Big Bike Thread

sampo · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:50

Go with Rebas, they will be the best forks for your bike at that price point. The recent RS gear is quality, RS and fox have such a clear performance lead over the rest now imo. Marzocchi still sell loads on the strength of their marketing (ahem), Manitou no longer even have a UK distributor!

Raymond Lin · 5 Jun 2007 at 01:39

Ok, was in the pub earlier and talking with some friends about living in london and how his brother keep having his bike nicked constantly, each time the insurance paid out and each time he got a slightly better bike. To which point now he has a "Racer" (he called it), whats so special about it is that instead of having brake levers, you back pedal to brake. Apparently that is what's good in bikes if you want to stop......... :confused:

He IS kidding and out of his mind and clueless right ? Why else do people spent £200 on some Hope/Juicy hydraulics ?

Jonny ///M · 5 Jun 2007 at 02:05

Raymond Lin said:
Ok, was in the pub earlier and talking with some friends about living in london and how his brother keep having his bike nicked constantly, each time the insurance paid out and each time he got a slightly better bike. To which point now he has a "Racer" (he called it), whats so special about it is that instead of having brake levers, you back pedal to brake. Apparently that is what's good in bikes if you want to stop.........

He IS kidding and out of his mind and clueless right ? Why else do people spent £200 on some Hope/Juicy hydraulics ?

Dont know if its the best for racing bikes.....but i know its used on the majority of commuting/city bikes in the netherlands.

I built a kids bike for some old guy the other day,was confused why it had no brake levers and a setup at the back that looks like it had drums. I then found you pedalled back to lock the brake.

I wouldnt want to ride a roadie with a brake like that,how the hell can you be progressive with he brake and get back on the power easily? How hard would it be to replace the pads if they are inside the hub?

Raymond Lin · 5 Jun 2007 at 02:19

Jonny ///M said:
Dont know if its the best for racing bikes.....but i know its used on the majority of commuting/city bikes in the netherlands.

I built a kids bike for some old guy the other day,was confused why it had no brake levers and a setup at the back that looks like it had drums. I then found you pedalled back to lock the brake.

I wouldnt want to ride a roadie with a brake like that,how the hell can you be progressive with he brake and get back on the power easily? How hard would it be to replace the pads if they are inside the hub?

That's what I meant, you had to pedal back to brake. Sometimes when I am going down a slight gradient I pedal back a few loop for the hell of it. That would've launched me over the handle bar no doubt.

Jonny ///M · 5 Jun 2007 at 02:24

Raymond Lin said:
That's what I meant, you had to pedal back to brake. Sometimes when I am going down a slight gradient I pedal back a few loop for the hell of it. That would've launched me over the handle bar no doubt.

I too are forever pedalling all sorts of directions.....granted it took about a 1/4 turn of the crank to engaged the brake i still wouldnt like it.

Shimano saint(it may just be a different coloured XT) > crappy drum brake.

6thElement · 5 Jun 2007 at 04:57

You can get a coaster brake, where you pedal backwards. You get this on a lot of cruiser type bikes. Or you get fixies where there can be no brakes (if you're brave) and the drive train is connected to a fixed cog at the rear, rather than a freewheel. Messengers tend to use these a lot.

weescott · 5 Jun 2007 at 06:22

Pedal backwards to brake lol, that's an old one! Raleigh Grifter's had that in the 70's. I remember them.

Anyone else remember those Plastic wheels that you put in the freezer to straighten? I miss my Raleigh Burner.

monkeypants · 5 Jun 2007 at 07:29

weescott said:
Anyone else remember those Plastic wheels that you put in the freezer to straighten? I miss my Raleigh Burner.

No, you are old. You shouldn't be doing this sort of thing anymore. Give me your bike.

Also: I can get a pair of X.9 shifters and an X.9 rear mech for £90 ish delivered to my house from America. Will I get stung by the bees at customs? Is it a worthy upgrade from my SRAM Attacks and XT?

Or should I get a new XT mech and new XT shifters? Should I try Rapid Rise? Might stop me changing down when I want to go up

Bennah · 5 Jun 2007 at 07:31

I just hoped that I had a front brake at all

Cant wait till the bleed kit comes from Wiggle, currently out of stock which is a pain when I need it really badly.

Bank tyre is getting some abuse from all the braking Im having to do with it due to no front brake, I think some new tyre's are a must very soon.

You think I should just get some more Tioga Factory XC ones that came with the bike or get some better, lighter ones for under £40 - £50 a pair?

monkeypants · 5 Jun 2007 at 07:47

Bennah said:
You think I should just get some more Tioga Factory XC ones that came with the bike or get some better, lighter ones for under £40 - £50 a pair?

They are horrible tyres. Get better ones. I'm going to get some Maxxis Larson XCs when mine wear out.

weescott · 5 Jun 2007 at 08:38

monkeypants said:
No, you are old. You shouldn't be doing this sort of thing anymore. Give me your bike.

