Big Bike Thread

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Bunka said:
what discounts did you use and where did you buy them from? I've got the basic coil ones on order for £245, which is the cheapest I could find, but I've got the option to cancel as they're not in stock. If you could let me know how you got them so cheap that'd be awesome!

As for fitting them, i'll have a look when i get them, but the whole steerer cutting thing makes me edgy! Would be a right pain in the **** if i cut the steerer at a wonky angle or something. :o
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I got mine from http://http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=product&productId=1095&categoryId=18

all orders over £200 get another 10% off which takes it 242.95 inc delivery then my old mans credit card got another 5% off that price as well.

I'm assuming it's OEM, came in a brown boxed with manual but no air pump. Got them fitted now and so much better than what i had before much lighter and smoother.
 
stumpy.jpg


Ancient photo of my 02 Stumpjumper :) I'm really really tempted to upgrade after looking at all the lovely stuff in this thread :p Got my eye on an 07 S-Works Epic frame I've seen at a decent price...
 
You may hate wearing them (and sorry to be getting all serious on yo ass) but you'd be surprised what can happen to your head when you go over the handle bars at no more than 10-15mph.

I'd rather my head be hot than bloody and cut up.
 
I nearly headbutted a tree when I was riding cannock chase the other week so i definately recommend them plus they give you that little im invincible feeling that makes you push even harder :p
 
yantorsen said:
maybe, but I am a VERY sweaty person, I sweat quite easily, and I find most helmet uncomfy, and I havn't fallen off my bike for years and years.

I know I'm making excuses and should where one but oh well, i'll learn the hard way probably.

I often ride topless, and just wearing shorts, aswell which probly isn't wise.
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Excuses won't help you in A&E. My girlfriends sister stacked on The North Face trail earlier this month. She newed a helmet needed but that's cheaper than a new head ;)
 
yantorsen said:
maybe, but I am a VERY sweaty person, I sweat quite easily, and I find most helmet uncomfy, and I havn't fallen off my bike for years and years.

I know I'm making excuses and should where one but oh well, i'll learn the hard way probably.

I often ride topless, and just wearing shorts, aswell which probly isn't wise.
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Excuses excuses. I just hope you dont learn the hard way; too hard. You might never have opportunity to learn from your mistake.
 
You'll have to define not too expensive.

My trek helmet cost me £35. Does an OK job but sweating is just part and parcel of mountain biking really. Some people wear badanna's which can do a reasonable job of keeping sweat out of your eyes though...

Honestly though, a bit of sweat in the eye is nothing compared to a life altering brain injury that can and does happen. If you go to http://www.bikeforums.net or http://forums.mtbr.com, you'll be able to dig up plenty of horror stories about the consequences of biking accidents. A helmet protects a good portion of your head and can limit some, most or all damage from an accident.
 
yantorsen said:
£35 seems like on ok price, how much can you pay for a high end helmet these days? is there anything decent for about £15-20? I'm a bit broke.

and do you wear protective body gear aswell?
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You can pay up to and over £100, I spent around £60 on mine I think I didnt see the point in skimping on something that could save my life especially after my dad broke down in tears when he was telling me about a close friend who ended up brain dead and having to watch him slip away after he didnt bother wearing a helmet
 
Yantorsen, without wanting to sound like an old git, please listen to the advice here and please please wear a helmet, buy one, borrow one, steal if it you must :) Having just gone over the bars 2 weeks ago and a bunch of stitches on my chin, lip and gums, I just don't want to think about what might have happened to my head if I didn't have a lid on.

The rest of your body will probably get cut, bones broken and you will almost definetly recover and survive, but without a helmet, one bad prang of the old egg against a rock, tree or hard ground and you are risking serious stuff, it's honestly not worth it. Don't wait for the accident to convince you.

Have a look at the Giro , Specialized and Bell brands, all have entry level lids around £30.
 
yantorsen said:
sorry to hear about that :/

you may have convinced me, i'll try a few on at my local shop and see how things go.
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Make sure you try one out in a shop first because I very stupidly bought one on the net without trying it out in a shop and it didn't fit very well. Net price are pretty much always cheaper so it might be an idea to find one that fits in a shop and buy on the net ;)

I ended up buying another one from the shop because I didn't think the one I got from the net would protect me properly. The day after I got the new lid, I went over the handlebar on the trail and landed head first. I ended up with a few cuts and bruises but I probably wouldn't be here if I didn't wear a helmet.

Also, if you are not crashing, you are not riding hard enough :p
 
Helmets all offer pretty much the same level of protection, unless we are talking about full facial helmets. Where you draw the line between ordinary and full face is down to you. Most people only go to full facial for downhill mountain biking but had I the money and I actually did it often (and well enough to take big risks), I would get one for the more extreme end of cross-country with highly technical courses.

But I think an ordinary would be fine for your needs. When you pay more, its for more advanced materials and construction to enable more ventilation and lightness. I can't really suggest any particular helmet though. Others with more mtb'ing experience will be better placed to help you. I do know that when I get back to road biking again (currently have a totalled race bike and injured knee); I will be spending considerably more to get some thing with more ventilation.

I dont wear any body armour but I have only ever done light to moderate cross-country. I got a little practice on an area outside of my home town called Woodbury common and when I am riding again, will opt for atleast some knee and elbow pads.
 
Helmets are a must... i wear one everytime i go out riding no matter what im doing. I also got body armour but hardly wear that.. need to invest in knee and skin guards though!
 
blitz2163 said:
You can pay up to and over £100, I spent around £60 on mine I think I didnt see the point in skimping on something that could save my life especially after my dad broke down in tears when he was telling me about a close friend who ended up brain dead and having to watch him slip away after he didnt bother wearing a helmet
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Most helmets (even the £25 ones) are all built to the same safety standards, the more expensive ones allow for more comfort or air/both.
 
No where near as snazzy as some of the bikes in this thread, but I'm nevertheless over the moon with my Kona cinder cone 2008.
I'll be loking at full suspension next year sometime, something like the Kona Dawg... but I dcided since I haven't ridden bikes in years... I might as well start with a hard tail and "work my way up"

:)
After it's first Epping forest run :)

(ps: the brakes on the bike are ****** amazing!)

 
sup3rc0w said:
Most helmets (even the £25 ones) are all built to the same safety standards, the more expensive ones allow for more comfort or air/both.
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I didnt really have a choice in how much I spent to be fair ive got such a fat head I had to spend decent money to get anything to fit :o
Little bit of advice for people dont buy a cheap chain link remover I got a cheapy job for under a fiver and tried to remove a couple of links this morning to fit a power link and without the help of a multi purpose screwdriver slapped on the end as a breaker bar there was no way I would have made enough leverage to push the pin out, even then my link remover now has a very arty bent handle from the force needed.
 
Pic of the nearly finished bike, got a new seat post coming. Gonna order a Ti Spring and a new stem soon too! Heres a pic.. Sorry for the mss, re-decorating

glory9.jpg
 
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