Advice on buying a new mountain bike



Spetznaaz

New Member
Apr 11, 2007
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Hi,

I've recently decided to buy a new bike. I currently have a really old crappy bike with broken gears which isn't much use as it's too hard to ride in 1 gear.

I just want a bike to cycle places rather than drive, as i can't afford all the petrol i'm using, and i need to get more excercise. I drive to my friends house probably every day, which is about 6 miles each way, so it would be much better to cycle, and also the 8 mile ride to college would be nice to cycle now and again.

I also plan to do a lot of cycling down the woods on long rides, as well as just around general places using roads.

I don't want to spend any more than £200 at most and i'm not really looking for anything too good, just something decent and comfy that will suit my purpose. I am kind of looking for a mountain bike with dual suspension (even though i have read the rear suspension on a bike less than a grand is useless - i just like the look of it)

I know nothing about bikes, and have been looking at a few cheap ones on ebay, but i have no idea wether what i'd be buying is a peice of **** or not..

Here's one i was looking at on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXILE-ADDICT-DH-ALLOY-DISC-FULL-SHOX-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-NEW_W0QQitemZ270106916084QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33503QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And things similar to that...

Any help or advice would be greatly appreacited :)
 
hi mate

had the same problem a few yrs ago,wanted a new bike but didnt want to pay to much so got one for about £150........full suspension
at first was made up with for using on short rides but after a while started going on longer rides then the problems started..

bike wasnt comfy at all and things began to go wrong ie gears ,brakes and i realised this is wot you get for the price...so ended up buying a giant terrago hardtail for £500 and the difference in ride was immense.....
so you say you have about £200 to spend...well personally i would nt buy off ebay ,i would try and get a branded bike from a local bike shop or internet...
for example have a look on DALES CYCLES
scott voltage yz3 2007 hardtail 21 speed £249
scott reflex 60 2007 " " " £239
giant boulder 2007 hardtail 24 speed £179.99
giant rock 2007 hardtail £149.99
as you can see you can get good named bikes at alow price but for about 200-250 you can get a decent treader if you look around.....;);)
hope this helps a bit and happy shopping:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Thanks for the help :)

I'm considering going for a hardtail bike, i was just wondering, would a hardtail be uncomfy on long rides, especially through the woods/cross country..?

Cheers
 
hi mate,,,,ive had a full sussy and to be honest when ive gone on forest/off road rides i cant see any diference from that to my hardtail......and like myself you can wear padded cycle shorts under your shorts for added comfort....

also i do alot of road cycling(20-25 miles a ride) and with the full sussy they aint ideal as you tend to bounce up n down losing your momentum unless you can get 1 with a lockout on but then ur prob looking at a sharp rise in price also, but if you aint rode for a while the 1st week or 2 might be uncomfy on your **** but if you keep it up then your **** will get use to it:D:D:D:D

so yes i overall i personally think hardtail is a better bike for wot we want to do with it,unless your a lunatic and start doing big drops and jumps:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
I just typed up a huge post and accidently pressed a wrong button and deleted it :( So i'm gonna type it up shorter this time.

Bascially i've foudn these three bikes:

Scott reflex - http://www.dalescycles.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SCTRFLX50

And the Scott Voltage - http://www.dalescycles.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SCTVOLTYZ35 (i prefer this one)

http://www.dalescycles.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=14268

I was wondering what the differences were between the voltage range, and the reflex range. I prefer the voltage yz 35, but do you know if it would suit my use, a lot of long distance (10-20 miles) on roads, or would the reflex be better suited towards that kind of thing?

Thanks :)
 
oh yes,both nice looking treaders with similar frames with the voltage having slightly better spec ie,disc brakes,,,
have a look at the gt's on dales site,the gt avalanche 3.0 disc is a nice bike for the money aswell....
might be worth going to your local bike dealer and see if they have any then you would be able to have a sit on them and decide which has the better ride set up for yourself and you would also be able to do a hagglimg with them and something off the price and get a few bits n pieces thrown in ie,computer,pump,water bottle,,,:)

failing that mate get in touch with dales cycles and im sure they would be more than happy to help out.......
 
That gt looks pretty nice as well, lol there's too much choice!

