Beginner Bike

Oddw1re

I am looking at buying a new bike and just want to know what you think of what i have chosen.
Its a 2008 Claud Butler Pagan

Frame
6061 T4-T6 ALIMINIUM DISC SPECIFIC FRAME WITH SNAKE STAYS AND SEMI INTERGRATED HEAD TUBE. CNC DISC DROP OUTS.
Forks
SUNTOUR SF-XCM DISC SPECIFIC WITH PRELOAD ADJUSTMENT AND 100MM TRAVEL.
Shifters
SHIMANO ALTUS 21 SPEED WITH STI SHIFTERS.
Chainset
SUNTOUR XCCT202 SMOKE GUARDED CHAIN SET WITH DURABLE CARTRIDGE BOTTOM BRACKET 22/32/42T.
Stem
SEMI-INTERGRATED "AHEADSET" WITH ALLOY AHEAD STEM AND A RISER BAR WITH DUAL DENSITY GRIPS.
Brake Levers
QUAD QMD-5 MECHANICAL DISC SYSTEM ON 160MM STD ROTOR.
Rims
WIENMANN ZAC2000 DOUBLE WALL ALLOY RIMS WITH CNC BRAKING SURFACE EQUIPPED WITH 32 ALLOY QUICK RELEASE DISC HUBS.
Tyres
KENDA KOYOTE 26X2.10 FRONT AND REAR SPECIFIC.
Saddle
CLAUD BUTLER DEEP CUT SPORT SADDLE FITTED TO ALLOY MICRO ADJUST SEAT PILLAR.

Anonymous

Brakes might be a bit crap, Ive never heard of them. Altus isnt going to last forever off road. If its put together well it shouldnt be too bad.
not bad for 200 quid.

cunning-stunt

The hydraulic Quads are ace,so here's hoping the cables are pretty good too.
My main concern would be the fork,as it's more costly to replace than anything else when it buggers up.

But,it'll do you fine for now mate but stretch as far as you can moneywise.
Another £100 will get you one hell of an improvement in componentry,which needs replacing less often,thereby actually saving you money.

You don't actually give a price,but I'm guessing £350?

Oddw1re

close its about 230-300.
Does anybody else want to add anything?

dave_hill

Unfortunately, in this price range the forks will nearly always let the package down.

The good news is that the Claud frames are pretty good and you've got a reasonable set of components hanging off it.

Ride you bike, wear bits out (or break them) and replace with better as you go along. Peasy!

garnett

After doing a fair bit of research myself for a bike in the same sort of bracket, I ended up with a Rockrider 5XC Ltd ed from Decathlon for £270.

Frame: Hydroformed 6061 series alloy, apparently a more sporty profile than the 5.2 Fork: Decathlon branded, SR Suntour XCR with lockout fork (100mm travel) Gears: SRAM SX5 27 Brakes: Hayes Nine Hydraulic

It's too early for me to give a decent review but I'm pleased so far.

Oddw1re

dave_hill wrote:

Ride you bike, wear bits out (or break them) and replace with better as you go along. Peasy!

This is sort of what i am wanting to do.
Also thanks for the comments.

supersonic

Take a look at the Mongoose Tyax series. 7spd not good for a bike of this price, weaker rear due to a freewheel rather than freehub, harder to upgrade and clunkier

Oddw1re

Is there anywhere you would recommended to buy from?

supersonic

Any shop you can test it in really. Beginners need the backup from a shop which is far better than a net bought bike.

dav1

agree with supersonic, the free service and hastle free help when something breaks is great until you know enough to fix and maintain the bike yourself.

Oddw1re

supersonic wrote:

7spd not good for a bike of this price, weaker rear due to a freewheel rather than freehub, harder to upgrade and clunkier

Im confused can someone please explain.
Sorry for being a noob :?

supersonic

Most 7spd systems use a screw on cog set - 8 and 9 use a slide on cog set, onto a seperate mechanism. This allows the bearings to be spaced further apart, making a stronger wheel. Seen plenty of bent axles in my time to know the benefits when riding offroad!