Newbie Question



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Pete Boyall

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Hi

I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.

I've been offered the following bike for £195 :

Claude Butler Cape Wrath 2002 model. 7005 alloy frame. 18.5" (I'm 6'), Kore bar and stem. Shimano
Deore gears/rapid fire shifters. Truativ chainset. 27 speed (3 front and 9 rear). Crane Creek
v-brakes. Mavix X139 rims with Deore hubs and Tioga XC tyres. Suntour adjustable front shocks.

I mostly just want to get to work up some fairly steep hills (1 in 6 incline) and the chap who wants
to sell me this reckons it'd suit me well.

I've had a google for old messages on this newsgroup and Claude Butler seem to be regarded
fairly poorly.

I'd appreciate any comments, whether it's a fair price etc.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

--

Pete
 
pete boyall <pboyall.spamblock@_nospam_.IHATESPAM.lineone.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi
>
> I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.
>
> I've been offered the following bike for £195 :

More details on the Cape Wrath..

Brake Levers: Shimano Deore0 Brakes: Cane Creek Direct Curve 2 Chain: Z9000 Chainset: Travativ Five
D Fork / Colour: Rock Shox Judy TT Frame / Colour: Square taper alloy, Square stays integrated head
Frame sizes: 16" (42 cm), 18" (45.7cm), 20" (50.8cm) Freewheel: Shimano 9 speed cassette Gear
Levers: Shimano Deore S.T.I Gears Front: Shimano Deore Gears Rear: Shimano Deore Handlebars: Riser
style Headset: Integrated Cane Creek Z.S.T. Hub Front / Rear: Shimano Deore front and rear Pedals:
Tioga Surefoot 31 Rims: Mavic X139 Saddle: WTB Rocket V Race Seat Clamp: Alloy Seat Pillar / Bolt:
Alloy Micro adjust Stem: Kore Lite Front Loading Tube: Tyres: Tioga Factory XC

The RRP fro this bike when new was £399.99 and it has also won the Gold Award for 'Best Buy' in
June/July 'What Mountain Bike'.

Q. I mostly just want to get to work up some fairly steep hills (1 in 6 incline) and the chap who
wants to sell me this reckons it'd suit me well.

R. As far as gearing goes, this will not be a problem, trust me. Only you know about your legs!

Most important is the fit. Ride the bike and see how it feels. If it's in good condition, if it
fits, if you think it's a suitable mode of transport...go for it.

--
Mark
______________________________________

"Just ask yourself: What would Scooby Doo?"
 
In addition to the above suggestions, check the chainset for wear on the teeth - if they all look pretty similar and even then the chainset is probably in good condition whereas if it's worn, some of the teeth will show this clearly.

Secondly, see how the brakes feel and check they work effectively. Brakes seem to be one of the first things to wear out on a bike and so if you can limit this process then you can save money.

Deore shifters from my personal experience work very well.

Needless to say, make sure you're comfortable when you sit on the bike - posturue etc.

Also, check the rims for wear - sometimes rims can get worn from worn out brake pads, which previous owners haven't been bothered to change; if this is the case, you'll notice a groove on the outside of the rim in line with the brake pads. If it's there, then it means that the rim is weakened and it'll be only a matter of time before it goes whereas if it's in good shape it can last indefinitely.

Good luck.
 
<snip lots of useful advice>

Thanks for the advice. Chap reckoned it was £500+ when new so I think I might be able to negotiate
him down a bit there then :)

I am wondering if it might be overkill for getting to work, given that something like, for example,
the CB "StoneRiver" [1] seems to be very similar but only a little more than £200 brand new as
opposed to second hand like this one. However, having had a £150 "Universal" "Full Suspension" bike
that was so heavy it was a real effort just to get moving - and that was when I was running 5Ks on a
near-daily basis
- I imagine the extra money goes quite easily into saving just a few ounces?

cheers

Pete

[1] I've been surfing for ages and getting very muddled with this strange new world of £1000 push
bikes! I always used to think bikes were all just two wheels and a set of pedals :-0

--

Pete
 
On Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:38:50 +0000, pete boyall did issue forth:

