The Bicycle Thread

[SuperBeatBoy]

Thanks charlesr, will do that when i'm fully mended.
The place i got my bike from and had it serviced is the link above mariomark posted, so i would be wary.

[wod]

I got my bike from an evanscycles shop so glad i avoided the place you've been unlucky with.

these free 9 week bike checkups, what would they check for, just loose bolts etc as surely gears, suspension would need a few months to wear in and then notice any adjustments that need to be made.

I was planning to get my bike checked after 6-9mths or should it be looked at sooner ?

[charlesr]

Initial cable stretch is normally quite quick, so the gears might go a bit odd early on. Normally easy to tweak via a dial at the handlebar end though - best done while riding the bike for reasons I won't go into.

Otherwise, they will just do the drop test I mentioned earlier and check the bolts are all ok and the brakes work.

Some Halfords have good bike depts and employees. They have some very good bikes too (Vodoo and Boardman).

[wod]

ok, i'm wondering to not bother with the free checkup on my bike as it all seems fine so far. i've found a cycling book i had forgotton i had which details adjusting the gears etc.

I thought in my local town there was only halfords but i've noticed another bike shop, asking around i've been told is quite decent and will check it out sometime.

the only thing on my bike that is an issue at the moment is the brakes are rather strong but i think its due to never having disc brakes before so its getting used to them.

[charlesr]

First time I've ever heard anyone saying their brakes are too strong....

A good disc brake should only need to be applied with one finger. Are you using a whole handful?
You might need to move the brake lever in towards the middle a bit to get it lined up with your finger properly.

[wod]

First time I've ever heard anyone saying their brakes are too strong....

It might be because going from v-brakes to disc is quite a lot of difference and i did fiddle with the allen key adjustment on the levers.

maybe i need to adjust it back to how it was before.

Charlesr, how much maintenance do you do on your bike yourself ?

[MarioMark]

Mariomark:

Any of those Carreras (8 speed) will be better than that Merida (7 speed - pretty much throwning your money away).
The Vulcan would be a great bet if you can find one - better frame, better brakes.

Make sure you get the right size. Sit on one of them. Do you really need a 20"?' i.e. are you 6' tall?

Negotiate at purchase time for things like pedals (are they nasty plastic things? difficult to tell in the pics) and saddle upgrades (if it doesn't feel right for your arse size), mini pump etc., although if you have decent ones on your old bike then maybe you don't need to.

Thanks.

Yeah I'm 6'2 so thought I'd go for another 20". If I can get the vulcan i'm torn between that and some other better spec Meridas I've been looking at. I keep finding more bikes lol.

I've got all the extras on my Kona to transfer over. I'm going to keep that as a spare bike to fix about with and ride when the weather is bad.

[charlesr]

Charlesr, how much maintenance do you do on your bike yourself ?

Very little - I check everything works a lot, adjust the gears and keep it all clean (most of the time). Everything else (wheel bearings, bottom bracket, cable replacements etc) I just take it to the bike shop. I know how to do it all and have the tools, but prefer to spend my time riding than fiddling.

[MarioMark]

Right, I can't decide. I'm down to 2 bikes now which are quite similar even down to the colour and price!

this vs this

You decide for me charlesr. It's all on you

[wod]

i would say go for the carrera vulcan, it looks better option out of the two in my opinion.

Whats up with your old kona bike, not thought of upgrading the bits on it rather than a new bike ?

got my deuter 3litre hydration bag in the post today, the inside which holds the bladder or streamer as they call it is lined like one of them cool bags and looks very easy to clean due to the wide filling hole at the top.

[charlesr]

Use an old wire coathanger (reshape it) to keep the bladder aired while drying (dab excess water from it first).

The geometry on the vulcan looks very extreme - almost a jump frame. Should be very stiff and fun. Check that the seat-tube goes up far enough for you though! It will need to be very long. You must sit on it before purchasing.

The Merida has a few good Shimano components which tend to be better than SRAM at the same price, although I'm not familiar with how the exact components compare at this end. However, the Merida has an undamped RST fork which will make it VERY lively over the rough stuff. I'd say this factor alone makes the Vulcan the one to go for. And the Merida has some really bad looking pedals.

[charlesr]

Another option is to look on www.pinkbike.com for 2nd hand stuff in good nick near to you (buy/sell at the top).

[MarioMark]

Nice one thanks.

And after all that they have all sold out near me and they said they can't transfer stock.

Ah well got all bank holiday to look in some shops.

Gonna take my current bike down the Nottinghamshire sherwood pines this week. Luckily I only live about 5 mile away. It's brilliant up there, it has some huge trails and bumpy wooded areas.

[wod]

Nice sounds good, i hope for some dryer weather to come back as near me there is a canal and off that some nature reserve with loads of trails to ride and a very steep hill that i've been down and nearly **** myself lol.

your current bike, whats up with it for you to want a new one ?

you could spend some money and put better brakes on it, discs if you have the mounts etc would be a good upgrade.

[MarioMark]

Just ready for a change, it's 8 year old and costing me alot. I use it a lot and I fix one thing and another thing breaks lol