mac_shinobi Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 As per the cartoon pic in the link http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jkn0195l.jpg Think Bike !! whatever the fork think bike is meant to mean lol - seen that a lot on signs.
reggiep Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 I'd go to Halfords. They have some pretty good bikes and the sales staff are reasonably well trained. I soooo would not go to halfords. My halfords do not have a clue. Really. I went asking for disc pads for mine and he didn't know that bikes had discs! I kid you not.
triggmiester Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 I cannot recommend Evans Cycles of Bristol enough, since you live in Hereford, that's not too far for you to go, I went there last year and got fitted for a bike it was a GT and cost £250.00 it's the best bike i've ever had, they guy was extremely knowledgeable and I got the right bike for my height/weight, it's very very comfortable, I'm not leaning too far forward not too upright etc, etc and they give a free service after 6 weeks to make any tweaks and I think another after 6 months (dont quote me) Don't got to halfords, pay peanuts get monkeys, very very useless. Don't buy straight from internet unless you've sat on the bike first and got the feel for it.
Nikthomas Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 Take a look at the Specialised Epic. It's a great bike for on and off road:D
Nikthomas Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 I cannot recommend Evans Cycles of Bristol enough, since you live in Hereford, that's not too far for you to go, I went there last year and got fitted for a bike it was a GT and cost £250.00 it's the best bike i've ever had, they guy was extremely knowledgeable and I got the right bike for my height/weight, it's very very comfortable, I'm not leaning too far forward not too upright etc, etc and they give a free service after 6 weeks to make any tweaks and I think another after 6 months (dont quote me) Don't got to halfords, pay peanuts get monkeys, very very useless. Don't buy straight from internet unless you've sat on the bike first and got the feel for it. Dave Bater in Bristol is also an awesome shop. They sell quite a few different makes such as Kona, Specialised, GT etc.
nicholab Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 Don't forget your local bike shop. (Mine Birdie Bikes Hampton Village they have supported me for 10yrs) You will have to spend £250 to get a Women legth frame. Women prefer setting more upright also you may need to get a woman's sadle. I got a Gaint great bikes.
Oops_my_bad Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 I'd avoid Halfrauds, they'll sell you something wholly inappropriate. Try your independent local bike shop.
stu Posted July 10, 2009 Posted July 10, 2009 Looking for new bike for my bday as the cheep one I brought from my mate is a beast and im looking for something a little lighter. Have seen avalanche 3.0 at £350 which is pretty much the max of my price range and i know the new summer realises are being sold this month, so any one had any complaints with this type of bike or recommend a better or cheaper equivalent? Im tall so looking for larger frame and 26" wheels.
rolfea Posted July 10, 2009 Posted July 10, 2009 One of the bikes I used when I first started biking was a Barracuda XC300 I soon destroyed it by jumping a 20ft long jump.. but unless you intending on jumping anything that big it'd probably do you fine. Also, look up Felt bikes. I know there's something around £320 which doesn't look bad at all
stu Posted July 10, 2009 Posted July 10, 2009 This one? I have read but it doesn't tell me what wheel size is unless im being dence.. Im considering the 58 cm frame. and its only for transport round Plymouth city and surrounding country side nothing to extreme.
rolfea Posted July 10, 2009 Posted July 10, 2009 that is the one yea it doesnt but it looks very 26" to me, especially with the 36 spoked rims.
stu Posted July 10, 2009 Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) looks nice wonder if they have phone number i can call and inquire Edit: the website said to email so have done and I,m awaiting a reply hope it does because i wanting to use some part from old bike as spares! Edited July 10, 2009 by stu
Batman Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 I'd avoid Halfrauds, they'll sell you something wholly inappropriate. Try your independent local bike shop. Apart from their Chris Boardman road bikes they're always overpriced for the spec imo anyway. Chris Boardman bikes are actually very good, all the components are top notch. Two of my friends have them and they're chuffed to bits with them! I've got a Claud Butler (which lets face it is a budget brand these days) and my wife has a Giant, and although I can say the quality of the Giant overall is better there's not a lot between them and I prefer my Claud Butler. I will personally be very unlikely to buy a mountain bike ever again since I got a road bike. Hybrid maybe... but it's just so much more efficient! But anyway, to sum up: Check out Claud Butlers. They're really great bikes for the money!!
stu Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) Have found this specialized and now in bit of tizz cus i like the looks of this one more than the felt but it costs more. and no discs where as for less there is this felt bike Edited July 13, 2009 by stu
rolfea Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 Comparing the two bikes, the Suspension forks on the Specialized are a much better manufacturer, and this will be reflected in the build of the forks. Rock Shox build very good, reliable forks. SR Suntour on the other hand.. you will be lucky if they last 6 months. The drivetrain on the specialized is also very slightly better, the Alivio mechs tend to be slightly smoother and more robust, but there isn't alot in it. Still whacking it on a rock with break it. The Shimano crankset again would be better, on the Specialized, but there isn't alot that can go totally wrong with it if your not doing big, stupid things. So this is fairly even. Shimano would be alot easier and cheaper to get replacement parts if anything does go wrong. As for your brake situation, both look to be fairly cheap, so aren't going to be super dooper or anything. The disc brakes would be better, but getting the V brakes set up correctly will be just as good. You'd only notice the difference when the brakes get wet and muddy. Other than that, they don't look all that different. If i had a choice I would go for the Hardrock. 1
Batman Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 My experience tells me that disc brakes are often more hassle then they're worth. Specialised are the dog's danglies... and V-Brakes are fine.
