mountain bikes

[SOSAGES]

Dont spose any of you happen to ride mountain bikes ?

Ive been out of the "scene" for a good ten years and in that time have mostly sat down the pub enjoying stella - this cant go on so i said im going to get a bike!

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or tips :)

im looking at the 600-900 price range "hardtail" market.

Kona Kula 2006 is looking good - seems everything has disk brakes these days !

[AndrewJ]

Been a while since I mountain biked, used to ride at Lesuire Lakes in Southport, and at Rivington Barn upto the Pike in Howich.

I used to have a Full Suspension Trek Y7, nice bike still at parents will have to get it out sometime.

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

kona kona kona

[Paul K]

If you have been off-bike that long I would suggest full suspension with a good wide gel saddle ;)

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Been a while since I mountain biked, used to ride at Lesuire Lakes in Southport, and at Rivington Barn upto the Pike in Howich.

I used to have a Full Suspension Trek Y7, nice bike still at parents will have to get it out sometime.

i dont see the point in full suspension as you waste so much energy.

[SOSAGES]

If you have been off-bike that long I would suggest full suspension with a good wide gel saddle ;)

=) its just the belly that got some extra rings round it :)

i live in a town so looking to just ride on the roads and in parks etc nothing to extreme nor do i intend to do any stunts ..

[danielf]

=) its just the belly that got some extra rings round it :)

i live in a town so looking to just ride on the roads and in parks etc nothing to extreme nor do i intend to do any stunts ..

I only ride on the roads, and I find that my GT avalanche 2.0 does the job for me. It only cost me £300 inc. mud guards/lights etc, so it looks like you are looking for something more upmarket. But, even the GT has disks, and I have to say, they are great, especially in the rain (if a bit noisy on occasion). Just be careful when applying the front break, as the rear wheel tends to come off the ground. And that's on a flat road :)

[zing_deleted]

My bike cost a tenner off a mate and its hard tail with gears and wheels and gets me where I need to go ...oh and its not a thief magnet ;)

[Strzelecki]

I do mountain biking, have a specialized with hydraulic disk brakes (so much better in mud) and marzocchi front sus. But now I've moved to essex there are no hills!:( Get a bike and come and join us at www.exmoorexplorer.co.uk. What sort of riding are you intending on doing?

[Charlie_Bubble]

I've got a Kona hoss. Very happy with it. It's a hardtail, built for larger riders. :)

[TheBlueRaja]

I only ride on the roads, and I find that my GT avalanche 2.0 does the job for me. It only cost me £300 inc. mud guards/lights etc, so it looks like you are looking for something more upmarket. But, even the GT has disks, and I have to say, they are great, especially in the rain (if a bit noisy on occasion). Just be careful when applying the front break, as the rear wheel tends to come off the ground. And that's on a flat road :)

Got the same bike, but i find it hard going on the roads with the supplied tyres they are definately off road!

I would also recommend disk brakes, they are superb in the wet and arguably saved my life one day when TheBlueRaja went supersonic down a hill only to find a quagmire and a farmers metal gate at the bottom.

I managed to brake just enough to prevent a serious incident, still hurt like hell though - i dread to think what normal brakes would(n't) have done.

Helmet came in handy too.

[Chimaera]

Yep - I'd agree with the gel saddle and cycle helmet - seeing as I seem to spend more time off my bike (and on the floor) than on it! :rofl:

[ikthius]

I got a Scott Scale 60 (2005 model) (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5139)

it is a lovely bike, front suspension, (might need an upgrade at some point) and it is a hard tailed bike, which I prefer.

