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~Yuckfou~

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Dec 22, 2003
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I'm looking to buy a couple of mountain bikes for Mrs Yuck and my good self.
They are unlikely to be heavily used, so I'm not inclined to spend a great deal of money on them. I think a budget of £150 per bike is enough. The roads in Southport are crap and we will ride down to the beach as well as out to the canalside pubs, so my only prerequisite would be dual suspension (delicate arse), lightweight would also be good.
I've seen various machines at both Halfords and our local JJB megastore and even Ebay that seem to fit the bill, just wondered if anyone had any particular suggestions?

Frame sizes? I used to know how to work this out but I'm old and my memory is fading :)
I'm 6'2", 33" inside leg (hung like a horse but thats probably not relevant here), Mrs Yuck is a short arse, 5'2" no idea what inside leg, but it's smooth if that helps :) What size frames should we get?
 

TdC

Trem's hunky sex love muffin
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Dec 20, 2003
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hmm, in mtb terms you're an L or XL (I believe that's 17~19" but inches suck tbh. metric all the way baby!) and she's an S or M depending on what feels best when you do a trial run on the bikes.
I know you're not particularly wanting to spend a lot of cash, but I recommend you get the best bike you're willing to pay for. you *will* know where that extra money went Yuck matey. as I only really know things about mtb I'll advise looking into something called a Specialized Hardrock (link may not work, their site is session-id driven). It's basically a low-end, tough and reasonably inexpensive mtb that can do just about everything.
you may even be able to cut a decent deal by getting two at once, and they come in a ladies variant too, with a lower top bar.

as it's not a fully, I'd advise taking off your standard saddle and getting the "big" plush version of Specialized's body geometry saddle. it is a bit heavy, but very very comfortable. I have one myself, as I consider "regular" saddles to be instruments of torture.
 

Gef

Fledgling Freddie
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Jan 9, 2004
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Would be best to actually go into a bike shop and try it out, go to a nice local bike shop and not some crappy retail park Halfords. Down with the capitalist whores!

If you go to a decent local shop they will probably throw in a load of extras if your making a big purchase like that. I bought a £200 bike from a smaller shop and got lights, lock and all necessary tweaks and adjustments for free.
 

~Yuckfou~

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Dec 22, 2003
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Specialized Hardrock = £300 :/

Good bike, and I understand that the benefits are there (I used to have a good road bike), but it'll get ridden 4/5 times a year on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I need 2 of them. I really cannot justify that kind of spend.

givf cheap bikes!!¬!2
 

TdC

Trem's hunky sex love muffin
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yeah, yeah, like I said,I know you're not out to spend that amount of cash, but still....you should be able to cut a good deal in a decent shop like Gef said. perhaps 50 squids off each bike, lights, locks, mudguards, 2 years free service et al, things that may cost you later on....and you'll get a 'proven' good little bike back for it with reasonably good kit thrown on as standard.

still, I do not know what bike shops offer as a standard low end bike these days, best you have a wee look about along with gathering advice. Like Gef says, a small(ish) bikeshop will usually offer above average service and treat you like a proper person, so dropping by for a chat should give you loads of information.
 

Wazzerphuk

FH is my second home
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All depends on how you like to sit on the bike. I like a big frame, my bike I never ride anymore is a 21 inch frame, and I find that too small when I do ride it. I'm not tall either, averaging at a very bland 5'11"...
 

Padwah

Fledgling Freddie
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Dec 25, 2003
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Your best bet would be to go down to your local bike shop and have a word with them. As has already been mentioned they'll more than likely through a load of extras in with the bike, especially as you are buying two.

One thing I would definately recommend is that you steer well clear of any full suspension mountain bikes. For the money that you are looking to spend all suspension will do is rob you of all the energy that you want to make you go fast. Plus it will weigh a ton, so after you've got bored of boucing up and down (boing! said zebedee) you're left with a heavy bike that just takes more effort than necassary to get anywhere and you'll just leave it at the back of the garage, still it'll be a nice playground for the spiders :)

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk do some decent older model mountain bikes for very good prices. Admitedly none quite down at £150 but spending a bit extra really is worth it :)
 

Gumbo

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Dec 22, 2003
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Interestingly Pauls cycles backs onto the Halfords in Dereham, and rumour hath it that he sold the land to Boots at the time to build the superstore on. Halfords assumed they would put him out of business in a couple of years at most, then start to rake it in. However this must be about 10 years ago now, and they haven't, and don't.

Last years models can be a good way to go, and do not under any circumstances buy fully suspended for your purposes.
 

Padwah

Fledgling Freddie
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Dec 25, 2003
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Because for the sort of riding he and the missus intend to do it's completely unnecessary and for the sort of money that Yuck's aiming for all he'll end up with is a big heavy weight to carry around and shout at!
 

.Wilier.

One of Freddy's beloved
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Dec 22, 2003
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For what its worth..............

Definatley go to a decent bike shop, they can advise you on proper sizing dont buy mail order unless your really sure you know what you want. For instance Im only 5'7" and I ride a 17" MTB and a 52cm road bike, so obviously the 2 dont match up.

Make sure when you do get one, that your seat is at the right height, most important thing tbh.

With one crank arm at its lowest stroke, with no shoes on, you need to be have you heel touching the pedal with your leg in a locked out position. This will mean that when you have your shoes on, and in a riding position (ie ball of foot) your knee will be slightly bent at the lowest part of the stroke.

Its a common thing (in cycling) that people tend to have their saddles too high, so you get the hip rocking motion. Greg Lemond, all those years back, when he joined his first European team was instructed to lower his saddle by nearly 5cm, although you dont want to go too low, cos you'll naz your knees.
 

Tom

I am a FH squatter
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Dec 22, 2003
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Cheap bikes usually end up on the tip, they weigh a ton and are no fun to ride. I suggest you look in the classifieds of a good bike magazine, and find something to suit your budget. Make sure you check the frame closely to see if its been in an accident:

fork alignment (easy to check)
rippled metal behind the headset (indicates frontal impact)
pedal alignment

etc..
 

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