What Bike?

[james7]

Looking at getting a new bike soon but dont really know what to get, or from where, so any suggestions appreciated.

I dont want to use it on the road. Gentle off road only.
I am not into racing or going fast down mountains or anything else extreme. Just want something comfortable and a bit of fun rather than trying to shave 10ths off my previous time etc
Hoping to get fit, lose some weight and see a bit of the countryside at the same time.
Disk brakes would be good as being a fat git and new to off road stuff I could probably do with a bit of stopping power.

I like the look and the idea of a fat bike. The on-one fatty is appealing at the moment. Are there any major downsides to one?
Or a full suspension bike like http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBTIELG29X5/titus-el-g... ?
Or just front suspension?
Budget iro £1k but if there is something better for a bit more then thats good too.

[ecsrobin]

Where will you be riding. For £1k I wouldn't bother with full suspension.

[joema]

Something like a 29" wheeled hard tail would be good. Try and visit a bike shop and have a look at them for size etc.

[HollywoodStig]

Just bought a Canyon Nerve 9.0AL after a friend (triathlete) recommended them.

The spec of their gear is great, although when I ordered it 'from stock' it took 6wks to arrive.

Well pleased with it, check their website out.

[james7]

Not sure where I will mainly be riding yet. I will see how I get on locally (surrey) with the odd visit to the coast/somewhere nice.
What are the pitfalls with full suspension?

I have been to halfords a few times and like the look of the boardman bikes. Are they any good?
I wanted one with a smaller frame than my current one or at least a lower step through height.

The Canyon website looks like they have some nice stuff there. I will have a proper look later on.
Thanks

[HollywoodStig]

Post up pics when you decide!

[james7]

If you bear in mind that the last time I was looking at bikes properly they had 5 gears and there was no such thing as discs!

Bit of a silly question but what is the difference between the nerve al6 and al7 for example?

[deadtom]

james7 said:

I like the look and the idea of a fat bike. The on-one fatty is appealing at the moment. Are there any major downsides to one?

- massively heavy for a full rigid bike
- really high rolling resistance
- horrible to ride because of the above reasons
- they look stupid.

Unless you regularly ride on snow or loose, deep sand then there is zero point in a fat bike.

The problem with full suspension is easiest to explain in bullet point form:

- 1K hardtail; 80% good solid kit that will last a while, 20% filler that will work to begin with but be a bit meh after not very long
- 1K full suspension: 100% meh

In your position I would suggest a 650b hardtail (or if you can find one, an old stock 26" at good discount) from a brand like boardman, carrera, voodoo, genesis etc. a 29er would allow you to skim along a bit faster, but if you are a sturdy chap then the increased strength and rigidity of smaller wheels (and correspondingly shorter forks and chain/seat stays) will work in your favour

brands like cube and canyon do offer blinding value for money, however cube bikes are often difficult/impossible to get hold of due to shortage of supply, and canyon after sales service is time consuming at best, non existent at worst in this country due to being a direct sales company

[james7]

deadtom said:

james7 said:

I like the look and the idea of a fat bike. The on-one fatty is appealing at the moment. Are there any major downsides to one?

- massively heavy for a full rigid bike
- really high rolling resistance
- horrible to ride because of the above reasons
- they look stupid.

Unless you regularly ride on snow or loose, deep sand then there is zero point in a fat bike.

The problem with full suspension is easiest to explain in bullet point form:

- 1K hardtail; 80% good solid kit that will last a while, 20% filler that will work to begin with but be a bit meh after not very long
- 1K full suspension: 100% meh

In your position I would suggest a 650b hardtail (or if you can find one, an old stock 26" at good discount) from a brand like boardman, carrera, voodoo, genesis etc. a 29er would allow you to skim along a bit faster, but if you are a sturdy chap then the increased strength and rigidity of smaller wheels (and correspondingly shorter forks and chain/seat stays) will work in your favour

brands like cube and canyon do offer blinding value for money, however cube bikes are often difficult/impossible to get hold of due to shortage of supply, and canyon after sales service is time consuming at best, non existent at worst in this country due to being a direct sales company

I was a bit concerned about the weight but what seems to be the better ones are a few kgs heavier. The on-one fat bike is 2kgs heavier than a Boardman 650b. Does that matter?

My thinking with the fat bike was less complex than suspension, bigger rolling radius for bumps and stronger. And I rather like the looks of them too

Are the 26" wheels a bit of a dying breed now then?

I was a bit concerned about a manufacturer being in another country. A possible issue for spares etc

Edited by james7 on Sunday 5th April 16:32

[Magic919]

Unless you move to Taiwan, much of your bike will be manufactured in another country.

[james7]

Magic919 said:

Unless you move to Taiwan, much of your bike will be manufactured in another country.

Do none of them keep spares then?
I assumed a uk company would at least have spares for their current stuff and hopefully older stuff too!

