Mountain Bike recommendation ?

Edward said:

I think thats about it .... any advice welcomed.

Sounds like a hybrid would suit you. Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative do a
range of their own, they are inexpensive and regularly get good
comments. They are also doing a promotion at the mo of 20% off anything
they sell (Manchester store).

Have a look at

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7842&f%5FFullProductVersion=1&f%5FSupersetQRY=Krevolution%20hybrid%20bikes%7E2&f%5FSortOrderID=2&f%5Fbct=m005720

wow, what a link... hope it works.

Hub gears are neat too, look for bikes using Nexus hubs, e.g.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7840&f%5FSupersetQRY=Krevolution%20hybrid%20bikes%7E2&f%5FSortOrderID=2&f%5Fbct=m005717

hth,

Tony B

Edward said:

Bit new to biking but with a lovely summer ahead I was after buying a bike
to enjoy a little biking this summer around the new forest and a little road
cycling. I'm a bit clueless ) when it comes to all the typres of bikes out
there hard tail, full suspension and such likes, so I thought I'd ask the
folks in the know. So well baically my needs are, riding off road in the new
forest, aa little on road riding\leisure riding. I know I nned a 26" frame
as I've been a few stores and have tried that size and was confortable.

26" frame? That is massive. Are you 7 foot tall?

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?
I can budget around £150-300 for it.

Go to a proper bike shop and have a look what they offer. You are quite
limited at £300 for a true off-road bike, so dont even think about
getting any of these cheap full suspension bikes, they are heavy, and
poorly made.
Look here:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com

and this one stands out at £250:
<http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=8086&f%
5FFullProductVersion=1&f%5FSupersetQRY=C105%7E0&f%5FSortOrderID=0&f%5Fbc
t=c003155c002910m007179>

Anything with suspension and disc brakes at less than £300 will be
heavy, and possibly poor quality, and put you off biking for years.
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

in message <[email hidden]>, Edward

(') said:

Bit new to biking but with a lovely summer ahead I was after buying a
bike to enjoy a little biking this summer around the new forest and a
little road cycling. I'm a bit clueless ) when it comes to all the typres
of bikes out there hard tail, full suspension and such likes, so I
thought I'd ask the folks in the know. So well baically my needs are,
riding off road in the new forest, aa little on road riding\leisure
riding. I know I nned a 26" frame as I've been a few stores and have
tried that size and was confortable.

A 26" framed mountain bike would be an extremely unusual device for a
freakishly tall person - are you sure this is what you mean? You probably
do want a bike with 26" wheels, but that's a different matter.

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?

I can budget around £150-300 for it.

The cheapest mountain bike I'd actually recommend is the Claud Butler Cape
Wrath XC (or last year's Cape Wrath, which you might get discounted);
you'd pay about £400. It's got a decent drive train and reasonable forks,
and most important it's reasonably light. You won't get a full suspension
bike worth having for less than a thousand.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/capewrathXC.html

However, if you're just pootling around reasonably level well made trails a
mountain bike may be overkill, and hybrid might do you perfectly well; in
which case look at (e.g.) the Claud Butler Classic, which will cost you
about £200 including mudguards and rack.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/HYBRID/classicM.html

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

Edward wrote on 15/04/2007 21:45 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Bit new to biking but with a lovely summer ahead I was after buying a bike
to enjoy a little biking this summer around the new forest and a little road
cycling. I'm a bit clueless ) when it comes to all the typres of bikes out
there hard tail, full suspension and such likes, so I thought I'd ask the
folks in the know. So well baically my needs are, riding off road in the new
forest, aa little on road riding\leisure riding. I know I nned a 26" frame
as I've been a few stores and have tried that size and was confortable.

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?

I can budget around £150-300 for it.

With that budget and for riding in the New Forest, which is nothing more
than gravel roads, I would not go for any suspension - put the money
instead into the other stuff.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

"A.Lee" <alan@darkroom.+.com> wrote in message
news:1hwmt1o.1889fquw6r4egN%alan@darkroom.+.com...

Quoted message said:

Edward said:

Bit new to biking but with a lovely summer ahead I was after buying a
bike
to enjoy a little biking this summer around the new forest and a little
road
cycling. I'm a bit clueless ) when it comes to all the typres of bikes
out
there hard tail, full suspension and such likes, so I thought I'd ask the
folks in the know. So well baically my needs are, riding off road in the
new
forest, aa little on road riding\leisure riding. I know I nned a 26"
frame
as I've been a few stores and have tried that size and was confortable.

26" frame? That is massive. Are you 7 foot tall?

close 6'8 :-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?
I can budget around £150-300 for it.

Go to a proper bike shop and have a look what they offer. You are quite
limited at £300 for a true off-road bike, so dont even think about
getting any of these cheap full suspension bikes, they are heavy, and
poorly made.
Look here:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com

and this one stands out at £250:
<http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=8086&f%
5FFullProductVersion=1&f%5FSupersetQRY=C105%7E0&f%5FSortOrderID=0&f%5Fbc
t=c003155c002910m007179>

Anything with suspension and disc brakes at less than £300 will be
heavy, and possibly poor quality, and put you off biking for years.
Alan.

