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Basic mountain bike?

Started by Clayton Lee · · Last activity · 17 posts · 2,436 views

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Australia and New Zealand
Published
25 January 2004
Last activity
27 January 2004
Original author
Clayton Lee
Posts
17
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Public discussion
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  1. I am doing the BRW corporate triathlon in April, and am just starting to get the bike portion of my
    training under way.

    I have done it twice before, and each time pulled out a disgraceful mountain bike someone lent to
    me, which may or may not have been purchased at Toys R Us, but is definitely not up to spec for me
    (for starters I weight 115kg.)

    So today on my training run I jogged into the city, and went into Clarence St Cyclery.

    Apart from a touch of bad service, the main thing I learnt was that noone appears to make a basic
    mountain bike anymore. All I really want is something not ridiculously expensive, preferably no
    suspension, slick tires and toe clips.

    Is it just Clarence St, or is this something I just won't get anymore. In the perfect world, I would
    love to get a road bike, or a nice hybrid, but my budget just doesn't stretch, $400 with the tires
    and clips is about as much as I want to stretch to - maybe I am just being unrealistic.

    Can anyone give me any suggestions as to where I can proceed from here?

    Clayton

  2. "Clayton Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:FYDQb.26448$Wa.5919@news-

    Quoted message said:

    Apart from a touch of bad service, the main thing I learnt was that noone appears to make a basic
    mountain bike anymore. All I really want is something not ridiculously expensive, preferably no
    suspension, slick


    tires

    Quoted message said:

    and toe clips.

    You can still get them - just not as easily as we'd like. Most bikes have a suspension fork (no
    matter how dodgy) just because people 'expect' suspension. Slick tyres are unlikely but very easy to
    ask the shop to swap them on when you purchase the bike. Toe clips were on most bikes I've bought!
    Can't get rid of the bloody things! ;-)

    Quoted message said:

    Is it just Clarence St, or is this something I just won't get anymore. In the perfect world, I
    would love to get a road bike, or a nice hybrid, but


    my

    Quoted message said:

    budget just doesn't stretch, $400 with the tires and clips is about as


    much

    Quoted message said:

    as I want to stretch to - maybe I am just being unrealistic.

    $289 Giant Upland (rigid): freedommachine.com.auitem.asp

    $385 Giant Boulder SE (front susp.):
    freedommachine.com.auitem.asp

    $450 Avanti Escape (front susp.): fitzroycycles.com.aumoreinfo.cfm

    Quoted message said:

    Can anyone give me any suggestions as to where I can proceed from here?

    A second-hand road bike. Do you know anyone who knows enough about bikes to pick a good one for you?

    hippy

  3. "hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Can anyone give me any suggestions as to where I can proceed from here?

    A second-hand road bike. Do you know anyone who knows enough about bikes to pick a good one
    for you?

    Hmmmm There is someone who is doing the triathlon with me who rides a lot, he might be able to
    help me out.

    What sort of price range am I looking at there? Where do people sell their second hand bikes?

    C

  4. "Clayton Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Hmmmm There is someone who is doing the triathlon with me who rides a lot, he might be able to
    help me out.

    What sort of price range am I looking at there? Where do people sell their second hand bikes?

    C

    I just sold my Giant Yukon Aluminiun mountain bike with slicks and clips for $300. It didn't have
    suspension and was in great condition. I sold it to get a road bike which makes riding on the road a
    much faster proposition. Check your local paper for second hand bikes.

    Fraser

  5. Secondhand bikes are good for anyone getting started. I picked up a decent road bike last year from
    Ivanhoe Cycles for $90 (and I saw a few nice ones there the other day for under $150)which left me
    heaps in the budget for some decent new tyres and other bits and pieces.

    I picked up a new MTB for my wife from Rays in Preston for under $300 which has been really good
    value, and again, if you spend under $300 you've got some money left over to modify or replace any
    bits you don't like.

    My road bike, which has probably cost me less than $300 all up will keep me going for a few years.
    The best way I can go faster is to train a bit harder rather than spend more money.

    Dave B.

    Clayton Lee said:

    I am doing the BRW corporate triathlon in April, and am just starting


    to get

    Quoted message said:

    the bike portion of my training under way.

    I have done it twice before, and each time pulled out a disgraceful


    mountain

    Quoted message said:

    bike someone lent to me, which may or may not have been purchased at


    Toys R

    Quoted message said:

    Us, but is definitely not up to spec for me (for starters I weight


    115kg.)

    Quoted message said:


    So today on my training run I jogged into the city, and went into


    Clarence

    Quoted message said:

    St Cyclery.

    Apart from a touch of bad service, the main thing I learnt was that noone appears to make a basic
    mountain bike anymore. All I really want is something not ridiculously expensive, preferably no
    suspension, slick


    tires

    Quoted message said:

    and toe clips.

    Is it just Clarence St, or is this something I just won't get anymore. In the perfect world, I
    would love to get a road bike, or a nice hybrid,


    but my

    Quoted message said:

    budget just doesn't stretch, $400 with the tires and clips is about


    as much

    Quoted message said:

    as I want to stretch to - maybe I am just being unrealistic.

    Can anyone give me any suggestions as to where I can proceed from here?

    Clayton

  6. Is frame size a concern - how do I know what is right?
    What should I be looking for?
    I found this in Ebay, in the same suburb, might go and have a look:

    cgi.ebay.com.aueBayISAPI.dll 98

    "Fraser Johnston" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
    berlin.de...

