I got the Campa version of that 2 months ago, cracking road bikes, stupid light and so snappy, hows the SRAM red stuff? Would love to know how chorus 11 holds upto dura ace and SRAM red.
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I got the Campa version of that 2 months ago, cracking road bikes, stupid light and so snappy, hows the SRAM red stuff? Would love to know how chorus 11 holds upto dura ace and SRAM red.
Soldato
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Hi all I'm planning on buying a bike for cross country cycling and a small commute. I've managed to narrow my choice down to two different bike but can not decide between them! I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice or personal experience or even suggest bikes I may have overlooked.
the choice comes down to:
Specialized Rockhopper SL Expert 2010
and:
Cube LTD Race 2009
pros for the cube:
- larger front brake
- better front derailleur
- slightly thicker tires
- Easton bars, stem and seatpost
cons for cube:
- air forks (my flatmate says coil are better)
- semi integrated headset
pros for specialized:
- better frame
- better forks (debatable)
- looks better!
- can get it from a shop just down the road
cons for specialized:
- slightly more expensive (probably the roof of my budget)
Its a tough one
. My flatmate is telling me he'd probably go for the specialized but i really can't decide.
OCUK's input please!
the choice comes down to:
Specialized Rockhopper SL Expert 2010
and:
Cube LTD Race 2009
pros for the cube:
- larger front brake
- better front derailleur
- slightly thicker tires
- Easton bars, stem and seatpost
cons for cube:
- air forks (my flatmate says coil are better)
- semi integrated headset
pros for specialized:
- better frame
- better forks (debatable)
- looks better!
- can get it from a shop just down the road
cons for specialized:
- slightly more expensive (probably the roof of my budget)
Its a tough one
. My flatmate is telling me he'd probably go for the specialized but i really can't decide.OCUK's input please!
Wish i could give it a proper review, but as my first roadie i don't have much with which to compare (my fixed, my old hybrid or my very old 2nd hand mtb)
The gear changing is very slick. For me the double tap Red gears work very nicely (some people don't like them but this is probably because they are too used to having separate up/down levers). The hoods are nice and comforable.
Hard one averagejoe.
The spec on the cube is a lot better than the spesh. I personally would prefer the reba air as opposed to the coil version since it is (probably) a bit lighter and will allow you to tune it to your needs.
I had a rockhopper for a few years and really like it. The weak point on it for me were the wheels as I'm on the 14 stone heavy side. It has since inherited a set of hope hoops handed down from my full susser to replace the stock ones.
I use the hopper mainly for small country lanes, roads and as a second bike when the Heckler is out of action, it has therefore done a lot of trails and is great fun as a hardtail.
The hopper SL also has a new different (I guessed spesh was changing it this year given it's tweaked pretty much all the other models). Not sure if the geometry has been changed.
On paper the cube looks like a better option though but I don't know much about them and never rode one. If you had chance to ride one and it felt right then I would say it's a no brainer.
The spec on the cube is a lot better than the spesh. I personally would prefer the reba air as opposed to the coil version since it is (probably) a bit lighter and will allow you to tune it to your needs.
I had a rockhopper for a few years and really like it. The weak point on it for me were the wheels as I'm on the 14 stone heavy side. It has since inherited a set of hope hoops handed down from my full susser to replace the stock ones.
I use the hopper mainly for small country lanes, roads and as a second bike when the Heckler is out of action, it has therefore done a lot of trails and is great fun as a hardtail.
The hopper SL also has a new different (I guessed spesh was changing it this year given it's tweaked pretty much all the other models). Not sure if the geometry has been changed.
On paper the cube looks like a better option though but I don't know much about them and never rode one. If you had chance to ride one and it felt right then I would say it's a no brainer.
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Soldato
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Hi all I'm planning on buying a bike for cross country cycling and a small commute. I've managed to narrow my choice down to two different bike but can not decide between them! I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice or personal experience or even suggest bikes I may have overlooked.
the choice comes down to:
Specialized Rockhopper SL Expert 2010
and:
Cube LTD Race 2009
pros for the cube:
- larger front brake
- better front derailleur
- slightly thicker tires
- Easton bars, stem and seatpost
cons for cube:
- air forks (my flatmate says coil are better)
- semi integrated headset
pros for specialized:
- better frame
- better forks (debatable)
- looks better!
- can get it from a shop just down the road
cons for specialized:
- slightly more expensive (probably the roof of my budget)
Its a tough one
OCUK's input please!
The Cube spec seems better than the Specialized in my opinion. Rebas are notch up from Recons I think, and as Genoma said air forks will be lighter than coils.
