Mountain Biking In London (noob)

jeboy
jeboy Posts: 9
edited April 2008 in MTB beginners
Hi to all, Im new with all this so please bear with me.

Firstly, im unfit, and would like to start biking as a way to get a bit fitter as well as for the enjoyment of it. I can spend £750 on a bike and would appreciate some advice on a good bike to get for that money?

I live in East London, and to be honest, I just want a mountain bike because they look way better than road/hybrid bikes, so feel free to call me a poser I guess :oops: I've researched some bikes and I came up with this list:

Focus Fat Boy 2008
GT Avalanche 1 Disc 2008
Mongoose Tyax Super 2008
Mongoose Otero Super 2008
Saracen Ariel 1 2008

so which one??

I'll be riding the bike about 20miles a week, but is it alright to ride a Mountain bike, especially full sus on road and pavements? please I need help, thanks a lot. And also do yall know any mtb spot in london or nearer?
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Comments

  • xcracer
    xcracer Posts: 298
    Don't ride your bike on the pavement. That's for pedestrians.

    Try Epping Forest.
  • I ride on the pavement all the time. :lol:
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  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    full suspension = more weight

    also the cheaper (under £800) ride like a trampoline - there is no point to it at all for road use.

    to be honest with you, when i use my mountain bike to get into uni i'll pump the forks up until they are almost rigid and ride it as if it doesn't have suspension at all.

    a road bike (such as the scott speedster with flat bars) or rigid mountain bike with higher gearing would be the way to go

    if i see you on the pavement it gives me a right to kick you hard and issue you with a £30 on the spot fine.

    i think twice about 20 miles on road on the mountain bike

    on the road bike it's no problem tho
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • jeboy
    jeboy Posts: 9
    thanks a lot! I find this site really helpful and you lot are really nice.

    What about a good hybrid bike?
  • if i see you on the pavement it gives me a right to kick you hard and issue you with a £30 on the spot fine.

    Face. Bothered. :lol:
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  • Oh and I have a full sus kona and I can lock the forks and the shock and i find it fine for riding on the road (or the pavement). :lol:
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  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    beccalily wrote:
    Oh and I have a full sus kona and I can lock the forks and the shock and i find it fine for riding on the road (or the pavement). :lol:

    thats slightly different tho, you've effectively got a large heavy rigid bike.


    and with regards to my dislike of pavement cyclists, i took my gf to london for the day last week and someone on the pavement rode into her.

    nearly had the £30 on the spot fine out of him before he realised i wasn't actually the police (never claimed to be)
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • To be fair my ride to work is only a mile... :lol:

    I dont ride down busy pavements most of them are dead up here.

    I wouldnt ride through the city centre on the pavement.
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  • xcracer
    xcracer Posts: 298
    Cycling on the pavement is prohibited under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.
  • xcracer wrote:
    Cycling on the pavement is prohibited under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.

    Bothered?

    And driving over 30 in a 30 limit isnt?

    Everyone breaks the law. Doesnt matter aslong as you dont get caught and no one gets hurt. :roll:
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  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    Back to the original question...

    You might want to look at a hardtail bike with a lockout fork if you really do want a mountain bike. There is a lot of choice for that kind of money - check out the 'what bike' thread. I used to do a 35 mile round trip commute on a heavy hardtail with no lockout. It's what you're used to i guess as i didn't mind it at all at the time. I've got a much lighter bike with lockout now and it only saves about 5 minutes over an hour long ride. But if you're not going off-raod a hybrid bike would definitely be quicker.
  • have a consideration on hard tails, less worries about the rear suss, more tecs, cause a £800 full-suss, does not wort. I've got a Gary Fisher, Marlin 07 and my wife's Claud Butler, Cape Wrath D2, and every weeakend we are ahead Epping Forest, following the Regents Canal (starting in Canary warf) so if you want to join ous once you get your bike, more than welcome.
    Give a smile, is free!!!
  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    beccalily wrote:
    xcracer wrote:
    Cycling on the pavement is prohibited under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.

    Bothered?

