myka pro 08 - looks

nicchick

What are your opinions on the look of this bike? I think it is pretty good specwise, but really cant decide if I like the look of it (shallow I know lol!)....

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=33666

I think it might be the frame shape Im not sure on? Im hoping that some other opinions might help...... Its strange, I like it but also dislike it at the same time....? One minute I look at it and like it, but then I look at it and dont. I think it is the bend in the crossbar.....

thanks, nic

nicklouse

Ok.

wheels could be lighter. and fork could be lighter.

but not a bad spec at all. presuming that you are of the shape/sizeweight of the Average lady they used to speck the fork. if not then you may find you need to change out the spring.

mudface

It doesn't matter what our opinions are on how it looks, you are the one who will be riding it. However, since you asked, I think it it looks like what it is - a fairly bog-standard low budget WSD bike.

By all means ask our opinions on how well it will ride etc though.That might be of more use to you.

nicchick

Hi mudface... I was asking because I wanted to try and pinpoint wether I like it or not....I know it was a bit of a stupid question. :oops:

For my price range have narrowed it down to between this bike, the trek 6500wsd, and there is the slightly more expensive Giant arete..... I have so far ruled out the marin juniper and the kona lisa.

Thanks nicklouse on info re tyres.....didnt think about their weight.... I am 5"4 and 8 stone if that helps with the fork issue - not sure what weight they class as average?? For this reason I am looking at womens specific as I tried a mens bike (for a female I have quite a long body and short legs) and the suspension forks didnt give much at all.

Any comments on the three bikes I have mentioned? For the price I am paying I gather the forks arent bad on all three, but got told the trek has the least good brakes. On the note of brakes a guy I work with told me as I am quite light if I get hydralics I wont notice much difference between makes....? Is that true?

Other than that I know nothing about the other components, so any further comments would be great.

At the moment i am leaning toward the trek as it is £100 cheaper. (BTW I am getting the bike through a work scheme so I have to use a local independant bike shop so cant get it off the net to save money)

nic

Callsign_Charlie

Trek's are generally fairly good value for money, with reliable bits. But the Specialized does have lovely 80s style graphics on the frame!

nicchick

Arh well I found out that specialized do a slightly lower spec bike - called a myka expert 2008 and it doesnt have the wierd bent frame. The shop are happy to buy back bits and upgrade the brakes and a few other bits to improve the spec. They however rekon that the specialized frame is quite a bit better than on the trek 6500 wsd....

Any comments on that??

I did try out the trek 6500 wsd and loved it, but will try it out against this bike and see what I think. I also tried out the mens Rockhopper Comp disc 2008, but didnt like it at all. It was hard work on my thigh muscles, so I guess something to do with the geometry of the frame??

Charlie - I quite like the graphics on the specialized :oops: but I must admit I was pretty taken with the go faster pink stripes on the trek!

nic

nicchick

Okay ignore my last post - apparently its only the 13" and 15" specialized myka frames that come with the bent frame..... the bigger sizes have the normal straight crossbar.......

nic

lunaeventer

I am going to get a trial of this bike too (Myka Pro '08 ) in January. Am also going to try to sit on as many other bikes as I can to get a feel for them - have only been hiring a Kona Calderra up till now.

Can anyone suggest any '07 models from any maker that match up to a similar spec so I can save some pennies if I like the way they feel???

supersonic

Rockhopper, Trek 6500, GT Avalanche Expert to name a few.

nicchick

I tried a few bikes and eventually ended up going for the wsd Trek 6500.... Ive been riding it for a couple of weeks now and I absolutely love it.

I found in the end that although a few of the bikes I tried where better on paper, they just didnt seem to feel as good to ride - try and take it out and about for 30mins or so on different terrains and that should certainly help make your mind up.

nic

lunaeventer

Appreciate the advice - don't have anyone I can take along with me so any pointers gratefully received.

malibu_babe_28

I bought this bike in November 2007 and I think its ace. I have a 28 inch inseam and I have the 17 inch (non bendy top tube frame). Its a little marginal for me on standover height, but the top tube length is perfect for me. The paint job is really stunning (it looks much better in the flesh - it appears slightly irridescent to me).

When looking at bike specs I looked at Giant, Kona, Trek and some others. Personally at the time I felt that the Myka gave me the best possible spec of bicycle at that particular price point. The upgrades over the Myka expert were well worth having - particularly hydraulic disc brakes (juicy 3's), and the Tora fork over the Dart 2's. The mens equivalent (Rockhopper) was the joint winner of the MBR sub £500 bike survey in 2007.

If you are only 8 stone, you should look for a womens bike with a women specific fork (or one with plenty of adjustment on it) - as some forks are designed around a 13 stone bloke (and you may not get the range of movement you want out of the fork).

As for specification, you get what you pay for - if you spend more money, you get more bike for your money, but that has to be in proportion to how much you intend to use it.