# Mountain Bike Info!



## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Evening All,

Right, I fancy a newer bike to try and inspire me to get back out on a bike and get abit fitter! 

I currently have a lovely Trek mountain bike but I bought it new back in 1998, so it is getting on abit now! To be fair It is still in great condition and has been faultless! Looks great too with a lovely paint job. It is a non-suspension bike and is super light. As I owned it before I started driving it as definately done some mileage! From memory it wa about £500-600 back in 1998, so wasn't cheap for a non suspension bike. 

I was planning on just upgrading it with a decent front fork set and hydraulic disc brakes all round as the frame and gears are excellent but due to it's age it doesn't have anywhere to mount a rear caliper and I have also been told I will need new hubs too. So it kinda makes it pointless due the cost.

As I have not looked at getting a bike for so long I have no idea what is good and what is not. 

So chaps, what makes are hot these days? I was thinking of sticking with Trek as my current bike has been so good but I would like to hear your opinions. 

Ideally looking for a light weight bike for use on road and the occasional off road blast. 

With me being me I do like to have decent gear and don't like buying tat but due to me having far too many expensive hobbies I was thinking of spending around £500 on a second hand bike as I will get more for my money this way. Good Idea or bad idea? Obviously I will only be looking for something mint and well looked after. 

To end this post that has already dragged on far too long, I would like info on 

What makes to look at?
What features? 
What make/quality of components should I look out for i.e gears, brakes, suspension? (I do only like finger and thumb gear shift, hate grip shifts!)
Anything to avoid? 
Do they do AP 6 Pots for a mountain bike? :lol: 

Thanks for reading if you got this far and thanks in advance for any info. 

Ben


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

I've just bought one of these Trek bikes.

A hybrid bike with front suspension & drum brakes, it seems to tick all your boxes.

Hope that helps.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Gear train has to be SRAM imho, brakes Hope or quad dime. If you're buying a new one I'd go for last years model as you'll get a better bargain, Carrera are fine for most usage , Specialized or Cube for me though normally, although I have an Mtrax at the minute.


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## brian245 (Nov 20, 2007)

Here's mine..Specialized hybrid, altho I have changed the chainwheel to 42-32-22 for more versatility and it is still fast enough on the hard ; also fitted a longer stem for a slightly less upright riding position


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks for all the replies sofar. 

Is this any good?

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2004/archive/fuel95

I know it is a 2004 model but I have found one that is as new and only covered 20miles.

Thanks

Ben


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi, 
Have a look at this company, http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

minimadgriff said:


> Thanks for all the replies sofar.
> 
> Is this any good?
> 
> ...


Trek Fuel 95 was a very good bike, how much is the one you are looking at?
I have a 2005 Trek Fuel EX8 which is very good on trails, although I am looking at getting a Canyon.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Its up for £600 and not too far away from me. I was going to make any offer on it but It is OTT for my use or not suited for what I will use it for? i.e will the rear shock be a hindrance? Is it more for down hill?


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2011)

Have you considered getting a dedicated road bike and keeping the trek for the occasional off-road exploits you do!!!


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

minimadgriff said:


> Its up for £600 and not too far away from me. I was going to make any offer on it but It is OTT for my use or not suited for what I will use it for? i.e will the rear shock be a hindrance? Is it more for down hill?


The Trek Fuel 95 is not designed for downhill, it is more for XC. My Trek is hard work on roads compared to a hybrid but a hybid will not work on trails. If you really want to do some trails as well you should consider a hardtail or stay off trails and get a road bike. For non tarmac cycle routes then a hybrid works best.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Mono749 said:


> Have you considered getting a dedicated road bike and keeping the trek for the occasional off-road exploits you do!!!


I would rather have a inbetween bike tbh than having two bikes.



Bill58 said:


> The Trek Fuel 95 is not designed for downhill, it is more for XC. My Trek is hard work on roads compared to a hybrid but a hybid will not work on trails. If you really want to do some trails as well you should consider a hardtail or stay off trails and get a road bike. For non tarmac cycle routes then a hybrid works best.


Would an XC bike be good off road and on road then? Or is that what a hybrid is for? I take it a hybrid is hard tail and suspension front?


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## GR33N (Apr 5, 2009)

I dont know what your looking to spend, but after christmas ill be selling my Orange and getting a Canyon Nerve XC 5.0, but your looking at the best part of maybe £1100.


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## GR33N (Apr 5, 2009)

minimadgriff said:


> I would rather have a inbetween bike tbh than having two bikes.
> 
> Would an XC bike be good off road and on road then? Or is that what a hybrid is for? I take it a hybrid is hard tail and suspension front?


If you get a hardtail XC (cross country), obviously front suspension only bike you should be alright if you want to exclusively use it on the road.

If you can find a hardtail with a front fork that locks out (stops all movement) you ll probably find it much easier, road tyres are typically much narrower and have far less rolling resistance as you dont need aggressive nobble tyres to find grip.

A hybrid bike is typically a hardtail, with narrower tyres, high rolling resistance, slightly different gearing suited to the roads and a more road orientated frame geometry.

