Bike Choices

[Wanta-bike]

just checked the website, frame: "one size fits all"

frame details as per site:

Head Tube Angle: 69 deg

Seat Tube Angle: 71.3 deg

Top Tube Length: 540.4 mm

BB Height: 310 mm

Chainstay Length: 420 mm



the seat clamp is a quick release one, so u'd be able to adjust it

[Birdman]

Hey everyone,

As the topic states i am a newbie to this site. I just have a few questions involving the bike i would like to purchase. Hopefully you may all be able to give me some input, you probably get this asked a bit.

I am interested in keeping fit in the football off season and i figured riding a bike would be a perfect way to do it. Mainly used for road nice long rides, but i will hit offroad tracks and dirt regularly also.

I went to a few of my local bike stores and i had a look and came up with 2 and a half options.

NOTE: I'm 6ft 95kg so maybe chuck a few size recommendations at me. And also the bike will sometimes have a child seat on the back too.

The FIRST OPTION:
From TED's Bikes in Greenhills - East Maitland
Mongoose Tyax Comp - HTML attached. (no disc brakes)


The SECOND OPTION:
From Hadley Cylces in Maitland
Giant Boulder - HTML attached. (also no disc brakes)


The difference is Mongoose is $479 and the Giant is $449.

This is the price range that i am looking at because i have to get helmets and baby seats and stuff yet so if anyone has any ideas that are around that price range and stuff please let me know.

Hope to get a few ideas.

[europa]

In that price range, don't overlook the Apollo range either. My son's just bought the Evolution and is very happy with it.

I'd also consider hybrids if you are planning a lot of road riding. They've still got a good dirt road capability (depending on which one you ride) though you won't be able to do any true mountain biking on them.

On that theme, I ride the Black Beast (Trek520 - a drop bar touring bike) on dirt quite a bit and she's very happy there, again, nothing with rocks and holes in it though.

Richard

[Birdman]

I have had a look at the Trek page but i thought they looked a bit pricey and no bike stores around me sell them.

Also you said no rocks or holes. I want to ride it hard and i can imagine the route i will be taking on my rides wil encounter a few gutters. Any effect or would an apollo or trek still do it?

Also you didnt give me a preference on the two i stated that i CAN get hold of.

[europa]

I can't give a preference because I don't know them (we didn't look at either when the lad bought his mtb for some reason).

Trek can be pricey but you usually get what you pay for, mind you, you're looking at two good brand names anyway.

While buying from a local shop is good, getting the right bike is more important. My lbs loves me but have so far failed to sell me any bikes (or trailers), however, they do well out of bits and pieces.

Richard

[Kalgrm]

G'day birdman,

Welcome aboard.

You are making it tough on yourself (and us) by wanting to do contradicting things with your new bike. When you say:

Mainly used for road nice long rides, but i will hit offroad tracks and dirt regularly also.

you are indicating you want one bike to do the lot. It's like telling us you want to by a nice sporty Mazda MX5 for mainly road use but regularly it will be used to take the family on off-road 4WD treks.

Just like cars, unfortunately they don't make a bike to do everything. Each style of bike is suited to it's intended use, and trying to do everything on it will leave you feeling disappointed in most applications

Mountain bikes work well off the road. Road bikes work well on long rides on paved surfaces. I would not attempt to ride 100km on sealed roads on my MTB, but have done so on dirt tracks. I would never take my recumbent road bike on single tracks built for MTBs.

Okay, so having tried to dissuade you from feeling you can get the do-everything bike, I'd say go with the Boulder. However get the LBS to swap out the standard tyres for some 1.5" or 1.8" slicks for road use. You said it will "mainly" be used for long road rides (although we don't know what long means for you), so set it up for riding on the road. The Boulder will have better components than the Apollo or Trek.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Birdman]

Yeah sorry about that i was a bit torn between pillar and post on the whole, after what europa said i was looking at the apolo or mongoose, simply due to the shimano gear systems are better.

My long ride unfortunately is only about 1.5 hours...approx. 30-40km. I don't have too much time to go riding across the earth unfortunately.

When i mean tracks i dont mean 4x4 tracks, simply dirt tracks that you would find in national forests or reserves and stuff. And because i live in a remotely suburbanised area i wouldn't be totally confined to the road i wouldnt want to damaged the wheels or anything if i had to go over a gutter or through a small patch of scrub to get through a reserve or empty lot.

Hopefully a bit more informative

[Birdman]

Hey there Kalgrm, you said this...

However get the LBS to swap out the standard tyres for some 1.5" or 1.8" slicks for road use.

What effect would putting slicks on the wheels make?

