In Part 2 of our four-part reveal of the 2020 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin, we focus on the bikes. A total of 3128 took our 50-question survey in December 2020. Our 2019 SA MTB Race Survey, also presented by Garmin, was more race-focussed and had a total of 1213 respondents. Here’s what a much larger sample size reveals about their mountain bikes with some comparisons to the 2019 stats where relevant.
| Bike brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
| Specialized | 19.53% | 21.15% |
| SCOTT | 15.14% | 19.80% |
| Giant | 9.49% | 8.91% |
| Silverback | 8.32% | 5.94% |
| Merida | 6.60% | 6.57% |
| Cannondale | 6.47% | 7.02% |
| TREK | 6.40% | 3.06% |
| Titan | 3.64% | 0.99% |
| Momsen | 3.48% | 3.78% |
| Santa Cruz | 3.15% | 2.97% |
| Pyga | 2.40% | 4.14% |
| GT | 1.59% | 1.53% |
| Norco | 1.17% | 1.17% |
| KTM | 1.04% | 1.26% |
| Yeti | 1.04% | 1.08% |
| BMC | 0.84% | 1.53% |
| Rocky Mountain | 0.71% | 0.72% |
| Bianchi | 0.49% | 0.72% |
| Niner | 0.49% | 0.63% |
| Canyon | 0.49% | 0.54% |
| Cube | 0.49% | – |
| Other | 7.03% | 6.04% |
These are the top 21 bike brands, as listed in the survey. Notable climbers from the previous year are Silverback, Trek and Titan, while Cube came from almost nowhere to grab a share of 21st place. Both Specialized and SCOTT maintained their top two places respectively, but each dropped in percentage share. It’s worth noting that last year, our total number of responses to this question was 1111 and the survey was more race-theme focused.
From a total of 3077 responses to this question for 2020, there were 73 bike brands mentioned.
What did your bike cost?
| Cost of bike | % 2020 | % 2019 |
| Under R10 000 | 6.66% | 4.05% |
| R10 000-R14 999 | 9.36% | 7.26% |
| R15 000-R19 999 | 6.63% | 6.16% |
| R20 000-R24 999 | 6.43% | 6.50% |
| R25 000-R29 999 | 6.53% | 6.08% |
| R30 000-R34 999 | 6.92% | 8.52% |
| R35 000-R39 999 | 6.95% | 7.51% |
| R40 000-R44 999 | 6.08% | 6.08% |
| R45 000-R49 999 | 5.10% | 6.33% |
| R50 000-R54 999 | 4.35% | 4.89% |
| R55 000-R59 999 | 3.41% | 4.39% |
| R60 000-R64 999 | 3.31% | 3.88% |
| R65 000-R69 999 | 3.35% | 3.97% |
| R70 000-R74 999 | 3.09% | 2.62% |
| R75 000-R79 999 | 2.60% | 2.95% |
| R80 000-R84 999 | 2.66% | 3.12% |
| R85 000-R89 999 | 2.08% | 3.04% |
| R90 000-R94 999 | 2.05% | 2.53% |
| R95 000-R99 999 | 1.40% | 1.43% |
| R100 000-R109 999 | 3.28% | 2.36% |
| R110 000-R119 999 | 1.82% | 1.52% |
| R120 000-R129 999 | 1.59% | 1.52% |
| R130 000-R139 999 | 0.94% | 1.01% |
| R140 000-R149 999 | 0.88% | 1.35% |
| R150 000 or more | 2.50% | 0.93% |
The average bike price based on this survey is R72 146.40. It’s a big jump up from the R50 928.27 of 2019. The key difference is that last year, of the 1185 respondents, 11 listed their bikes as costing R150K or more; and this year, of the 3077 respondents to this question, 77 listed their bikes as costing R150K or more.
