Hoo KooE Koo

KevinFlint said:

Anyone have any opinions/reviews on this bike. Trying to get back in the saddle after an 8 yr
absence..!

You'll wonder why you stopped after a while if you get a bike this good! I don't know what you used
to ride, but things have improved dramatically in the last 8 years.

Quoted message said:

What other piece of kit could I get for the same dosh (750GBP)?

I've just been on a trip round the usual suspects looking for a bike for a friend, and this is what
I can remember. I've seen the Marin 2001 Pine Mountain for £750 at Bonthrone Bikes, and also the
Gary Fisher Paragon (not sure which year, but 200x) for £750 at Pauls Cycles. The Paragon has about
the same frame as the Hoo Koo E Koo, IIRC, but higher spec components. I have one, and its a very,
very good bike. I have a related Marin (similar frame, lower spec components) which is very good
too, but you have to not mind the strange section tubing as far as looks are concerned. Pauls bikes
also have the Hoo Koo E Koo disc at £549. I'd buy the Marin, though, as I've had a bit of a steel
fettish developing recently, and its even got a bit of XTR componentry on it. Oh, and its white!

Quoted message said:

Also is it worth getting it imported from the US? I've seen the same bike for 750 us dollars (460
GBP). Has anyone imported before?

You will have to pay tax and carriage on top of this, and this may make it less of a saving
(like less than £10 over the after tax price compared to one of the discounted prices above).
Also, if something does go wrong, getting it fixed under warranty might be a b*gg*r, and when I
got the Paragon, the free service after six weeks was a very good thing (not available mail
order, of course).

Jim Price

Jim Price said:

I've seen the Marin 2001 Pine Mountain for £750 at Bonthrone Bikes

Is Bonthrone a good place? I used to work for his brother Alex, whom I hold in very high regard, so
if they're a pukka shop I might send my plastic their way.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

The old steed was a GT Avalanche from 1992. The white one with Deore DX/XT.

"Jim Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

KevinFlint said:

Anyone have any opinions/reviews on this bike. Trying to get back in

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

saddle after an 8 yr absence..!

You'll wonder why you stopped after a while if you get a bike this good! I don't know what you
used to ride, but things have improved dramatically in the last 8 years.

Quoted message said:

What other piece of kit could I get for the same dosh (750GBP)?

I've just been on a trip round the usual suspects looking for a bike for a friend, and this is
what I can remember. I've seen the Marin 2001 Pine Mountain for £750 at Bonthrone Bikes, and also
the Gary Fisher Paragon (not sure which year, but 200x) for £750 at Pauls Cycles. The Paragon has
about the same frame as the Hoo Koo E Koo, IIRC, but higher spec components. I have one, and its
a very, very good bike. I have a related Marin (similar frame, lower spec components) which is
very good too, but you have to not mind the strange section tubing as far as looks are concerned.
Pauls bikes also have the Hoo Koo E Koo disc at £549. I'd buy the Marin, though, as I've had a
bit of a steel fettish developing recently, and its even got a bit of XTR componentry on it. Oh,
and its white!

Quoted message said:

Also is it worth getting it imported from the US? I've seen the same

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for 750 us dollars (460 GBP). Has anyone imported before?

You will have to pay tax and carriage on top of this, and this may make it less of a saving (like
less than £10 over the after tax price compared to one of the discounted prices above). Also, if
something does go wrong, getting it fixed under warranty might be a b*gg*r, and when I got the
Paragon, the free service after six weeks was a very good thing (not available mail order, of
course).

Jim Price

Just zis Guy said:

Jim Price said:

I've seen the Marin 2001 Pine Mountain for £750 at Bonthrone Bikes

Is Bonthrone a good place? I used to work for his brother Alex, whom I hold in very high regard,
so if they're a pukka shop I might send my plastic their way.

I've not had any problems with them, and I've bought a number of bikes
and bits from them in the last few years. They have done me proud on the
free servicing - they could not stop the front brake squealing with the
original pads on my Paragon, and replaced them for free with something
which has not squealed since. I think they say on the web site that the
Pine Mountain is a shop callers only deal, if that makes any difference.
Their web site is pretty good too - I once ordered a chainset and
bottom bracket on a thursday afternoon and it arrived the next morning.

Jim Price