In Part 2 of our four-part reveal of the 2021 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin, we focus on the bikes. A total of 3 093 took our 50-question survey in December 2021. It’s a similar sample size to 2020 and gives a good idea of bike related patterns and preferences of the South African mountain bike market, including brands, cost, components and tyres.
| Bike brand | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Specialized | 21.85% | 19.53% | 21.15% |
| SCOTT | 15.35% | 15.14% | 19.80% |
| Giant | 8.89% | 9.49% | 8.91% |
| TREK | 8.01% | 6.40% | 3.06% |
| Cannondale | 7.22% | 6.47% | 7.02% |
| Merida | 5.87% | 6.60% | 6.57% |
| Silverback | 5.35% | 8.32% | 5.94% |
| Pyga | 3.64% | 2.40% | 4.14% |
| Santa Cruz | 3.41% | 3.15% | 2.97% |
| Titan | 3.22% | 3.64% | 0.99% |
| Momsen | 3.12% | 3.48% | 3.78% |
| Norco | 1.21% | 1.17% | 1.17% |
| GT | 1.08% | 1.59% | 1.53% |
| KTM | 0.98% | 1.04% | 1.26% |
| Yeti | 0.79% | 1.04% | 1.08% |
| Rocky Mountain | 0.79% | 0.71% | 0.72% |
| Bianchi | 0.75% | 0.49% | 0.72% |
| BMC | 0.66% | 0.84% | 1.53% |
| Niner | 0.43% | 0.49% | 0.63% |
| Canyon | 0.39% | 0.49% | 0.54% |
| Avalanche | 0.39% | – | – |
| LIV | 0.39% | – | – |
| Other | 6.21% | 7.03% | 6.04% |
These are the top 22 bike brands based on the results of the survey. The only notable climbers from the previous year are Specialized, which regained some ground as the leader and Trek, which moved from seventh in 2020 up to fourth in 2021.
SCOTT gained slightly to maintain a rather dominant second place, while Giant dropped a little but still held onto third spot. Important to note that Giant’s female brand, Liv, is making an appearance for the first time.
There was a total of 79 bike brands mentioned!
What did your bike cost?
| Cost of bike | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Under R10000 | 4.95% | 6.66% | 4.05% |
| R10000-R14999 | 6.50% | 9.36% | 7.26% |
| R15000-R19999 | 5.97% | 6.63% | 6.16% |
| R20000-R24999 | 5.58% | 6.43% | 6.50% |
| R25000-R29999 | 5.38% | 6.53% | 6.08% |
| R30000-R34999 | 6.10% | 6.92% | 8.52% |
| R35000-R39999 | 6.46% | 6.95% | 7.51% |
| R40000-R44999 | 6.17% | 6.08% | 6.08% |
| R45000-R49999 | 5.05% | 5.10% | 6.33% |
| R50000-R54999 | 4.43% | 4.35% | 4.89% |
| R55000-R59999 | 3.31% | 3.41% | 4.39% |
| R60000-R64999 | 3.77% | 3.31% | 3.88% |
| R65000-R69999 | 4.04% | 3.35% | 3.97% |
| R70000-R74999 | 2.82% | 3.09% | 2.62% |
| R75000-R79999 | 3.05% | 2.60% | 2.95% |
| R80000-R84999 | 3.38% | 2.66% | 3.12% |
| R85000-R89999 | 2.85% | 2.08% | 3.04% |
| R90000-R94999 | 2.33% | 2.05% | 2.53% |
| R95000-R99999 | 2.20% | 1.40% | 1.43% |
| R100000-R109999 | 3.74% | 3.28% | 2.36% |
| R110000-R119999 | 2.99% | 1.82% | 1.52% |
| R120000-R129999 | 2.26% | 1.59% | 1.52% |
| R130000-R139999 | 1.64% | 0.94% | 1.01% |
| R140000-R149999 | 1.21% | 0.88% | 1.35% |
| R150000 or more | 3.81% | 2.50% | 0.93% |
The average bike price based on this survey for 2021 is R55 000. This is a relatively big jump from 2020 (R48 971), which was a bit lower than 2019 (R50 928). Our 2019 survey was more race-orientated though so likely to have more performance-orientated bike responses.
