I want to start cycling again and I need some help please

Alex R

Hi,
About 8 years ago I was cycling to uni and I was run over by a driver that didn’t see me. I ended up having a serious knee injury that put me off cycling. Cause of that experience I gave up on cycling and started jogging, but jogging actually shocks and damages the joints, so I want to start cycling again.
I plan on doing only off-road, as I’m hoping that this way I’ll be safe from reckless drivers (not off-road drivers though..). I’ll be doing mainly tracks and a rather entry-level off-road (nothing too tough, at least not for now).
Anyhow, I plan on spending up to £300 for a new mountain bike and I am more confused than I’ve ever been about anything! Too many choices, however lots of them seem rather dubious. I have lost touch with the specs I should be looking for, so could anyone please help me? I’m thinking it would be a good idea to buy it from a store (instead of buying it online) and also get it serviced there – is this a silly thought?
As of now I’m considering either the Carrera Vulcan Disc (Halfords) or the Claud Butler Pagan (Rotec Cycles Berkshire).

Can anyone please let me know which one of these is better? Also any other suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Cheers,
Alex

70s_kid

Have a look at this thread Alex:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12767249

A bit over the budget you mentioned but I've been very happy with this bike so far.

Halfords are surely due for a sale soon anyway so you might get a lower price

Alex R

Many thanks for the suggestion! Indeed, the one you recommended is packed with Shimano gear (one thing I know is that Shimano is good ). Is a bit too pricey for now though. I think is only safe to go for an entry-level bike for now (and I think that 300 should be enough for a fairly reliable one).
I’ll try to stick to my budget and see if there’s any decent bike I can get with that. If not, I’ll surely consider your suggestion.

Cheers!

cooldad

I would take the Carrera, or look at Rockriders from Decathlon

cooldad

Or look second hand. Plenty of bikes bought, stuffed in sheds and sold virtually unused.

Alex R

Thanks for that, cooldad. So the Carrera gets 1 point..
I'll go and check Decathlon ones too as soon as I can. I'll try to do it tomorrow morning actually.

Cheers!

Alex R

I thought about buying a second-hand one, but they're not too reliable and I am 6'1, so I'd need a 21-22' frame. These are not too common on the second hand market. Furthermore, I woud struggle even more which model/brand to choose.

Thank you for your suggestions!

cooldad

You may not need such a big frame. All bikes are sized differently (manufacturers even measure between different points) so best to at least sit on the one you want before you buy.
Personally for riding off road, given the choice between slightly small and slightly big, I would go for slightly small. Obviously perfect is better.

mak3m

Mrs Maks has a pagan, solid bike bit on the heavy side, it's a task to get the tyres on and off those rims. But, it's had plenty of abuse over the last year and it's taken it all in it's stride.



I don't know the Carrera so take my point with a pinch of salt

Gl

Alex R

cooldad, I wasn't aware of that. I thought that the frame size is standardized for all manufacturers... I'll keep that in mind then. Ta

thank you GI. I'd really want a solid bike, for now I don't mind if is slightly heavier than others in its class (as an entry-level bike). I'd be really happy if the weight is reasonable, but is a good, robust bike. If is a bit heavier, then it just means that I’ll be exercising more, right!? ..so the Pagan also gets 1 point!

Cheers

Atz

Carrera - 100% (out of those two at least). The Claud Butler is a 300 quid bike being sold for that price. The Carrera is already cheap and you're getting a discount on the asking price. Better components, better frame, and doesn't have that fugly saddle.

ThePriory1978

First off. Whats wrong with buying online?!
Get out to some bike shops, theres 3 bike shops in Reading centre alone - Evans, Action Bikes and a new one on Smelly Alley - and try different brands and sizes to see what fits you then save some £ and buy onlline.
I can recommend www.paulscycles.co.uk for a heavy discount on last years models but theres loads of places. They currently have GT's and Mongoose bikes in stock on your budget. If you know its going to fit why not buy online?

You can buy from Halfords if you wish but do not use halfords for servicing unless you want a barely trained chimp playing with your bike.

For servicing use http://www.roteccyclesberkshire.com/ in Shinfield. The owner, Simon, is very helpful and knowledgeable and is generally cheaper than other Reading stores.

Lastly don't forget to budget for a helmet and maybe padded shorts for comfort and mitts to save gravel rash if you do unfortunately fall off.

Hope to see you out and about.

Alex R

Atz, thanks for that! So I think that until now, you all agreed that the Carrera is the better spec one. Thank you. Is well worth knowing that.

