Cycling - NLC

[Lazydonkey]

So budget wise a used bike could be £150 or you could spend £10k.

General opinion seems to be that full suspension is pretty sh*t until you are spending north of £1k. So that's quite an investment for a first bike.

Personally if you are just starting out id seek out a used hard tail at under £400. That way you can sell it on and not lose much if you find you want to upgrade or you aren't using it.

Three years ago I bought a £600 specialised hard tail brand new and i had brilliant fun on it. By mountain bike standards it was utter sh*t and: only fit for burning (copyright smee!) but it did me ok. I just sold it for £200. Guy I sold it to hasn't had a mtb before and is having a brilliant time.

The bike that has replaced it (£850 boardman) is infinitely better but then I'm sure a £2k bike would be better still.

If you aren't going to do lots of off road stuff then a hybrid isn't nearly as cool but probably more suited for canal path or fire trail stuff. Or a cyclocross will do road and trail stuff brilliantly. I'm faster round most of my local easy going trails on my cx bike than my mtb.


Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[Rosssco]

Cool, thanks.

So just go spend some money I was in Evans Cycles on Sat, wandered about. Felt confused, so mostly concentrated on the favorite colour.

I'd like one that wasn't utter cack, that I can keep for a bit.. I'm thinking a decent used full suspension and pay between £500 - £1k used might be the best bet I wonder..

[111Robin]

Cool, thanks.

So just go spend some money I was in Evans Cycles on Sat, wandered about. Felt confused, so mostly concentrated on the favorite colour.

I'd like one that wasn't utter cack, that I can keep for a bit.. I'm thinking a decent used full suspension and pay between £500 - £1k used might be the best bet I wonder..

I've just listed my MTB in the classifieds section but depends on your size. It's a medium, probably just on the big size for me at 5'6.

[Rosssco]

Cool, thanks.

So just go spend some money I was in Evans Cycles on Sat, wandered about. Felt confused, so mostly concentrated on the favorite colour.

I'd like one that wasn't utter cack, that I can keep for a bit.. I'm thinking a decent used full suspension and pay between £500 - £1k used might be the best bet I wonder..

I've just listed my MTB in the classifieds section but depends on your size. It's a medium, probably just on the big size for me at 5'6.

Thanks Robin, I'll have a look. I'm 5'10" so I presume it will probably ok.

[Lazydonkey]

Cool, thanks.

So just go spend some money I was in Evans Cycles on Sat, wandered about. Felt confused, so mostly concentrated on the favorite colour.

I'd like one that wasn't utter cack, that I can keep for a bit.. I'm thinking a decent used full suspension and pay between £500 - £1k used might be the best bet I wonder..

Bear in mind that the cheapest front forks cost £100 from a discounter like chain reaction.....with "decent" ones starting at £200. People routinely spend £400 plus on them. Same again for rear shocks. As such a £500 full sus bile isn't going to be made with the best components.....and you might be best buying a better hard tail.

I know i wouldn't really see the benefit from a full sus as i'm not brave enough!

[Rosssco]

Cheers. Does the suspension wear out and disintegrate at Lotus Bilstein speeds, or are they generally reliable?

[111Robin]

With normal use they are pretty much bomb proof. I was never one for being very adventurous on mine, just trail riding really, no jumps or anything like that. I suppose if you were to do that sort of stuff regularly you might need to have them serviced more often. The FOX kit on my bike are very tuneable as well with adjustable preload/rebound. Rear shock has three positions you can select on the move which is nice, fully open gives you full suspension travel, half open gives less travel but is better for climbing so you lose less effort compressing the shock as opposed to climbing and then fully locked gives you no travel if you want to ride it like a hard tail. Don't be fooled by the full suspension bikes you see going for a few hyndred pounds, they only look like bikes, they aren't the real deal and are only good for oldies and neds going to Tescos and such like

[jj]

Anyone else riding an Ebike?

