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OT: Mountain bikes
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I know there's a few enthusiasts around here.
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Not sure I fit that category, but until someone else comes along...
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Want one for mostly dirt tracks (nothing vertical) and roads in between.
Maybe some gravelly surfaces and (very rarely) maybe a bit wet. The
tracks are sometimes a bit lumpy.
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You probably don't need suspension, then, although it may be difficult
to find one without. Tele front forks seem pretty much de rigeur these
days, but unless you're doing something rougher than gravel tracks I'd
not think the extra weight (and cost) worthwhile.
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What do I look for? The last pushbike I bought had dropped handlebars
and wheels about 3/4" thick.
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You probably want to look for a 'hybrid' or 'cross' type of bike, as
exemplified by these:
Relaxed geometry (for comfort rather than performance), alloy frame,
resonably light, fairly low end, but perfectly decent, chainset,
brakes and gears (including gearchange) and fairly cheap.
Practical things to look for includ how easy it is to change gears up
and down - some very cheap bikes still have fairly clunky mechanisms -
try them out to see how they feel in the shop.
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Kona, Giant & Scott make nice hardtails.
I've got a Scott Comp Alu frame with bits I've built up myself, it takes
some punishment (fat bloke).
Shimano XT or XTR is a good chainset/brakes/gearshift mechs worth looking
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No way. For what Paul wants, that's _way_ OTT.
Paul, unless you're just wanting to throw money away, you should be
looking at something for a couple of hunder Euros, tops, unless you're
going to get serious about it.
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No intention of getting serious, just the occaisonal ride around the
lake and every morning to the next village to buy the newspaper.
Having said that, you probably know me well enough to know that I don't
like buying stuff that's going to fall to bits in the first year.
I'll scribble down evrything that's being suggested and take a trip into
the city next week and have a few test rides around the shops.
Thanks folks.
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out for.
Have a look online at somewhere like chainreaction cycles, and buy from them
after trying a few models in your local cycle shop.
Worth looking around for last years model too - they tend to knock the price
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Sorry, forgot you were in ES, so CRC are probably not the best bet !
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down to clear them.
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The question is more about how much do you want to spend. Start above £350
and you'll get something decent. After that, make sure it's the right fit.
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Blimey. That last link that Ace posted is looking quite attractive.
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You'll get really bad pains in the shoulder blades or in the arms if you're
overstretched. You'll find different makes have different geometry so can be
very different.
I like my Kona with front suspension, however I changed the rear cogs to
road bike ones and the tyres are not the chunky type. It'll go anywhere
except when it gets too muddy.
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Find your nearest Decathlon store in Dagoland and let them "aconsejar" you.
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Oh, I didn't realise they were big in Spain too.
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Provided you are not Lance Armstrong on [whatever he took] I'd look for a
decent starter bike. If you really like it, then you will read and talk
about it and know what you need (plus a nice bike gift for SWMBO)
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As it happens, I looked at their bikes recently, and they're not bad
stuff, with generally reasonable equipment for the money. I'd suggest
that something like
would be a good starting point.
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My missus bought the the 5.0 model for 99 euros and its really pretty good.
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Sadly the .es page seems to be broken, but I'm sure Paul can work it
out from the french one.
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