Choosing a new bike ...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone suggest any other bikes or comment on the Carrera one linked
above?

Mechanical[1] disc brakes tend to be a bit of a gimmick if it's not going
to be used in oodles of wet mud. I'd go for something with V-brakes -
they're just as powerful as mechanical disc brakes, and free up budget to
be spent on the rest of the bike (or on beer).

The Specialized Globe Sport range is pretty good - nowt flashy at the entry
level but the budget has gone on the right stuff, and they're quite
versatile bikes.

[1] As opposed to hydraulic disc brakes

--
Mark T

Am Mon, 13 Aug 2007 19:51:45 +0100 schrieb iPleb:

Quoted message said:

Ive got about £200-£250MAX to spend ... and have been looking at some
Carreras in Halfords i.e.

http://tinyurl.com/3b94xb

I would preferably like something with disc brakes as I've always hot high
preference for good stopping power.

Good disc brakes can have a better grip in wet conditions and are very
useful in muddy off-road conditions. I'm not too sure though about the
cheapy ones on the Carrera, which are not run by hydraulics but by ordinary
bowden cables. In that price range V-Brakes are equally good and maybe the
better value for money. The other thing I don't like about disc brakes is
that as soon as the disc is slightyl bent you have to change the whole
part. This can simply happen by the bike falling onto something or by
someone kicking it intentionally when it's parked somewhere.

Quoted message said:

Can anyone suggest any other bikes or comment on the Carrera one linked
above?

It's difficult to recommend specific models. It's most important that you
feel comfortable on the bike when cycling. It's a bit like buying shoes -
there's no one-fits-all solution. It can be difficult in some Halfords bike
huts to get a test ride. So I would also consider going into a local bike
shop - even if that would mean to eventually stretch the budget up to £300.

The Carrera 1 might be a good alternative as well - with V instead of
Disc-brakes. You can find similar ones in the Evolution Range of Edinburgh
Bicycle. What I would miss on most of these bikes is a mudguard and a rack
to carry things around. Also a good lighting system is IMHO a must as you
can always end up in the dark. Hub dynamos are great for this and not
anymore that expensive.
There's one bike like that on offer at Wiggle at the moment for 240:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360027000
or for 270 with 7 speed hub gears:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360027206
Although the big disadvantage of ordering online is that you can't do the
test ride before.

Andreas

iPleb said:

Ive been out of the biking scene for a lonnnnng time but recently been
thinking about going the cycle route again.

My last encounter was me as a single dude in my late 20's doing down hill
and maxin' it out ;-)

Now about 10 years later, with a wife and 2 year old kid plus and some spare
luggauge around the mid section, I'm looking for something a little less
extreme and more sedate.

Cycling for me now is more about general fitness, fun and taking my daughter
out for a ride along the river etc and not so much about downhill/racing
cars in rush hour.

Ive got about £200-£250MAX to spend ... and have been looking at some
Carreras in Halfords i.e.

http://tinyurl.com/3b94xb

I would preferably like something with disc brakes as I've always hot high
preference for good stopping power.

Can anyone suggest any other bikes or comment on the Carrera one linked
above?

Cheers

iPleb

I have a Carrera bike as well. It's okay. However the disk brakes are
nothing special and they squeal like banshees when wet. I'll be
changing mine soon for some hydraulic ones. The frames are study
enough and light enough considering what you're paying (okay, its
heavy compared to my Giant OCR) and spare mech hangers can be bought
off ebay if you ever do drop the bike. The standard tyres are usually
completely unsuitable (far too knobbly). Decide what type of cycling
you'll be doing - deep mud, firm tow paths etc, and look to budget for
buying a set of tyres which are more suitable for those conditions.

If you are as unfit as me, and there are hills where you live it may
be worth looking at a bike with a granny ring such as the Carrera
Vulcan.

Steve

iPleb wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Ive got about £200-£250MAX to spend ... and have been looking at some
Carreras in Halfords i.e.

http://tinyurl.com/3b94xb

I would preferably like something with disc brakes as I've always hot high
preference for good stopping power.

Can anyone suggest any other bikes or comment on the Carrera one linked
above?

I see others have already passed comment on cable disk brakes ...

As an alternative, the own brand bikes that the Edinburgh Bike Shop have
are generally very good value for money

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_Keyword=revolution+bike&bGOkeyword=Search&f_SortOrderID=0

or

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yqnthm

They are not just based in Edinburgh.

For your budget the Cuillin Sport, Courier, Pathfinder, Trailfinder,
Streetfinder all fit depending on your preferred style and some even
come with mudguards and racks as standard.

Disclaimer: I have no connection to EBC, other than I spend too much
money there.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

You guys got something against spam? (Vriess, in _Alien 4_)

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said the following on 13/08/2007 22:31:

Quoted message said:

The other thing I don't like about disc brakes is
that as soon as the disc is slightyl bent you have to change the whole
part. This can simply happen by the bike falling onto something or by
someone kicking it intentionally when it's parked somewhere.

This seems to be the new urban myth. If a disc rotor bends within reason
(that means not doing a taco impression) then you can bend it back. It
might take a bit of patience, but it does work - I've done it.

If it is doing a taco impression then you can take it off and ride back
to base carefully which you can't do with a taco-shaped wheel. I've
never had to do that yet though (wheel or rotor!)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Mark T said:

Quoted message said:

Can anyone suggest any other bikes or comment on the Carrera one linked
above?

Mechanical[1] disc brakes tend to be a bit of a gimmick if it's not going
to be used in oodles of wet mud. I'd go for something with V-brakes -
they're just as powerful as mechanical disc brakes, and free up budget to
be spent on the rest of the bike (or on beer).