> Hi
>
> I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.
>
> I've been offered the following bike for £195 :
>
> Claude Butler Cape Wrath 2002 model. 7005 alloy frame. 18.5" (I'm 6'),

Well, it *sounds* like it could be the correct size, but the only way to tell for sure is to try it.
As a rough guide, you should be able to get enough extension on the seatpost so that if your heel is
on the pedal at the bottom of it's rotation, your knee will be almost fully straightened. Also make
sure that you don't feel too stretched out on the bike. If you're going to be using the bike
off-road, "pod clearance" is essential - make sure you've got a good few inches between the top tube
and the family jewels. This isn't so important for road use as you're less likely to find the top
tube hurtling up towards you at great speed.

> Kore bar and stem.

Does the job.

> Shimano Deore gears/rapid fire shifters.

Deore stuff is, on the whole, pretty good. I'm not overly impressed with the cassette, which wears
quickly, but apart from that, it does the job admirably.

> Truativ chainset. 27 speed (3 front and 9 rear).

Be sure to inspect this. Make sure that the chainrings and the sprockets on the cassette aren't
hooked. If they are, allow anything up to £50 for a new cassette and chain. I doubt the chainrings
would be hooked on a bike of this age, but check anyway.

> Crane Creek v-brakes.

Check there's plenty of meat on the pads. If they're wearing out, budget about £6-£10 per wheel
for new ones.

> Mavix X139 rims with Deore hubs and Tioga XC tyres.

Again, Deore stuff is fairly tidy and everybody loves Mavic rims. I've not used the tyres myself,
but a have a friend who does, and he loves them. If they are showing signs of severe wear, budget
between £20 and £50 for a new set of tyres, depending on what exactly you're after.

> Suntour adjustable front shocks.

Never got on with Suntour forks myself. They don't appear to have rebound dampening and at times can
behave like Zebedee on speed. I don't know whether they've improved them at all recently, but check
around the brake arch to make sure there's no signs of cracking. If the forks are buggered, you're
looking at upwards of £100 to replace them.

> I'd appreciate any comments, whether it's a fair price etc.

Provided the bike isn't completely shafted, it sounds fairly good to me.

--
Huw Pritchard Replace bounce with huw to reply by mail
 
On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 10:39:23 +0000, "Huw Pritchard"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:38:50 +0000, pete boyall did issue forth:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.
>>
>> I've been offered the following bike for £195 :
>>
>> Claude Butler Cape Wrath 2002 model. 7005 alloy frame. 18.5" (I'm 6'),

<snip reams of really good advice>

>Provided the bike isn't completely shafted, it sounds fairly good to me.
>
Cheers for the useful info. Hopefully I will be able to go and actually appear to know a little bit
about bikes now :)

cheers

Pete

--

Pete
 
On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 14:58:08 +0000 (UTC), pboyall.spamblock@_nospam_.IHATESPAM.lineone.co.uk (pete
boyall) wrote:

>On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 10:39:23 +0000, "Huw Pritchard"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:38:50 +0000, pete boyall did issue forth:
>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.
>>>
>>> I've been offered the following bike for £195 :
>>>
>>> Claude Butler Cape Wrath 2002 model. 7005 alloy frame. 18.5" (I'm 6'),
>
Finally got it for £165!

Thanks for the help

Pete
--
Pete
 
pboyall.spamblock@_nospam_.IHATESPAM.lineone.co.uk (pete boyall) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 14:58:08 +0000 (UTC), pboyall.spamblock@_nospam_.IHATESPAM.lineone.co.uk (pete
> boyall) wrote:
>
> >On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 10:39:23 +0000, "Huw Pritchard"
> ><[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:38:50 +0000, pete boyall did issue forth:
> >>
> >>> Hi
> >>>
> >>> I'm hoping I can get some advice on here.
> >>>
> >>> I've been offered the following bike for £195 :
> >>>
> >>> Claude Butler Cape Wrath 2002 model. 7005 alloy frame. 18.5" (I'm 6'),
> >
> Finally got it for £165!

Nice one. S
>
> Thanks for the help
>
> Pete
 
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