Also, note that the LTD Race 2009 was £1050 when it was current season, so you're getting it for a bargain
I have a Cube LTD CC myself, which is very similar to the LTD Race (the difference being different groupset, brakes, and hubs I think), and it's ace.
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Soldato
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Could someone give me their opinion on my front brake pads? They look slightly damaged to me (and the outer one has some strange green deposit in the pitted areas), but I'm not sure whether it's worth doing anything about it. They seem to be scratching the rotor slightly where they're rough, and recently (last couple of days) their performance seems to have dropped; I have to pull the lever all the way back to get any appreciable braking power, and it makes rasping sounds as I do it. The bike is only a couple of weeks old 
The rear brake is similar but not as bad (though it's been making horrible screeching sounds).
(averagejoe, don't let this put you off the LTD Race; it has different brakes
)
Outer:
Inner:
The rear brake is similar but not as bad (though it's been making horrible screeching sounds).
(averagejoe, don't let this put you off the LTD Race; it has different brakes
)Outer:
Inner:
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Soldato
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The Cube spec seems better than the Specialized in my opinion. Rebas are notch up from Recons I think, and as Genoma said air forks will be lighter than coils.
Also, note that the LTD Race 2009 was £1050 when it was current season, so you're getting it for a bargain
I have a Cube LTD CC myself, which is very similar to the LTD Race (the difference being different groupset, brakes, and hubs I think), and it's ace.
This one
is in the running now
. This is too hard! this carrera has the Rebas, good front and rear deraileurs and of course, the carbon fibre frame. In total bike wieght, the cube, rockhopper and this one are very similar. the rockhopper being perhaps slightly heavier.I've been to see the carrera titan and the rockhopper now and both are very nice. wish i could see the cube
. the carrera had quite wide handlebars but thats easily changeable.this is getting too hard!
Edit: on a side note, while i was in halfords speaking to a member of staff he recieved a web order from a man called Mr William Wonka
This one
is in the running now
I've been to see the carrera titan and the rockhopper now and both are very nice. wish i could see the cube
this is getting too hard!
Edit: on a side note, while i was in halfords speaking to a member of staff he recieved a web order from a man called Mr William Wonka
I certainly don't know enough about bikes to give a fully informed opinion but a Carerra with a carbon frame doesn't sound like a great idea to me. It seems well specced enough though and does look quite nice. I'm yet to order my new bike (still waiting for funds to come through
) but I was going to go for the Cube Ltd Race, failing that a Focus Black Forest Pro or the Scott Scale 40.I certainly don't know enough about bikes to give a fully informed opinion but a Carerra with a carbon frame doesn't sound like a great idea to me. It seems well specced enough though and does look quite nice. I'm yet to order my new bike (still waiting for funds to come through
Must admit that this is exactly what I was thinking. Hard not to be elitist but I would have to guess how much Carrera has been able to invest in R&D for a carbon frame, whilst I would have more confidence if it came from a major manufacturer. The weight and price just look a bit too suspicious (too heavy / too cheap). I have no facts to back this up though.
Soldato
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I'm suspicious myself. After a bit of digging it appears carrera are another name for Merida but don't know anything about them either. Looking at the frame on the merida carbon 800/1000D and comparing pictures, they do look like the same frame. Not sure what to make of that?
Man of Honour
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I believe Merida actually make frames for other companies such as carrera and specialized.
Well, now i work a lot closer to home, i thought i'd be eco friendly and buy a new bike to ride to work on, unfortunately, my work don't support the cycle 2 work scheme yet , anyway, my budget was about £500 for a hardtail, i used to have a GT avalanche 2.0 but i never used it much so sold it (because my work was a trek primarily).
Anyway, i've been looking at different models, (newer GT avalanche 2.0, specialised hard rock pro, Kona cindercone 2009 model and finally, i've just found the Trek 6000 disc and absolutely love the look of it and it has good reviews, does OcUK think this is a decent entry level bike? What else would you consider?
, anyway, my budget was about £500 for a hardtail, i used to have a GT avalanche 2.0 but i never used it much so sold it (because my work was a trek primarily).Anyway, i've been looking at different models, (newer GT avalanche 2.0, specialised hard rock pro, Kona cindercone 2009 model and finally, i've just found the Trek 6000 disc and absolutely love the look of it and it has good reviews, does OcUK think this is a decent entry level bike? What else would you consider?
Pads look fine to me. Its normal for stuff to build up in the pitted areas. Give them a clean with isopropyl alcohol if you want.
i doubt its your pads that are causing the problems with your brakes. Sounds to me like they are leaking (im assuming they are hydraulic). Is there any noticeable fluid leaks from the levers or calipers? Try bleeding them and see if the same thing happens again.
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