If you want the best of both worlds, IMO you want a decent XC Hardtail, thats got a lockout front fork and fit some lower rolling resistance tyres :thumb:

HTH


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## GR33N (Apr 5, 2009)

Right ive just read the whole thread, which I probably should have done before posting :lol:

IMO id steer away from the typical Specialized, Trek etc because they dont offer value for money anymore. You can get far better kit and specs from the like of Carrera, Boardman Bikes, Canyon, Merlin Cycles etc.

For my money you either buy a Canyon Nervce XC 5.0 or Boardman FS Comp if you want full suspension for about £1000, or you get one of the Merlin Malt range depending upon your budget.

Merlin Cyles


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

:lol: It is always good to read a whole thread first, I have done the same before :lol:

I was looking at getting a second hand bike (£500-£600) in excellent condition as that way I will get better value for money. For example my mate just got a GT Aggressor XCR for £450, it is mint!

The Trek Fuel 95 I have found is £600, which was a £2k bike when new. Only covered 20miles, so mint as you can imgaine due to such little use. It has front lock out but not rear lock out as far as I can tell so I am gussing this is no good for using on the road and will be more off road orientated?

I hate buying stuff I know nothing about!

I have found a nice one of these too.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/6300-disc-2009-mountain-bike-ec016494


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## Strothow (Oct 29, 2009)

Have a look at the genesis core range, maybe able to pick up a core 40 on ebay for your budget?


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Try wynstanleysbikes, it's where I got my Mtrax from and the service was second to none, ordered thursday afternoon and was at my door saturday morning.


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## gherkin (Jul 6, 2008)

If you go for hard tail and want to use it on the road as well (ie you just spend a day riding round town or even commute to work) I would suggest changing the tyres from the mountain bike ones to hybrid 'slick' types.

Gaint have a good selection along with Orange Bikes (obviously not the phone company  )


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

minimadgriff said:


> :lol: It is always good to read a whole thread first, I have done the same before :lol:
> 
> I was looking at getting a second hand bike (£500-£600) in excellent condition as that way I will get better value for money. For example my mate just got a GT Aggressor XCR for £450, it is mint!
> 
> ...


 The Trek 6300 is a decent bike. How much is it?
I seen a 2011 spec Trek 6000 for £680 but X-large frame. That also has front lockout. 
Unless you have someone who knows about bikes to check second hand bikes over I would give them a miss.


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

A good XC bike can do anything - slick it up and it will go very quickly on tarmac, stick knobbly rubber on it and it'll do anything off road. Yes big jumps will hurt it but who honestly does these?

Look at the Specialized range too - the Rockhopper is excellent VFM (my wife has one) and fairly XC orientated. TBH I have very user friendly remote lockout (bar mounted) for my forks (Rockshox SIDs) and rarely use it - good technique means you shouldn't "bob" much anyway. Most forks have it but you usually have to lean down and flick a lever - NOT a good idea when hammering it!!


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## brian245 (Nov 20, 2007)

335dAND110XS said:


> A good XC bike can do anything - slick it up and it will go very quickly on tarmac, stick knobbly rubber on it and it'll do anything off road. Yes big jumps will hurt it but who honestly does these?
> 
> Look at the Specialized range too - the Rockhopper is excellent VFM (my wife has one) and fairly XC orientated. TBH I have very user friendly remote lockout (bar mounted) for my forks (Rockshox SIDs) and rarely use it - good technique means you shouldn't "bob" much anyway. Most forks have it but you usually have to lean down and flick a lever - NOT a good idea when hammering it!!


I usually don't bother locking the fork on mine when on the road as it makes taking speed humps a whole lot easier


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I keep coming back to these Cube bikes. Anyone know of companies that have and new old stock i.e last years models at discounted prices? I am having trouble finding any. Any of the bigger brands mentioned in the thread would be good. 

Cube and Trek are top of my list though  

Thanks


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Try wynstanleys, they do a lot in their clearance line that is last years model or ex display, I got my Mtrax from there, it's last years model but it has better geartrain than the current model and the only visual difference is mine is white and orange with a carbon fibre chainstay and this years is white and red with carbon fibre chainstay.


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Last years models are a great bet when buying - prices have gone a bit mental on new bikes recently. My £1200 Stumpjumper (original price in 2007 - since upgraded everything but frame and stem!!) is now £1500 with much worse spec!!

Cube make excellent bikes that are superb VFM. Similar with Trek. You can't go far wrong with either.

Evans are good for last years stock but loads of others do them too.


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## zed3 (Dec 24, 2007)

you should be able to lock the rear shock out as well, either that or pump it up to high pressure so there is minimum movement in it, set of slicks for the road and knobblies for going exploring


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

For the OPs purposes, I'd stick to a hard tail.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Whats the best to get out of these chaps?

http://www.cube.eu/en/hardtail/comp-series/acid-black-white/

http://www.cube.eu/en/hardtail/ltd-series/ltd-comp-white-metal-red/

Are all the componets i.e gears, brakes, front shocks a good spec?


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Very similar specs but the first has a slightly better fork.

Brakes are different too - some prefer Shimano, some like Hayes.

