I rode my friends dads Saracen mountain bike the other day, apparently it's a few years old but it was incredibly easy to pedal on it. Minimal effort needed. I'm looking for a decent mtb I can use off and on road.
I took a look at this one: [url]http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/hardrock-disc-2010-mountain-bike-ec019400#reviews[/url]
It seems pretty popular, anybody have some suggestions or advice for me? I apologise if this is the wrong section to post this in.
Oh and also my budget is between £300-400ish.
Don't go down a quarter pipe with one, thats how I found out that you can't do any stunts with them.
Just don't do any stunts with them at all..
They are pretty nice for rocky roads due to the shocks.
Specialized has good bikes.
Make sure you service it though, I bought a $300
years ago, became unrideable because I didn't get it regularly serviced..
As above post said, don't try doing anything that is more a a BMX bike's style... Tried doing a stoppie (haul on front brake, lean forward, back wheel comes up) ended up grinding my face in the dirt, and the seat hit me between the shoulder blades and winded me.
The only kind of bikes I've EVER had were mountain bikes.. well, except for the first one I had when I was first learning to ride a bike, obviously.
[QUOTE=Vince W/Shamwow;22404517]Don't go down a quarter pipe with one, thats how I found out that you can't do any stunts with them.
Just don't do any stunts with them at all..
They are pretty nice for rocky roads due to the shocks.[/QUOTE]
There's a reason they're called 'mountain' bikes.
[url]http://www.mongoose.com/usa/eng/mtn/Products/Mountain-Pavement/Dual-Suspension/Details/2819-M10OTECO-Otero-Comp[/url]
Try getting a dual-suspension bike. You feel nothing when going over bumps. It's really quite amazing.
[QUOTE=Kevincs316;22405898][url]http://www.mongoose.com/usa/eng/mtn/Products/Mountain-Pavement/Dual-Suspension/Details/2819-M10OTECO-Otero-Comp[/url]
Try getting a dual-suspension bike. You feel nothing when going over bumps. It's really quite amazing.[/QUOTE]
It also requires a lot more effort to ride.
Buy a bike from a quality bike shop - don't get one from a Walmart or something (I know you're in the UK but you know what I mean)
Also DO NOT buy a full suspension bike. At your price range, it's guaranteed to suck. The Mongoose has a decent frame but it will be heavy and the shifters, gears, chain, etc. are not up to par. Plan on purchasing a hardtail - I prefer singlespeeds for ease of maintenance but it's not for everyone since you only have one gear and that makes it harder to go up hills and such. I also like 29ers which are mountain bikes with slightly different frames to accommodate for 29 inch wheels. The wheels help soak up bumps in the road because they are larger, so a full suspension bike isn't necessary. Again it's not for everyone since it more rotational mass so it's harder to get it going, but once you are going you lose speed less quickly.
In short, don't focus on brand or features - find a quality bike with quality parts that FITS you. This is the most important part. A properly adjusted bike will help immensely with ride and comfort. Also, keep it well maintained by oiling the chain every month or so and keeping the tire pressures up.
Well, lets see...
I know it is a metal frame with 2 rubber wheels, filled with a tube of air. It has gears, and shock absorbers. The seats are actually not very comfortable.
I have a bike from Specialized. Very nice bike. The derailleurs are great quality as well.
I got a Gary Fisher FH2 full suspension bike for $275 on craigslist. It's from 1998 but it was in awesome condition and new it was $1300. Specialized, Trek, Haro, Diamondback, and Giant bikes are the ones I know to be good. If you're going on trails and stuff with juts and rocks, GET A FULL SUSPENSION BIKE. If you're riding mostly flat trails and road, get a hard-tail. I was also skeptical about paying tons of money for a non-department store bike, but really, half of them are unsafe from the start. I had a mongoose that held up nice with all my crazy riding but it was as heavy as a boulder.
If you're going bmx then haro, giant, and specialized shouldn't let you down. haro was cheapest for me, and it's a great bike.
As spacedooky said, don't buy a full suspension bike unless you're willing to pay more.
[QUOTE=Vince W/Shamwow;22404517]Don't go down a quarter pipe with one, thats how I found out that you can't do any stunts with them.
Just don't do any stunts with them at all..
They are pretty nice for rocky roads due to the shocks.[/QUOTE]
Idunno, I can do 180's, footjams, tabletops, footplants, fastplants with my mtb. You just need to get the right kind.