....assuming that all you care about is the 'power' (whatever that
might be) of the brakes. If other things interest you (ease of
maintenance, rim life, performance in shallow water for example) than
cable-operated disks may be an improvement over Vs. In some rare
cases (wheels on cantilevering axles for example) disks are very much
better.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Paul Boyd said:

If it is doing a taco impression then you can take it off and ride back
to base carefully which you can't do with a taco-shaped wheel. I've
never had to do that yet though (wheel or rotor!)

I followed (briefly) someone yesterday with the back brakes disconnected
and the back wheel wobbling side to side by about an inch. I got the
impression it was a semi-permanent state of affairs.

Tony

Tony Raven said the following on 14/08/2007 08:03:

Quoted message said:

I followed (briefly) someone yesterday with the back brakes disconnected
and the back wheel wobbling side to side by about an inch. I got the
impression it was a semi-permanent state of affairs.

An inch of wobble isn't a taco :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

Tony Raven said the following on 14/08/2007 08:03:

Quoted message said:

I followed (briefly) someone yesterday with the back brakes
disconnected and the back wheel wobbling side to side by about an
inch. I got the impression it was a semi-permanent state of affairs.

An inch of wobble isn't a taco :-)

Neither can you ride a bike, disc braked or not, if the wheel is really
shaped like a taco ;-)

Tony

Don't dis cable disc brakes, just 'cos they are cable: cheap 'V's' are
nasty too (just cheaper). IME Avid's work fine.
And I'd stay away from 'suspension' too (for similar reasons).

squeaker said:

Don't dis cable disc brakes, just 'cos they are cable: cheap 'V's' are
nasty too (just cheaper). IME Avid's work fine.

Though unless you're riding in vast quantities of mud and/or grinding
paste, or doing festive descents on a tandem where blowing the tyre up
from excess heat is a genuine issue, a cable disc won't actually achieve
much that a decent rim brake won't. But it will cost more.

I'd sooner have hydraulic rims brakes than cable discs.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Though unless you're riding in vast quantities of mud and/or grinding
paste, or doing festive descents on a tandem where blowing the tyre up
from excess heat is a genuine issue, a cable disc won't actually achieve
much that a decent rim brake won't.

Most disc brakes - especially the cheap ones - are not rated or suitable
for the heat loads of tandem use. You are far better with the standard
solution of an Arai drum brake on the rear hub to deal with rim
overheating on long downhills.

Tony

In article said:

Paul Boyd said:

If it is doing a taco impression then you can take it off and ride back
to base carefully which you can't do with a taco-shaped wheel. I've
never had to do that yet though (wheel or rotor!)

I followed (briefly) someone yesterday with the back brakes disconnected
and the back wheel wobbling side to side by about an inch. I got the
impression it was a semi-permanent state of affairs.

It's certainly fairly common around Cambridge. As your "(briefly)" tends
to imply, they generally don't go very fast, so maybe they can rely on
sticking a foot down if the front brake cable ever breaks.

Am Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:50:10 +0100 schrieb Paul Boyd:

Quoted message said:

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said the following on 13/08/2007 22:31:

Quoted message said:

The other thing I don't like about disc brakes is
that as soon as the disc is slightyl bent you have to change the whole
part. This can simply happen by the bike falling onto something or by
someone kicking it intentionally when it's parked somewhere.

This seems to be the new urban myth. If a disc rotor bends within reason
(that means not doing a taco impression) then you can bend it back. It
might take a bit of patience, but it does work - I've done it.

OK, so there seems to be an on-the-spot-DIY solution. Thanks for clarifying
this part of the urban myth. The other part - that the disc can indeed be
bent accidentaly, seems to be valid though.
My intention was not to argue against disk brakes in general. But in the
price range where the OP is searching, V-brakes are IMHO the best value for
money, as long as the combination of rim and brake pads works together.

Quoted message said:

If it is doing a taco impression then you can take it off and ride back
to base carefully which you can't do with a taco-shaped wheel.

Well - I'm not too sure if I would be brave enough to do that. A damaged
gear-system might merely be annoying, brakes that are not working are
simply... dangerous.

Andreas

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said the following on 14/08/2007 15:29:

Quoted message said:

The other part - that the disc can indeed be
bent accidentaly, seems to be valid though.

Oh yes - I won't deny that bit!

Quoted message said:

Well - I'm not too sure if I would be brave enough to do that. A damaged
gear-system might merely be annoying, brakes that are not working are
simply... dangerous.

Yup. But if you're 20 miles from home with a severely bent disc, would
you carry your bike for 20 miles or ride carefully with one disc
removed? In practise, I would remove the disc anyway, and ride/walk
back! Never had a disc bend that badly yet though.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Quoted message said:

For your budget the Cuillin Sport

does look very nice I have to say

Do you know what kind of service you get if you buy mail order and then have
problems with the bike?

iPleb

iPleb said:

Quoted message said:

For your budget the Cuillin Sport

does look very nice I have to say

Do you know what kind of service you get if you buy mail order and then have
problems with the bike?

I can't comment on the mail order service as I am fortunate enough to
have a store on a diversion home, so I tend to drop in on the occasional
Friday night.

As for their service for problems, may I refer you to the following threads:

groups.google.co.uk0256494da2a098bdOpen ↗
or http://preview.tinyurl.com/3dzqsu

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.rec.cycling/browse_thread/thread/13fea107bce5a3eb/8bf577b1ca207cbd?lnk=gst&q=Top+Marks&rnum=2&hl=en#8bf577b1ca207cbd
or http://preview.tinyurl.com/2oq9vq

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

"This seems like a case where we need to shoot the messenger."
(Charlie Kaufman on Cypherpunks list)