Need advice on what to buy

Mitja

Hey guys,

I am looking for a new bike after my old one got nicked :x

My budget is around £150 for a mountain bike and i searched around a little bit, but there dosent seem to be alot of bikes in my price range which i like etc. I mostly ride on normal roads but i also like to go offroad sometimes so i am mainly looking for a mountain bike with full suspention

I am interested in two mountain bikes.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ryrn_82395

And

http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd ... item_id=15

I Don't know anything about bikes so could some one give me a hint if these two are good deals or not?

Thx for any help

supersonic

Avoid anything with rear suspension at this price - its very VERY heavy, undamped, clunky, and abdly put together.

Look for a hardtail (just front suspension) or a fully rigid bike, with an aluminium frame. If you can stretch to 200 quid you get some fantatstic enntry level bikes with MUCH better parts - 24 gears, sealed bearings, of road gears.

Take a look at the Giant Boulder and Decathlon Rockrider.

Mitja

Ty for the advice, but i got one more question

would you recommend buying a bike with brake disk, since i heard they perform better than v type brakes? Also isnt rear Suspension better than no suspension, even if rear suspension is crap?

Thx for the help

supersonic

Rear sus can make it worse - if it is not 'damped' ie just a spring, it pogos all over the place, making the ride worse. Plus is heavy.

Disc or Vs - depends on the rest of the bike.

If you are willing to read this, and do a little research (or ask questions at the shop), you'll be in a better position!

I think for general mountain biking, the following features should be considered: (aimed at buyers spending less than 250 quid)

- Alloy hardtail frame. Full suspension at the lower end of the market (sub 300 and even upto 500 quid) is heavily compromised. Its very heavy, undamped, poor bearings and pulls down the spec elsewhere. Steel frames at this level are often mild steel and are 2 or 3 pounds heavier than an alloy frame.

- Suspension fork with alloy crown and one piece lowers. Cheap pressed steel lowers and crowns flex badly. Preload adjusters are a good feature to help set sag and ride height for differing weights.

- Compact crankset (42/32/22). Many entry level bikes have larger chainrings (48/38/28 ) from cheaper groupsets. This doesn't allow a very low gear and is often over geared for the terrain a MTB will be used on. Replacable chainrings are a bonus.

- 8 speed freehub. 8 gears from a cassette and freehub gives a better spread than some 7spd screw on freewheels, often 11-32 teeth rather than 14-28. Also this allows the bearings to be spaced further in the hub, allowing a stronger rear wheel/axle. Shimano make the best budget 8 speed set ups.

- Cartridge bottom bracket. Old adjustable cup and cone bottom brackets are poorly sealed and are prone to coming loose.

- 32 or 36 spoked wheels. Lots of beginners MTBs are coming with fancy 'paired' spokes, or 24 bladed ones, purely for looks. They use heavy rims, are poorly constructed and are not worth it compared to standard wheels. Look for stainless spokes if possible, and sealed alloy hubs with quick release axles.

- Alloy components. If possible, ask about the seatpost and bars. Alloy units save some weight, and are more comfortable.

- Brakes and levers. Make sure the levers aren't plastic as they flex badly. Cable disc brakes stop better in the wet but usually add cost. Don't go for discs over other essential features.

- Aheadset or threadless headset. Much better bearings and more reliable than the older quill stem and threaded headset.

Many bikes for 200 pounds now have all these features! Don't be afraid to ask for a saddle swap if they are uncomfortable, and enquire about the quality of the tyres..

Mitja

Again u been a great help dude. Gonna go to some research and i am going to look at the £200 bikes and see which one i like.

One more thing supersonic, what bike would you buy for £200. I been looking around and Decathlon Rockrider 5.2 seems quite a good bike. Pretty much meets all the specs u listed in the post above.

Ty again