stu Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 Comparing the two bikes, the Suspension forks on the Specialized are a much better manufacturer, and this will be reflected in the build of the forks. Rock Shox build very good, reliable forks. SR Suntour on the other hand.. you will be lucky if they last 6 months. The drivetrain on the specialized is also very slightly better, the Alivio mechs tend to be slightly smoother and more robust, but there isn't alot in it. Still whacking it on a rock with break it. The Shimano crankset again would be better, on the Specialized, but there isn't alot that can go totally wrong with it if your not doing big, stupid things. So this is fairly even. Shimano would be alot easier and cheaper to get replacement parts if anything does go wrong. As for your brake situation, both look to be fairly cheap, so aren't going to be super dooper or anything. The disc brakes would be better, but getting the V brakes set up correctly will be just as good. You'd only notice the difference when the brakes get wet and muddy. Other than that, they don't look all that different. If i had a choice I would go for the Hardrock. so basicaly the forks win it for the hard rock, fair enough
rolfea Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 My experience tells me that disc brakes are often more hassle then they're worth. Specialised are the dog's danglies... and V-Brakes are fine. No, Disc brakes are great if you do lots of wet riding or stuff that contains mud, the wet and mud will hardly hinder disc brakes, not sure why but know this through experience. Also a wheel can flex alot when doing alot of hard riding (you probably won't notice it though) and weak wheels will buckle. Disc brakes wouldn't be effected by this due to being attached to the hub. V Brakes will start rubbing and will cause aload of fuss if you buckle your wheel V Brakes are alot easier to tune though, can get them exactly where you want with the amount of pull on the lever exactly how you want it, and it so easy I learn't how to do it at the age of 12 or something. Disc brakes tend to be abit more tricky to tune, but it's still possible and will have less problems in the long run. Disc pads and maintenance I found tends to be more expensive too. But then I splashed out not long ago on some Hope Mini Mono Hydo's so I'm sorted for a long time
stu Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) Well the Hardrock has disc hangers and i cant afford them atm i will just get a nice set for xmas and in the mean time not worry about v breaks i sure they will be fine, as any riding i do will be in trails or roads so shouldnt put to much strain on the wheel Edited July 14, 2009 by stu
rolfea Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 Oh definatly not, that Hardrock will do you just fine. One small bit of advise, not sure if you know about it or not, but the cables will stretch over a month or two of use. Any bike shop will probably tighten them up for very cheaply, if not it's not hard to do yourself. I'm sure google will tell you all you need to know about V Brakes. Hope your Hardrock treats you well if you get it
Batman Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 No, Disc brakes are great if you do lots of wet riding or stuff that contains mud, the wet and mud will hardly hinder disc brakes, not sure why but know this through experience. Also a wheel can flex alot when doing alot of hard riding (you probably won't notice it though) and weak wheels will buckle. Disc brakes wouldn't be effected by this due to being attached to the hub. V Brakes will start rubbing and will cause aload of fuss if you buckle your wheel V Brakes are alot easier to tune though, can get them exactly where you want with the amount of pull on the lever exactly how you want it, and it so easy I learn't how to do it at the age of 12 or something. Disc brakes tend to be abit more tricky to tune, but it's still possible and will have less problems in the long run. Disc pads and maintenance I found tends to be more expensive too. But then I splashed out not long ago on some Hope Mini Mono Hydo's so I'm sorted for a long time Yeah, I know why they're better. But you have to spend money on them... I had some cheap ones and they were poo. Whereas even some cheap v-brakes still perform well. Let's face it, it's not like he's doing downhill or anything!
rolfea Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 Let's face it, it's not like he's doing downhill or anything! He could do! haha Some friends of mine grew up doing DH on Hardrocks.. where as I had my little Saracen X-ile
stu Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 lol no the thought of hitting a tree at 30mph puts me off the idea of downhill, well for now at least, i tend to get roped in to things from time to time. thanks for help ill be probs firing more questions up near xmas about disc breaks.
rolfea Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31594 and Hope Mini X2 Pink Rear Brake | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com These are actually the brakes I have, except I have the normal ones which aren't pink. Well.. my front disc is pink with the flowers, but I don't have the pink caliper. But yes, dirt cheap don't you think
PEO Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 Hope disk brakes on my bike, and for me these have been the best. Hope Tech M4 Front Brake | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com
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