adam1985
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 posted on 13/3/10 at 08:02 PM |
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Advice with pedal bike
Hi all i know alot of you on here are into you biking so thought it would be good to ask. Ive been thinking about getting a bike again i havent been
on one for about 5 years but used to go everywhere on one as a kid. I got my old carrera out today which i used to have but its old and rickerty now
so time for a new one
i dont want to spend loads yet so have been looking at these
gt
bike
What do you think or any other suggestions i dont mind second hand as long as it in good con so anyone selling one.
Ps it will be used for road and light off road
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TigerB6 Paul
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 08:11 PM |
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Eurgh dont do it!! Your £300 would be much better spent on a 2nd hand bike.
I bought a frame just before xmas off Ebay. Ok so its worth a considerable amount of money (£2000 plus for a new one) but there are bargains to be had
- i paid £350 delivered for what is probably in the region of £1300 worth of frame and built it up from there. Bargain really
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tegwin
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 08:14 PM |
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As above... dont go anywhere near halfords bikes...
GT are not the brand they used to be!!!
If I were looking for a bike... I think I would buy the parts on ebay, or bikeradar forums etc... and build my own..
2004 (older shape) specialized enduro frames can be picked up for around £200... pop some new bearings in there, get the shock serviced and its good
to go... I guess it depends what you want to do..
If you wanted a "ready to ride".... then the specialized rockhopper is pretty good for the money
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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TigerB6 Paul
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 08:19 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
As above... dont go anywhere near halfords bikes...
.........Unless its a top line Boardman but they are £1000+ (and a bargain even without the Cycle 2 Work scheme)
Edit - now there's a thought!! Does your company offer a cycle to work scheme??
[Edited on 13/3/10 by TigerB6 Paul]
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Richard Quinn
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 08:52 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by TigerB6 Paul
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
As above... dont go anywhere near halfords bikes...
.........Unless its a top line Boardman but they are £1000+ (and a bargain even without the Cycle 2 Work scheme)
Edit - now there's a thought!! Does your company offer a cycle to work scheme??
[Edited on 13/3/10 by TigerB6 Paul]
Only company that offered me that was Arup. It would've been a 120 mile each way commute!!
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bi22le
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 09:09 PM |
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Ha that supprises me. I have got a GT that I brought from halfords about 6 years ago. I have used it loads (used it to get to and from work for 2
years) including off road. It has done very well. I have brought some new bits for it as they have broken but I dont exactly loom after it.
I went out today for a 20 mile ride infact! I thought GT were good. Also Halfords repaired it under warrenty for me aswell. It was there fault though!
I brought a cheap bike from Cycle King for my lady and that seemed good too. Heavy but good.
The way I look at it is I ride a bike because its fun and a way of staying fit. Im not a pro so weight dont matter. If it breaks ill fix it with new
parts.
Maybe you should think what you want from the bike and how much effort you want to put into looking after it.
Just my 2ps worth.
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
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bi22le
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 09:12 PM |
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Oh another quick point. My brother has a bike from ebay that was a Marion costing over £500 second hand. He also did 20 miles today. We both got there
and back!
Tyre tread made a difference more than weight we decided.
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 09:25 PM |
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Look for something new, but a model from last year or earlier
I bought a 1995 Giant NRS 1 from these people three years ago
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/
for about £600 less than list.
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55ant
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 09:28 PM |
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adam, i have that exac bike, my mum bought it for me for christmas after using my nice road bikes as runabrounds got way to expensive, personaly the
bike has been really good, but it is very slow on the road mainly due to the very chunky tyres, if your getting something to get from a-b, cycle paths
etc, i would say go for a hybrid. or if jsut road, then road bike all the way, but then your talking big $$$
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Simon
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 10:09 PM |
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If you can get a bike on the cycle scheme, it'll be well worth it.
If you work for a big co they may have an arrangement with someone like "cyclescheme.co.uk" (which is completely pointless) or if you work
for a small co that doesn't have a scheme in place, and you can persuade the boss to write you a cheque and get either you accounts dept or
accountant to sort the rest. Look at
Cycle to work calculator
to see how much you can save on a bike.
Your budget may double if you can do it
It's how I justified my new Giant - which will spend most of its life in the woods
ATB
Simon
[Edited on 13/3/10 by Simon]
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TimEllershaw
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| posted on 13/3/10 at 10:23 PM |
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As with all things in life, it depends on what you are used to and what you expect.
At £299 it is at the bottom end of the market. If you accept that, then it will be a perfectly suitable bike for everyday use.
Less is (usually) more at this price. Definitely avoid rear suspension - it will be crap. Possibly avoid front suspension - you don't really
need it. Maybe void disc brakes. OK, your bike will be less flash, but you are probably better to have good quality older style kit than something
that is built on the cheap just to tick boxes on a spec sheet. Ditch anything that sounds heavy.
As for the brand, GT is fine. OK, so "they are not what they used to be", but at this price any of the top name brands ( Trek,
Specialized, Scott, Kona, etc) are all going to be pretty similar.( and not produced with the same materials or care that their flagship models are)
May be worth looking at the likes of Cube, or Focus.
The Locost option is definitely second hand- always loads in the local paper and on ebay.( but I do love that brand new bike feeling  )
Other suggestions : http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/vulcan-07-27707
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/kraken-07-20130
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adam1985
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| posted on 14/3/10 at 07:20 PM |
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Cheers for the advice i think im going to wait for something good second hand what makes would be good to look at im thinking trek, carrera mainly in
my budget any others?
ETA im self employed so a bike scheme is out
[Edited on 14/3/10 by adam1985]
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TigerB6 Paul
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| posted on 14/3/10 at 07:36 PM |
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Giant, Specialised, Kona, Scott, Cannondale - the list is endless really.
Best bet when you find a bike is have a look at the reviews online or ask on here.
link to review site
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