Help specing a new mountain bike.

Skeng

Skeng

Skeng

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Joined
16 Dec 2009
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723
Location
Bolton
Salutations,
So I don't know much about bikes, I bought my first bike last summer just for some extra exercise. Specifically I was going for something dirt cheap, nothing special so I picked up one of those halfords apollo bikes for about £30. The frame, chain and the chain rings were in pretty good condition, no noticeable rust. The brakes were beyond destroyed. The cables are absolutely knackered and the bloke had rested the brakes on the rim of the tire which had completely messed it up. Anyway I used it for about a month after resetting the breaks, doing little 15 - 20 miles trips every other day for some exercise and well, for fun. Went off to uni and I've come back home and been using it for about 2 months. I've replaced the tires and breaks but the gears are knackered and so are the cables. It's a pretty heavy bike too. At the moment I'm mainly using it for heading to work (currently a 12 mile round trip). The road I take to work is pretty knackered so I wouldn't be surprised if this bike gives out within the next 6 weeks. Anyway that's enough of this dreary story more to the point. I've got a summer job and hopefully not to long from now I'll have something full time. I don't own a vehicle and I love cycling I'm preferably after a mountain bike which I can use for cycling to work, I'm also quite interested in doing some off roading however at the present it'd be just for work. I think within a year I'll have a car and I wouldn't mind driving to some decent off roading sites over the weekends and try getting into it. I'll probably end up picking up a preowned bike off ebay since my budget is going to be £150.

Thanks for reading, I tend to go on a bit,

Kind regards -Skeng

Edit:// I forgot to mention I'd preferably like disc brakes and If anyone knows of any good sites where I can pick up a decent bike within my price range that would be great, I'm not having too much luck with google.
 
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My eyes!

Paragraphs please :(

The harsh answer is that There is no real decent bike n your price range really, so pick something that looks like it won't fall apart.
 
Supercow said:
My eyes!

Paragraphs please :(

The harsh answer is that There is no real decent bike n your price range really, so pick something that looks like it won't fall apart.
Click to expand...

Any brands that aren't too unrealistic in terms of price, I've been thinking a diamond back, I've seen a few of them go in my price range. I was also recommended kona but they are like £600 - £3,000.
 
£150 would get you a budget mountain bike from somewhere like Halfords.

If you want disc brakes, they will be mechanical, you won't get hydraulics at that price point. Also at that price point, you are probably better off with a hardtail than full suspension as overall buying a bike this cheap, especially a mountain bike is a bit of a false economy.
 
Pretty much <£1000 your looking hardtail never mind £150.

I'd look second hand, but then you may need to replace the odd bits here and there. Probably pick up an old spec hardrock for that price.
 
Skeng said:
Salutations,
So I don't know much about bikes, I bought my first bike last summer just for some extra exercise. Specifically I was going for something dirt cheap, nothing special so I picked up one of those halfords apollo bikes for about £30. The frame, chain and the chain rings were in pretty good condition, no noticeable rust. The brakes were beyond destroyed. The cables are absolutely knackered and the bloke had rested the brakes on the rim of the tire which had completely messed it up. Anyway I used it for about a month after resetting the breaks, doing little 15 - 20 miles trips every other day for some exercise and well, for fun. Went off to uni and I've come back home and been using it for about 2 months. I've replaced the tires and breaks but the gears are knackered and so are the cables. It's a pretty heavy bike too. At the moment I'm mainly using it for heading to work (currently a 12 mile round trip). The road I take to work is pretty knackered so I wouldn't be surprised if this bike gives out within the next 6 weeks. Anyway that's enough of this dreary story more to the point. I've got a summer job and hopefully not to long from now I'll have something full time. I don't own a vehicle and I love cycling I'm preferably after a mountain bike which I can use for cycling to work, I'm also quite interested in doing some off roading however at the present it'd be just for work. I think within a year I'll have a car and I wouldn't mind driving to some decent off roading sites over the weekends and try getting into it. I'll probably end up picking up a preowned bike off ebay since my budget is going to be £150.

Thanks for reading, I tend to go on a bit,

Kind regards -Skeng

Edit:// I forgot to mention I'd preferably like disc brakes and If anyone knows of any good sites where I can pick up a decent bike within my price range that would be great, I'm not having too much luck with google.
Click to expand...

I managed to get a Kona Fire mountain for 60 pounds, its 2011 and ex hire from a place near me. Keep your eyes peeled its disc brake front suspension and worth about 500 new.
 
Skeng said:
Any brands that aren't too unrealistic in terms of price, I've been thinking a diamond back, I've seen a few of them go in my price range. I was also recommended kona but they are like £600 - £3,000.
Click to expand...

Not really, Nexus is pretty spot on above.

Looking at your sig, it's easier to explain this in computer terms.
Basically you're asking for a full computer build (inc screen etc) at £150. You want to do spreadsheets on it and play the occasional solitaire.

Dell probably does some builds that range from £200 - £3000. It's still a good brand, but budget will always be budget.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm beginning to understand that £250 is about the right price for an entry level bike. Thinking of getting a Diamond back overdrive 2012, they are £200 on amazon.
 
I think you need to look a bit higher than £150, Though that said I bought a 2nd hand Jamis Durango 2011 that evans were selling brand new for £600. It has shimano deore running gear and tetkro Hydraulic brakes and overall is a really good bike considering I paid £200 for it.

I don't do a lot of trails and mainly use it for lesiure. I know that the front fork could be a lot better, Though as I don't abuse it much I don't see the point in upgrading...Bike radar done a review and whilst not up in the top tier of hardtails it is great for the money I paid...http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountainbikes/product/review-jamis-durango-2-11-44963

You can also have a look at decathlon http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359112-mountain-bikes They have a good range of hardtails and the Rockrider 5.3 and 5.2 are good for the money.
 
I ended up ordering the Diamondback overdrive. It was £205 down from £285.

fireshot_capture_081_-_diamondback_-_overdrive_green_-_www_diamondback_co_uk_mtb_producttype_productrange_product_default_aspx_pc_1_pt_10_pg_6854.jpg


Thanks for all your input. :D

This is what I'm currently working with, only 5 gears working, grip shift so gotta slow down 30 meters from traffic lights to slowly drop the gears too.
Not due to the shifting but more because if I skip a gear the chain has a fit and I slowly have to almost drop two gears so it will fully drop a gear otherwise it wont change.
Cannot wait for the new bike :D

WP_000296.jpg
 
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Def an improvement for sure! Rear v-brake and front mech disc though, Strange combo? Not much scope to upgrade the brake set either as it does not come with the mounts to support a rear disc.

Is there lock-out on the fork? The fact you are using it for a short commute won't be too bad, Though I wouldn't abuse it too much on the trails, The fork does not seem very good and is non serviceable, Also it is a heavy bike in comparison to others, That said for £205 it is not bad at all and a great improvement on your current ride...Have fun!!!
 
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