Seems like a lot of you guys know a thing or two about bikes so advice would be much appreciated..
Its my Lads 12th birthday and he wants a new bike, budget is Ã,£150 so I realise hes not gonna get anything high end but it would be nice to get something half decent that he can add bits to and upgrade if he wants to....bit like his dad in that respect ;)
Basically he wants it for generally riding round the streets with his mates and a bit of riding in the local woods where hell be doing a bit of jumping off ramps etc I expect..
Hes got his eye on one in Halfords - Looks cool but I suspect is a bag of sh*te, X-rated dirt jumper I think it is - made by Apollo from what I can see.
I know youre gonn say get a 2nd hand one but he wants a new one so any alternative suggestions please..
Thanks !
150 gets a pretty damn nice bmx jobber. Sometimes, if you shop at Costco you can get a decent hybrid with a crap fork for such money. Id go for bmx.
Itd be cheaper to spend twice that in the long run, as whether its bmx or a cheesy mtb, itll be outgrown in a year.
With all the money youve got invested in grilles, tut tut. :lol:
Cheers - will have a look at BMXs..
This is the one hes seen..
(http://www.halfords.com/wcsstore/HalfordsConsumerDirect/images/catalog/00006757.jpg)
Specs from the website - means nothing to me !
14" frame
26" wheel
7005 aluminium frame, suspension fork with oversized stantions
Dirt jump style bike
21 speed Shimano gears with SRAM gripshift and TX30 rear mech
Tektro front disc and aluminium rear V type brake with aluminium lever
Innova 2.3 tyres, quick release wheels with double wall rims
Suntour chainset with aluminium cranks
Ahead stem
Dual density handlebar grips
What do you think - waste of money ?
Probably Shimano Acera level kit. Worse comes to worse, you can spend 20 on an upgrade to the rear mech. Ride till it wears out.
Frame is likely fine mass produced chinese stuff, the last thing Id worry about at this price.
Tektro brakes are fine, upgrade the pads to Koolstop when they wear out.
Chainset is OK.
Weak part is wheels. At least they claim to be double wall. Have him kill them over a season while you look for sales at wiggle.co.uk--as you can often pick up a great pair for 50 or so in the off season.
Fork is likely crap, but for busting around with his friends, likely good enough.
Lastly, a lot of the quality is found in boring places like bottom brackets, headsets, and hubs. On this bike theyre likely absolute sh*te. You can mitigate this by repacking all loose balls with 25 grade bearings ($3USD or so) first thing and checking for tightness. Tight bearings kill cones in a ride or two. Headsets and bottom brackets are relatively cheap if you trash them, but do have a look at the hubs first thing.
It seems to be a half way house, disk brake on the front while stinging on the rear, IMO they should have made both disk brakes.
Otherwise what maxi said...
Personally I wouldnt buy a bike from Hal-frauds!
Mine has Shimano gears and brakes but it cost me just Ã,£80!... (bought from Nettos of all places)
Quote from: SeriousIt seems to be a half way house, disk brake on the front while stinging on the rear, IMO they should have made both disk brakes.
Why? You can brake as hard as is humanly possible on a bike using only the front brake. Adding a disk rear would do nothing to improve braking. The lack of one is likely a cost cutting measure as well, but there are other good reasons to have a vbrake in back, one is if you want to fit a rack. Fitting a rack with disc brakes is very difficult.
So theyve saved money in manufacture, yes, but its a quite good solution, imho.
Thanks for the info chaps - will keep this so I know what to upgrade when needed..
btw what does dirt jump style bike actually mean - how is it different from any other type of bike ?
it jumps dirt in style innit.
nice bike.
Quote from: BartopThanks for the info chaps - will keep this so I know what to upgrade when needed..
btw what does dirt jump style bike actually mean - how is it different from any other type of bike ?
A hardcore bike with a design based in testicular awareness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_biking#Types_of_Mountain_BikingA "Cross Country" mtb, or basically a "do anything" bike is better for most, but for a youngun doing stupids, a dirt jump style might be a good choice.
its buzz words.
It has big nobbly tires (made in china probably :D) and suspension.
"dirt jump style" = Mountain Bike for kids.
oh... and girly crossbars pfft @ sloping :P lol
QuoteA hardcore bike with a design based in testicular awareness.