Also: I can get a pair of X.9 shifters and an X.9 rear mech for £90 ish delivered to my house from America. Will I get stunk by the bees at customs? Is it a worthy upgrade from my SRAM Attacks and XT?

Or should I get a new XT mech and new XT shifters? Should I try Rapid Rise? Might stop me changing down when I want to go up

You are right! I bought the Nomad as part of my midlife crisis. I went round Asda car park on it once and now its for sale for 50quid. ONO.

X9 is nicer than the Sram Attack and XT, but not nice enough to justify the cost IMO. I have Sram Attack on the Heckler, borrowed a Transition Preston with X9 (albeit the 2006 model).

If you can get the value of the items marked as 15 quid and marked as a gift you won't get stung on TAX.

monkeypants · 5 Jun 2007 at 10:28

Gah, it's now neither fast nor smooth which is really irritating me.

New XT set? ('Short' cage and shifters)

Or

New X.9 set? (Medium cage and shifters)

PLACE BETS NOW! I mean VOTE NOW!

Jonny ///M · 5 Jun 2007 at 11:20

monkeypants said:
Gah, it's now neither fast nor smooth which is really irritating me.

New XT set? ('Short' cage and shifters)

Or

New X.9 set? (Medium cage and shifters)

PLACE BETS NOW! I mean VOTE NOW!

Both are very good......but sram always feel snappy! I ride like i stole it so i like the feel of sram,want to go from 9th to 5th....boom its there! everytime!

I'm not biased cause i have the 2007 X9 combo i used Xt and Xt with Xtr shifters....i still like my X9.

SpudMaster · 5 Jun 2007 at 17:06

id go for the x9 personally.
Ive bought a few things from abroad, america, hong kong etc. bike parts and other bits and pieces and ive not been got by customs yet

Got my Avid Codes from Hong Kong for £197 for the pair posted. Maybe i just been lucky??

wez130 · 5 Jun 2007 at 19:28

put a deposit on my GT avalanche 2.0 on saturday, whilst i was there, they had some specialized locks on offer reduced from £27 to £16, they have a kevlar core, so i bought one on a whim as there only 3 left.

it's this one here.

My bike will be kept in the house, not in the garage etc so will that lock be alright for day-to day riding? will i get any better for £16

I do intend on getting a more secure lock eventually mind.

On another note, can't wait to get hold of my bike

p4radox · 5 Jun 2007 at 20:36

Couple of quick questions for anyone who can be bothered to answer:

Are Shimano Deore Derailleurs superior to Shimano Alivio? I can't seem to find out anywhere...

Also, is a 20" frame sufficient for someone who's 6'3 or would a 21" frame be a better option? I know it's best to try out but I just need a rough idea.

Thanks

monkeypants · 5 Jun 2007 at 20:41

Deore is better than Alivio.

20" would be ok, especially if you like a slightly smaller frame. 21" would be ideal I think.

Jonny ///M · 5 Jun 2007 at 20:44

p4radox said:
Couple of quick questions for anyone who can be bothered to answer:

Are Shimano Deore Derailleurs superior to Shimano Alivio? I can't seem to find out anywhere...

Also, is a 20" frame sufficient for someone who's 6'3 or would a 21" frame be a better option? I know it's best to try out but I just need a rough idea.

Thanks

Deore is better but its no that much better,basically doesnt have plastic parts like the alivio does so you aint gonna snap it.

20" would be ok but as monkeypants says 21" would be ideal....i personally would be more concerned about the length of the top tube on each bike as at work that seems to be the problem with really tall people i serve.

p4radox · 5 Jun 2007 at 20:51

Thanks guys. I know I keep coming in this thread and pestering you

. I still haven't pushed the buy button on a bike. I've pretty much narrowed it down to these 2:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/i...etail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=9337&brandID=

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/i...tail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=12397&brandID=

The Giant has front lockout, but less travel. It also has Deore gears.

The Diamondback has more travel on the forks (but I can't see lockout mentioned), looks better than the Giant

p), but only comes in a 20" frame. Oh, and I've found the Diamondback for £314 which is slightly less than the Giant.

I'll see if I can track down the frame dimensions...

wez130 · 5 Jun 2007 at 20:56

p4radox said:
Thanks guys. I know I keep coming in this thread and pestering you. I still haven't pushed the buy button on a bike. I've pretty much narrowed it down to these 2:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/i...etail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=9337&brandID=

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/i...tail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=12397&brandID=

The Giant has front lockout, but less travel. It also has Deore gears.

The Diamondback has more travel on the forks (but I can't see lockout mentioned), looks better than the Giant p), but only comes in a 20" frame. Oh, and I've found the Diamondback for £314 which is slightly less than the Giant.

I'll see if I can track down the frame dimensions...

I was looking at the Terrago but have chosen the GT avalanche 2.0 over it.