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 | 2021 | 2020 |
| It’s a hardtail | 21.42% | 24.34% |
| It’s a full-suspension | 66.47% | 63.80% |
| I own both hardtail and full-suspension bikes | 12.11% | 11.86% |
Although more and more people are seeing the benefits of full-suspension bikes, the hardtail still comprises just over a fifth of the market. This will be a bigger chunk if you include all youth bikes.
What wheel size is your mountain bike?
| Wheel size | 2021 | 2020 |
| 29-inch | 89.50% | 86.81% |
| 27.5-inch (650b) | 5.41% | 7.15% |
| 27.5-inch Plus | 1.15% | 1.33% |
| 26-inch | 3.94% | 4.71% |
South Africa is still the 29-inch wheel capital of the world!
What material is your mountain bike’s frame made from?
| Frame material | 2021 | 2020 |
| Carbon fibre | 52.95% | 47.74% |
| Aluminium | 35.76% | 39.75% |
| Carbon/Alloy combo | 8.63% | 9.52% |
| Other (steel, titanium etc) | 2.66% | 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. South Africans love a lighter bike!
How many chainrings does your mountain bike have?
| Number of chainrings | 2021 | 2020 |
| 1 chainring | 74.87% | 67.99% |
| 2 chainrings | 15.41% | 19.24% |
| 3 chainrings | 9.71% | 12.77% |
No real surprises here, although just three years ago you would have seen quite a different breakdown. But SRAM’s 1×12 Eagle continues to transform 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 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Shimano | 42.06% | 45.40% |
| SRAM | 39.11% | 36.04% |
| Shimano/
SRAM mix |
17.88% | 17.52% |
| Other | 0.95% | 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. This share gain by SRAM in the past 12 months is no doubt based on better availability than Shimano, both of which have experienced stock challenges due to the global manufacturing and supply challenges brought on by the response to the Covid-19 virus.
Which type of pedal do you ride with?
| Pedal type | 2021 | 2020 |
| Cleat pedal (clip-in) | 84.48% | 82.52% |
| Flat pedal | 8.66% | 10.59% |
| I use both | 6.86% | 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 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Maxxis | 57.32% | 57.72% | 57.88% |
| Specialized | 12.93% | 12.38% | 12.26% |
| Vittoria | 9.81% | 9.94% | 8.29% |
| Schwalbe | 6.30% | 4.87% | 6.45% |
| Continental | 4.07% | 4.94% | 8.11% |
| Bontrager | 2.82% | 3.22% | 2.86% |
| Kenda | 1.21% | 0.97% | 0.46% |
| Onza | 0.79% | 1.07% | 1.20% |
| Pirelli | 0.69% | 0.29% | 0.09% |
| Chaoyang | 0.66% | 0.62% | 0.37% |
| WTB | 0.39% | 0.75% | 0.37% |
| Michelin | 0.33% | 0.45% | – |
| CST | 0.33% | 0.45% | 0.09% |
| Mitas | 0.26% | 0.26% | 0.65% |
| Vredestein | 0.23% | 0.42% | 0.46% |
| Other | 1.86% | 0.78% |
As expected, Maxxis maintains its significant dominance for another year. Specialized retains a distant second place with Vittoria holding firm at No. 3. The only notable change in the past 12 months is Schwalbe moving from fifth to fourth, pushing Continental down a place. Schwalbe availability is far greater since it changed to a new South African distributer in 2021.
Did you miss Part 1 of our 2021 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin? Here’s the link.
Look out for Parts 3 (Performance) and 4 (Gear) coming soon.