Priory, thanks for taking your time to leave me your feedback. I thought that buying from a shop will be a better idea than buying online (as they;d also be able to give you service, help you if something breaks down and the bike's still under warranty, etc.). do you think that this is a silly thought? would I receive the same backup and support from any online shop? I really don;t know... It would be pointless for me to go to any bike shop, as I don’t know what to look for, what specs are good (or rubbish) and so on.. That’s why I’m asking for a bit of help here. The reason why I had the Claud Butler in my list was because it is from Rotec cycles (as someone recommended it to me for good service). Do you think that online is just as good as from a dealer? I found on teh recommended site 3 bikes that fit my budget: Giant Yukon Disc 2010, GT Outpost disc and GT Avalanche 3.0 disc. Are these any good then?


Then, if you think that buying online is just as good as buying from a dealer, could anyone please recommend me something to fit my £3oo?


Any suggestion would be highly appreciated!
Cheers

cooldad

Can recommend Pauls Cycles, but your arguments for buying from a shop make sense.
As the ideal number of bikes is n+1, it will only be a matter of time before you want another one anyway. By then you'll be more clued up and can consider alternatives.

Alex R

Yes. I want this to be an entry-level bike. After a while, I'm sure I'll properly invest in a good bike. For the time being it will take me a few months to get back into shape (recently had a massive internal bleeding and need to wait for the blood cell levels to get back to normal).. so won;t be doing any hard core off-roads...

Well, I've been thinking about this: everyone agrees that the Halfords service is rubbish, so if I'll go for my first option (the Carrera), I'll end up servicing it to Rotec Cycles Berks anyhow... And since I’m not receiving any suggestions of better options, I’m thinking of buying something online (and get it serviced at Rotec). Please let me know if you think I’m making a mistake!

So I’m thinking of going for a Mongoose Tyax Elite (as it is in the top 5 bikes of 2010 under £500 according to bikeradar.com). I can find it at about 300, so fits my budget.
Can you please tell me your opinionsabout the Tyax?
Would anyone have other recommendations?

Much appreciated!

Alex R

How about these ones too?
Giant Yukon Disc 2010, GT Outpost disc
Which one of these (the 2 above + Mongoose Tyax Elite) would you recommend?

... not excluding the Carrera Vulcan either

Phill B

If you can up your budget to the £400 mark you can get a lot of bike for your money, i have just posted this link on another thread for a chap wanting a new bike with a budget around £350-£400

This is worth a look.

http://www.rutlandcycling.com/26088/Mon ... -Bike.html

merida-FAN

Alex R wrote:

Hi,
About 8 years ago I was cycling to uni and I was run over by a driver that didn’t see me. I ended up having a serious knee injury that put me off cycling. Cause of that experience I gave up on cycling and started jogging, but jogging actually shocks and damages the joints, so I want to start cycling again.
I plan on doing only off-road, as I’m hoping that this way I’ll be safe from reckless drivers (not off-road drivers though..). I’ll be doing mainly tracks and a rather entry-level off-road (nothing too tough, at least not for now).
Anyhow, I plan on spending up to £300 for a new mountain bike and I am more confused than I’ve ever been about anything! Too many choices, however lots of them seem rather dubious. I have lost touch with the specs I should be looking for, so could anyone please help me? I’m thinking it would be a good idea to buy it from a store (instead of buying it online) and also get it serviced there – is this a silly thought?
As of now I’m considering either the Carrera Vulcan Disc (Halfords) or the Claud Butler Pagan (Rotec Cycles Berkshire).

Can anyone please let me know which one of these is better? Also any other suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Cheers,
Alex

I have the carrera vulcan bike i chose it based on the Bikeradar.com review and its never put a foot wrong its worth double the price you pay for it and is lighter than my friends £600 bike also has 24 gear and my friends only has 21 if you buy any other then i think you might regret it for the price i paid £225 for mine bout 2 years ago

Alex R

OK, thank you all for the suggestions!

I'm trying to decide now which one to go for from


Giant Yukon disc

Carrera Vulcan disc

Mongoose Tyax Elite

pleaaaaaase help!
Cheers

Phill B

Alex R wrote:

OK, thank you all for the suggestions!

