|
|
|
|
What Type of Mountain Bike should I Buy? Whether you are 10 or 40, there is nothing quite as exciting as getting a new bike, and its easy to get carried away and jump into buying a bike without much thought, and regret it later. There are just so many bikes available its difficult to know where to start. To begin, decide what you are going to need it for. If realistically you are only going to use it along towpaths and firetracks then you really don't need a full suspension bike. These tend to be heavier and more expensive. Likewise if you have visions of doing big jumps and drop offs then you don't want a hybrid commuter style bike. The truth is that most mountain bikers fall somewhere in-between these two extremes and use their bikes for a combination of roads, fire tracks, singletrack, the odd small jump and drop off - so you want an all round bike (cross country XC). As to whether you opt for a front suspension only bike
(otherwise known as a hardtail) or a full suspension bike is really a matter of
personal preference. Full suspension bikes are heavier, more costly, but do
offer a smoother ride, particularly when your technique comes up short. Full
suspension bikes are getting lighter, but for a good quality bike they are still
more expensive So what constitutes a quality bike - well in effect you get what you pay for. You want something strong enough to withstand the knocks - anything from being thrown in the car, to colliding with a tree or the ground. You also want a bike that is not too heavy that you are not going to be able to get it up a hill, and a bike which is worth spending the money on to repair or upgrade components In essence, buy the bike with the best frame you can for the money you have got. You can add disk brakes later, new forks, lighter seat posts and so on as funds become available. So how much do I need to spend - spend as much as you can afford, but remember there are other costs such as helmets, gloves, car racks and repairs. I would avoid anything less than £250 new as these are unlikely to be anything other than road bikes masquerading as mountain bikes. Your bike will suffer a lot of abuse. Just to illustrate with a true anecdote A friend of mine bought a cheap bike for 100 pounds. The rear chain set cracked and broke on his first outing. It's sat in his shed ever since. Equally, if you are new to the sport, do not be duped into believing that spending money will make you a better biker, faster up the hills, or more confident down them. Is there "badge snobbery" - well yes and no, most mountain bikers like to be seen on a bike with a good name, but the reputation of these names is generally well earned - eg Mongoose, specialised, Giant, orange to name but a few. I would advise not buying bikes from supermarkets, the shopping channel, or the big orange and black car parts and bike superstore (you know who you are) if you actually intent using your bike off road. Instead small independent stores give excellent service, care about the bikes they sell you and offer far superior servicing and repair quality, service and value for money and as a general rule stick to the big guns in terms of brand. The only two exceptions to this rule are Evans cycles and the Edinburgh bicycle cooperative - big companies but they offer a small company level of service. Most good bike shops will have demonstrator bikes, or if you watch the local mountain bike websites, there are often testing days at places such as glen tress etc. What about second hand? Well this is a bit of a lottery, particularly if you are buying off ebay. There are lots of bargains to be had, but also the possibility of being duped, fooled into buying a bike with a major fault, and/or spending the same amount of money again on repairs. However if you know what you are looking for... Before you buy though, make sure you know what frame size you need, the best way to do this is to go along to a bike shop and try a few bikes for size. You need to be able to fully extend your leg and the lowest point of the pedal. A bike which is too big can feel heavy and clumsy. what about a bike with no suspension? Until recently suspension bikes were very expensive, even those with just front suspension, but the price of these has come down. so generally you will be buying a bike from the lowest end of the spectrum, however it is still better to buy a bike with no suspension which has a good frame than a cheap bike with all the extras but which are of poor quality. I started my mountain biking on a bike with no suspension (diamond back) and later a specialized rockhopper. For this i had a huge amount of riding over all sorts of terrain and loads of fun, with very little maintenance and minimum of cost What Do I Use Now? I have a specialized rockhopper 2004 hardtail, front suspension, cost £400 in the September sales, £200 for the addition of disk brakes a year later. In addition a specialized FSR XC full suspension bike, again bought in September sale of 2005. £200 for disk brakes to be added later. In addition I have a specialized hardrock, £250 in sale of 2006 as a backup bike.
Why three bikes - at least one bike is in the shop being repaired at anyone time! What sort of Pedals
|
|
|
They
are as you might suggest flat, although most have little pins in to stop your
feet sliding. Arguably they are the safest in that they have the biggest area
to land on, and also if you fall there is nothing to hold your feet in place