white (the one i saw and someone selling in BBS a couple months ago for RM1.3k / 3month usage).. not sure if rodalink still has the old stock...



The F300 is just an upper grade helios flatbar series.. the good thing with it is that it comes with 27-speed, but both 9 and 8 speed drivetrain is on their way out of the market anyways... so, i guess if upgrade is a thing in the roadmap.. it doesn't matter... you won't get much cassette selection if you want to get out of the 11-25T anyways...

i've seen pedalspot fixing a merida flatbar for their customer... not sure if it is a Merida stock flatbar or one they converted with SRAM MTB parts...not sure about the price either... you can call them up to ask before you go over...

as for PJ bike shops... depends on what you want to do... more mid range shops would be pedalspot and ksh in ttdi.. there is also bikepro, joo ngan son, bikeplus, GH, godzilla, KH Cycle within driving distance in PJ...
apa u cakap? the reality is this...

25 - 28 = you can easily train this
27 - 30 = same goes here
30 - 33 = give up, doppage
33 - 36 = doppage
36 - 39 = doppage
39 - 42 = doppage
42 - 45 = doppage
45 + = Grubber Assist, like cancellara...

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Added on August 2, 2012, 9:28 am
The other Armstrong repeats Olympic time trial gold

great news for the new K-Edge chain catcher... not so good news for me expecting it to be cheap 


Wiggins win and Cancellara loses in deep pain.. sad...



woooo... berner oversize pulleys...

pictures don't tell much... if the bike is in good condition... wheels don't look banged up and parts don't look worn out.. then RM750 is really a good value since the new bike itself is around RM1.6k - RM1.8k if i am not wrong... best if the frame does not have serious paint chips and damage indicating any crash...

as far as touring is concerned... a new bike is not necessary since it is unavoidable that you will get it banged up sooner or later.. at least you don't have to deal with the heart break of causing damage to your new bike 

the parts on a touring bike is a take it or leave it thing with touring bikes... the whole point of a touring setup is to have a bike that is tough and can endure rough terrain.. and if things fail.. parts are easy to locate at bike shops of remote area...

no point having the best and lightest wheel in the world utilizing special straight pull spokes when it cannot be replaced at a bike shop somewhere in thailand (sorry, bad geographical knowledge) for instance...

but that being said.. be prepped with a bit of money to spend on replacing some parts on the bike... at least cables and tyres might be a valid concern no matter how good the previous owner takes care of the bike...

i jus come here and blow water only... so, it's an equal honor that you trust the words that i type onto the page 

you might as well start looking at panier racks as well... jus so, you can gauge if the bike frame is fitting for a panier rack.. which it should since hianboy manage to stick a panier rack onto his helios as well which should be theoratically the same frame as the F100...

sure, you can PM me.. but be warned that i am a lousy PMer cos i don't look at the top right of the page and neither do i check my emails...

F300 for RM1.75k (+1 for uncut steerer tube)
http://www.bicyclebuysell.com/view_item.php?id=165352
relax... no one will crash so many times to ride properly...

more you think about it.. more you crash... in mountain biking days... we are taught to look at where we want to go and your body and bike will naturally lean into that line... look at the tree... and you know what happens...

pinarello and SRAM... eeeyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuccccchhhhhh!!!!

the remedy for an itchy ass...


why is a shoe cover considered a protection?

you live in a palace? cool shit... buy some heaters bro...
rodalink has been very aggresive in the malaysian market... i know they recently introduced a carbon MTB hard tail with not too bad specs (can't actually call 10-s XT mix and some fox fork bad, but...) for a very cheap sub RM5k price tag... they event went to the point of doing a road show in midvalley last year...

it is possible that the F300 has reduced price to hit out at other bike brands... is the RM1.8k a discounted price they told you on the phone or MSRP? last year, i saw the F100 standing at RM1.8k MSRP in rodalink, price tag on the bike... never bothered to ask how much is it after discounts..

the BBS owner might have bought it before they slashed price, therefore.. [s]he is quite screwed now if selling it at that price...

lucky you checked...

generally.. i think rodalink does not apply the member discount to bikes.. but they do take some percentage off the MSRP price tags... the tags are just for show purpose...

you think so? put yourself in his shoes and think whether if you would want to lose a couple hundred more because of a price drop from the manufacturer on  new bike... he might hang on to it if he is not in a hurry to sell it off..

looking from both bike specs... both have conventional spoked wheels.. so, replacing the j-turn spokes shouldn't be a problem in case of spoke breakages... tubes and tires are very normal 700c variants... chain should be a very standard item in most bike shops (even the remote ones) as it is still 8 & 9 speeds...

in the case if you crash and kill the drivetrain... shimano derailleurs is compatible across the MTB range of the older generation... so, it shouldn't be a problem as well... bottom brackets are quite standard item external cups i guess...

so, it shouldn't be that big a worry between either... the biggest worry is always tires and wheels as that usually takes a beating... wheels less of a chance unless you crash into some epic potholes... worst case is to re-lace the wheel with a new rim or replace broken spokes... if you have some fancy straight pull or high profile wheelsets... then, you are possibly stuffed...

5-6.5k... even worst.. definitely worth some considerations...

you're quite right.. there is actually a 1.5 option available... buy an alloy bike and upgrade the hell out of it... only to find out that you want a better carbon one at the end of it...  you'll be b**** slapping yourself at the end of the day if you find yourself in that situation...

which is why.. you squeeze 155% out of your brains and think over all the scenarios before you make the move or you  be contempt with what you get...  don't just because of jaga-ING your wallet and end up spending more trying to patch here and there...

option 3 is really for the money no object people la.. those situation will never happen here.. those buggers usually don't even bother to ask for opinions.. they just need to be told what is the best and that is the one they want...
unfortunately in KL.. your bike either ends up on a rack or in the car or you have to pedal yourself to the starting point... public transport ain't gonna let you in..

PJ & scenery... don't think so.. unless you consider looking at buildings and dust clouded roads scenery...

for the short and boring ones... maybe bukit gasing... the short road up the temple (really damn short, less than 1K) can see and feed monkeys at the top... or park city hill at desa park city during sunset hours... can see a bit of sunset and bird watching if you bring binoculars...