Mountain bike advice

[gadgetman]

SWMBO and I are looking to get some reasonable, yet cheap bikes to make use of the countryside we now live near and the hopefully better summer.

Not after mega expensive, but do want a good buy. Even ebay bargains. Not really wanting to spend much more than £100-150 each.

Is full suspension woth it, and would you go for a Y or standard frame? Any good value/bargain makes to look out for?

My last bike was a Raleigh activator 2 a looooong time ago, which I saved for by my paper round. Cost me nearly £300, and regretted it due to the sloppy ride at the rear.

[matt@theforce]

2 be perfectly honest I wouldn't entertain a Full Suspension mountain bike for £150. A Hardtail with front suspension would be more suited to the type of riding i'm assuming you will be doing (road/towpaths/forest trails etc). Stay away from disc brakes as they will be cable operated and not as good as V-Brakes which are now common fitment across all bikes.

There are some good deals on ebay at the moment especially this one 2005 Claud Butler Cape Wrath Disc 18" Mountain Bike on eBay, also, Bikes, Cycling, Sporting Goods (end time 03-Jun-08 11:13:37 BST)

If you've got a local bike shop pop in and see if they've had any p/x bikes come in or some ex demo bikes.

Claud Butler bikes are quite good value for money but even better value for money would be to buy a falcon bike as Claud Butler bikes are made and owned by Falcon (I believe) a bit like the VW/Skoda relationship

I've always been a fan of the Specialized Hardrock, I bought one over 11 years ago and it's still going strong and never had a service so far the ony Item's I've had to change have been tyres and brake pads.

One other bit of advise, always have a test ride on a bike before you buy, If you find a bike online try and find one locally to take a test ride on before buying.


Probably not the best of deals but 2 reasonable bikes for not much more than your budget.
Evans Cycles: Product: Claud Butler Trailridge 2007 Womens Mountain Bike

Evans Cycles: Product: GT Outpost 2007 Mountain Bike

Hope this is of some help

[*tim*]

^ ^ ^ pretty sound advice from Matt there

but. . . I'd stay away form suspension (including front) altogether, they will be heavy, un-reactive and flexy.

Additionally I'd try to buy new if your not sure what your looking at. Chances are many parts will be near the end of their life and will need replacing soon, therefore more expense. Buy cheap, but twice.

Have a look at older models online, you might be able to get a good deal. Evans (as suggested) have some bargains every so often.

[gadgetman]

Thanks guys.

Surprised about disk brakes. Another thing off my list.

Had a Falcon bike before my Acty 2, and loved it. It got mangled tho when I was hit by a taxi on way home from school. If it hadnt been sports day, might have been seriously hurt as landed on back and no helmet (back then no one did).

There is now a crossing at that point because of me!

I'll keep my eye out in halfrauds for something cheap. Wanted suspension as, whilst we're not going mountaineering, the tracks round here can be very bumpy and rough going. We wont be going mad, but want to do a bit of rough rather than nice dirt tracks and roads.

[rigsby]

There are a few good deals on at halfrauds, Remember that Claud butler and falcon bikes are no longer built in Britain as the factory recently shut down

[daver]

Try Decathlon or Edinburgh bike co-operative, have some cracking deals on decently speced bikes for not a lot of money

[kit]

try wiggle for good deals on last years or the years before bikes....for 150 notes id think youd be looking at a second hand bike

k

[monkeychild]

How about this
GT Palomar 2008 - Bikes MTB Hardtail - 199.99 GBP - Free P & P to UK & Ireland, Cheap International Rates. Next day delivery from Europes Largest Online Bikeshop.

and this for your lady
GT Palomar Ladies 26" 2008 - Bikes MTB Hardtail - 199.99 GBP - Free P & P to UK & Ireland, Cheap International Rates. Next day delivery from Europes Largest Online Bikeshop.

£100 over budget in total but it would be worth it!