Bike purchasing advice

[Toxteth]

Or you could go to Tredz, you lazy git!
http://www.tredz.co.uk/bike_shops.aspx#cardiff_shop

:doh: But I don't have a bike to get there! :wink:

[Toxteth]

Well I found the best price I can for the Spesh hardrock Sport Disc '10 , I'll just have to get down to trekz and test one out to see if I like it then order it off that site.

I did some looking around and it seems Edinburgh Bicycle Coop do a good service, it comes ready to ride and well set up apparently!

[Toxteth]

A new variable has come into the equation.

I conveniently have a friend who works for Halfords who informs me that he gets 28% discount+there's a sale on next week so I could be looking at nailing a bargain bike, depending on what the makes are like though. The majority I see in my price range are Carreras. They any good? They also have a couple of GT's

Any experience with these or should I stick with the Spesh?

[Benny]

The Carrera Fury was supposed to be an exceptional bike, likewise the Banshee.

Take a look here;
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/?brand=214&results=12&orderby=highestrated&pricerange=&_brc=0&submit.x=59&submit.y=2&submit=Update+Results

The Boardmans also get good reviews. I've a friend (believe it or not) that has a Kraken and he's had no complaints so far. That said, Halfords are shite and will build their bikes whilst wearing mittens.

[Blunt]

Tox,
Yer maw's bike is a carrera subway2.
I think it's pretty good.

[Toxteth]

Well I'm checking out the Carrera Kraken at the moment, just trying to get my mate to work out exactly how much it'll be. (with -10% sale and -25ish% staff disc) I should be looking at a Ã,£379.99 Kraken for Ã,£250ish.

I do know what you mean though Benny. Halfords generally have a bunch of college kids working for their weekend beer money who don't give a toss about setting up the bikes well.

[Toxteth]

My man has advised me on buying a Vengence which he can get for Ã,£300.

I'm torn between this and the Spesh, both are great deals and at the top end of my what I want to spend.

[Toxteth]

OK, it's decision time.

Personally, I feel the Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc '10 looks awesome, Edinburgh bike company have good reviews and their bikes come well put together. Reviews of the bike have mainly been complaints about the forks but that it's a great bike to ride.

The Carrera Vengeance Ultimate Mountain Bike appears to be a bargain with my friends Staff discount. Halfords have many good but also many bad reviews, mainly about the bike being built badly.

Technically, I'm not sure which one is better. Both will cost me Ã,£300.

Which would you buy?

[R@ng3R]

IMO, the carrera comes with superior forks and brakes, the only thing good about the spesh is the frame, all come down to what you are going to be using it for.If you are going to be riding red or black graded trails i would go with the carrera,if your using it for commuting its personal preference and how you feel in the saddle.

[Toxteth]

Well thanks for all the advice! I made the decision and purchased the downgraded version of the Vengeance. The only difference was the forks and I probably wont notice the difference any way!



That's basically the one, mine is black and doesn't have the green.

Forks: Rockshox Dart 1
Chainset: Shimano FC-M311
Front Brake: New Shimano BR-M445 hydraulic disc brake
Front Mech: Shimano FD-M310
Gear Shifters: Shimano SL-M360
Handle Bars: Kalloy mid rise bars
Rear Brake: New Shimano BR-M445 hydraulic disc brake
Rear Mech: Shimano Alivio RD-M410

And all for Ã,£230. Bargain!

[Benny]

Nice one, good looking bike, now get outside on it and get dirty!

[Toxteth]

A more accurate picture of what it looks like.

[suicidal_monkey]

Minor hijack :-) ...disc brakes... are they easy enough to fit/maintain for every-day commuting? I seem to go through pads on my std cantilevered ones quite fast and changing those is a pita.

Looks a nice bike tox, and a bargain price as you say! Hope you don't need to leave it locked on the street much.

[Sn00ks]

SM, to fit disk brakes you need to have suitable mount posts on the forks and swinging-arm and then you'd need wheels with disk mounts. If you're looking for a good make then I'd recommend the Avid brakes. You can get a set of Avid-3s for a reasonable amount. May want to look at Merlin's web site as they tend to do deals. Also I've found them good for new wheel sets if you need to replace your wheels.
 
I've got both V-brakes on the hardtail and disk brakes on the full-susser. I must admit that I much prefer the disk brakes, better modulation and power. But a well set-up pair of V-brakes are sufficient for most things. I used to take the hard-tail to trail centers and they did what they were supposed to.
 
Replacing pads in the V-brakes is easy so maybe upgrading to those would be a better option?

[suicidal_monkey]

mmm, I hadn't thought about needing fittings on the forks as well... could also get quite pricey if there's other changes I guess.

Saw come pads for v-brakes where you can fit them and then replace the rubber bits as they wear out, seemed like a reasonable plan as fitting the pads always seems to end up a bit off or a bit wonky etc

thanks for the hijack