I'm gonna head down to some cycle shops tomorow and see what i come out with :D

Thanks a lot for your help ;)
 
good luck:p:p but thats wot happens when you start to look then nice looking bikes start poppin up then you end up paying more than you bargained for like i do:rolleyes::rolleyes:

have fun
 
Spetznaaz said:
Hi,

I've recently decided to buy a new bike. I currently have a really old crappy bike with broken gears which isn't much use as it's too hard to ride in 1 gear.

I just want a bike to cycle places rather than drive, as i can't afford all the petrol i'm using, and i need to get more excercise. I drive to my friends house probably every day, which is about 6 miles each way, so it would be much better to cycle, and also the 8 mile ride to college would be nice to cycle now and again.

I also plan to do a lot of cycling down the woods on long rides, as well as just around general places using roads.

I don't want to spend any more than £200 at most and i'm not really looking for anything too good, just something decent and comfy that will suit my purpose. I am kind of looking for a mountain bike with dual suspension (even though i have read the rear suspension on a bike less than a grand is useless - i just like the look of it)

I know nothing about bikes, and have been looking at a few cheap ones on ebay, but i have no idea wether what i'd be buying is a peice of **** or not..
If the frame/fork on your "really crappy old bike" are actually "okay" and the only problem is the inability to shift to other gears, then you could probably get some fairly good components for £100, new (OR on eBay, also, for less) ... less, if the stuff is used (condition varies, of course).

I would think that replacement shifters & cables/housing could cost as low as £60 at your LBS (NOT installed) ... again, the cost would be less through eBay.

New chain & cassette -- another £35, tops.

Tools -- £_?_.

It could just be your cables/housing which are shot ... "household" oil goes a long way to making "old" components viable, again.
 
Lol too late, i brought a gt Chucker xs.2 from halfords for £330.

So far, it's great! :D

Only thing is, when i turn the front wheel, the brake make a rubbing sound.. and the wheel doesnt turn completely straight, almost like it's slightly buckled.. is this normal...
 
Spetznaaz said:
Lol too late, i brought a gt Chucker xs.2 from halfords for £330.

So far, it's great! :D

Only thing is, when i turn the front wheel, the brake make a rubbing sound.. and the wheel doesnt turn completely straight, almost like it's slightly buckled.. is this normal...
I presume the symptoms you are describing occur when you are only turning the wheel in one direction (to the right?).

If so, I reckon the (right) brake cable housing between the brake lever & the frame's cable stop is the culprit ... the actual length is probably "okay" but it may act like a short cable housing if the housing is wrapped-around OR zip-tied/clipped/bound to another cable housing. If so (?), "free" the one cable housing from the others.

Hope that helps.
 
Ner it happens when i turn the wheel both ways.

It's like it will rub, then stop rubbing, then rub then stop rubbing etc as it turn, as if the wheel/breake disk is slightly bent so only at a certain point does it make contact with the brakes... and when i'm cycling and look down at the front wheel, i can see it very very slightly wobbling from side to side, like it's slightly bent or buckled... i know nothing about bikes so i'm not sure if this is normal or not...

Also just out of curiosity, is my ass supposed to hurt this much after only 10 miles of cycling lol?
 
Spetznaaz said:
Ner it happens when i turn the wheel both ways.

It's like it will rub, then stop rubbing, then rub then stop rubbing etc as it turn, as if the wheel/breake disk is slightly bent so only at a certain point does it make contact with the brakes... and when i'm cycling and look down at the front wheel, i can see it very very slightly wobbling from side to side, like it's slightly bent or buckled... i know nothing about bikes so i'm not sure if this is normal or not...

Also just out of curiosity, is my ass supposed to hurt this much after only 10 miles of cycling lol?
It is NEITHER normal NOR safe to have the brakes engage without your specific input (i.e., squeezing the brake levers). You need to have someone who is closer to you look at it.



FWIW, this may-or-may-not help:
try lowering the saddle height by about a quarter-to-half inch AND move the saddle as far back as it will go.





















 
hi matey

best thing for you to do is take it straight back to the shop and let them sort it ,,as its a brand new bike its their problem to sort it out for you or get your money back and tell them you will go else where,,,,,then watch there faces and they will soon sort it for you ;);)
 

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