Reply to: Buying a Mountain Bike

[threaded]

Once you get fit, maybe next year or the year after, we can have a CUK team on the Three Peaks Cyclo Cross Race .

[gingerjedi]

Have you considered a cyclo-cross? There are quite a few builders who will do one for around that price, so you can get the exclusivity. Get it made of steel, some nice fat tires, and you won't need to waste money on suspension forks, and have a bike that be used just about anywhere.

From cyclo-Cross site: Cyclo-cross is cross country cycling. Have you ever explored dirt tracks or cut through a grassy park while on your road bike? - Lance Armstrong did to aviod a crash on his way to his fourth Tour de France win - that's all cyclo-cross is.
Lance also raced in some specialist cyclo-cross events as training.
Cyclo-cross bikes are about the most adaptable bicycles on the market, capable of taking a pounding and as fast as a road bike.

That is what I've always wanted and I never knew they existed, I'm quite exited by the prospect... there’s time for me to get fit yet! Cheers threaded.

[threaded]

Nope just checked and it’s been discontinued as a complete bike, I may be in the market for a new hardtail too have you any other recommendations for £600-£700?

Have you considered a cyclo-cross? There are quite a few builders who will do one for around that price, so you can get the exclusivity. Get it made of steel, some nice fat tires, and you won't need to waste money on suspension forks, and have a bike that be used just about anywhere.

[gingerjedi]

My wife’s got a Giant and I have had a Trek 6500 for few years now, I fancy something a bit more exclusive from a smaller specialist manufacturer, saying that her bikes a lot newer than mine and she's not going to be using it for a while as she is pregnant so maybe I'll just start taking that out!

[XTC]

Nope just checked and it’s been discontinued as a complete bike, I may be in the market for a new hardtail too have you any other recommendations for £600-£700?

I've always had Giants, been pretty happy with them although a bit $$.

[gingerjedi]

Nope just checked and it’s been discontinued as a complete bike, I may be in the market for a new hardtail too have you any other recommendations for £600-£700?

[threaded]

I'm buying a hard tail bike on Saturday

For a cheap hardtail you can't beat the spec on the "On One 456", if they still make it that is.

[threaded]

I do on average 60 km per day, about 8 km of it on unmade road, all year round, all weathers, and try to ride as hard as I possibly can. So I wreck bikes at quite a pace, mostly accidents trying to avoid colliding with the (much) slower traffic. I'm slowly but surely upgrading everything to (oversized) Titanium.

The crank axle that failed was on a bike, IIRC, just over two years old. It started making a clicking noise and then about 500 meters later is broke.

Once you spot a crack on Alu, it's game over, it's not going to last much longer. What I find scarey at the moment is with the latest fashion of using "plastic wrap" instead of paint on the frame. That's just going to hide any cracks until it is way too late.

[n5gooner]

I'm buying a hard tail bike on Saturday and will ether be spending £1000 on a Gary Fisher with a XT set or £1300 on a commencal again with an XT set. Both nice bikes, I live in Leatherhead, Surrey, so we have 100's of trails to do, which on my current Marin hybird bike is getting a little tough but more than likley from this firm... http://www.head-for-the-hills.co.uk/

this is the commencal bike.
http://activesportskit.co.uk/product...oducts_id=1694

[gingerjedi]

Absolutely it does! Have had alu fail, it is not a happy thing to experience. "Sudden and catastophic" is one of the kindest ways to describe the failure mode. I've even managed to fatigue fail a crank axle!

Personally I think Alu frames ought to come with a warning.

That’s why old planes wings fall off... or up to be precise!

How old was that bike? I have a 7 year old Trek 6500 and I'm not using it too hard because of this reason, time to trade me thinks.

On the plus side you seem to get a lot more for your money these days

[threaded]

A question for the mountain bike experts:

I used to make helicopters for a living and I know for a fact that aluminium 'age hardens', do mountain bike frames suffer to the same degree? Has anyone had one fail due to age?

Absolutely it does! Have had alu fail, it is not a happy thing to experience. "Sudden and catastophic" is one of the kindest ways to describe the failure mode. I've even managed to fatigue fail a crank axle!

Personally I think Alu frames ought to come with a warning.

[gingerjedi]

A question for the mountain bike experts:

I used to make helicopters for a living and I know for a fact that aluminium 'age hardens', do mountain bike frames suffer to the same degree? Has anyone had one fail due to age?

[threaded]

My point is spending that kind of money is like the novice golfer who spends a grand on his clubs. It won't make any difference to the way he plays.

Good similie, I was saying, why bother with a full bag when you can start with a driver, putter and a wedge.

[ratewhore]

for trailriding I spent 300 notes on a giant yukon. hardtail but front suspension and for a relative newcomer to offroad biking it does the business...

[Numptycorner]

My point is spending that kind of money is like the novice golfer who spends a grand on his clubs. It won't make any difference to the way he plays.