For additional reference, the average bike price at the 2020 Absa Cape Epic was R101 683 http://www.treadmtb.co.za/bikes-of-the-2020-absa-cape-epic-all-the-stats/
Which accurately describes your bike best?
| Bike type | % 2020 | % 2019 |
| It’s a hardtail | 24.34% | 20.08% |
| It’s a full-suspension | 63.80% | 73.42% |
| I own both hardtail and full-suspension bikes | 11.86% | 6.50% |
Our 2020 survey was less race/event-focused and about three times larger than our 2019 survey, which could explain the change in percentages here.
What wheel size is your mountain bike?
| Wheel size | % 2020 |
| 29-inch | 86.81% |
| 27.5-inch (650b) | 7.15% |
| 27.5-inch Plus | 1.33% |
| 26-inch | 4.71% |
No real surprises here. South Africa, by nature of the majority of the type of racing and riding, is the 29-inch wheel capital of the world…
What material is your mountain bike’s frame made from?
| Frame material | % 2020 |
| Carbon fibre | 47.74% |
| Aluminium | 39.75% |
| Carbon/Alloy combo | 9.52% |
| Other (steel, titanium etc) | 2.99% |
That’s a chunk of carbon fibre! It’s unlikely many other countries will have such a high percentage of carbon fibre frames.
How many chainrings does your mountain bike have?
| Number of chainrings | % 2020 |
| 1 chainring | 67.99% |
| 2 chainrings | 19.24% |
| 3 chainrings | 12.77% |
No real surprises here, although just two years ago you would have seen quite a different breakdown. But SRAM’s 1×12 Eagle has transformed the industry and Shimano is now firmly in the 1×12 mix too.
Which component brand does your mountain bike most have on it?
| Component brand | % 2020 |
| Shimano | 45.40% |
| SRAM | 36.04% |
| Shimano/SRAM mix | 17.52% |
| Other | 1.04% |
Interesting to see such a high percentage of the Shimano/SRAM mix, normally a SRAM drivetrain with Shimano brakeset blend that’s standard on a number of mid-range bikes.
Which type of pedal do you ride with?
| Pedal type | % 2020 |
| Cleat pedal (clip-in) | 82.52% |
| Flat pedal | 10.59% |
| I use both | 6.89% |
Cleats baby! That’s how most South African mountain bikers roll. Although it will shift somewhat in coming years as gravity-style riding continues to capture the hearts of the sub-20-year age group (and adults that like to play like kids) …
What brand of tyre do you prefer?
| Tyre brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
| Maxxis | 57.72% | 57.88% |
| Specialized | 12.38% | 12.26% |
| Vittoria/Geax | 9.94% | 8.29% |
| Continental | 4.94% | 8.11% |
| Schwalbe | 4.87% | 6.45% |
| Bontrager | 3.22% | 2.86% |
| Onza | 1.07% | 1.20% |
| Kenda | 0.97% | 0.46% |
| WTB | 0.75% | 0.37% |
| Chaoyang | 0.62% | 0.37% |
| CST | 0.45% | 0.09% |
| Michelin | 0.45% | – |
| Vredestein | 0.42% | 0.46% |
| Goodyear | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| Pirelli | 0.29% | 0.09% |
| Panaracer | 0.29% | 0.09% |
| Mitas | 0.26% | 0.65% |
| Dunlop | 0.19% | 0.18% |
| Hutchinson | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Other | 0.78% |
As expected, Maxxis maintains its significant dominance. Why so dominant? We asked that question a few months back and this was what we discovered.
Specialized remains a distant second with Vittoria strengthening its third place over 2019. Both Continental and Schwalbe lost market share and Bontrager gained some over 2019. Michelin made an appearance, albeit small, in 2020 too. Three brands – Maxxis, Specialized and Vittoria – hold 80% of the South African mountain bike tyre market.
Did you miss Part 1 of our 2020 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin? Here’s the link
Look out for Parts 3 (Performance) and 4 (Gear) coming soon.