I will be Cycling scotland in about 2 weeks time, so I have been out on it a few times, it is better off road than on road.

the price range you have sugested I would go for one of the following:
Trek 6700 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60615)
Specialized Stumpjumper (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5355)
Scott Scale 50 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60407)
Scott Scale 50 (2005 model) (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5148)
Scott Reflex 10 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60421)
Kona Kula (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60221)
Kona Hoss deluxe 2006 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60209)
Cannondale F600 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5419)
Cannondale F500 (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5410)
Orange P7 S (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1024634/groupID/1/categoryID/56/v/c264b095-b667-484c-bfae-6cbc81884b8e)
Orange P7 One (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1024584/groupID/1/categoryID/56/v/c264b095-b667-484c-bfae-6cbc81884b8e)
Orange G2 (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1024577/groupID/1/categoryID/56/v/c264b095-b667-484c-bfae-6cbc81884b8e)
Orange Evo6 (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1024571/groupID/1/categoryID/56/v/c264b095-b667-484c-bfae-6cbc81884b8e)
Orange Crush (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDetails/mcs/ProductID/1024053/GroupID/1/CategoryID/56/v/c264b095-b667-484c-bfae-6cbc81884b8e)
Felt RXC Elite (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Bikes%20-%20MTB%20HT&ProdID=5360020561&UberCat=0)
Focus Black Forest (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Bikes%20-%20MTB%20HT&ProdID=5360021041&UberCat=0)
Focus Raven (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Bikes%20-%20MTB%20HT&ProdID=5360021090&UberCat=0)

so you need to think it is off road or on road, I have given you a list of off road which is within your budget, apart from the last, it is a good bike.

Also I have given you a selection of makes too, I have missed out Marin, GT & Giant, but it all comes down to personall preference.

good luck in your choice

ik

---------- Post added at 12:52 ---------- Previous post was at 11:04 ----------

Sale on some bikes here (http://www.wheelspincycles.com/) with a saving of £900 on a full suspension Scott

ik

[Graham M]

If youre only doing road riding, what's the point in spending out loads of money, I picked my Lincoln March up for £150 and its got Front Suspension and Grip-shift gears and is everything i need (when i cba to ride it :))

[Jules]

Is it just me or is £600+ a hell of a lot of money to pay for a bike?

[bmxbandit]

i've got an on-one 456 (http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=96&MMN_position=110:110) and it's utterly fantastic, and decent value considering what's on it...

can't really go wrong with a kona, they've made top notch bikes as long as anyone. discs are a must nowadays if you want to go off-road in the gloopy stuff, but hydraulic arent much better than cable discs. at your price level, not worth spending the extra.

in fact, if you're not going to take it off the road, i'd say it's not worth spending more than about £300... get yourself some comfy forks and a decent chainset, and nothing else should cause a problem :)

[ikthius]

Is it just me or is £600+ a hell of a lot of money to pay for a bike?

its just you :D

£600+ is getting you a decent bike that you don't really need to upgrade in the near future.
anything below that, you get substandard forks, chain, shifters, brakes etc.
eventually to upgrade you have to pay top dollar for good components.

so paying above £600 you have less to upgrade in the near future.

My forks will only last a year maybe 2 at a push, cause they are basic of basic, it will cost me £250+ for decent-good forks.

ik

[danielf]

its just you :D

£600+ is getting you a decent bike that you don't really need to upgrade in the near future.
anything below that, you get substandard forks, chain, shifters, brakes etc.
eventually to upgrade you have to pay top dollar for good components.

so paying above £600 you have less to upgrade in the near future.

My forks will only last a year maybe 2 at a push, cause they are basic of basic, it will cost me £250+ for decent-good forks.

ik

That depends. If you take it offroad, that may be true, but if you stay on the road, you can easily get away with cheaper materials imo.

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Yep - I'd agree with the gel saddle and cycle helmet - seeing as I seem to spend more time off my bike (and on the floor) than on it! :rofl:

Drink???

[ikthius]

That depends. If you take it offroad, that may be true, but if you stay on the road, you can easily get away with cheaper materials imo.

true but if your not going off road, then a hybrid or a road bike, not a mountain bike....

ik

[Gareth]

Is it just me or is £600+ a hell of a lot of money to pay for a bike?I'm with you on this one, Jules. I couldn't pay that much for a bike although I could (and do) spend more on PC parts. My sister, however, is into cycling in a big way (road cycling not off-road) and pays these amounts of money for just 1 of her many bikes... although she'd not consider spending it just on a component for her PC.

