I need a bike - any experts

Minority said:
Was looking at this one, look at the picture of the tyre below the bike

http://www.ridgebackbikes.co.uk/index.asp?pageRef=/bikes/bike.asp?bikeID=193&navRefresh=true
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Fair point. I'm more worried by sand from the gritters and mud than I am by rain.

That looks like a seriously nice piece of kit there Minority - if I was after a bike I'd be very tempted by it. Because of the amount of rubber actually in contact with the road you'd be very unlikely to aquaplane even on those tyres though. Maybe at 40mph+ through a wide puddle you'd find a problem - but how often will that happen? But you could always ask the dealer to swap them for something you feel happier with if you don't like the idea of those?
 
VIRII said:
What edge on road riding ?
You utterly do not need front forks for riding to work, the "edge" is taken off by the pneumatic tyre and spoked wheel.
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Unless you're lucky enough to live in a part of the country where they re-lay the tarmac on the roads every week then you'll "utterly" know what I'm talking about. At least off road the mud under the tyres gives a little, on hard tarmac the tyres can only take so much shock. Perhaps a suspension fork isn't "utterly" necessary, but it would certainly be something I'd look for in a bike to be used solely on tarmac.
 
Treefrog said:
Not smooth as in slicks, smooth as in not knobbly! ;)

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Very happy with these babies. :)
Same as any other tyre in the wet - don't get too ambitious round corners or you'll fall off. Less rolling resistance, less noise and more rubber on the tarmac than off-road tyres for better grip. And they do a reasonable job on towpaths, etc. And I'm convinced that you get less water thrown up off the road and thus a dryer face and arse than with MTB tyres.
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Stop the what tyre thread now!!!

You know you want classic chic for your bike, try a GT LTS
 
Wryel said:
...try a GT LTS
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Not seen one of them for a while, I remember when they were the top DH frame money could buy. The seller seems to be passing it off as 2 years old though, which is far from the truth, more like 5 tbh. And it looks like about a 22" frame too!

Treefrog said:
Nice, but using it for commuting on tarmac would be a bit like using a 4x4 for the school run IMO.
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Have you seen what mums drive their kids to school in these days?
 
Mohinder said:
I'm no expert, but I bought an MTB just before Christmas and I ended up going for a Carrera Kraken, the '05 model from Halfords. It was discounted from £400 to £266, and has decent running gear and bits on it, all Deore stuff. It's a decent solid bike and it was good and cheap, so I'd recommend it.
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That's a hell of a discount. When I was working there we wouldn't let one go for less than £300.

As for recommendations, I'd be looking at something like the Giant Yukon. RRP is £300 so you should be able to pick it up with £50 off. Comes with 6K aluminium and mech. discs so none of the usual cheap V-Brake issues. I don't rate ridgeback's myself, their reliability isn't proven and IIRC they use the cheapest bottom brackets around.
 
Treefrog said:
Giant Boulder Alu-Lite here! I had front suspension fitted (bought from here) for mainly road riding. See my comments in the user reviews.
True, but it's a lot nicer and comfier on the ol' wrists than rigids are. Tyres make more of a difference to the power loss in my experience. Definitely get road tyres on it - you'll be impressed by how much easier and quicker your journey is. Atm I've got my winter tyres on and it's a right pain.

Edit: just remembered, GT is usually recommended in this price range by a lot of people here.
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Now that really does depend on the forks. The forks supplied on a £200-£300 bike add nothing of value to road riding in my opinion.
For road riding a set of downhill bars gives you a better view of the road and takes the weight off your wrists and are also cheaper than a set of decent forks.
 
Big Chris said:
Unless you're lucky enough to live in a part of the country where they re-lay the tarmac on the roads every week then you'll "utterly" know what I'm talking about. At least off road the mud under the tyres gives a little, on hard tarmac the tyres can only take so much shock. Perhaps a suspension fork isn't "utterly" necessary, but it would certainly be something I'd look for in a bike to be used solely on tarmac.
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Offroad in the summer and depending on if you're riding on towpath, chalk single track etc the ground can be very hard and send a lot of vibration up into the bike.
On road there is very little vibration that makes it up unless you're currently riding in bosnia or something.
I see no need whatsover for suspension for on road use. Suspension is a relatively new development in cycling brought around by the desire to maintain traction offroad at speed in rough terrain. How would a shock intended to take out an inch or more of displacement provide any benefit on a normal road surface?
 