Also i noticed they make a tyre now that has the thick tread on the outsides but up the middle on the main surface of the tyre they use a slicker surfce...i guess its for good grip in the harsher circumstances and a comfortable ride on the road.

Am i correct in my assumptions?

[Bnej]

What effect would putting slicks on the wheels make?

Huge. Better rolling, quieter, better on-road traction, better cornering, faster, last longer. Not so good in sand, mud, etc but generally fine for decent dirt roads.

Also i noticed they make a tyre now that has the thick tread on the outsides but up the middle on the main surface of the tyre they use a slicker surfce...i guess its for good grip in the harsher circumstances and a comfortable ride on the road.

Am i correct in my assumptions?

Worst of both worlds. You get noise and tyre squirm when cornering and lose traction trying to climb off road hills. Gives you inconsistent handling. A good quality slick or road tread tyre is much better than the attempted dual-tread type.

If you want a bit of both, go for a pair of Continental Town & Country tyres - these act like slicks on the road, but can get by on some looser surfaces.

[Kalgrm]

^^^^

What he said ....

The tyres that came on the Boulder I had a few years ago were the worst of both worlds too. A solid strip of rubber in the middle and knobs everywhere else. They were noisy and slow on the road and didn't grip when on the dirt. In fact, the worst stack I've had was on hard pack dirt when these tyres didn't take the edge of a small rut properly - I was on my side before I knew it. Cost me a new helmet too .....

Cheers,
Graeme

[Birdman]

Hey guys,

Went to my LBS last night, and i have finally made a decision, not that you guys probably care , but i just want it to be known. I chose a Mongoose Tyax Super, standard V-brakes and Shimano Acera 24speed gear. I don't want to be a cheapskate but i want to hit the bloke up for some slicks, he showed me a set i didnt see what brand they were but he said they were only $20 each whcih i didn't think was too bad.

[europa]

Nice buy, but you realise it doesn't exist without pictures We expect you to brag about your new steed and her first rides too

Richard

[Birdman]

Nice buy, but you realise it doesn't exist without pictures We expect you to brag about your new steed and her first rides too

Yeah i have to wait until im here for a week though dont i before i can post html links and photos.

It exists to me, thats all that matters.

[mikesbytes]

Birdman, there's a good ride directly north isn't there?

[Birdman]

Birdman, there's a good ride directly north isn't there?

Which ride are you referring to champion, today i just went throught the CBD and along the boardwalk, and a nice long bike/walk path.

[europa]

This here be tha beast, well, not the actual beast, but the same model



Richard

[Birdman]

Yep thats the baby, but mine is BLACK and without disc brakes,

That is the same one i rode this morning, but my bosses has shotty gears and i nearly lost it 3 times with the brakes.

[mikesbytes]

Birdman, there's a good ride directly north isn't there?

Which ride are you referring to champion, today i just went throught the CBD and along the boardwalk, and a nice long bike/walk path.

I was thinking towards Paterson and then slightly right to Dugong, but looking at the map, there seems to be a host of options, just a matter of knowing what roads are bike friendly and what ain't.

How do you get to the CBD without getting swashed?

[Birdman]

Theres no driving in teh CBD for starters and i dont think there are shoppers or anyone out at 6 in the morning.

I'd prefer to ride from where i live, paterson isnt too far away but dungog is heaps away. I dont see the point in driving somewhere to go for a ride when i can ride on any street i want...though i am not saying that that is what you do or anyone else for that matter.

[Birdman]

Finally got around to posting some pics for my bike...not too special but it gets the satisfaction of being out and in the breezes...and swarming magpies



I still havent named her though.

[europa]

You've got the same bar ends as my Sow's Ear has

Richard

[Birdman]

You've got the same bar ends as my Sow's Ear has

Richard

Comfy aye...I think i need to lean them forward just a bit though they are still a bit upright and dont do much for my wrists.

Mitch.

[Aushiker]

You've got the same bar ends as my Sow's Ear has

Which are?

Andrew

[Bnej]

Comfy aye...I think i need to lean them forward just a bit though they are still a bit upright and dont do much for my wrists.

Mitch.

Yeah, they ought to be almost horizontal, and when you grab them your wrist should be straight. From the looks of it you'd have a bend in your wrist when you grab them.

[europa]

You've got the same bar ends as my Sow's Ear has

Which are?

Andrew

None of my photos are too clear on the bar ends, but a look at my website will give you some clue. They are ProA brand. The bars come into the side of the bar end rather than at the bottom, the bar end is shaped to fit into your hand (not just round tube) and have a platform on which to sit the ball of your hand and they are padded. Very nice to use. The only gripe with them is that they don't raise your hand, just change its orientation by 90 degrees and push your hand that little bit further out. I ride on them most of the time, going to the flats only when I need brakes or gears.

Richard