Bought a Voodoo Bantu at Halfords ???

bond-007

Bought a Voodoo Bantu today at halfords and going to lift it tomorrow, what should i expect to get ie, manual , warrenty etc :?:

supersonic

Manuals for gears, brakes and forks.

cooldad

And hopefully a PDI report.

Oh and a bike, obviously.

bond-007

PDI Report ??

am reading here about a pump for the front forks ?

supersonic

PDI is their inspection. You need to buy a shock pump.

bond-007

ok, anything else you guys can think on let me know

cooldad

Multitool, some tyre levers, couple of spare tubes, puncture kit, mini pump, track pump and a helmet.
And a bottle of Squirt chain lube.

bond-007

Good shout !

Is there any videos about fine tuning the gears, hope i wont need to but just incase

snoopsmydogg

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Pretty much all you need is in there

snowden_88

I had one of these bikes, was nice but heavy. Stunning paint job

houston26

Keep a listen out for noises from bottom bracket. Me and 2 workmates have had Bantus. All had bb fail, mine hd fork seals bust so I got upgraded to a hoodoo, another had the rear freewheel break after 4 months use (on road)

There well specced bikes for the money but some cost cutting and build issues have spoilt it for me. Only saving grace has been excellent customer support from Halfords. I found them very helpful, even when others didnt

supersonic

Believe me, if you would have bought any other £400 bike the chances are you'd have far more problems.

The Rookie

The BB is a standard part used on lots of bikes worldwide and is generally a very reliable part, Voodoo use Chin Haur which is one of the better ones (though not as good as Shimano).

bond-007

Cheers lad all advice takin onboard... And any more dont be shy to send it my way lol.

So far (4.5 miles) i cant fault the bike, excellent piece of kit, early days yet i know.

snowden_88

Dont worry about the above mentioned "defects".

Voodoo would've recalled the bike if there were any serious problems with it and Halfords wouldn't sell it.

I thrashed mine down single track and had no problems.

houston26

snowden_88 wrote:

Dont worry about the above mentioned "defects".

Voodoo would've recalled the bike if there were any serious problems with it and Halfords wouldn't sell it.

I thrashed mine down single track and had no problems.

Oh, don't get hung up on what I said, I was just saying if you get a feeling something's wrong then know what it could be. They are good bikes, or I wouldn't have bought one!

First investment after the gear mentioned earlier should be some decent tyres

bond-007

Big thanks lads, was out tonight for the 1st long-ish run almost 5 mile run all on roads but so far so good and the brakes are awsome cant belive the stoppin power from 30mph lol..

As for the tyres il stick a few more miles on these but tyres are on the list. What makes would you advise ? ?

The Rookie

Tyre recommendation depends on how you ride and the surfaces you ride on....they are.......?

If you're not sure you'll need a good all rounder, they will excel in no particular area but nor will they be a disaster, for that I would suggest a Panaracer Fire XC Pro, folding are more expensive but will save more weight.

Rambo_123

I would look at upgrading the pedals to something like superstar nano's. I got mine in a few days ago and the diference is great!

bond-007

The Beginner wrote:

Tyre recommendation depends on how you ride and the surfaces you ride on....they are.......?

If you're not sure you'll need a good all rounder, they will excel in no particular area but nor will they be a disaster, for that I would suggest a Panaracer Fire XC Pro, folding are more expensive but will save more weight.

Well id be 60/40 between road and off road riding. 6o% being road.

For example i would cycle maybe 5-7 miles do a trail or bit of off roading then cycle home again.

A good all rounder would be ideal for me

bond-007

Rambo_123 wrote:

I would look at upgrading the pedals to something like superstar nano's. I got mine in a few days ago and the diference is great!

Didnt know pedals could make such a difference !

Rambo_123

Are you agreeing or questioning?

bond-007

Sorry ... am questioning

Rambo_123

Well they do in the wet because i was finding that my feet were slipping off a lot and the family jewels got a beating from the top tube haha!

The Rookie

+1.....your feet have to be secure on the pedals or it can get nasty - I went OTB when my feet slipped off some cheap pedals and then the bike got kicked over it's front wheel by a bad bump I couldn't absorb with no feet on the pedals!

CwmLad

Bantu was my first bike.(well first bike as an adult). It was a good starting bike with 120mm of travel and it looked nice, it was abit heavier than mates bikes but it is steel framed so you would expect that. As others have said change the pedals. halfords put cheap pedals on most of their bikes.(saying that i used mine for 2 years and never changed the pedals) also get a chainstay protector. the paintjob is nice but it chips very easy. The main thing that needs changing on the bantu is the tires, if your out on the trails the tires are just not good enough. Apprently continental mountainkings are decent fast rolling tires that dont hold to much mud. The bantu was a good place to start, for me anyway, it got me into mountain biking. This will be the third year ive had mine and although ive upgraded to a full sus i cant bring myself to sell it.

bond-007

Bantu is my first adult bike aswell and so far i cant fault it, all i need now is some decent weather. Yeah i must look in to pedals and tyres but i want to bling it up a little with bolts , top cap, quick release etc..

Any ideas on what colour ?

The Rookie

CwmLad wrote:

Bantu was my first bike.(well first bike as an adult). It was a good starting bike with 120mm of travel and it looked nice, it was abit heavier than mates bikes but it is steel framed

No, it's an aluminium alloy frame.....

bond-007

Recived my shock pump and boy it makes some difference also adjusted tyre pressure, also got a chain stay protector.

Now for tyres pedals and some bling, all in good time tho

steve 1

whats a shock pump as my voodoo didnt come with one? Did you buy it or is it meant to come with the bike?

cooldad

You need to buy one or you can't adjust the forks for your weight.