Newbie after advice on what to buy.....

[Muddyfox]

Whoooooaa

If i had £360 in my pocket right now and i was in the market for a new Mountain Bike then my money would be definately winging its way towards a

Mongoose Tyax Super

Simon

 

[Brainache]

Yeah, saw that too but I don't get discount from Evans, just 5% cashback to a discount site I use. I really have only got £300 - £320 at best, especially now the girlfriends job looks a bit iffy.

However, I've actually worked out I can get the GT from Halfords for over £70 less than they're quoting with discount codes I found. I think it's a no brainer now - GT hardtail with hydraulic brakes and, I'm told, a pretty good spec (other than the suspension which could be better) for £277 rather than the £349 Halfords are advertising it for.

 

[Mr Pig]

Yip, I still think you're making the right choice. For £277 I think that bike's a fantastic buy.

Yes, you could get a better bike by buying used but unless you're pretty clued up, which I don't think you are yet, you could easily buy a used bike that needed parts straight away. For what you're doing and the knowledge you have right now I'm sure you're doing the right thing.

Just remember, size, size size! If you get a bike that's too big you'll be too stretched on it. On rough ground it'll feel unwieldy and might be uncomfortable on longer rides. Try to ride a few different sized bikes around the car park and you'll get an idea of what I mean. Be aware though that bikes of the same frame size from different manufacturers will not necessarily be the same size over all. My bike is a 17.5 yet feels smaller than my last bike which was a 17. Try the actual bike you mean to buy.

Look forward to seeing you on here regularly very soon :0)

 

[Muddyfox]

I really have only got £300 - £320 at best,

GT it is then ... and once the bug bites the Gt does have a good frame for upgrading

Simon

 

[Brainache]

Cheers guys,

Don't worry, I will DEFINATELY make sure I have the right size frame. The last bike I had was to small in the frame and I could only extend my leg about 2 thirds of what I should have. It felt like I was peddling a kiddies bike at times and cycling up hill soon tired me out! Not an enjoyable experiance at all and soon fell out of love of cycling.

I've had a chat with the Halfords guy about frame size and he recommends 18/19 inch for an inside leg of 32 inch. They measure from where the pedals are attached to where the frame joins the seat post.

 

[Brahan]

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/sport-mtb-3962638/ Try these guys.

 

[Mr Pig]

Try these guys.

Looks not bad. The GT at the price he's getting is still a better buy though.

 

[Brainache]

Just rang them up and only 3 18inchers left (oooo err missus) and none left at head office so off to Halfords tomorrow to pay a deposit and secure one til payday. Selling very well apparently!

 

[Brainache]

Anyone know any good websites for beginners.....

Hi everyone,

Bet your getting sick of my questions now

I've been reading the spec on my GT that I'm buying (and posts people put on here) and, as I mentioned in earlier posts, some of the things mentioned / discussed mean nothing to me. I'm wanting to learn more about it though and was wondering if anyone has any links to any sites that might break a bike down into parts and explain what the different components do and which are better than others? E.g. I've seen people asking if the frame is 'butted', why? I came from the school of - it's got 2 wheels, a frame, brakes and handle bars. What more do you want?

You see what I mean? I'm a real novice unfortunatley, but eager to learn. It'll help if I choose to start upgrading in the future too. We're talking 'Mountain Biking For Dummies' material, ha ha.

 

[Mr Pig]

Butted refers to the way the tubes on the frame are joined together, some joins are stronger than others. GT frames are very distinctive in the way the tubes join under the seat (see the little triangle there?) and they are perfectly good frames. It should be quite light and sturdy enough for what you're going to do.

The front and rear mech are the things that move the chain from one gear to another and the shifters are the triggers on the bars that operate them. The GT has Shimano ones. Very low-rent Shimano is labelled 'SIS' or nothing at all. Then the ranges are named, Acera, Alivio, Deore, etc. Acera is quite low-spec, it will work fine but the trade off is mostly durability. When they wear out replace them with better quality items like Deore which will last longer.

24 is a good number of gears to have. Put simply, to fit more gears in the cassette (block of gears at the back) and chain have to get thinner, which means they wear out quicker. The most durable set-up is 21 gears but the extra gears of a 24-speed set-up is, in my opinion, worth having. The next step up is 27 and I don't think the extra gears there are of much worth, I have 27 and often shift two at a time. To prolong the life of your gears buy a chain checker and fit a new KMC chain when it reads 1% worn.

Quick release wheels means that you do not need spanners to take the wheels off. Lever-operated cams unfasten the wheels in seconds for easy puncture repair or packing into the car. Read the instructions to use them safely.

You know what hydraulic brakes are? Same as on a car. Little maintinenvce should be required if set up correctly but again, observe precautions to avoid trouble.

Oversized bars means that the middle section of the handlebars is thicker than the ends for extra strength.

Most of the other stuff is just the names of who's made the part, like Tektro, Alex, Suntour etc. No big deal. It's mostly par for the course at this price point. Over all it's a perfectly good spec for the money and a decent frame that will stand upgrading as parts wear out.

 

[hongkonguk]

However, I've actually worked out I can get the GT from Halfords for over £70 less than they're quoting with discount codes I found. I think it's a no brainer now - GT hardtail with hydraulic brakes and, I'm told, a pretty good spec (other than the suspension which could be better) for £277 rather than the £349 Halfords are advertising it for.

I was considering the GT too, can you tell me how you can get the price down to that price?

 

[Brainache]

Hi HongKonguk,

You'll laugh at this - I work for the Government but the Dept I work for won't entertain the Governments own 'Cycle to Work' scheme. So, as a VERY poor substitute, they have struck up a deal with 3 bike retailers so that we can get discounts. Halfords offered the best discount but the worst choice. Bit of a rock and a hard place decision really.

Unless you work for the Civil Service, I would strongly reccomend reading up on the Cycle to Work schemes most good cycle retailers have info about on their websites.

 

[hongkonguk]

Thanks for the reply. I work for the NHS so I can only use Halfords (or a few certain stores about 20 miles away) for my Cycle 2 Work scheme. I just liked the look of the GT and obviously the discount you mentioned sounded very appealing!

 

[Brainache]

Oh right, I'm DWP and we have a DWP Discounts intranet site, do NHS not have something similar?

Ours isn't just for bikes, it's for allsorts - food, clothing, holidays, insurance, loans, etc etc. It took a bit of rumaging around to find the Halfords ones.

I get 15% off the shop price (only on full price bikes, not discounted ones) and they also offer a 7.5% discount on any Halfords gift vouchers purchased, so with the 15% off it drops to a few quid under £300 then, if I buy the bike using gift vouchers instead of cash, £300 worth of gift vouchers actually only costs me £277 with the 7.5% discount on them.

I got the loan for £300 through work and repay it in instalments over the year but, unlike the cycle to work scheme, I pay full taxes etc on what I borrow.

 

[Mr Pig]

I work for the NHS so I can only use Halfords

I understand. They want to maintain a steady supply of patients?