Thanks for the links i'll have a good look throught he site. <thumnbs up>

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Edward

(') said:

Bit new to biking but with a lovely summer ahead I was after buying a
bike to enjoy a little biking this summer around the new forest and a
little road cycling. I'm a bit clueless ) when it comes to all the typres
of bikes out there hard tail, full suspension and such likes, so I
thought I'd ask the folks in the know. So well baically my needs are,
riding off road in the new forest, aa little on road riding\leisure
riding. I know I nned a 26" frame as I've been a few stores and have
tried that size and was confortable.

A 26" framed mountain bike would be an extremely unusual device for a
freakishly tall person - are you sure this is what you mean? You probably
do want a bike with 26" wheels, but that's a different matter.

<embarassed> thats what I mean't, 26inch wheels 🙂 I thinnk the frame was
somethink like 24" from memory.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?

I can budget around 150-300 for it.

The cheapest mountain bike I'd actually recommend is the Claud Butler Cape
Wrath XC (or last year's Cape Wrath, which you might get discounted);
you'd pay about £400. It's got a decent drive train and reasonable forks,
and most important it's reasonably light. You won't get a full suspension
bike worth having for less than a thousand.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/capewrathXC.html

However, if you're just pootling around reasonably level well made trails
a
mountain bike may be overkill, and hybrid might do you perfectly well; in
which case look at (e.g.) the Claud Butler Classic, which will cost you
about £200 including mudguards and rack.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/HYBRID/classicM.html

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

Edward wrote on 16/04/2007 00:17 +0100:

Quoted message said:

<embarassed> thats what I mean't, 26inch wheels 🙂 I thinnk the frame was
somethink like 24" from memory.

I doubt it. I ride a 22" mountain bike frame and 25" road frame and I'm
10" taller than you.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

Edward said the following on 15/04/2007 21:45:

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and would
appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?

I can budget around £150-300 for it.

If you want a mountain bike for that sort of price, forget rear
suspension completely. I would also be hesitant about front suspension
as well - I bought a Specialized Hardrock and had to change the fork to
something that worked. For brakes, go with V-brakes. Discs are nice to
have, but for your budget V-brakes will work as well as, if not better
than cheap discs. You should be able to get 24 speed for that budget.
The rigid version of the Specialized Hardrock should do you! See
http://tinyurl.com/ynjsjz (links to Evans website for illustrative
purposes only - buy from a bike shop instead!)

If you're 5'8", I think you might be looking at a 17"-19" frame size, or
thereabouts for a mountain bike. The best bet is to go into a few good
LBSs and talk to the staff there about what you want to do. You'll soon
get a feel for the shops that will sell you what you need rather than
sell you what they've got. There's also nothing like sitting on the
bike to decide if it's right for you. There is a lot more to fitting a
bike than just frame size.

Hope this helps!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>, Edward
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

<embarassed> thats what I mean't, 26inch wheels 🙂 I thinnk the frame was
somethink like 24" from memory.

If you're 5'8" then you probably shouldn't be looking at anything bigger
than an 18" frame for off-road use.

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Edward
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

<embarassed> thats what I mean't, 26inch wheels 🙂 I thinnk the frame was
somethink like 24" from memory.

If you're 5'8" then you probably shouldn't be looking at anything bigger
than an 18" frame for off-road use.

Depends on the off-road use. I'm 5'8" and happily use my 19" one on
cross country rides when I'm getting a head-start bagging a remote
Munro, but for more typical use with tight manoeuvring that would be
fair, I'd say.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

As for spec gears, brakes suspension etc not sure what I need and
would appreciate some advice on what I should get \ look for ?

I can budget around £150-300 for it.

At this price point spending a little more gets you a lot more bike.
Looking at what you're doing on it I'd suggest a hybrid bike with no
suspension. Suspension weighs 1.5-2.5kg and is both over the top and Not
Worth Having at that price point.

Go for ones around the £300 mark. Puncture resistant tyres (prolly 32mm
wide, might prefer the 28mm if you only go out on dry, firm trails),
adjustable rise stem thingies and suspension seat posts are the main
differences on bikes of this price. Avoid bikes with tyres narrower than
28mm - even 28mm tyres will be a little narrow for trails IMO. Tiagra or
Sora rear mechs betray a bike intended for fast use on the road. As
you'll be trundling about on trails too the riding position (bars at same
height or lower than saddle) and tyre width (prolly 28mm) may not suit.

Size wise, it's all up in the air. Modern rames are designed to have
lots of seatpost showing and give plenty of adjustment so it's all about
reach to the bars. Most people go for too far a reach and would be
better off on a smaller frame - known as 'small man syndrome'; shorties
want the medium, average guys the large. On most modern bikes, look to
have your elbows slightly bent. ALWAYS take a test ride on a couple of
differently sized frames if you can.

If you find some likely candidates we'll be happy to slate/praise them
and give more advice etc. Tip 1: avoid Sterling Bikes etc like the
plague. Tip 2: Your local bike shop (LBS) may give great advice and test
rides (or at least sit you on it and size you up properly) which is worth
the modest extra they charge. Ask them to throw in extras (mudguards,
lights, lock, pannier rack...) free rather than getting them to price
match. It costs them less and the result for you is the same. Another
advantage of getting from the LBS is that you often get a free 6 week
service to adjust the gears etc - the cables take a while to bed in so
will gears will go out of adjustment after a (fair) bit of use.

disclaimer: I work for EBC.