Established the shop, Neilswheels in 2010. Springboard diving had been his main sport, attaining Springbok colours and representing South Africa in international meets, and only retired from diving when he was 47 years old. He needed another sport to get his teeth into, and cycling became his new passion.
He could not afford a bike as good as his buddies were riding, as he was working in a factory, for a low salary. So he bought one bike, reconditioned it, and sold it for a profit.. Then another, then two at once, until his garage at home was full of bikes for sale. That’s when he quit his job, and started his own bike shop, back in 2010. All the bikes were pre-owned at that stage, but when demand exceeded supply, he started buying new bikes to be able to satisfy demand for all sizes.. Now the shop has only a limited number of pre-owned mountain bikes, as most of them are new, but still very well priced, as the shop caters largely for customers where price is paramount. The majority of road/racing bikes are however, pre-owned.
Most of the pre-owned bikes come in as trade-ins, where people either upgrade their bike, or swap from road to mountain bike, or vice versa.
‘Tis the season to be tempted by a whole new model year of mountain bikes, and we’ve got some good news. Dialing in your own personal style of off-roading has never been easier — once you wade through the overwhelming amount of options, that is. There’s a different bike for just about every type of trail and rider, and even some that claim to do it all. You need a bike best suited to the kind of riding you enjoy, but that also won’t keep you from the occasional change of pace (or any surprises the trails throw at you). As part of our week-long series on bikes to celebrate the launch of Limits, we’ve picked our favorites for racing enduro, downhilling, or just getting out for a weekend adventure ride.
One of our valued customers is in the building trade, and after working with his team in the North, came back to Athlone in order to draw some cash, as it was pay day. As he was approaching the ATM, he noticed 2 guys pushing a bike, and his first thought was how similar the bike was to his own one. The guys noticed that he was studying their bike, and told him it was for sale. “how much?” he asked. “R1200 Cash” replied one of the guys holding the bike up. He also noticed that the computer was exactly like the one he had bought from us (Neil’s Wheels) a week earlier. Being quick witted, he said that he didn’t have cash on him , but would phone his wife to bring the cash to him. So he called his wife, and without them hearing, he asked her if the garage door was open or closed. Her shocked answer was that it was left open, and his bike was gone! He told the guys that his wife would be arriving in a couple of minutes with the money, and went to his bakkie, which was parked around the corner. He told his team of workers what had happened, and after they had finished with the 2 “new” Owners of his bike, he promptly took it back. So all’s well that ends well. Lucky for him, and unlucky for them, that he was just in the right place at the right time
Super, unbeatable hospitality from farmer Pete Stainbank and wife Louise. Perfectly kept and marked trails for all levels of riders – variety, fun, relaxed, great views, family venue. No bundu-bashing. Good enough for the racing snakes and adrenaline junkies to get their “fix”.
It's as easy as riding a bike! Teaching a child to balance first by removing the pedals really works. Just watch how Patrick quickly picks up how to balance after just a few tries of coasting down a gentle slope. Then the pedals go on and with a little push from his mother he's off!
from normal bicycle safety guides, which usually tell you little more than to wear your helmet and to follow the law. But consider this for a moment: Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car