Help Another Bike thread

Raven

Happy Shopper Ray Mears
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My Dad has given me his old mountain bike, its nothing special but its a good start, I want to start cycling a bit to get in shape.

It needs some new tyres but I am not really sure what to get, it currently has Continental Travel Contact they are marked as 26 x 1.75, I have found a few different combinations of numbers X by Y but I don't know what the numbers represent. Obviously I could just buy the exact same tyres but I would rather know what it means.

It could probably do with some new brake pads too, again I have found tons of different types and I don't want to order some to find they don't fit. Is the part that fits on the pad to the arm of the brake a standard size/type or would I have to match the pads to the manufacturer of the brakes?

There used to be a decent little bike shop in town but its closed down now, I don't really want to go to Halfords as I imagine they are as much use as PC world staff are to PC buying.

Ta
 

Will

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The tyres I'd recommend depend on what you are going to do with the bike.

And do you know what kind of brakes they are?
 

Raven

Happy Shopper Ray Mears
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No idea about the brakes, they are an upside down U shape, I will get a picture tonight.

I will mostly be riding on the road as I will by cycling to work, however there is a decent forest near me with a few trails in so I would like to do that too, nothing too extreme for now though.
 

Will

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For mostly road, I'd get some slick tyres, but they would be a bit shit on forest trails. Semi-slicks (like the tyres already on there) would be a decent compromise.

The brakes are probably V-brakes. Take a pic and post it to be sure, and then we can tell you which pads you can get.
 

Tom

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The tyre size is 26 inches circumference by 1.75 inches width. Get narrow tyres for road, wide tyres for off-road. Nice and smooth for road use, nice and knobbly for off-road muddy use. Maxxis make good tyres.

As for the pads, if they're V-brakes virtually any pad will fit although you will probably have to adjust the arms back out as the new pads will be thicker than the old ones.
 

Raven

Happy Shopper Ray Mears
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Found out from a neighbour that they are indeed V brakes so thats that problem solved. Will get a set of road tyres for now and but some that are more suitable for offroad at a later date.

Thanks for the help :)
 

Tom

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whoops I did of course mean diameter :)
 

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