in message <[email hidden]>, John
(') said:On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 17:23:17 +0000 (UTC), A strange species called
Peter B said:Wait for it.........then say very
quickly...............onethousandpounds.
Looks like I will need to get saving 🙂
Quoted message said:You may get a decent one for a tad less, especially if you buy a
previous years model.
I'm not too bothered about getting a previous years model if it costs
less and does what I want.
Remember that 'next years models' come out from now until early
September, and that consequently the 'last years model' bargains will
appear soon.
If you're interested in a full suspension bike for use in Britain
(typically wetter and muddier than California) it may be wise to avoid
models like current Specialized and Scott full suspension bikes which
have their rear suspension units in the direct line of fire of the mud
coming off the rear wheel. Both my full suspension bikes suffer from
this problem. I'm slightly worried about the new Giant Trance, which
otherwise looks interesting, because the rear suspension unit sits in a
basket of struts which I can imagine will easily become clogged with mud
and be quite difficult to clean.
The other thing to think about is the number of bushes. Some full
suspension bikes (again, both mine) are single-pivot designs. This is
very simple and there's very little to go wrong. However, many systems,
in the interests of reducing 'pedal bob' or of tuning the suspension
response, have complicated multilink systems with lots of pivots and
consequently lots of bushes. Those bushes operate in a dirty, hostile
environment and are going to wear. When they are worn, rear suspension
performance will deteriorate, and replacing them adds to the servicing
cost.
Bikes used off road operate in a much more hostile environment than road
bikes, while at the same time being mechanically more complex.
Consequently the maintenance costs are inevitably going to be higher,
but a simple design with a more protected suspension unit will not cost
as much to run as a complex design with a more exposed suspension unit.
A feature which is worth spending money on is a 'stable platform valve'
which helps damp pedalling induced suspension movement.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:There is/was a shop in Leeds IIRC called Stif but I can't find a
link.They go back to the earlier days of UK mtbing and may still be a
good bet.
I will try and look this company up. I am in Leeds quite a lot as I
work over there.
If you're in Yorkshire, you could do well to look at an Orange
<URL:http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/> - they're designed and made in
Halifax. The particular model you might look at is the 5
<URL:http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2005bikes/bikes.php?bike=five>
This is a fairly light cross-country bike with a single pivot swing arm
and a relatively protected suspension unit.
--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
The Conservative Party now has the support of a smaller proportion of
the electorate in Scotland than Sinn Fein have in Northern Ireland.
