Mountain bike and kit - suggestions for a beginner?

EvilMonkey

On the road vs mountain bike debate (and to muddy the waters) there are now flat bar roadbikes. All the road bike gear, but with straightened out bars. I'm considering one cos my on my current bike I normally use the horns (the bits of the brake levers that stick up).

The kit can mount up a bit, but its one of those things you can build on. Personally, a helmet & lights are the minimum, but a mini pump, spare tubes etc. should follow quickly (depending on how lenient your boss is that you had to walk to work cos you got a puncture).

I've posted before about "bargain" bikes, in my opinion there are only 3 bargains to be had.

1.) 2nd hand - bike devalue very fast, around half their value in a couple of years for more expensive ones (IE a reasonable decent £600 bike might be got on ebay / the local paper for £300 2 years later). You can also find people who got hooked into it as a fad and just want to sell there kit.

2.) Like cars, bike models are "replaced" each year. Mostly the changes are minor alterations to the setup / components of the bike. The good news for you is that bike shops still have to flog "last years bike", around 10 - 30% off

3.) Decathlon (if there's one near you) sells good, own brand, value bikes.

There are some brands which haven't got the "name", but see to do the job, in mountain bikes Claud Butler always seems to sell a good bike, made of good bits at a pretty reasonable price. Not so sure on road bikes I'm afraid.

As stated by others, bikes from Stirling, Woolies, Supermarkets, Toys R us etc. are cheap, but not (in my opinion again) good value.

CopperPlate_2

Thanks for the advicve - keep it coming - I'm open to all suggestions.

I live about 7 miles away from my work - commuting would be on back roads/paths next to dual carriageway and city cycling; depending on levels of traffic I might take some back dirt tracks. I'd like to have the option to take it out into the countryside where I live and not be restricted to just tarred roads, hence the MB idea rather than a road bike only, even though it's probably ideal for speed/commuting thing.

Cost - probably in the region of £250 to £350 tops - the OH is sceptical about whether I'll commit to using it so, even though I know I'll use it, I need to keep her on side too Plus, I'll not be using it for serious off-roading up hillsides or competing so I definitely DON'T need getting-on-for-a-grand's worth of bike.

Fatal_Swan

I hate to recommend Halfords, but... I was in there a while back and they have a range of 3 bikes from their own brand (Carrera) which might suit your needs, called Subway. They're priced at around £200, £300, and £400. You can find them all in the 'Town and Country cycles' list here.

They look more or less like MTBs but the frames are a little more upright than most nowadays, with slick but fairly fat tyres (maybe 1.5"), rigid (non-suspension) forks, and a suspension seatpost to take the sting out of the bumps. I have to admit they also look quite nice with an 'all black' sort of look about them. The £200 and £300 models looked very good value anyway, and would probably give you a more comfortable ride than a hybrid, and certainly more comfortable than a road bike. Also, I remember at the time they were giving away £50 or £100 (depending on the model) of vouchers that you could spend on accessories at the same time - don't know if they still do anything similar, but a great deal if they do.

Aside from being able to try them out and ride them first of course, the main advantage of these over buying an MTB would be that you don't have to spend £20 or so on buying slick tyres - (essential for a 7-mile commute - on the road, fat knobbly tyres will just sap your energy). Also you won't be wasting money and energy on heavy cheap suspension forks which you don't really need on the road. That said, front suspension may well give you a more comfortable ride to some degree (though for bikes at £250-£350 the forks won't be much good), so it's definitely worth taking the time to you to decide what factors are most important to you.

In terms of online bike shops Chain Reaction is my favourite - not so great for complete bikes but almost always the cheapest for accessories and parts. Like Wiggle, they do free delivery on all orders, and everything I've ordered has always turned up the next day too!

Whatever you choose, make sure you buy a good lock, and it's worth checking whether your home insurance will cover bike theft from your workplace. Sadly speaking from experience...!

steve7755

If you are just about to start up cycling again it might be a good idea to buy a bike and a few bits and see how you get on, before buying loads of gear to make riding to work less hassle - the gear can mount up and you might decide you dont want to ride to work.

Consider a hybrid, more comfortable riding position - 'Road bikes' and to a lesser extent mtbs put more pressure on your back.

Definately buy your bike from a shop not a website. this way you can get one that fits you and will usually let you go for a short test ride - and a bike shop will usually give you a first free service once you've had it a few weeks.
you might be able to save money on getting a past season bike but make sure its got what you want not that your saving £XX and looks like a great deal compared to RRP.

For carrying gear to work panniers are great.

lynseyf

Hi
I would like to recommend Edinburgh Bicycle as well. I have a Revolution Cuillin from there and use it to cycle about 8 miles everyday. I bought it a couple of years ago when it was £250, its now £200 but usually goes down to at least £150 in their sale. If you decide you like cycling you can then upgrade all the components eg. chain set, cassette when you want.

Edinburgh bicycle have been very good about fixing small things for me for free and I recently bought the excellent mountain bike maintenance by Mel Allwood

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1842228072/qid=1146748282/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_3_4/202-7118945-5552622

I got most of the bits i wanted from Edinburgh bicycle and the staff seem to enjoy helping someone who is trying to learn, even though its taking business away from their shop. This book makes it really easy to do anything yourself, I have replaced about everything I can on my bike fairly easily with no prior mechanical knowledge.

As regards kit I would say a frame and bag for the back of your bike , much better than a rucksack and a fluorescent jacket, essential when travelling in any traffic. Good gloves also help if you are going to be putting pressure on your hands, ie. going up or down any steep hills and a moisture wicking top is nice, I got mine in lidls.

billy_the_kid_2

My tuppence worth. When I used to cycle to work, a reasonable pair of cycling shorts (with the mock chamois gusset) made a big difference to comfort on the bike.

EvilMonkey

CopperPlate wrote:

I'd like to have the option to take it out into the countryside where I live and not be restricted to just tarred roads, hence the MB idea rather than a road bike only, even though it's probably ideal for speed/commuting thing.

Cost - probably in the region of £250 to £350 tops -

I reckon you should be able to sort yourself out with that, its about the entry level price for a "proper" MTB. I (like you) had pretensions of taking it out and offroad, and I did (try night riding, off road at night with a set of fairly powerful lights - WOW!) So I'd stick to your plan with a MTB. Suspension forks at this level are basic, but do the job. I think its been said, but avoid dual suspension at this price.

I got a claude butler cape wrath (see here for an idea of price + a snippet from a review) based largely on stonking reviews in the 2 major mags. I've had it 2 years now using it daily for the first year and weekly for the second (bought a road bike!). Really no complaints, took it off road for 3 hours rides most weeks through the winter. Road it in an overnight 120 mile event, put it many miles and a particularly scary 45mph coming down a hill....

But there are many bike that people love, it is about the fit too, so do try some out.

I agree with the buying it at your local bike store (LBS), I bought mine online and when something broke under warranty they refused to fix it. Local places live on their name so are generally more customer friendly.

Back commuting on the bike after 3 months today, forgot how glorious it can be!!!

E.M.

EvilMonkey

Tell a lie, if it was me, now, with £350 on the table, I'd save up the extra £20 and buy this

The Cape Wrath disc version. same bike but with hydraulic disc brakes. Ok, Ok, I know I'll get some stick for even suggesting hydro brakes but I paid £200 to have shimano ones put on mine and there worth every penny and more. A little less so if you never take it off road, but the extra control you get with hydro's is amazing...

Ok, I'll shut up now....