[QUOTE=3v3ryb0dy;22411461]Idunno, I can do 180's, footjams, tabletops, footplants, fastplants with my mtb. You just need to get the right kind.[/QUOTE]
What he said.
Also, as other people already stated, stay clear of full suspension bikes unless you have another 400 pounds to spare. Kona and Scott have great bikes as well, so you should look into them too.
Stay well away from full suspension unless you have more money as the cheap ones are like dragging an anvil because of their weight. Theres some great second hand machines on ebay but I'd suggest checking out only local ones before you bid, go look at them first. A friend of mine just got an offer on a Norco with some very tasty parts on it and a good light weight for around £400 in your pounds.
Stay with a hardtail (front susp only).
Don't buy a Saracen.
The Specialized in your OP looks ok but only buy an offer.
Reputable bike shops always have an offer on something to get more for your money.
[QUOTE=Mokkan13;22405148]
Tried doing a stoppie (haul on front brake, lean forward, back wheel comes up)[/QUOTE]
We cool kids call that an "Endo"
[QUOTE=sphynx;22412175]We cool kids call that an "Endo"[/QUOTE]
It's always been a stoppie to me
Like everyone said, buy a hardtail, full sus will be shit for that kinda money and its fucking effort getting those beasts uphill.
Thanks for the advice guys, the bike I linked in the OP is a hardtail is it not?
I have a older cannondale m900 It is very lightweight, but sturdy, You can get them for not that much money used, just look on craigslist.
[QUOTE=sphynx;22412175]We cool kids call that an "Endo"[/QUOTE]
Doesn't really matter tbh, it means the same thing.
Really really depends what you want to do with this bike, if you're like me and want to be in with a chance of not holding up friends who are serious about their mountain biking, you'll probably need to pay a bit more. From the sounds of it though, that's not your situation, I suggest not getting a full sus, more expensive, more difficult to maintain, more effort to pedal. Just front sus to save your wrists and elbows a bit will do you, you'll probably find a single speed isn't to your taste if you're used to having lots of gears, sure it's less maintenance but I have to say my front derailleur has never caused me any significant problems aside from the occasional cable tensioning tweak as it stretches with age (it's not even a good one) and the weight gain from removing it probably won't be noticable to you.
Air suspension is going to be cheaper than coil forks, go for that but don't forget to get a pump for them and set them up right (and remember to use them and oil them otherwise they will seize up or leak)
Biggest protip that has yet to mentioned LEARN TO SERVICE IT YOURSELF.
If you're out riding it and it breaks, and you always take it to a clever man in a shop to look at, you're going to be screwed. Not only that, it's cheaper.
Too many times I've been out riding with people that don't even know how to put the chain back on...
Don't let your black friend to take care of it
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Racism" - JohnnyMo1))[/highlight]
You should also look at Hybrid bikes, they're a hardtail MTB with elemenI got one and modified it a bit and basically had a jump bike which i was easily usable as a road bike too.
Just want to emphasise this a bit more- DO NOT BUY A FULL SUSPENSION BIKE.
Never, ever buy one for less than £700 odd. Even then it's better to get a hard to tail, you need over £1000 for a proper full suspension bike.
[QUOTE=Stunted;22413966]Thanks for the advice guys, the bike I linked in the OP is a hardtail is it not?[/QUOTE]
Yes it is. For help on servicing bikes search on youtube as theres some great yankee mechs who put 'how to' vids up on there. I learnt how to do the hydrolics on my disks from them.
[QUOTE=sphynx;22412175]We cool kids call that an "Endo"[/QUOTE]
I say wheelie instead of mono too :smug:
If you think a mountain bike is easy to pedal on you should buy a road bike. They're amazing to ride on the road. They're not great for off-roading but I have used my road bike with slicks on a canal towpath for 25 miles and it's not bad.
[QUOTE=Bengley;22425873]If you think a mountain bike is easy to pedal on you should buy a road bike. They're amazing to ride on the road. They're not great for off-roading but I have used my road bike with slicks on a canal towpath for 25 miles and it's not bad.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately not really suitable for what I want it for, I'll spent most of my time off road. Occasionally riding to a friends house on the road.
[QUOTE=Bengley;22425873]If you think a mountain bike is easy to pedal on you should buy a road bike. They're amazing to ride on the road. They're not great for off-roading but I have used my road bike with slicks on a canal towpath for 25 miles and it's not bad.[/QUOTE]
That's assuming you have a nice pothole free surface to ride on, most of the "roads" round here would cripple a road bike.
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