Looking at not entirely new bikes

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pjclinch
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Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

My old '97 rigid Embra Bike MTB needs a new transmission, and frankly it isn't worth it, so I'm sort of looking around at a new mountain bike for the odd cross-country bothy run (hence the rack requirement below) as well as fooling around on nothing too technical or vertiginous. I'd be quite happy for a last-year's-model and am wondering if The Panel have noticed anything in the clearance lines that hits the following marks...

  • £400 (ish) top price
  • hydraulic disc brakes
  • braze-ons or equivalent to mount a rear rack

Happy with 27.5 or 26 (if they still exist...), don't want 29s, frame M/~17"

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
reohn2
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by reohn2 »

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... AoTV8P8HAQ

The Bizango get rave reviews,but is a 29er.
BTW why the 29er prejuduce?
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pjclinch
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

reohn2 wrote:BTW why the 29er prejuduce?


My usual (road) rides have 16 and 20" wheels, I just prefer smaller. I could be persuaded otherwise, I guess the 29s would be notionally better for XC on landy tracks to remote Munros...

edit... followed that link and it says it's now on 27.5...

Pete.
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reohn2
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by reohn2 »

If you believe the hype 26in is on the way out,I was a mildly concerned when I bought my 29er Genesis Longitude(last years model,this year it's 27.5(650B)if the wheel size might die a death,but reasoned that if down the line,worst came to worst I could rebuild the wheels with different rims.
I needn't worry 29er and 27.5in seems to becoming the default sizes,well at least until the fashion changes :? .
I don't have enough experience of different MTB wheel sizes to give an opinion on them,other than to say I'm not disappointed with my 29er.
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pjclinch
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

Whatever the wheel size, it looks nice, but will it take a rack reasonably easily? Tricky to see if there are any eyelets on the pics... Shouldn't be any problem putting my Klickfix wicker basket on the bars, at any rate...

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
reohn2
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by reohn2 »

pjclinch wrote:Whatever the wheel size, it looks nice, but will it take a rack reasonably easily? Tricky to see if there are any eyelets on the pics... Shouldn't be any problem putting my Klickfix wicker basket on the bars, at any rate...

Pete.


Just took a look,there's four point rack eyelets,check out the smaller photos beneath the large photo.
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pjclinch
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

ah yes, should have gone to Specsavers etc...

Ta!

Also seen a Decathlon one that may fit my low-usage bill quite well, http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-540-mountain-bike-bundle-275-red-id_8350583.html

(my wife pointed out I didn't need a new MTB, and then went ahead and found that one for me...)
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hamster
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by hamster »

Frankly £400 doesn't get you much in the way of a new bike - lots of heavily compromised bits to hit the price point. However £150 will get you a complete new Deore groupset, £250 with discs. I'd consider transplanting that onto the existing bike if you find it comfortable and don't need to pay for a new frame, bars, stem, saddle etc.
https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-de ... 62877.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-de ... 70201.html
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pjclinch
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

hamster wrote:Frankly £400 doesn't get you much in the way of a new bike - lots of heavily compromised bits to hit the price point. However £150 will get you a complete new Deore groupset, £250 with discs. I'd consider transplanting that onto the existing bike if you find it comfortable and don't need to pay for a new frame, bars, stem, saddle etc.
https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-de ... 62877.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-de ... 70201.html


I'm not entirely sure where I'd put the discs...
For some context, my old bike is a 1997 Ebinburgh Countour 400 with a chromoly steel frame. It was £350 at the time, and that's so long ago that that sort of money didn't buy you a suspension fork at the time.

edit: a new stem... wouldn't mind a new stem, I could replace the quill with one of these new-fangled aheadset thingies... :wink:

Frankly, £400 gets you an amazing bike if your current one is a pre-suspension antique and don't do very much off-road to justify Real Money.

Pete.
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reohn2
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by reohn2 »

Pete
This has much better spec for £400:- http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-58 ... 36093.html
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

This sort of solved itself. A 2016 Cannondale Trail 4 that was to all intents and purposes new came up on the local Gumtree for £300, so I had that (even got a £30 lock thrown in). I was wondering if it might be too big as it's an L and on modern sizing charts I'm notionally an M, but there's plenty of standover height and I still had to put the saddle up a fair bit, and it feels fine (or did once I'd tightened the headset and pumped up the tyres.

And there's suspension and, and... everything! :)

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reohn2
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by reohn2 »

Result! :D
All you've got to do now is ride it :mrgreen:
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Re: Looking at not entirely new bikes

Post by pjclinch »

Rode it for a minute, stopped, took off the... thing supplied by Cannondale and put a B17 on it, and then had several miles of fun. Good Toy!

transmitted from my personal telephony apparatus
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