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Mountain Bike Buying?
Bush Tucker Man:
--- Quote from: "simon15" ---if your not going for full sus. then a decent saracen with front sus. carrera I have never had a problem with and had 3 of them and all stolen. :(
--- End quote ---
No, certainly not full-suspension!
I want to be able to pedal up hills relatively easily, not struggle
--- Quote from: "simon15" ---you have already mentioned kona but not one of my favourites.
also got giant and specialised.
it just depends on what bike takes your fancy when you look at it. :)
--- End quote ---
Brother-in-law had a (carbon) Giant road-bike & it was rather nice.
I might go have another look at Evans Cycling this weekend (in 'Xscape'at Castleford)
I used to fancy a Specialised MMC(?), but stuck with the Pace.
A Yeti ARC would fit the bill nicely (but a frame-set is £650+), as would a Ritchey P22 (if I could find one nowadays)
damohick:
hi, i'm new to the forum and the 4x4 thing but not to MTBs s will try to help! :D
1. For £500-£600 your right to stick to a hard tail but might want to think about marzocchi forks as well as the other two as they make very nice hard wearing kit.
2. Discs are really the thing to have your right but a set of XTR v's are still very good breaks but you do go though pads.
3. Small chain rings are still the order of the day ... dont really know why ? :?
5. Alloy or steel? hard question but if you dont mind the harsher ride of alloy then it's prob the best bet as it's more commonly used so you will find it easier to pick up a better deal.
To add something else to the mix this is a nice bike with a carbon frame which you could upgrade in the future.
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s2p363&z=429
As for where to buy from i can recomend
www.paulscycles.co.uk ... they have some really good deals
www.chainreactioncycles.com for your biking kit
www.merlincycles.co.uk do some well priced custom builds on their website and their own brand of frames ride very well
hope this has helped
Damo
alaric:
£500-600 is a reasonable budget for a decent hardtail (You won't get an MTB without front suspension for that money), but at that price point disc brakes are likely to be cable operated - my advice is to stay away - stick to V's or make sure you get hydraulic discs.
Again, at that price the frame will be aluminium - not a lot of choice here.
Cable discs lack stopping power and reliability, and even if you get them working well, they only move one pad, and rely on the disc bending slightly to contact the inside pad. There is an adjustment on the inside pad for you to move it to allow for pad wear, but this is an allen key job, and more hassle than it's worth.
V brakes are simple, reliable and easy to maintain. Their main downfall for UK XC (Cross country) riders is the reduction in performance in wet and muddy conditions - are you likely to be riding in the depths of winter?
All XC mountain bikes will have a 22-32-44 set of front chainrings, and at that price either 8 or 9 at the rear with either 11-32 or 11-34 range. If you look closely at the crankset, and make sure that it has removeable rings you can change this fairly easily (although any significant increase in size will necessitate a new chain).
There are, realistically, 3 options for purchase:
"LBS" (Local bike shop): This is most likely to get you the best pre and after sales service. However, you are not likely to pay significantly less than RRP
Chainstore (Halfords): Service quality is likely to be a lucky dip - a few shops have good, knowledgeable staff in "The Bike Hut", but most lack this. They do now have some good brands, so don't totally discount them.
Internet: There are some real bargain to be had, particularly from last years models - you're not too bothered about this years colours are you? Although a lot of the online retailers have very good customer service departments it's not as easy as just popping back to your LBS to get a minor problem tweaked.
Evans Cycles is a good source of low-price quality bikes, and they have a number of stores as well. Customer service can be patchy sometimes - I've had 4 bikes from them, though, and not had any problems.
They have quite a few bikes in your price range (some reduced from £800 or more!).
This in particular caught my eye - a £750 Cannondale for £600, with a range of sizes still in stock.
Damohick's suggestions are all good. Also try Wiggle.co.uk for kit.
Then book your holiday in Greece :lol:
Have fun!
Alaric.
KevinStorr:
I would look at Trek or Specialised. Also for your SOH they do WMS models now.
If you want Steel then take a look at Merlin Cycles (link mentioned earlier) and the Rock Lobster range.
Sus forks no problems make all day rides more comfortable. However if cycle cross on the cards I would look at a ridged fork perhaps or a fork which can be locked out.
Re chain-set I think they all run compact rations unless you go for a custom chain set.
If you are looking at someone like Merlin you might want to consider a Middleburn Duo chain-set 2 rings I have found this better for Cross Country / Cyclo Cross.
I would also take a look at On-One Bikes run by Brant Richards. They do some nice Stell bikes and a good price .
Bush Tucker Man:
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---£500-600 is a reasonable budget for a decent hardtail (You won't get an MTB without front suspension for that money), but at that price point disc brakes are likely to be cable operated - my advice is to stay away - stick to V's or make sure you get hydraulic discs.
--- End quote ---
I'll bear that in mind. I presume that the hydraulic ones aren't operated by a complete line?
My old Pace had Maguras, with a (small) cylinder in the brake lever.
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---Again, at that price the frame will be aluminium - not a lot of choice here
--- End quote ---
It still seems slightly strange that it's gone full circle, as aluminium used to be the 'top end'
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---
V brakes are simple, reliable and easy to maintain. Their main downfall for UK XC (Cross country) riders is the reduction in performance in wet and muddy conditions - are you likely to be riding in the depths of winter?
--- End quote ---
Mud?, yes, I hope to get fit enough & continue riding, so I'll be riding Cyclo-Cross next winter
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---
All XC mountain bikes will have a 22-32-44 set of front chainrings, and at that price either 8 or 9 at the rear with either 11-32 or 11-34 range. If you look closely at the crankset, and make sure that it has removeable rings you can change this fairly easily (although any significant increase in size will necessitate a new chain)
--- End quote ---
Not so much of a problem, as the bikes I'll be looking at are Shimano equipped.
Sadly I've still got a stash of the earlier (110mm??) PCD Shimano (& Stronglight) chainrings
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---"LBS" (Local bike shop): This is most likely to get you the best pre and after sales service. However, you are not likely to pay significantly less than RRP
--- End quote ---
There's a good one locally (Kendells in Castleford) but it's predominantly a 'roadie' shop.
I used to race as a member of the club they sponsor
--- Quote from: "alaric" ---
Evans Cycles is a good source of low-price quality bikes, and they have a number of stores as well. Customer service can be patchy sometimes - I've had 4 bikes from them, though, and not had any problems.
Alaric.
--- End quote ---
There's an Evans at Castleford 'Xscape', it's about 15minutes drive away
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