LOL - sounds good, dont wanna ruin the young fellahs chances before hes even got started ;)
check your sack regularly.
or if your my age, get someone else to do it :o
Quote from: BartopQuoteA hardcore bike with a design based in testicular awareness.
LOL - sounds good, dont wanna ruin the young fellahs chances before hes even got started ;)
Dont worry if hes anything like I was at that age you should be more worried about his nadgers hitting the handlebar stem as opposed to the crossbar.
The speed hell be legging it around down ramps at means he wont hit the crossbar first, but fly through the air and smash his nadgers into the hard pointy bit on the handlebars.
BAM!!!! TREE = BAM!!!!! HANDLEBAR STEM... with a drop down onto the crossbar in my case :D
For his age, and how much your spending, just buy a bike that looks good. They will all be much of a muchness.
That bike has a fashionable look at the moment.
And Dirt Jump doesnt mean kids. Its all down to frame geometry.
Personally, I like the seat low and the bars high whilst still keeping the steering sharp and the back wheel tucked in close. You dont get that on a do all MTB.
That bike will be bombproof enough for what he wants to do. My personal choice would be to ditch the disc for a nice pair of Vees.
Cheap brakes can be as bad as having none at all and buying parts for them can be hard.
Dont be tempted to buy a full sus either. You cant replace any of the pivots when they go.
Also on a cheapie like that one youve suggested, consider the forks disposable. If they ever need lubing up again chances are you cant get spares.
But like I said in previously, its the style of the bike for the price your spending. If he likes that, buy that.
If your budget was just a smidge higher,
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=4423
That bike offers more value for money, Saracen dont tend to put their name on bad bikes. Ive ridden an older one of those and although I could tell it was a cheapie, it rode quite well.
Quote from: maximusotterQuote from: SeriousIt seems to be a half way house, disk brake on the front while stinging on the rear, IMO they should have made both disk brakes.
Why? You can brake as hard as is humanly possible on a bike using only the front brake. Adding a disk rear would do nothing to improve braking. The lack of one is likely a cost cutting measure as well, but there are other good reasons to have a vbrake in back, one is if you want to fit a rack. Fitting a rack with disc brakes is very difficult.
So theyve saved money in manufacture, yes, but its a quite good solution, imho.
All I was pointing out was they did the same as they used to do to some cars, disk brakes front, drum brakes rear to save a little money. TBH on a car you need the extra braking power on the front which you dont really need on a bike so it would have been preferable to keep them both the same IMO. Most people though wont be fitting a rack.
I like disks cause they keep out of the way of mud and water better. (even though I have vees on mine ;) )
Ill take the simplicity of Vees with Koolstops over discs any day, even classic cantis are nice. Nothing wrong with discs at all, and some of the hydraulics have insane braking capability, but so do well set up veebrakes with good pads.
Vee or canti would be my choice for touring, as theyre so simple. Discs for off road, and long reach dual pivots for road bikes.
My city bike (http://www.tekforums.co.uk/posts/list/1830.page)s got discs on it, and while they stop well, theyre total overkill. :lol: They look uber tho. :D
I have had vees fail on me a couple of times when going downhill in the rain and suddenly found out I was brakeless due to water on the rims :o
Providing the weather isnt really bad though they are totally adequate.
Quote from: SeriousI have had vees fail on me a couple of times when going downhill in the rain and suddenly found out I was brakeless due to water on the rims :o
Providing the weather isnt really bad though they are totally adequate.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakeshoes.html#eagle2threadKool-Stop Eagle 2s. The tip squeegees the rim while the salmon compound brakes like a banshee. Almost zero rim wear.
/faints at price... :shock:
they are only about Ã,£3.
$9/pair is dirt cheap for brake shoes made by a small company.
I use the Continentals (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakeshoes.html#continental) on my roadie. Theyve got two years on em. If you flip them over every six months, they last twice as long.
Quote from: M3ta7h3adthey are only about Ã,£3.
Really about Ã,£5.00 a pair, plus delivery to the UK...
Exchange rate $1.87 to the Ã,£1
:slap: you CAN get them over there. :roll: :lol:
its still dirt cheap for bike parts.
why teh fuss
Im having fun? :lol:
whatever
getcha pull