What DJ - street - play bike thingy, with a catch attached.

lego
lego Posts: 769
edited August 2009 in MTB buying advice
I’m after a replacement for my (very old) ID Jackell but there’s a catch. I’m going to get it through the cycle to work scheme and my company has opted to go to Halfords so I’ll be limited to what ever bike company Halfords deal with. Trying to find that out is proving a challenge in it’s self (do they have any staff training?). All I’ve got of them at the moment is they can get specialized and perhaps DMR.
Idealy I would want 8-9 speed with disc’s (not cable) and want to spend £600 ish.
I like the look of the DMR sidekick, P1 and 24/7 Substance but they're SS so would have to count in the cost of gearing it up (and possible brakes).
Anyway I've got to make a list of bikes to give to Halfords and they'll see if they can get them so have I missed any good bikes? Your advise please...........

Comments

  • Halfords should be able to get pretty much any bike you want according to people who have used them in the past.

    As for the 24seven substance. They do come in geared flavour you know. £650
    http://www.24sevenbikes.com/substance26geared.html

    Any reason you dont want cable discs? They are quite capable you know. Only reason I mention it is because another option could be the Commencal Absolut CG. Comes with Avid BB5 brakes.
  • you could consider something along the lines of a giant brass 1 or a commencal absolut 2- they both come with decent suspension forks, suitable gears and chain devices/ bashrings. the giant is around £520 while the commencal is a more pricier £550.
    there is only one special thing in life that is actually worthwhile, and that is where bikes come into it...
  • If you were specifically after a Spesh then go for the P2, similar price, but has gears as well...


    Otherwise there are plenty of other bikes out there to chose from that Halfords should be able to get their hands on for you.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    Halfords deal with Identiti as well.

    so you could go p65
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • nicklouse wrote:
    Halfords deal with Identiti as well.

    so you could go p65

    You mean P66 don't you? Awesome looking bike though, would prob be my choice if I had that sort of money to blow on a play bike.
    Less internal organs, same supertwisted great taste.
  • lego
    lego Posts: 769
    Cheers for the replies. I'm not sure how I missed that Substance geared?
    I didn't want cable disc's for the mainatainance side and the rest of my bikes are all hydro.
    I expect cable calipers have come on quite a bit now but feel that they won't match fluid brakes for power and modulation so I'd rather get them as OE on the bike than play about later.
    The only bike I've ruled out so far is the Konas. I'm not really a fan of big box tubing.
    Ok time too have a look at the other options and make a wish list.
    Thanks for the help.
  • flubbub
    flubbub Posts: 115
    im in the same dilemer (dont know how its spelt!) :(
    i need a dirt/jumping bike with discs and front suspention, for under £500!
    i dont know if they are any good, but i need help!
    so far i have these:

    http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2009

    http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2007

    http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/speciali ... 45265.html

    i dont mind too much if they are single speed, but would prefer gears.
    if these are no good, can somebody please point me in the right direction!

    thanks :wink:
  • @ lego Mechanical Discs can actually be pretty good. Those BB5s are really outstanding brakes. Not really any maintainence involved, infact, in many cases they are easier to maintain than hydraulics.
    Not only that, but if you are planning on getting into DJ, you *will* crash, lots! it's much easier to replace a cable than a full hydro unit and fluid etc. Obviously, it's your choice, and if you prefer Hydraulics you prefer hydraulics.
    For me, it's got to be either one of the 2 I mentioned earlier, or a spesh P2.
    And another thing. If you wanted, you could get the commencal Absolut CG, then buy a set of Avid Juicy 3 for £90, Juicy 5s for £130 or Elixir 5 for £135.
    Bo!

    @ flubbub My advice to Lego also applies to you. Absolut CG ftw
    But, of the 3 bikes you listed above, the only one I personally would consider would be the P1.
    The shogun seems to be overprices for the specs.
    The Norco isnt really a "true" jump bike and personally, I dont like the kit or the looks.
  • lego
    lego Posts: 769
    Thanks Cat, good point about wrecking stuff but they've got got to be hydrolic brakes. I've just been looking at the weight of these things, 35+pounds! even heavier than my Felt. So I'm thinking of not worrying about the gears. (a real man rides a SS doesn't he?). The only reason for the gears was the 3 mile commute to the train station and being a lazy kind of rider I don't stand up and pedal alot but that would have to change :shock: .
    I'm also considering 24 in wheels now but would it make a huge difference? I mean I'm not going to be going mad on it, I'm too old for all that malarky (and I gave up doing seat grabs years ago :lol: )
    I had a look at a P1 yesterday and have to say it is very nice but I'm leaning towards one of the 24/7 bikes though.
    I'm still compiling my list though so any other idea's?
  • flubbub
    flubbub Posts: 115
    thanks 'cat with no tail'
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    if its gonna be with halfords........
    http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165765
    i can think of few nicer looking DJ/play/street bikes, its also pretty sweetly speced. and its a GT...............
    I like bikes and stuff
  • lego
    lego Posts: 769
    [/quote]if its gonna be with halfords........
    http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165765
    i can think of few nicer looking DJ/play/street bikes, its also pretty sweetly speced. and its a GT...............

    Yea don't slate me for this but it just doesn't look as nice as some of the others and for some strange reason I'm just not keen on GT's. (same as sonic :D )
    Thanks anyway.
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    if the Sonic your talking about is SuperSonic then i belive youl find that he does like GT's, infact he has one himself! also leavout the predgudice! they are great bikes! im a major fan! i own one my self.
    I like bikes and stuff
  • lego wrote:
    Thanks Cat, good point about wrecking stuff but they've got got to be hydrolic brakes. I've just been looking at the weight of these things, 35+pounds! even heavier than my Felt. So I'm thinking of not worrying about the gears. (a real man rides a SS doesn't he?). The only reason for the gears was the 3 mile commute to the train station and being a lazy kind of rider I don't stand up and pedal alot but that would have to change :shock: .
    I'm also considering 24 in wheels now but would it make a huge difference? I mean I'm not going to be going mad on it, I'm too old for all that malarky (and I gave up doing seat grabs years ago :lol: )
    I had a look at a P1 yesterday and have to say it is very nice but I'm leaning towards one of the 24/7 bikes though.
    I'm still compiling my list though so any other idea's?

    Yeh, they are pretty heavy. Cro-mo frames, designed to take all kinds of abuse, but are certainly not light.
    With regards to running a single speed setup, it's up to you really. obviously, with single speed, there is less to break. Maintainence is also reduced. And single speed machines are a little cheaper. One thing to consider is that most of the geared bikes run on the same frame as their SS counterparts, so you could always buy a geared version and change to SS at a later date if you wish (or vice versa).
    24" wheels will make the bike faster to accelerate and faster to turn.

    How far away is the train station, and how hilly is your route?
  • lego
    lego Posts: 769
    joshtp/mbukman, I know you've got a GT. It say's so in your sig. I also know that Supersonic likes GT's (He liked them on the old WMTB forum - before bikeradar was born). I was teasing. Sorry.

    Cat With No Tail, The ride to the station isn't that bad, and I've got a Broadman hybrid that I should be using to run about on anyway.
    The reason I thought about 24in wheels is they might be better when having a play in the small local skate parks and as you say I could always put gears on it at a later date.
    Cheers.