Newbie: Unsure on what style of bike I need

Freep

Hello All,

I am after some basic advice on what type of Bike I need to start looking for. Baisically I don't know much about the new style bikes, I used to cycle regularly but havent really touched on it for a while. Anyway I am wanting to get something to use instead of using the car so often on weekends etc. I've had a few GT's in the past and I remember them being pretty indestructable, I think I had one called an Agressor 2.0 or something which I quite liked. I've had a look around on some sites and on the GT site for the 2008 models but I am a bit confused as to all the different catagories now available - e.g 'mountain' 'track' 'commuter' 'cross country' etc.

I live in an urban area and I am going to be using the Bike for commuting and general riding, but I live not far from Delamere Forest which is a big mountain biking destination and would want something that could take the odd battering around a forest when I felt like it. I dont like too many gears (as I only end up using a few of them) and I don't like rear suspension (I find it takes the force out of pedaling downwards, especially up hill). Could anyone reccomend what style of bike would be suited to the above?

I've had a look at the GT transeo and the GT Zum (doesnt appear on the GT site - is it an older model?) so far. Aditionally these bikes seem to be sold in sizes like small, medium, large etc. How do you know which size to get? is there a general rule?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide!

supersonic

First off hi, and welcome.

Generally there is a bit of overlap between all these labels, and different manufacturers have varying interpretations. Sounds like you just need a standard XC/trail mountain bike, like the ones you have had before - these will handle the off road, and be ok for a short to middle commute.

What budget do you have? Make a shortlist and try a few out. Sticking with GT, the Avalanche range is well worth looking at.

RE the gears - its not just the fact there aere more, its the the higher end equipment are built this way. So 7spd is very very budget.

bluechair84

welcome back to the world of two wheels!
Let us know what height you are and we can probably recomend a size. It sounds like you have got a good start on what you would like to buy. I agree that full suspension isn't the way forward for the type of riding you have described and the GT range is a good one, as Supersonic says the Avalanche is a good 'un. Got one of those - its a 1.0 Disc model and I can highly recomend it.
Also let us know what your budget is as I tend not to recomment a 'budget' bike. Budget bikes give budget rides and you can get more bang for your buck by looking at last seasons models that the shops are getting rid of cheap to make room for the new gear. You can add another couple of hundred pounds of invisible cash to your wallet.
For instance:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=14963 - £150 off rrp
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70228 - £100 off rrp
My Avalanche was actually an ex-hire bike; regularly seviced by the store mechanic, came with new tyres and new chain, RRP at £500, got it for £250.
And what percentage riding you plan on doing, how much more on road than off? If you are comuting everyday and only going to the woods every other weekend then the Avalanche will be a bit too biased to off road use and will be more tiring to commute on everyday. Getting a bike with suspension forks that 'lock out' will help the commute, or the GT i've linked above has rigid forks but I bet it's a blast through singletrack.

Freep

Wow! thanks for the info. Well regarding height i am 5'10 last time I checked so I've been poking around and it seems a 18" or 19" frame would be suitable? - However GT bikes dont seem to tell you the frame size just small medium and large etc, theres some technical specs on their site but It doesn't mention frame size just allot of other technical stuff!

My Budget is around £500-£600 as I would like something sturdy and reliable and is going to last for a long time. As for percentage of riding/off road I would say I would be doing 70% road 30% off road riding. As I will be using on a daily basis to go and visit friends etc but on the weekend will probably go for a bit of off road fun.

The avalanche 1.0 does look rather cool I might have a good look at that. I also quite like the Zum model's do you know anything about those?

P.s. What do you mean by lock-out ?

Thanks!

tjm

Lock out means a lever on the fork (or handlebar - connected to the fork) that "locks" the fork so it no longer compresses. On flat surfaces the bobbing you can get from forks can be a pain, making riding less efficient.

However, my forks (oldish rockshox Duke SLs) don't have a lockout and I run them without much damping and frankly I don't see it as a problem. Sure, if you stand up and honk on the pedals the front bounces but that isn't efficient anyway. Sitting down and spinning at a decent cadence and I don't notice a problem.

Most decent forks nowadays have a lockout so maybe it is not a big deal but if there was a choice of decent fork without lockout and average with then I'd go without.

regarding frame size you are probably a medium but actual size (cockpit length, standover etc) vary dramatically between different brands on the same quoted size so you really need to try them to see what really fits you.

BlackSpur

I wouldn't want to take the Zum offroad, it is a hybrid/city bike so not really designed for it. Carrera Fury or GT Avalanche 1.0 would be more appropriate.

CraigXXL

Go for the Avalanche 1.0 and buy some tyres like Continental Travel Contact so you'll have little drag on the road making life easier plus be able to go fire roads when you want. When you fancy something more serious off road you can always put your original tyres back on. That way you'll have the best of both worlds.

I have the Avalanche 1.0 and highly recommend them.

toslow

Hello .
For the money your spending have a look at M B R magazine this month they have a big right up on bikes within this price range .

bullcross

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ite%202008

looks ok for the money but the gt is a good bike

LordBanks

Commencal CombiDisc, thats what yer want man. Class.

bluechair84

Sounds like you will be a medium. Your the same height as me and I tend to go for mediums but as TJM says frame size really differs between manufacturers. A medium size tends to sit around the 17.5 inch which means from the bottoms bracket to the top tube. You should try your best to sit on the bike you'll buy and see how it feels but you can always make minor adjustments with different stem size and moving the saddle back n forth until it fits just right.
The Avalanche 1.0 Disc has a lockout fork that can stop the bike from bouncing making it feel more like a road bike on demand and is pretty capable off road. It sits at the bottom of your budget so you could always pimp your ride : for your kind of riding i'd go for a light weight XC wheel set. But check out the other bikes offered on this thread, there's some good stuff.

beski

On their web site GT quote the seat tube length which equates to the frame size. The Avalanche medium frame has a seat tube length of 466mm which is just under 18.5 inches

Freep

Thanks for all the help guys, I am now seriously considering the Avalanche 1.0 and maybe getting a spare set of wheels and tyres for road use. However I am really starting to like the look of the Focus models, especially the Killer Bee and the Northern Light, just not sure about the value. Going down to a bike store tomorrow so will hopefully have a chance to check some of them out!

supersonic

A word on sizing ;-)

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12566711

bluechair84

If you are going to get new wheels and tyres dedicated to road use, you will want to get a cassette too (the gears on the back wheel). Then you will need a new rotor as well or else every time you change wheels you will have to do lots of moving of parts which will be a pain and this will add another £60. More if you need to buy the tools as well - a cassette needs all sorts.
I would get the lightest mountain bike wheels I could afford and some road tyres and just swap the tyres over after the weeks work. You can always sell you're old wheels on ebay to recoup some of the costs (as 'new' and unused) - and the bike store will give you a discount if you haggle for a bike, low tread tyres and a new set of wheels. But as a minimum - you could just get road tyres and save yourself £150! I've just tried the weight of my Avalanches wheels and they aren't that heavy suprisingly. Not noticeably more than my £2k Intense! Which actually upsets me quite a bit You'd be fine with just tyres, spend the extra on flapjack.

Let us know what your options come down to!


#sniff#