Barracuda Combat MTB??

[speed_monkey]

Right I have acquired one of these barracuda bikes, full suspension etc.

How do they perform off road, the frame doesnt seem particularly heavy and seems well made.

Ive got a shimano acera chain set lying around that I will chuck on it along with my old crank brothers candy egg beaters.

Any one have any experience with these barracudas?

Cheers guys

[okgo]

Barracuda?

I thought they were just cheap tat from halfords, much like Apollo etc?

[gbbird]

okgo said:

Barracuda?

I thought they were just cheap tat from halfords, much like Apollo etc?

I thought so too. If so, then not worth doing anything with it

[speed_monkey]

Dunno, basically I've just been given it as a freebie.

Ive always wanted to get into off road biking so may as well use a freebie to cut my teeth on and have some bits and bobs to bolt onto it, ie the crank bro pedals and chain set etc etc.

[okgo]

speed_monkey said:

Dunno, basically I've just been given it as a freebie.

Ive always wanted to get into off road biking so may as well use a freebie to cut my teeth on and have some bits and bobs to bolt onto it, ie the crank bro pedals and chain set etc etc.

Agree with that. When you break it, get a proper job

[speed_monkey]

Exactly, I could sell it and go and get a £700-£1000 jobbie, but wouldn't really appreciate it as much as a well seasoned rider.

Tbh this bike doesn't seem THAT bad its not very heavy at all, decent brakes, the L/H crank is snapped but like i say I have acquired some goodies to bolt onto it, that were also free

[speed_monkey]

Right I have decided to sell the barracuda and maybe buy a giant acid linky

Any one have any experience with this bike? Seems a lot of bike for the money.

Cheers guys

[Beyond Rational]

What the hell is that?!/\

That is grotesque and at 14.5kg, literally a lot of bike for the money. The seat tube design, WTF? no wonder its been sat in a shop for four years.

[speed_monkey]

I actually quite like the looks of it!

Is 14.5Kg a lot for a bike then? Do you have any recommendations for a relative noob for no more than say £350.00 then?

[Beyond Rational]

First thing would be to define what you mean by 'off road',the kinds of terrain you'd ride and distances you'd expect to travel; that Giant is a more of dirt jumping bike and in the 14inch size would only be fit for the very committed or midgets. Knowing your height could also be useful.

14.5kg is quite a lot for a hardtail but that also depends on its use.

[speed_monkey]

or what about kona fire mountain

[speed_monkey]

well off road will be kind of a mixture of everything, i used to BMX quite a lot on the pipe and things like that so I dare say "jumping" isn't out of the picture.

I'm 5ft8/9 if that helps?

[Gooby]

It is a bit of an odd bike...
The seat tube doesnt look that good, it seems odd for the sake of being odd. Have you ridden it?

14.5kg is hefty, especially without full suss.

I would ride a few bikes and get an idea what you are buying.

[carter711]

Kona Firemountain is a very good starter bike, I'd recommend one.

[speed_monkey]

well its a toss up now between the kona and the giant, but I must admit i do prefer the Giants looks and it seems a type of bike that I would feel familiar on given my BMX past etc

[Gooby]

speed_monkey said:

well its a toss up now between the kona and the giant, but I must admit i do prefer the Giants looks and it seems a type of bike that I would feel familiar on given my BMX past etc

Have you tried either?

[speed_monkey]

That will be the deciding factor to be honest so just have to find someone who stocks them and hop on to see how I find them

[DarrellHR]

the giant is a massive no,no IMO. It is uncomfortable and heavy, and just feels odd in comparisson to any other bike.
A friend bought one and sold it on ebay not that long after. He now rides a specialized hardrock, which seems to be a safe bet for a beginner, as a couple of us own one now.
Jus' my 2p of course...

[speed_monkey]

for a 32" inside leg is a 14" frame too small would you say? (this is for the giant)

[Sarkmeister]

I totally agree with avoiding that Giant, how the hell are you supposed to adjust the seat??

At your price range id be looking at the Carrera Kraken from Halfords, and also the GT Avalanche/Aggressor 3 (or maybe 2 if you can find one in the sale).