    And driving over 30 in a 30 limit isnt?

    not by section 72 of the highway act 1835, it's prohibited by a different section and a different act :P
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • jeboy
    jeboy Posts: 9
    Marek-Mex wrote:
    have a consideration on hard tails, less worries about the rear suss, more tecs, cause a £800 full-suss, does not wort. I've got a Gary Fisher, Marlin 07 and my wife's Claud Butler, Cape Wrath D2, and every weeakend we are ahead Epping Forest, following the Regents Canal (starting in Canary warf) so if you want to join ous once you get your bike, more than welcome.

    sure I'll let you know when I get my bike. I'ma go evans cycle tom wish me luck, hardtail it is then, thanks!
  • I wouldn`t rule out a road bike,on coolness facor.
    You only have to walk around central London,to realise the cool bike to have is a courier syle, batterred,fixie based on an old steel road bike .
    2006 Giant XTC
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  • beccalily wrote:
    xcracer wrote:
    Cycling on the pavement is prohibited under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.

    Bothered?

    And driving over 30 in a 30 limit isnt?

    not by section 72 of the highway act 1835, it's prohibited by a different section and a different act :P

    I meant isnt illegal. Stop being pedantic. :roll: :lol:
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  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    beccalily wrote:
    beccalily wrote:
    xcracer wrote:
    Cycling on the pavement is prohibited under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.

    Bothered?

    And driving over 30 in a 30 limit isnt?

    not by section 72 of the highway act 1835, it's prohibited by a different section and a different act :P

    I meant isnt illegal. Stop being pedantic. :roll: :lol:

    i was aiming more for being facetious, obviously i failed - again :(
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • Get bent.... :lol::wink:
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  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    beccalily wrote:
    Get bent.... :lol::wink:

    nah, i prefer proper bikes, be interesting to try a recumbent tho...


    [should we stop this? we're both gonna keep coming up with retorts]
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • Agree to disagree.... 8)
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  • Agree to disagree....

    well aren't you missis mature :P
    If you aint in A&E, you aint riding hard enough

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  • Agree to disagree....

    well aren't you missis mature :P

    Most definatly. :lol: 8)
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    All fur coat and no knickers....
  • Random Vince
    Random Vince Posts: 11,374
    beccalily wrote:
    Agree to disagree.... 8)

    no, aggree that this banter could go on for a long time, we're deliberately disagreeing now :)
    My signature was stolen by a moose

    that will be all

    trying to get GT James banned since tuesday
  • jeboy
    jeboy Posts: 9
    SO I was gonna buy a hybrid bike for £400 today, but I came across a second hand, very minimal use, GT AVALANCHE 2.0 2006, for £120.

    Is it a bargain or not?

    what upgrades can I do to make it more "road friendly"? thankS!
  • Milkie
    Milkie Posts: 377
    what upgrades can I do to make it more "road friendly"? thankS!

    Fit some semi slick tyres. You'll run out of gears like I do !!

    Also, have you heard of the cycle2work scheme that evans do.. depending if you can get your employer to do it. I got a 45% discount on my bike, so it meant I could go for a much higher spec!
  • jaxurbody
    jaxurbody Posts: 19
    I've got a carrera kraken (hard tail), and it's good on and off the road. it comes with pretty chunky tyres that are good on the dirt, but don't vibrate too much when cornering on tarmac
  • Father Faff
    Father Faff Posts: 1,176
    I used to live in Tottenham and ride down to work in Brixton Cycles on occasion. I had a heavy old rigid mountain bike fitted with slick tyres and that fairly sped along and could cope with the potholes. I used to use the Lee Valley/Regents Canal towpaths a lot and the only thing you had to watch out for was groups of teens ready to push you in the canal and nick your mtb and further up the Valley fisherman with enormous rods who liked to take a swipe at you. Got one mtb nicked on the canals and got well chased round Victoria Park for another - but they weren't fit enough.

    If you do go to Epping Forest or find a bit of decent off-road terrain all you have to do is swop the tyres over.
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  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Im in East London i go to Epping Forest but have been told of Hainult Forest
    also out near Brentwood.

    My first bike was a Giant XTC 3 cost around £ 600.00p fast bike
    and with a crude lock out folk that worked

    For secound hand bikes take a look on ebay and also bikemagic.com
    web site could pick a great bargin
  • Tringa
    Tringa Posts: 5
    I'd second Epping Forest as a place to ride. The closer bits - Wanstead flats and around Whipps Cross are fairly level. Think there is also a cycle route in Hackney close to Victoria Park
    Don't worry what people think, they don't do it very often.
  • pyro_maniac
    pyro_maniac Posts: 232
    used to ride out about wanstead and whips cross when i lived in east london, now i have moved out to south ockendon, essex and looking for places to ride (just getting back into biking after a few years out)
    any recomended routes/areas?
    (sorry to hijack your thread)