Big Bike Thread

weescott · 8 Dec 2010 at 17:38

Do you really mean Down Hill or do you mean a budget hard tail for getting into mountain biking?

andi · 8 Dec 2010 at 17:44

Supercow said:
Shameless self-pimpage

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-morewood-mbuzi-m

Definetly going for the Nukeproof then? They do look an awesome fun bike.

New Transition Bandit looks ace too.

SDK^ · 8 Dec 2010 at 17:45

Acid_death69 said:
Where would you suggest the best place is to buy a decent bike. Wanting some good for trails and down hill. Budget is £200-300.

A decent bike for trails and downhill riding will have forks that cost more £300.

You can get entry level bikes for £300 for general riding but they are just that - basic.

Trek 3500 : http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/3500-2010-mountain-bike-ec020717

GT Outpost http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/outpost-disc-2010-mountain-bike-ec020913

Supercow · 8 Dec 2010 at 20:18

andi said:
Definetly going for the Nukeproof then? They do look an awesome fun bike.

New Transition Bandit looks ace too.

Yeap and you sir have good taste! I was eying up that bandit, but then my spec would have to change too much - so I'm sticking with the Mega

Big Chris · 8 Dec 2010 at 20:21

theDude said:

Looks like a Pashley? They make them here in Stratford, I used to work for them before I went to Uni.

You're right, they weigh as much as a small country but they're quality bikes, certainly not cheap either!

Supercow · 8 Dec 2010 at 20:22

Whaaa, you mean Nanna's bike cost a lot of money?!

weescott · 8 Dec 2010 at 21:17

How is a £600 bike gonna be affordable for Nanna? Geography teachers on the other hand...

mistercrabb · 8 Dec 2010 at 21:56

Does anyone have any tips for inflating and sealing UST tires? Even with a foot pump I can't get the bead to pop into the rim

Haven't used soapy water yet, does it actually help that much?

Andelusion · 8 Dec 2010 at 22:08

mistercrabb said:
Does anyone have any tips for inflating and sealing UST tires? Even with a foot pump I can't get the bead to pop into the rim

Haven't used soapy water yet, does it actually help that much?

Track pump or air compressor.

weescott · 8 Dec 2010 at 22:16

You don't have to use soapy water, but it helps some times. I prefer not to use soapy water.

1: put UST tyre on rim with tube. Inflate until the tyre is seated. You may or may not hear loud pops. About 40psi should do it.
2. Deflate tyre and take tube out. Keep one side of the tyre seated on the rim
3: put bead of non seated tyre side in the middle of the rim
4: Inflate like mad

This method helps when you have new tyres. You can skip the inner tube method and put the bead hook into the middle of the rim and try pumping like mad if you have older tyres.

Also, if you have non UST rims you may need some sealant. I use one scoop of stans in UST tyres with UST rims as a precaution because some of the trails here are very rocky and I have punctured a UST tyre before.

weescott · 8 Dec 2010 at 22:22

Andelusion said:
Track pump or air compressor.

pah, I inflated my front tyre with a mini pump. I was sweating like a paedo in a creche afterwards but I managed it!

mistercrabb · 9 Dec 2010 at 14:53

Took it to a petrol station and used the air thing in the end..
It's all properly seated now apart from a smallish bit which appears to be seated too far down inside the rim...

But it holds air so I guess it's fine.

weescott · 9 Dec 2010 at 15:17

That doesn't sound like it's seated properly. Put more air into it and 'work' the tyre with your hands and it should pop onto the rim. Then deflate and reinflate the tyre to your desired psi.

eXist · 9 Dec 2010 at 16:24

Acid_death69 said:
Where would you suggest the best place is to buy a decent bike. Wanting some good for trails and down hill. Budget is £200-300.
Obv i won't be buying it till the snow clears lol, but im just trying to get an idea of what and where's best.

best bike for £300 imo is the Giant Revel 3

cracking frameset for the money, decent finishing kit gives good upgrage potential also.

mistercrabb · 9 Dec 2010 at 19:06

weescott said:
That doesn't sound like it's seated properly. Put more air into it and 'work' the tyre with your hands and it should pop onto the rim. Then deflate and reinflate the tyre to your desired psi.

Weird, I went and had a look, but it seems to be seated fine now. I had left it with a pretty high PSI, I guess it just popped into place.

Now I just have to go buy a new outer gear cable after my Saint shifter decided to arrive with only 2 short outer bits, apparently for hardtails with frame tabs..

Acid_death69 · 9 Dec 2010 at 20:23

weescott said:
Do you really mean Down Hill or do you mean a budget hard tail for getting into mountain biking?

Sorry for the late reply, been working.

I mean something, if possible that will allow me to do both relatively well. Something that will go on dirt tracks with a comfy ride, with a decent frame.
It's been along time since ive been into bikes. I want something cheap to start off with (again) that way if i get more into it i'll fork out more money for something more decent.

SDK^ said:
A decent bike for trails and downhill riding will have forks that cost more £300.

You can get entry level bikes for £300 for general riding but they are just that - basic.

Trek 3500 : http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/3500-2010-mountain-bike-ec020717

GT Outpost http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/outpost-disc-2010-mountain-bike-ec020913

Cheers

Have you had any personal experience with these bikes?

eXist said:
best bike for £300 imo is the Giant Revel 3

cracking frameset for the money, decent finishing kit gives good upgrage potential also.

Thanks for the help

My friend told me to look into a brand called 'Chucker'. Anyone heard of them?

SDK^ · 9 Dec 2010 at 20:34

Acid_death69 said:
My friend told me to look into a brand called 'Chucker'. Anyone heard of them?

I'm assuming you mean a GT Chucker - they are jump bikes so not the best angles for pedalling around

Jonny ///M · 9 Dec 2010 at 20:41

A chucker is gonna be a Gt chucker I imagine. It's more of a jump bike than an all round mtb. Small frame size,high front end,short top tube and will be heavier than average.

I'd be looking at a Gt outpost or trying to make the jump onto the Gt avalance hydro. It moves on from fairly basic frameset to hydroformed tubing and a bit more burly parts.

Richie · 9 Dec 2010 at 20:49

What about a Specialized Hardrock for £339 ?

Acid_death69 · 9 Dec 2010 at 21:01

Jonny ///M said:
A chucker is gonna be a Gt chucker I imagine. It's more of a jump bike than an all round mtb. Small frame size,high front end,short top tube and will be heavier than average.

I'd be looking at a Gt outpost or trying to make the jump onto the Gt avalance hydro. It moves on from fairly basic frameset to hydroformed tubing and a bit more burly parts.

That hydro looks the business! Looked at the specs and reviews and most people agreed that it's one of the best bikes under £500.
Need to look into sizing, like i said before it's been a while since ive been into bikes (9-10 years) so i can only assume that i'll need a bigger frame lol.