    Quoted message said:


    "Clayton Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:tuFQb.26585$Wa.10512@news-
    server.bigpond.net.au...

    Quoted message said:

    Hmmmm There is someone who is doing the triathlon with me who rides a lot, he might be able to
    help me out.

    What sort of price range am I looking at there? Where do people sell


    their

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    second hand bikes?

    C

    I just sold my Giant Yukon Aluminiun mountain bike with slicks and clips


    for

    Quoted message said:

    $300. It didn't have suspension and was in great condition. I sold it to get a road bike which
    makes riding on the road a much faster proposition. Check your local paper for second hand bikes.

    Fraser

  7. what you probably want is a 'flat bar road bike'. Clarence St. might have recommended as much if they stocked such bikes. but they don't, probably because Trek don't produce such bikes. Avanti and Specialised do, and in relation to such models i'd suggest Woolys Wheels or North Side

  8. waffle said:

    what you probably want is a 'flat bar road bike'. Clarence St. might have recommended as much if
    they stocked such bikes. but they don't, probably because Trek don't produce such bikes. Avanti
    and Specialised do, and in relation to such models i'd suggest Woolys Wheels or North Side

    They must have just come out with one, there's a review of it I've read on paper somewhere recently
    (Australian Cyclist?), could be their '1400'(?) model... *shrug*

    -kt

    --
    Kingsley Turner, (mailto: [email hidden]) maddogsbreakfast.comABFAQ -
    news:aus.bicycle Frequenly Asked Questions

  9. Clayton Lee said:

    Is frame size a concern - how do I know what is right?

    How tall are you ?

    For a 21" bike, would suit someone around 6' tall (right? anyone?)

    The standard height-test is to straddle the top tube, and you should have at least 2.5cm from the
    tube to your 'nads.

    See here: (has pictures) terrybicycles.comsize.lasso

    -kt

    --
    Kingsley Turner, (mailto: [email hidden]) maddogsbreakfast.comABFAQ -
    news:aus.bicycle Frequenly Asked Questions

  10. kingsley said:

    They must have just come out with one, there's a review of it I've read on paper somewhere
    recently (Australian Cyclist?), could be their '1400'(?) model... *shrug*

    Found it - page 62 of the latest 'Australian Cyclist' Trek 1200 Flat bar road bike, a hybrid coming
    from the road end rather than the mountain end I guess.

    They give it a glowing review, but they seem to give every bike they test a glowing review.

    -kt

    --
    Kingsley Turner, (mailto: [email hidden]) maddogsbreakfast.comABFAQ -
    news:aus.bicycle Frequenly Asked Questions

  11. "Clayton Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:tuFQb.26585$Wa.10512@news-

    Quoted message said:

    What sort of price range am I looking at there? Where do people sell their second hand bikes?

    Anywhere from $10 - $10, 000. There seem to be two groups. Bikes under $200 and bikes over $3000.
    The ones in the middle are probably being used :-)

    thehippy.netused bike dealers.asp

    hippy

  12. "Clayton Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:PsMQb.26988$Wa.4030@news-

    Quoted message said:

    Is frame size a concern - how do I know what is right?


    cgi.ebay.com.aueBayISAPI.dll

    Quoted message said:

    98

    If that frame size of 21" is equivalent to 52cm, it's a small frame. At 5'10ish, I ride a 56cm
    road bike.

    I did BRW a couple of years ago on my mtb. If I had've owned my first road bike then I would have
    competed on a $120 second hand machine. As always, it's not the bike but the engine the makes the
    most difference.

    Are there other bike shops nearby? See if they have used bikes for sale. Ask them and explain what
    you want it for as they may know someone with something to suit you.

    hippy

  13. Clayton Lee said:

    Is frame size a concern - how do I know what is right? What should I be looking for? I found this
    in Ebay, in the same suburb, might go and have a look:

    cgi.ebay.com.aueBayISAPI.dll 98

    For starters, I'd make sure the key is included as well as the lock - could get annoying after a
    while if not...

    &roo

  14. "kingsley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

    Quoted message said:

    For a 21" bike, would suit someone around 6' tall (right? anyone?)

    I'm 180cm (5'10/11) and usually ride 18-19" or Avanti 45cm mountain bike frames, so your estimate of
    21" for 6' tall sounds about right.

    hippy

  15. kingsley said:


    The standard height-test is to straddle the top tube, and you should have at least 2.5cm from the
    tube to your 'nads.

    Is that in summer or winter? 🙂

    ---
    Cheers

    PeterC

    [Rushing headlong: out of control - and there ain't no stopping]
    [and there's nothing you can do about it at all]

  16. "Peter Cremasco" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    The standard height-test is to straddle the top tube, and you should have at least 2.5cm from the
    tube to your 'nads.

    Is that in summer or winter? 🙂

    LOL! :-)

    I believe there's a +-1cm allowance for seasonal variation.

    hippy

  17. Peter Cremasco said:
    kingsley said:

    The standard height-test is to straddle the top tube, and you should have at least 2.5cm from the
    tube to your 'nads.

    Is that in summer or winter? 🙂

    I was wondering that exact same thing...

    Quoted message said:


    ---
    Cheers

    PeterC

    [Rushing headlong: out of control - and there ain't no stopping]
    [and there's nothing you can do about it at all]

    --
    spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

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