If you are only going to be riding on the roads then i'd get a road bike, afterall they are designed specifically for the job. My MTB is good on the rough stuff but on the road its rubbish, its geared too low, the tyres are noisy and wear out quick, and the forks sap up loads of the energy you pump into the pedals, also the disc brakes are too powerful for tarmac, its all too easy to lock up when just gently braking 1 finger style. Most of all though, its embarassing when a roadie blasts past you effortlessly when you are going as fast as you can.
 
VIRII said:
Now that really does depend on the forks. The forks supplied on a £200-£300 bike add nothing of value to road riding in my opinion.
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Mine was bought s/h with rigids and is definitely more comfy now. And quick and flickable enough to go "lemming-dodging" in the centre of town. :)
VIRII said:
For road riding a set of downhill bars gives you a better view of the road and takes the weight off your wrists and are also cheaper than a set of decent forks.
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Agreed, that's the next item on my list of things to get.
Assuming nothing breaks first!
 
Treefrog said:
Mine was bought s/h with rigids and is definitely more comfy now. And quick and flickable enough to go "lemming-dodging" in the centre of town. :)
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My advice would be get a rigid and upgrade to decent forks later if you feel the need. I can't think of any £300 bikes with good shocks or shocks that would add anything to the bike for road riding in that price range.
A decent cro-moly frame will do more to absorb vibration than rubbish forks will without taking away steering and power.
Downhill bars will take pressure off the wrists.

What forks did you stick on? SIDS ?
 
VIRII said:
Offroad in the summer and depending on if you're riding on towpath, chalk single track etc the ground can be very hard and send a lot of vibration up into the bike.
On road there is very little vibration that makes it up unless you're currently riding in bosnia or something.
I see no need whatsover for suspension for on road use. Suspension is a relatively new development in cycling brought around by the desire to maintain traction offroad at speed in rough terrain. How would a shock intended to take out an inch or more of displacement provide any benefit on a normal road surface?
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We'll have to agree to disagree then I think. I've ridden mountain bikes for many years, both on and off road. I much prefer road riding with at least some form of suspension up front, and I do notice a jarring feeling in my wrists when riding a fully rigid bike. This may be something to do with me having broken both wrists at one time or another throughout my biking career, but I would still recommend a bike with front suspension. A lot of more expensive touring/commuting bikes come with short travel (50mm or so) forks these days which would suggest that I'm not the only one who sees the need.
 
VIRII said:
My advice would be get a rigid and upgrade to decent forks later if you feel the need. I can't think of any £300 bikes with good shocks or shocks that would add anything to the bike for road riding in that price range.
A decent cro-moly frame will do more to absorb vibration than rubbish forks will without taking away steering and power.
Downhill bars will take pressure off the wrists.

What forks did you stick on? SIDS ?
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I'm not knocking the advice - I agree with it. It's just that with the number of shortcuts I use - towpaths, worn earth paths across fields, cobbled alleyways, etc - as well as with the potholes and uneven road surfaces and council standard paving slabs, I appreciate the extra comfort that the suspension gives me, it makes my riding more enjoyable and encourages me to use the bike more often, as well as keeping the front end on the ground more. Again, for comfort, I also have foam grips which were intended for one of those little 4" wheel aluminium scooters that everyone had 3 years ago.

Rock Shox Jett C forks - there's a link in one of my earlier posts.
 
I'm with Big Chris and Treefrog on this one. The number of people I've seen buy a fully rigid, only to return it a few days later because of wrist/forearm pains is testament to the state of the roads. You will get more speed and a more efficient ride out of a "ridge" but unless you can guarantee you will only be riding on smooth roads, it's just not worth it at this price range.
 
Dont get rigids,well get them but upgrade later to some rockshox with lockout on them. I got some U-turn forks hanging up in work that go from 70-105mm but thats still not enough when your pumping up a hill.My cheap ass Mz comps are crap for riding uphill too you just bounce up on down as and go nowhere.Lockout forks are ideal as you get your travel for when you need it,flick the lever or turn the thing on your bars and your locked out and it is a lot easier to ride.

dunno if you can view it but check the second forks down
http://www.descent-world.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29223.0

Carrera bikes are quite decent aswell,the kraken was going for £150 as far as i can remember but the amount of times i had to tell people they were sold out is mad.My brother rides a kraken,has an LRS 3 frame lying around and has the LRS2 in work which the forks i mentioned earlier came from.

check this site http://www.evanscycles.com/dept.jsp?dept_id=1002&subdept_id=3003&page=2
 
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Wow, lots of information - most of which goes over my head as I don't know what rigids etc are.

I'll put it simply, you have £250 to buy me a decent bike that's comfortable and goes from A to B. Mainly road but I may travel on earth/tracks/roads that aren't smooth from time to time.

Will the Ridgeback Cyclone do me?
 
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