I bought a full sus cube with the boschCX motor and its probably the most fun I have ever had on a bike. It is also great for splitting opinions between those who have never tried one and think its cheating to those that have and see how much fun it is. Ive been riding things and places that I would never have got to on a normal bike, and uphills are now enjoyable bits to ride, whilst still feeling burst at the end of them. 10/10, would recommend.

[Scotty C]

Cool, thanks.

So just go spend some money I was in Evans Cycles on Sat, wandered about. Felt confused, so mostly concentrated on the favorite colour.

I'd like one that wasn't utter cack, that I can keep for a bit.. I'm thinking a decent used full suspension and pay between £500 - £1k used might be the best bet I wonder..

I've just listed my MTB in the classifieds section but depends on your size. It's a medium, probably just on the big size for me at 5'6.

Thanks Robin, I'll have a look. I'm 5'10" so I presume it will probably ok.

that looks a great bike for the money.

[Scotty C]

Anyone else riding an Ebike?

I bought a full sus cube with the boschCX motor and its probably the most fun I have ever had on a bike. It is also great for splitting opinions between those who have never tried one and think its cheating to those that have and see how much fun it is. Ive been riding things and places that I would never have got to on a normal bike, and uphills are now enjoyable bits to ride, whilst still feeling burst at the end of them. 10/10, would recommend.

spotted one in the bike shop a few weeks ago and wondered how good it really was.

need to try a test ride.

[jj]

They really are great fun - I would be amazed if you didnt love it. Its best described as all the good bits of MTBing with a bit of motorcross feel thrown in.

We ride a mix of stuff from red downhills to forest paths and there are constant laughs, they are so quick and once you get used to it you can really shift. Rides which used to take 1.5hours now get done twice, in less time.

The only downside is the weight, which I find helps on the way down as mine turns in and grips a lot better than my hardtail did, but heaving it over walls and fences is harder.

[pshanks76]

They really are great fun - I would be amazed if you didnt love it. Its best described as all the good bits of MTBing with a bit of motorcross feel thrown in.

We ride a mix of stuff from red downhills to forest paths and there are constant laughs, they are so quick and once you get used to it you can really shift. Rides which used to take 1.5hours now get done twice, in less time.

The only downside is the weight, which I find helps on the way down as mine turns in and grips a lot better than my hardtail did, but heaving it over walls and fences is harder.

I have seen a few out on the trails... and been passed, rapidly, by one on a climb! Call me old skool, or a sadist, but I quite like earning my fun. For me it's part of the MTB experience.

Kind of like owning a Lotus... it ain't easy and you know there will be some pain along the way, but the rewards are worth it

[pshanks76]

I'd also recommend getting either a decent full-sus 2nd hand (like Robin's or check out the Pinkbike.com classifieds) or a 29" wheel size hardtail if you want to go new. The bigger wheels roll sooo much better than smaller ones and really eat up the terrain well.

If you're buying new, consider using one of the Cycle To Work schemes to purchase - all the big bike shops in Aberdeen do it (Evans, Edi Bikes, Alpine) and you can save up to 40% if you're in the higher tax bracket. You can use it on bikes up to £1,000

[Doc883]

Quite a few guys I ride road and cyclocross are also mountain bikers and the general consensus with them is to go for a 650b mountain bike.
Previous standard was for 26" wheels then the 29"er made an appearance. Now 650 (27.5") is all the rage. Just go with front suspension and the 650b will get you to most places.
Something along the lines of this:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trai ... _96496.htm

[ClarkyBoy]

Quite a few guys I ride road and cyclocross are also mountain bikers and the general consensus with them is to go for a 650b mountain bike.
Previous standard was for 26" wheels then the 29"er made an appearance. Now 650 (27.5") is all the rage. Just go with front suspension and the 650b will get you to most places.
Something along the lines of this:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trai ... _96496.htm

I started off with a trail Sl4 a few years ago - 26" then, its a decent base for biking IMO