Beginners bikes

dcp1975

Definitely put a decent pair of tyres, the XC Pro's were great on my Rockhopper, anyway how much do you think i will get for it? Have a look here.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Specialized-Rockh ... dZViewItem

supersonic

Half its RRP plus a bit. 350 I reckon.

dcp1975

i had to lie that i dont get out anymore rather than saying i desperately need £500 for my college course this September!

fumps

yeh man thats the reason why i'm comming back i have a son now & i have grown up alot.
Now live in Rodley right next to the Leeds Liverpool canal 122 miles to Liverpool oooo 1 big play ground.....be a shame to waste it

reet i'm off home catch ya later mate

dcp1975

i hope i get a bit for it, its in top nick

---*SD*---

This would be a good starter :P

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

The reason I posed the ally/alloy question is that for a beginner on a low budget, especially if that budget means fully rigid, I reckon a chromo frame would be better than a nasty stiff bit of ally. :idea:

windscale

Well, I guess it depends on your budget and your intended use I suppose.

The problem generally is that cheap steel frames tend to be heavy since the exotic alloys, butting etc. to make them lighter make them much more expensive. From what I've seen, apart from "boutique" makes like Orange, pretty much all mountain bikes over £300 seem to be "alloy" frames.

Admittedly I'm not 100% up to date but I can't imagine that tubing manufacturing costs and materials development have advanced to the point where they can knock out something like the MTB equivalent of a lightweight butted Reynolds 531 frame at sub £300. I've not looked much at stuff below £300 though.

I have a cro-mo steel framed Marin Bear Valley SE circa 1996 but I hardly rode it because it was so darned heavy. And that was despite the fact that it's got rigid forks and the SE version was tricked out in alloy components. I've recently bought a Commencal Combi Hydro Disc with an "alloy" frame and the difference between the two is almost indescribable. When you are starting out you really appreciate a bike weighing as little as possible! Once you've got your legs you can start to look at the tradeoffs but you need to have something easy enough to ride in the first place to get you to that point.

For a lot of the ranges (e.g. Gary Fisher, Kona, Giant) the frame on the £300 bikes is the same as that on the £700 bikes with the price difference being made up in more durable and lighter components as you spend more money.

W.

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

Thinking about it with regards to the current climate, stainless steels have gone up massively in price over the last couple of years.

I remember riding a rigid (expensive) ally hirebike in the highlands, and after one particularly long fast and rocky descent I couldn't hold on to the handlebars for the rest of the journey because my wrists were absolutely shot (and my ankles weren't much better).

I've got an ally bike now, and it's a pretty stiff frame, but then it does have 100mm up front and a bouncy seatpost. :oops:

hastings

Hi

after saving my money up for a new bike the time has come to buy a new on because i have finally outgrown my old bike. I was looking for a bike that costs about £300 but my price range could be stretched a little. I stand at about 5 foot 9 inches and was thinking of maybe an 18 inch frame. The bike will mainly be used for XC and preferably would have disk brakes.

any suggestions?

supersonic

For size you nedd to test model by model, they vary. Have a look at the Mongoose tyax Elite at 280.

trespasser66

Seagull wrote:

Don't forget about testing, no point having a good spec if it doesn't fit. A bike too small will give back pain, too big and it won't corner well and will hurt lots in a crash.

Lol .... so coming off a smaller bike will hurt less?

I like your logic.

cooldad

Most awesome thread resurrection ever - 6 years. How the hell did you even find it.
Let it die again, everything is somewhat outdated.

The Rookie

Clearly his quote from another post sums it up!

trespasser66 wrote:

After a break of many years.

Ashlar86

hi guys I`m very new to riding bikes ... my question is


my forks are fubbered so I`m toying with the idea of rigid forks as I am using the bike for weight loss and comuting to work could anyone advise me on what rigid forks would be good for my bike


Carrera Vulcan peak spec 207 iirc ideally need to be compatable with disc brakes as the bikes disc brake as standard

The Rookie

Almost any rigid MTB fork with 1 1/8th steerer and disc mounts, but why on earth you though this was a sensible thread to put the question in is utterly beyond me, start a thread with a title that vaguely reflects what you want perhaps.

I use some Mosso ones off ebay on my Carrera commuter, light, well made and they'll fit no problem.