what mountain bike??

[Aston]

i am after a bike for me and the wife...we have been trying to get out more with the kids and after enduros vid clip of danny macaskills, trial / street bike adventures, i am hooked lol..

we will be using it for days out and for beginners trails etc..i have done a bit of research and realised that can be quite expensive upto to £3K!!!!! for a full suspension bike :yikes: i have about £1k to spend on 2 bikes, so what would you people in the know recommend???

is the halfords brands of carrera worth looking at??
i have heard of trek, mongoose, marin but any others??

i know dan, enduro and joe hillhead ride bikes so all opinions and advice appreciated before i part with the cash..

cheers
ed

 

[doug boardley]

I got mine from Halfords a GT Aggressor, (wow lol!) it was half price at £250 as it was the last years model/colours. It's fine for me as I don't do srious of road biking, just tootling along with Lou and the kids down the lanes and along the canal towpath.

 

[Deleted member 9966]

full suspension is only worth it if you're throwing yourself down hillsides and through rugged terrain. if you're just pootling along flat cycleways with a full suspension bike, you'll be pedaling harder and putting more effort in because the suspension is eating up your momentum. i'd go for a hardtail bike with front suspension. my next bike will probably be a Specialized as I know a lad who works in our local bike shop and he thinks they are quality bikes for leisure cyclists.

have you got independent cycle shops near your Ed? you'll find their advice a lot more impartial than a big chain like Halfords, and then when you've sussed out what you're looking for, go bargain hunting for the right bike

 

[Aston]

yeah, i just thought id be doing what you are doing doug, then, the guys in the shop start saying...are you gonna do any off road riding?? i say, well, maybe, errr yes. i'd like the options of doing some trails around north wales etc on more adventurous days out,...the guys in the shop say, 'well you;''ll need disc brakes, no!!, hydraulic disc brakes bla bla bla etc etc £££££££££££... where do you draw the line between a decent bike and not getting caught up in the mountain bike version of rubi and sigma lol

 

[doug boardley]

I'd quite happily put mine through it's paces off roading Ed, and it just has the normal centre pull/block type brakes. It might make my bum twitch but surely that would just add to the fun

 

[Aston]

hi liz,
yes, i have been into a couple of local independant bike shops. i really wanna throw myself down a hill without full suspension if you know what i mean ..in other words, i want a thrill but a cheap thrill lol not one that costs £2-3k lol...it looks like a marin or something similar for around £500. i might stick the wife on a raleigh or something lol

 

[Aston]

sod it doug, lets get a chopper :yikes: or a grifter?

 

[doug boardley]

have a look at some of these Ed, proper bikes lol

Charlie Kelly's Mountain Bike Hubsite

 

[chrisroe]

Ed


Hardtail
Boardman bikes at Halfords are v good
ive got a Specalized Rock Hopper and its great

get Disk brakes not the old block uns

Giant are good but £1 k each so i would have a good look at the Specalized range good time of year as new models are comming out/already out so buy last years and no one will notice

 

[Aston]

cheers mr roe!!
thanks for the advice ;0)

 

[doug boardley]

sod it doug, lets get a chopper :yikes: or a grifter?

ha ha, my sister used to have a chopper, with the stick gear lever in the middle of the crossbar, it was a deathtrap!!

 

[Aston]

thats the one doug!!! bleedin death trap they were lol

 

[DHTiling]

Try one of these for the whole family..:lol:

 

[hillhead]

Ed.my current bike was second hand. I have a post on here somewhere about it. The guy paid 999 quid 2 years ago then ripped it apart and rebuilt with over a grands worth of superb parts. I paid him 500 quid! Mine is a saracen zen2 custom built. Superb hardtail for me till i buy a full sus. My advice ed is buy second hand on ebay etc and pick up a bargain. If your going to do the trail centres etc then hydraulic brakes is a must in my opinion.some great deals on 09 hardtails and this years as the new 2011 bikes are in.let me know what you pick ed and ill say yes or no.ill send you a pic of my bike now.

 

[M.J.]

Try one of these for the whole family..:lol:

hahaah nice