I'm trying to decide now which one to go for from


Giant Yukon disc

Carrera Vulcan disc

Mongoose Tyax Elite

pleaaaaaase help!
Cheers

The way to look at it is you want the most bike you can get for your money I.E. best frame, forks and components.

the mongoose gives a much better fork than the other two bikes
it also has hydraulic disc brakes front/rear
27 gears

But at the end of the day it`s all down to personal choice, my bike had terrible reviews (mainly due to the dreadfull forks) but i liked the way it feels and rides (after a fork upgrade) and i am very happy with it. no matter what you buy there will always be that element of "should i have bought the other one"

Alex R

Yes, Phil. I really want to stick to the initial budget.. I decided to keep it that way, as if I'm to start rising the limit to improve the specs I'll keep on doing that till I'll get a bike that would be too much for what I need at the moment.

So you're saying that the Mongoose would be a better option. Cheers!
I'll take it into account.

Atz

Friend of mine has the Mongoose. They seem to like it.

Alex R

Thanks Atz!

I'm actually trying to decide (today) between the Giant Yukon and the Mongoose, so thanks for that.

Seems like the mongoose got 2 votes already - 0 for giant and also the carrera got a few votes..

hmmm

Alex R

LOL.. I've just noticed that the Carrera has a new price discount!!
so, I think that I'll go for this one..

Thanks everyone for the help!

I'll let you know how it will do.

Cheers

belugabob

Alex R wrote:

cooldad, I wasn't aware of that. I thought that the frame size is standardized for all manufacturers...

The thing that I like, about standards, is that there are so many to choose from ;-)

Alex R

lol.. yes, I just found out about that! haha..

well, I've picked up my Carrera 22' standard today. hoping it won't be disappointing!

I’ll let you know how it will behave. I only got to test it for a short while today, as it was getting dark.
Thanks again everyone for the help

Alex R

ummm..

well, it's been 1 month of riding the bike (the Carrera Vulcan disc spec) whenever I had some time after work.. almost 100% off-road, not too hard-core (I'm still not fully recovered after the internal bleeding I had). I've totalled just a bit over 150miles by now and I consider New Forest & Swinley to be the most difficult tracks I've done (I'm avoiding the main tracks as much as possible, as there are always people with dogs.. or kids - not much of a difference sometimes :P).
So I'd say that I haven't done anything too challenging for the bike... it's meant to be a mountain/off-road bike, right?

generally, the carrera feels alright on teh road - a bit on the heavy side (partly also due to the 22' frame). the seat is not extremely comfortable, but I understood that generally they aren't too bottom-friendly! the fork seems ok - I haven't really abused it at all though. Brakes are OKish - one of them is sliiiiightly touching the disk, but without causing real friction (just a small noise)
However, I'm already having problems with the gears... I have a 6week free check from halfords, I think that it'll have to be this weekend! The chain sometimes jumps off the front deraileur when I try to change gears, also the rear deraileur slips between 2 gears (for some time already.. I just didn't have time to take the bike @ Halfords). I am aware that this might be just because the Halfords poor quality assembling... I’ll have it serviced today I think and see if I notice any improvement (I’ll take it to a different Halfords branch). After this, I plan to try the recommended service around Reading (Rotec Cycles).

What do you guys think about the Decathlon service? Any experience with that??

Cheers,!
Alex

PapaLazar0u

Hi Alex

Sounds like normal wear and tear for a new bike. I had exactly the same problems with my new bike that i bought in December and the free 6 week check at the LBS where i bought it from sorted the minor gripes out.

Cheers

Craig

Alex R

Thanks Craig.
Honestly, I was a bit worried that maybe the bike is not as good as I hoped... wasn't aware that this is actually normal for a new bike. I'll try to find the time to have it serviced asap and see how it goes.
Have a good weekend!

Regards,
Alex

steamboat

HI Alex
i have been riding the Carrera Vulcan now for a few days the only problem i have found so far is that halfords have over tightend everything apart from that i think its a really good bike so far

Alex R

well, I've done more than 200 (off-road) miles on the Carrera already..the last ride was in New forest and it completely gave up on me (continuously slipping between gears, the chain was jumping off the chain ring disc (from the crank set), and so on..). I took it yesterday at Halfords for the 6 week check, they “serviced” it (15 min or so) and told me that the large chain disc had a bent. Told me to go again today with the receipt and all and to try to get the part (as still under warranty). After that I took the bike for a spin (did just a bit over 17miles on a rather easy off-road track) ...only to discover that the gears were still giving me hell X(

hope that your experience with Carrera is a bit more fortunate than mine!

I'll go to halfords again today and see what is to do..
wish me luck