Big Bike Thread

Hedge · 7 Sep 2008 at 13:48

tonyzero said:
my current bike is a GT avalanche 1 Disc and it will be for trials and some road use

Trials or do you mean Trails?

because if its for trials, then you would want a trials bike surely

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 13:55

sorry trails :eek:

Burned_Alive · 7 Sep 2008 at 13:58

tonyzero said:
my current bike is a GT avalanche 1 Disc and it will be for trials and some road use

Quite a capable bike already, particularly for what seems to be light use. Do you really need a full sus bike?

Otherwise i'd go for the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert 2008, full suspension for when you need it but should perform like a hardtail elsewhere due to the brain, but definitely go and try a few.

Hedge · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:04

08s will be dropping in price in the upcoming few weeks too, 09 bikes will be coming into stock.

so hold out

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:06

the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert 2008 is on the top of my list so far but i just wanted to see if anyone else has something to say with the others i have listed.

the GT as done me well but i want something a bit more capable

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:10

the 08 expert is around £1699 but the 09 comp is £1599 so it has to be the 08 expert for the extra £100

Burned_Alive · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:13

I wouldnt really consider the Enduro for what you're doing and I prefer the spec of the Stumpjumper over the Giant, but then it does cost more.

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:14

trance x1 £1750

Burned_Alive · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:23

You can get the 18" Giant Trance X1 for £1350 from the edinburgh cycles sale

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:28

Burned_Alive said:
You can get the 18" Giant Trance X1 for £1350 from the edinburgh cycles sale

i still fancy the expert

tonyzero · 7 Sep 2008 at 14:39

Burned_Alive said:
You can get the 18" Giant Trance X1 for £1350 from the edinburgh cycles sale

its hard to believe how prices can very for site to site i have seen the trance for £1750 and Edinburgh cycles have the Specialized Enduro SL FSR Expert 2008 for £1599 but i have also seen it for £1999 else where

the Enduro FSR Expert is cheaper at edinburgh cycles than i was looking at spending on the stumpjumper expert by £100

6thElement · 8 Sep 2008 at 00:30

Had an awesome race again today, but came 2nd to the same guy who keeps beating me. Loved my heart rate stats, my maximum is supposedly ~185bpm, for the race I was:

Average: 170 bpm
Max: 179 bpm

I think Scotty from Star Trek summed it up best with, "She canna take anymore Captain"

Hedge · 8 Sep 2008 at 00:38

6thElement can you give me a rundown of what kinda races you do?

i assume yo do downhill stuff ?

I read the sport forums more frequently than i used to, but im still not clued up

Ive recently took a big interest in the whole mountain biking malarky and i love the idea of downhill and xc in my own personal future.

Downhill looks awesome but it would be pushing my limit!

6thElement · 8 Sep 2008 at 00:59

I race XC, next year I'm going to get into endurance XC where the races are over 100miles. I road ride and DH just for fun

Supercow · 9 Sep 2008 at 07:55

6thElement said:
came 2nd to the same guy who keeps beating me.

Your arch nemesis, the 7th Element!

oddjob62 · 10 Sep 2008 at 13:01

Just finished this last night

but as i've never ridden drops, clipless, or single speed (will move to fixed once i get the hang of things), and am little more than a n00b when it comes to cycling in general, it may take some getting used to.

willhub · 10 Sep 2008 at 14:17

Surely you will have more than one road bike? For long rides one with gears would be much much better especially when it comes to hills unless you don't plan on doing anything hilly or long.

oddjob62 · 10 Sep 2008 at 15:25

willhub said:
Surely you will have more than one road bike? For long rides one with gears would be much much better especially when it comes to hills unless you don't plan on doing anything hilly or long.

The gear should be good for all but the worst hills (61"ish). It's mainly a commute bike, and I live near the top of Hampstead Hill in London (anyone who knows it will tell you it's one of the worst climbs in London), so I had to keep the gears reasonably low, or i'll never get home in the evenings

. Like i said, it's my first road bike so it's more to get used to things, experiment, and see how i want to set up my next bike.

EDIT: I do have a Spec Hybrid as well, for more allround cycling

nicktay2605 · 10 Sep 2008 at 16:00

tonyzero I can definitely recommend the Stumpjumper Expert '08. Had mine for about a month now and I love it. It is extremely capable on the trails and can handle some pretty heavy stuff too. Its also pretty quick on the road, and not much heavier than a lot of HT's (of a lower price of course). Oh and as for the whole road bike/MTB/full sus argument..... having spent £1500 on my Expert I am not about to spend £500 on a road bike just to commute to work, that would be plain stupid.

If I was cycling on the road a lot, then I would certainly buy a road bike, but just for commuting when I already have a full susser which is reasonable on the road when locked out, it is pointless.

willhub · 10 Sep 2008 at 16:04

oddjob62 said:
The gear should be good for all but the worst hills (61"ish). It's mainly a commute bike, and I live near the top of Hampstead Hill in London (anyone who knows it will tell you it's one of the worst climbs in London), so I had to keep the gears reasonably low, or i'll never get home in the evenings . Like i said, it's my first road bike so it's more to get used to things, experiment, and see how i want to set up my next bike.

EDIT: I do have a Spec Hybrid as well, for more allround cycling

How is that gear good for hills? I don't get it, looks like my bottom gear I use for 35+mph O_o.

Is it something inside the hub that makes it feel like a massive cog or something?