Guess some people have different ideas of what's acceptable and what's not. :shrug:

[homealone]

lol, my bike, which I pound my way to work on each day, has a 3 speed hub gear, no suspension. narrow tyres, a wide saddle, a rear carrier - and mud guards, very comfy, though ;)

[Strzelecki]

discs are a must nowadays if you want to go off-road in the gloopy stuff, but hydraulic arent much better than cable discs. They aren't!? Have you ever ridden with a well setup decent set of discs, such as Hope Mini's or the more recent shimano ones? I have a set of XT hydrualic discs and the stopping power and modulation is way better than and cable disc or V brake I've tried. Plus you don't get cable stretch and if it's an open system then you don't get them pumping up on long decents. If you don't plan on going into off road big time then it's still worth getting cable disks but just be aware you will have to look after the cables just like you should with rim brakes (except hydraulic of course). If you are going to go for anything with suspension then be prepared to pay a little more for something slightly above the lowest in the range. The reason I say this is because the forks are often poorly damped (act like pogosticks), have poor sealing and very little adjustment (think RST, suntour etc). The brands to look out for with forks are RockShox, Marzocchi, Manitou, Magura and if you have the money Fox. If you're doing steady offroad stuff (XC) then ones that gives between 80/100mm travel would be enough. Look for things like rebound adjustment, damping etc as these allow you to fine tune how a fork responds. Also check you weight as it can be useful to get the shop you buy the bike from to adjust the forks for a good start point (if the a coil sprung then they may need to change the springs to suit your weight). I can thoroughly recommend the Marzocchi MX series of forks (air sprung and very adjustable). The best thing you can do is check some catalogues or What Mountain Bike for various cycle manufacturers then see what catches your eye. And then try and find a shop(s) that will let you test ride ones you're interested in. It is important to get the right size, a 15" GT is not the same as a 15" Kona, the frame geometry is different and as a result the ride position is different so you need to find one you're going to be comfortable with. As for components (gears mainly) stick with Shimano or SRAM, they're the 2 main players and make some good reliable kit. I would go on about wheels too but you can change them later! One thing that has been mentioned here is Helmets, that should be the first item on your list, no point buying a bike unless you have a good fitting one (personally I think it should be compulsory to wear a helmet, especially on the road...). Whilst riding off road I have seen a few incidents where a helmet has saved someones life, there is no excuse, you can get decent ones from around £30 (Giro, Specialized, Met).

[ikthius]

you might look/feel like an idiot with a helmet, but it can save your life......

so get a cool looking one :D


ik

[AndrewJ]

Been a while since I mountain biked, used to ride at Lesuire Lakes in Southport, and at Rivington Barn upto the Pike in Howich.

I used to have a Full Suspension Trek Y7, nice bike still at parents will have to get it out sometime.
i dont see the point in full suspension as you waste so much energy.

That depends on the framework, I noticed the Y3 bounced like a pogo stick the y7 was alot better in all aspects, when I am at parents I think I will dig it out of the shed :D

[SOSAGES]

Just out of interest ...how much is a bike from 1997 worth these days :)

i assume very little.. here is the bike: http://kona.dk/bikeindex.php?bikeId=325 (retailed for about £1500 at the time)

not a lot changed except down hill bars added and black widow pedals.
its been hanging in my garage since 2000

[AndrewJ]

It may not be worth much but I have found memories of that bike :D especially my race at Lesuire Lakes in Southport and comming 9th out of 50 people and I only had the bike two weeks :D

[ikthius]

So sosages,

have you thought any more on this?
have you come to a descision?

ik

[ikthius]

Sosages,

did you get anything?

I know you said hardtail, but here is a decent sale on scott full suspension bikes, saving you
£900 (http://www.wheelspincycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s217p735)
£700 (http://www.wheelspincycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s217p1479)

i hope you find something.

ik

[bmxbandit]

They aren't!? Have you ever ridden with a well setup decent set of discs, such as Hope Mini's or the more recent shimano ones?
yep, i find little to no difference, especially if the brake is well set up and cable is completely sealed :)