looking for mtb reviews

Mr Mag00 · 21 Mar 2007 at 21:12

looking for reviews of kit which i may build a new bike with.

whats the best place for reviews before i register and sign up to look?

will a self build save me much money???

6thElement · 21 Mar 2007 at 22:08

The reviews section on mtbr. Self build probably won't save you money, but you get the exact components you want and the satisfaction of putting it together yourself.

weescott · 21 Mar 2007 at 22:38

The user reviews on Chainreaction can be useful also.

Jonny ///M · 21 Mar 2007 at 23:28

weescott said:
The user reviews on Chainreaction can be useful also.

You kidding on? :confused:

Its full of wee idiots.

Just read the magazines really. I was reading them at work tonight(allegedly) and they had a good review of forks and the last time i had a look it was brakes...

sneakyd · 22 Mar 2007 at 11:53

Remember though, magazines can be influenced by the bigger companies when reviewing.

www.bikemagic.com have user reviews.

Check the forums of the mtb mags as the people's opinions (in bulk) count more than a single review in a mag.

weescott · 22 Mar 2007 at 15:18

Jonny ///M said:
You kidding on?

Its full of wee idiots.

Just read the magazines really. I was reading them at work tonight(allegedly) and they had a good review of forks and the last time i had a look it was brakes...

No not at all!!! :confused:

Bike mags can sometime speak a pile of rubbish as can an individual on a review site. At least with a review site you can get an overall consensous of what a product is like.

Edinho · 22 Mar 2007 at 16:58

Mr Mag00 said:
looking for reviews of kit which i may build a new bike with.

whats the best place for reviews before i register and sign up to look?

will a self build save me much money???

If you are planning on doing your own build then really you should already know what is the best gear. If you're planning on your own build and haven't done it before or dont know what your looking for then all I can say is good luck. Built 3 bikes and I still **** it up somewhere.

You have a work stand, all the locking/unlocking tools, wrenches, know how to install the bottom-bracket, adjust and hang the derailleurs I presume?

Mr Mag00 · 22 Mar 2007 at 17:11

yes i've been fiddling with bikes for ohh somewhere in the region of 25 years. I have a lot of tools and can always buy what i need. I have just never built a whole bike from scratch changed almost all parts at some point in time. Thanx

But knowing how to build and what is the best kit are worlds apart, surely?

Edinho · 22 Mar 2007 at 17:21

Just found it a bit odd you were asking for reviews :confused:

Never built a MB, but pretty much know straight off what to buy for a road bike. And I dont know that much.

SpeedFreak · 22 Mar 2007 at 18:40

Here's my opinion, obviously budget pending:

Frame: up to you

Headset: Hope's one is great and not as expensive as King and pretty much as good.
Front Mech: Shimano XT
Rear Mech: SRAM X-9 or X-7
Shifters: SRAM X-9
Shock: anything RockShox at the minute is an excellent buy, price and performance wise. Revelations are my preference but obviously riding style is the main factor.
Wheels. Hope pro 2 hubs, rims depending on riding style. dt sWISS EX5.1 OR 4.2S are good.
Crank: most offerings are good, but i'd stick with shimano xt here.
Brakes: Avid Juicy 5s have the best price/perfomance ratio. Juicy 7s or formula oro k24 if you have a higher budget (formula designed the juicy range for avid)
Bars: Easton ea50 or ea70s, skip carbon imo.
Stem and Seatpost: thomson elite.
saddle: depends on how fat your arse is

weescott · 22 Mar 2007 at 19:34

My Hope Headset is still running like new after 3 years and some serious abuse. The only downside is the bolt of the head doctor. I broke 2 of them. You cant tell when you have applied enough torque. Using an Azonic Head lock now.

I would go for the Formula Oro's or the Hope Mono Mini's over the Juicys. Uchh.

XT cranks are not the best with mud (my LBS has lots of warranty replacements with them) The Truvitive X pipe and RF X type are not that great either. My Deore crankset is the best I have had. :eek:

Agree on Easton, Thomson, and X9, Although IIRC the newer LX rear mech is the old XT of which I am still running. Best value for money rear mech IMO.

Big Chris · 22 Mar 2007 at 23:11

Bike Magic is pretty decent for reviews, lots of them submitted by site users so not biased.

There's a fairly extensive archive and lots of other handy stuff on the site, plus a 2nd hand section for buying/selling.

SpeedFreak · 23 Mar 2007 at 18:32

weescott said:
My Hope Headset is still running like new after 3 years and some serious abuse. The only downside is the bolt of the head doctor. I broke 2 of them. You cant tell when you have applied enough torque. Using an Azonic Head lock now.

I would go for the Formula Oro's or the Hope Mono Mini's over the Juicys. Uchh.

XT cranks are not the best with mud (my LBS has lots of warranty replacements with them) The Truvitive X pipe and RF X type are not that great either. My Deore crankset is the best I have had.

Agree on Easton, Thomson, and X9, Although IIRC the newer LX rear mech is the old XT of which I am still running. Best value for money rear mech IMO.

I did exactly the same thing. I sent hope the bolt with a short letter and a new one arrived in the post via special delivery a few days later.

I found the xt bearings pretty good, but I think facing the bb is the most important issue. Race face and truativ both make great cranks.

The xt-lx 06/07 also applies to sram x-9 x-7. the 07 x-7 is the same as the 06 x-9, and are the shimano sram options are equally good imo, however i believe that the sram shifters are better, which rules out the shimao rear mech due to the 2:1 pull ratio.