I want to buy a bike

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I want to buy a bike

Postby Sharon » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:44 pm

...but don't really know what I should be looking for!

I have a modest budget of £200, and would proably just be using it at the weekends for cycling along the canals, forest tracks etc. There is little chance of me starting to duck around town on a bike - that would be far too scary!!

So advice / recommendations would be great!

I'm thinking second hand would be good, but otehr than ebay dont know where to look.

I asked a lad in Evans today for some advice and he pointed towards GT or Pinnacle - as they apparently have better components....?

It will be my first bike since I was a little kid :)
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby hazy » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:07 pm

Go to billybilslandcycles.co.uk . His shop is just town from the trongate tower. I got my last bike from him as he does a good after sales service.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Dugald » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:51 pm

Hazy's suggestion is a good one... I assume "good after sales " means a second hand bike with no tax charged. Anyway Sharon, with your limited interest in cycling, I'd very strongly recommend a good used bicycle, with a minimum of gears, good all-weather-treaded wheels, and a saddle which is to your liking (make sure you test the saddle). Good luck!
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby MacotheIsles » Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:33 pm

Get the lightest bike you can. If it feels heavy in the shop it'll feel twenty times heavier the first time you climb a hill. Personally I would forget about fancy suspension (especially rear suspension) - devastating shocks to the under-regions can be avoided simply by standing on the pedals when hitting bumps. I'd also recommend a helmet having first learned the taste of tarmac the sore way. But all the best with the cycling - on a good day it stands crank and cog above all other leisure pursuits known to mankind.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby bcuk10 » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:41 am

I recomend a vist to your nearest Halfords store they have got some good deals on just now :D

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... _langId_-1


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... gory_82396
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Its_a_gamp » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:34 am

You used to get loads of bikes in the ad trader ( I think thats what it's called, we just call it the blue paper) which can be bought at any newsagent. There was also a brilliant bike shop in Paisley called Dooleys but I'm not sure its still there as it is a long time since I was last there.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Josef » Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:29 pm

It is.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Sharon » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:40 pm

Just bought this off ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0050553207

fingers crossed its a good purchase!!!

now, what else do i need to go with it.....
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Its_a_gamp » Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:21 pm

If you havn't had a bike since you were a child then I recommend a helmet, knee pads and a big red L for your back.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby allyharp » Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:06 am

Good to see you've picked something up.

Now you just need to look after it and learn to fix the thing!

These two sites will tell you everything you could possibly need to know:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Dugald » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:41 am

Looks like a good buy Sharon. A few pointers:

(1) Make sure you can reach the pedals with ease.
(2) Don't ever ride without a helmet.
(3) For riding on cycle paths, get a bell, any kind so long as it rings.
(4) Pedal with the balls of your feet on the pedals, not with your heels... VERY IMPORTANT
(5) Always keep your tyres blown up hard... not many cobbles left in Clydeside.
(6) Check the bicycle frame to make sure there are no cracks on the tubing.
(7) Get someone to hold the bike upright for you; stand behind the bike, and check that the two wheels are not badly out of line.
(8) Carry a plastic sandwich bag under your saddle, so's you won't get grease on your hands when your chain comes off.
(9) I don't know what the cable is that runs from your bars down to the front wheel... I guess an odometer... if it is , be sure to set it to zero.
(10) Make sure you ride it at every opportunity: the more you ride, the fitter you will become---I've never known a sport in which one can become so very fit in such a short time.

Happy cycling!
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Doorstop » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:50 am

Dugald wrote:(9) I don't know what the cable is that runs from your bars down to the front wheel... I guess an odometer... if it is , be sure to set it to zero.


Looks like the front disc brake cable, I could be wrong though.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Dugald » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:03 pm

Yes, you could be right Doorstop. I thought I could see brake levers of the handlebars, but having taken a second look, I'm not so sure now. Anyway, odometers have been without cables for a long time.

On my second look at the bike handlebars Sharon, I notice there is a bell... costs one a $75 fine in Ontario riding without a bell.
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Re: I want to buy a mountain bike

Postby Sharon » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:37 pm

Cheers for the tips guys - i need all I can get as i know nothing apart from getting on it and pedalling, which doesnt come easily!

I had my first little mountain biking adventure today on one of the Carron Valley tracks (runway for those that might know it?) and it was both terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure, i rolled over most of the humps but did accidentally leave the ground at one point, which really felt scary and not something i want to repeat again quickly!!!!!!! maybe ;)

Amazing how quickly you gather ALOT speed, and equally amazing that i didnt fall off!!!!!!! I also investigated the miracles associated with being in the right gear, it seems to be a tricky one to get right, and is it normal for gears to be a little.... reluctant to change?

Most of my questions now are associated with how to look after it now i have it. How often do you oil it? What do you oil? What do you grease? How do you get all the mud off with the least effort!!??? What esentials should you carry with you? Oh and really how do you ride the thing properly?

That was the most adrenaline ive felt in a long long time. Brilliant!

Any mountain bikers on HG????

:D
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