[Magic919]

Spares, probably not. Frames made in the Far East, generic bits from the usual big manufacturers. Can't see a thousand quid bike having any genuine UK content.

[james7]

Magic919 said:

Spares, probably not. Frames made in the Far East, generic bits from the usual big manufacturers. Can't see a thousand quid bike having any genuine UK content.

Thats not good if they dont keep spares!

Is this all companies then?

What other options are there?

[Steve_F]

You'll get most of the generic spares from the uk. Most parts won't be bike specific (ie gear spares and brake pads) and things like bearings it doesn't sound like you'll have to be overly worried about.

My cousin had the carbon 650b boardman last time we were out. It is very light but boy is it harsh! Downhill you know you're on a stiff carbon bike. But, the alu version would be perfect for what you describe.

Definitely hard tail (better value for money as you're not paying for rear suspension), definitely not a fat bike (you'll hate it for the reasons described and normal tyres will roll a lot faster).

Pop down to your local bike shop, see what they recommend, search for reviews and go for it. Maybe even try a hire bike from them first. Should have ones in your price range on the hire fleet and most shops refund your hire if you end up buying one.

Online is a minefield, I went into a bike shop yesterday certain what I wanted from online searching and the fit was awful for me. A bike I'd completely discounted online is now a hot contender.

Also look secondhand, 26 inch wheeled bikes are going very cheap secondhand right now. Good way to test the water and see if you enjoy riding! And buy good cycling shorts and lube yourself up, saddles are not a nice place to sit after a long time not cycling!

[Magic919]

Why do you think spares are needed? What part of the bike do you think will need replacement, that you can't just go and buy online or from a local shop?

[deadtom]

james7 said:

The on-one fat bike is 2kgs heavier than a Boardman 650b. Does that matter?

My thinking with the fat bike was less complex than suspension, bigger rolling radius for bumps and stronger. And I rather like the looks of them too

Are the 26" wheels a bit of a dying breed now then?

bearing in mind that a full rigid bike should be a couple of kg lighter than a suspension bike, that makes the fat bike around 4 kg heavier than a conventional rigid bike, and near enough all that weight is in its massive tyres (i.e. the worst possible place to add weight)

Fat bike tyres are usually 26" x 4" so actually have a smaller rolling radius than 650b or 29er. They will be stronger though so you can have that point.

sadly yes 26" is dying, much to my dismay. All 3 of mine are 26" still and I shall keep it this way as long as I possibly can

james7 said:

Do none of them keep spares then?
I assumed a uk company would at least have spares for their current stuff and hopefully older stuff too!

Bikes are not like cars; the bicycle manufacturer will (generally speaking) only make the frame and some of the cheaper finishing kit. All the other parts are made by other manufacturers, for example shimano gears, fox forks, mavic wheels etc and are easily replaceable and upgradeable as all companies use standardised fittings, mountings, spacings etc (there are exceptions but this is true in 99% of cases, and much to the dismay of myself and many others, new 'standards' are being invented by marketing teams all the time so backwards compatibility is getting harder and harder these days).

The availability of older replacement parts for the main components (frame, forks, wheels) very much depends on the company and the product in question; some will be able to provide parts for anything from the last 10 years (hope tech), but most won't carry many spares beyond a few years.

As others have said the vast majority of all parts (both frames and componentry) are now built in the far east, however the issues with spares and after sales service with companies like cube and canyon are due to the supply chain, rather than the geographical location of the factories

[james7]

Magic919 said:

Why do you think spares are needed? What part of the bike do you think will need replacement, that you can't just go and buy online or from a local shop?

I dont really know. You were saying there was an issue due to them being made in another country. I assumed that would mean spares may be an issue.
If not does it matter that its not made in uk?

I assumed most stuff was made in china or wherever as with most stuff nowadays!

[james7]

Steve_F said:

You'll get most of the generic spares from the uk. Most parts won't be bike specific (ie gear spares and brake pads) and things like bearings it doesn't sound like you'll have to be overly worried about.


Also look secondhand, 26 inch wheeled bikes are going very cheap secondhand right now. Good way to test the water and see if you enjoy riding! And buy good cycling shorts and lube yourself up, saddles are not a nice place to sit after a long time not cycling!

Thats good to know most stuff is interchangeable.

Where is good to look for secondhand bikes?

I am not sure about the lubing up bit!
This has all changed in recent years. Never used to do any of that malarkey

[Magic919]

james7 said:

I dont really know. You were saying there was an issue due to them being made in another country.

Not me.

[james7]

deadtom said:

sadly yes 26" is dying, much to my dismay. All 3 of mine are 26" still and I shall keep it this way as long as I possibly can

Will 26" wheel frames/forks etc take the 29" wheels or the 27.5?

What is the difference? Apart from the obvious

Years ago this was all easy. You either had big wheels or a bmx nothing in between!
And the only time lube was used it went on your chain