tadltd
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 04:24 PM |
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Mountain Bike - advice on selection...
Sorry to go OT a bit here, but I hope that some of you guys may be able to help...
Having nearly broken the scales in the bathroom this morning, and asking things of the waist of my trousers that are above and beyond the call of
duty, I have decided that I should perhaps shed some weight.
I get bored in gyms. And I don't have enough friends to get a regular game of footy...  So I decided that a mountain bike would be a good
option (it also means I can keep up with the dogs when I take them for a walk!)
But being a complete novice to this (the last bike I owned was a 3-speed Raleigh Grifter!) I'd like some pointers on what I should be looking
for in a mountain bike. Do I need rear suspension? Disc brakes? etc. etc.
Best Regards,
Steve.
www.turnerautosport.com
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 04:26 PM |
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depends on what you want to use it for - road, rough road or real off road?!
my choice would be governed by price, id buy second hand and pay more attention to a good gear change than springs and the like. Disc brakes arent
essential, and you're sure to pay a premium for them.
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Danozeman
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 04:51 PM |
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I got a new bike at christmas. Appollo one of halfrauds own. Excellent bike. Front susp and decent gears, lovely smooth ride. 130 quid. I had
one years ago aswell. Excellent quality and low cost.
Rear susp bikes are very bouncy when peddling imo.
Good gears is a start and front susp is easier on your arms. Disc brakes are a waste of money, decent v brakes are excellent.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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Avoneer
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 05:07 PM |
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Yep, I agree - no need for full suspension - go for front only.
Also, decent "v" brakes do the job fine and are almost "digital".
Get one with middle range of Shimano gears and full ali frame.
Halfords is a good start.
Pat...
No trees were killed in the sending of this message.
However a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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Kissy
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 05:21 PM |
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Ok
1st question - road/trail/seriously lumpy stuff?
If it's road only buy a road bike (sports or hybrid)
If it's trail, with a bit of road, buy a non-suspension bike, or one with front susp'n only. Unless you are parting with a lot of money
you'll be buying a heavy bike. Use fairly narrow tyres which'll help keep the rolling resistance down (you can always pop some chunkier
stuff on later)
If it's trail and lumpy with no road go for (probably) at least, front suspension, poss both ends - but only if you buy decent second-hand or
good new.
On modern bikes parts go obsolete overnight and you cannot get bits easily.
Focus on in order of importance:
1. Frame - light stiff and the right size. Be wary, it is generally easy to spec a road frame, but mountain biks have lots of odd geometries which
makes frame size a bit academic. Avoid composite:v.expensive and impossible to repair (nearly). Ally is good, esp with suspension. Steel is ok but
must be a decent cro-moly or HT steel.
2. Wheels - ideally hand built, decent hubs (strippable), good rims (Mavic are a safe bet), stainless spokes. Try to get an STi hub (cassette gears)
- Shimano is the main brand - you get what you pay for!
3. All the other moving parts - disc bakes on a lumpy trail bike - but only if they are a lgood make. Otherwise cantilevers are de-rigeur. Gears -
buy a bike/bits where the levers/mechs/chainset are 'integrated' i.e. Shimano STi - again you get what you pay for.
4. saddle is definitely a personal thing. take advice on setting saddle height and bar position.
5. Clothing: buy a pair of cycling shorts if you're doing more than 5 miles at a stint (yes you wear them next to your skin - wash them by hand
after each use & air dry). Again over 5 miles consider some cycling shoes - make a big difference to the whole cycling thing - and there are
plenty of decent shoe/pedal combinations which allow you to walk normally.
Anything else, just ask (ps. I used to race and work in bike shops)
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 06:08 PM |
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Hope you find what you are looking for but don't overdo it when you get one , build up distances and speed gradually and enjoy yourself . ATB
Rusty
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Peter Cowley
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 06:16 PM |
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Try merlincycles.co.uk they make there own frames (LIFETIME GUARANTEE) and are very reasonably priced for the spec.
They only do hard tails, not full suspension.
If you intend on using it off road, disc brakes are a must, especially when its wet, as the grit soon wears down rim brakes ( I know I used to be up
at rivington every week for a bit of off road fun !!!).
I think they have won grouptests with their bikes as well.
Try doing a search for merlin malt 1 (starter bike).
If you don't fancy that you can't go far wrong with a trek or GT !
Peter.
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Peteff
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 06:44 PM |
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Why a mountain bike?
Get a decent hybrid with some good road tyres and a suspension seat post. A lot better position to ride than atb. Something like this
here.
Mine's an earlier model of that one. Knobbly tyres take 30% of your effort before you start rolling.
[Edited on 14/7/05 by Peteff]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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tadltd
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 07:58 PM |
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Thanks for all the advice guys, plenty of info there to be getting on with.
I figured a mountain bike because I live in a very rural area and a lot of the trails around here are off-road. Thinking about where I'll be
going, it's really a mixture of 50% road, 50% off-road (including streams).
Do cycling shorts come with a 'sock' pocket in the crotch?! 
Best Regards,
Steve.
www.turnerautosport.com
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Andrew+dad
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| posted on 14/7/05 at 11:25 PM |
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imho Specialized are a good make of bike 
i own a specialized hard rock sport and it coped well with extra weight lol i would know being just the wrong side of 120kg well what do you
expect for a 6"2/3 rugby player
its a good bike for about £300 front suspension and will take a tyre on the front of a width up to 2.25 which is good for more serious lumpy stuff
i run mine with 1.95 tyres which have a an off road tread pattern but a road bias rubber to spred wear and tear
its a brilliant bike and has served me well for over 1500 miles in just over a year without a single problem apart from ones caused by me falling off
and crasig into walls etc
its a strong bike and not too expensive in the long run ive had other bikes and the pedal arms break and the geares wear out too quickly with the
exctra strain caused by big ppl using them
hope this helps
p.s Dont go for full sus unless you are going to be tackling serious rought stuff on a regular basis and iff you do ake sure you can lock it out for
road use
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Kissy
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| posted on 15/7/05 at 06:01 AM |
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...and I may have a Merlin for sale, no sus,low miles, Kinesis frame. I'm 5'10". No hurry.
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ayoungman
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| posted on 15/7/05 at 08:05 AM |
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which bike.
I ride 7000 miles a year. I commute to work and back every day. I've done this for 17 years ! Here's my view. Halfords bikes are good
value for the money and in my view are fine for the occaisional rider.
Top end, high spec bikes I've used tend to be very labour intensive. You always tend to need to be fiddling with them/cleaning/stripping them
etc.
I now ride a mid range Marin . It has good quality gears/frame/brakes and is light and strong. The wheels have Mavic rims etc.
Cycling is all about personal freedom and enjoyment. Choose a bike that is comfortable, then get out there and use it !....
"just like that !"
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The Stoat
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| posted on 15/7/05 at 11:47 AM |
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I'm from the bike trade,
Ask yourself (and tell the shop) how much you want to spend, what you intend to do with it, and they should recommend a few bikes for you to try.
Try to choose the most comfortable bike and not be swayed by the best looking one!
£100 halfords specials are O.K if you don't go mad, Giant make some nice bikes around £200 and the Specialized Hard rock is the market leader at
£300 for good reason, it's a nice bike.
Biking is good exercise, if you combine it with swimming you should be loosing whieght like a champion!
Anthony (mediocre single speed mountain bike racer )
Some are born stupid, I had stupidity thrust upon me.
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