[mindyspat]

im a begginer at mountain biking. i would like to purchase a bike but no idea what i need to look for on a bike. can anyone advise me please.mindyspat@hotmail.com

[Fudbeer]

take a look at decathlon they have some very fairly priced bikes if you want to spend more james cycles give good advice but the chesterfield branch is better than the sheffield one i would also avoid suspension on the cheap bikes

[mindyspat]

where is decathlon please. what do you mean you would avoid suspension on the cheap bike. dont all bikes have suspension. i have no idea what im talking about. i only want to pay abot 200 pounds as am a begginer. thankyiou. linda

[Fudbeer]

hi linda

decathlon is in town oppisite staples near the bottom of the moor.

some of the cheap mountain bikes try to cram in as many features as possible rather than focus on the quality.

a good bike at that price will not have suspension as it is not enough money to get pay for a reliable suspension set up imo.

btw good luck cycling is great fun

the bike in the link looks worth checking out

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/Produc...780/index.html

edit opps just noticed that one has front suspension still looks ok though

[Eric_Collins]

Originally Posted by Fudbeer

take a look at decathlon they have some very fairly priced bikes if you want to spend more james cycles give good advice but the chesterfield branch is better than the sheffield one i would also avoid suspension on the cheap bikes

cheap suspension on bikes is realy nasty,heavy and hardly moves unless you jump off high walls ect... then it moves only an inch or so.

Good names to look for in Suspension is RST, Rockshox, Mozochi,Manitou. These are run of the mill stuff found on basic and high end bikes.

ZOOM and names like that are bad forks and no better then hard end forks. The basic give away with cheap forks is the fork legs, if they are welded into the brace then they are nasty. This means that cleaning and oiling is going to be a major issue , if you even can.

Then there is the Porche of forks like mine Mr Dirts USD big hitters. 10" of travel, open oil baths, Air and spring hydrolics, Wet bushings, Bolt through axel, Oil/Air mix levers & hand made in USA. Snip at ?1500 a pair.

Disk brakes are the way to go now mate. Ypu can pick up hydrolic oil ones now on bikes aound ?120 !!! These are super powerfull and work btter in dirt & rain. V-Brakes are ok, powerfull but squeel like pigs and loose power in wet and mud.

wheels, You want deep fat rims with as many spokes as you can. This means more numbers stronger rims. I have 2.3inch wide rims with 36 spokes. thses will be stronger than 1inch rims with 32 spokes.

I'd also advise eBay at moment with alot of people getting bikes for christmas The surplus has goto go somewhere ?
________
Free Sex

[marmite]

Your better off getting advice from JE James, but buying from Decathlon.
I wouldnt use JeJames unless i wanted a specialist bike, and the amount they charge you for a service is just stupid, on top of that i had to wait a month for them to CHECK my brake wires.
Decathlon do a free service after a 6 months for sure, and im pretty certain that all the services are free too!

[marmite]

Originally Posted by mindyspat

im a begginer at mountain biking. i would like to purchase a bike but no idea what i need to look for on a bike. can anyone advise me please.mindyspat@hotmail.com

Eric, i think you may have gone a little deep into that. It was intersting for me though

[geetee]

buy a £200 gt it constantly gets voted best mountain bike in the mags

[torin8]

If you want a bike which is reliable and will come with good advice then I can recommend that you pop over to the cycle hire shop at Ladybower / Derwent dams. Every year (about now) they sell off their old stock of bikes but before they sell it they service and repair everything. I got mine from them last year and they are such great people (I'll be taking it back there to get it serviced too!).

[HallamJIM]

hi,

I imagine as a beginner you would be after a bike for light on and off road use?

I would suggest you look at getting a hardtail (front suspension only), spend no less than £250 and stick with the reputable brands such as Kona, Giant, Marin, GT, Specialized to name a few. This way you will hopefully get a bike that is good quality and parts will be readily available.

Maybe buy a mountain biking magazine and read the reviews, invaluable advice can be found so you don't make the wrong decision

Hope this helps.
Jim