I'd err towards the first.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Strange you would say that as that is £100 cheaper than the other one. 

Only difference I could see were the bigger brakes/different brand/ and a different fork, stange the cheaper one has a better Fork?!


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## Grommit (May 3, 2011)

I have a Ghost 3000, I love it.


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## calum001 (Nov 18, 2010)

minimadgriff said:


> Whats the best to get out of these chaps?
> 
> http://www.cube.eu/en/hardtail/comp-series/acid-black-white/
> 
> ...


as said the Acid has the edge over the LTD comp for me, weird how it's cheaper !

I've got a 2011 Cube LTD Team and love it, when i get my next bike it will definitely either be a Trek or Cube


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

minimadgriff said:


> Strange you would say that as that is £100 cheaper than the other one.
> 
> Only difference I could see were the bigger brakes/different brand/ and a different fork, stange the cheaper one has a better Fork?!


The Tora is a decent fork but many prefer the Dart. It is rather strange!
And Shimano simply make good stuff - an example is a wheel skewer - the cheapest Shimano one is better than the most expensive Hope one. By miles.

SRAM make excellent high end kit too that many prefer but their lower end stuff is outclassed by Shimanos IMO. I have a bit of both on my bike!


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## THE CHAMP (Aug 1, 2008)

Just to let you know Specialized offer some of the best aftersales and Trek are very poor so be carefull with your purchase


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

THE CHAMP said:


> Just to let you know Specialized offer some of the best aftersales and Trek are very poor so be carefull with your purchase


Spesh are generally good but do slip up (we have four of them!).

A mate recently cracked a 3+ year old Trek full susser (Top Fuel) and they replaced the frame with a new one plus a headset and BB - not bad at all IMO.


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Just pm'd you :thumb:


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

I have been offered this one at a good price

http://www.cube.eu/en/hardtail/comp-series/attention-black-white-green/

quite a different spec from the other two though? I don't know how much worse the components are?


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## Edstrung (Apr 6, 2009)

I bought a Focus Killer Bee from Wiggle online 2 years back.

Focus is a German brand that basically uses older frames to save costs and that allows them to spec pretty fine components for the price of the bike. My intention was to use it for a year or so and then transplant to a different frame.

Haven't needed to yet 

Full Shimano XT drivetrain, XT hy-disc brakes, RockShox Recon 120mm forks. Only thing i have upgraded is the bar to a Easton Aluminium monkey bar. All in, £799.

Always buy last year's model. Major differences between this years' and last are:


Colour (This is how you can tell things are different. This years' is yellow, last years' was green. Components are minor upgrades in one area and sometimes a slight downgrade in others)

Price (anywhere between 30% to 50% off just because it's last years model)

In fairness I did look at Cube bikes, and I love the paint jobs on them, but I can't see the frame when I'm doing 30mph through trees, and then it's covered in mud anyway :S out of the ones shown so far, depending on how good the price of the one you have just been offered, I would go for the Cube Acid. Slightly better componentry and quite subtle colouring.

Enjoy 

edit - In terms of Shimano (afaik) the quality and price goes up as follows:

Cross country component

XTR [M980] (10 speed) - Top of the range for cross-country mountain bikes
Deore XT [M770] (9 and 10 speed)
SLX [M660] (9 and 10 speed)
Deore [M590] (9 speed) Entry level cross-country mountain bikes


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Great post, thanks Ed! :thumbsup:


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## brian245 (Nov 20, 2007)

minimadgriff said:


> I have been offered this one at a good price
> 
> http://www.cube.eu/en/hardtail/comp-series/attention-black-white-green/
> 
> quite a different spec from the other two though? I don't know how much worse the components are?


Good everyday bike, fairly upright riding position, however nothing a slightly longer stem would solve if you felt it necessary


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks everyone for their help and advice, my bank account is now a little lighter then it was this morning! Have a new bike being delivered to me on Tuesday or Wednesday the latest.









Finally decided on a Cube Acid and got an excellent deal on it from Square Wheels. I did ring one of my local dealers and told him if he could match the offer, I would come down today and pay in cash, card, bank transfer what ever he prefered but he wouldn't budge on price. Would only offer me 10% of the value in accessories which is not what I was after. He could of sold a bike today but decided not to. Oh well his loss.

So this is what it will look like.










Can't wait!


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

Wow - if only they made hybrid bikes look as exciting as that.

I would have purchased a cube instead of the trek.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

My heart was saying trek because I have had one for so long and it has been excellent but as someone said earlier on in the thread they don't have a great spec for the money compared to the Cube. After seeing the Cube I had to have one, look immense in the flesh. Tuesday/Wednesday can't come soon enough!


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Finally got my new bike on Thursday and today is the first time I have ridden it (well not totally true, I done afew laps of the workshop :lol: )

So here is my new Cube Comp Acid, it looks even more stunning in the flesh!




































































































Absolutley love it. Done 7 miles on it today  I have a wireless CatEye computer coming for it and some carbon already, plus a Cube chain protector as I don't like the one it is supplied with :lol:


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

Great pics - I bet it looks better in the flesh.

Do cube do hybrids bikes?


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

I need to get myself a mountain bike.


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

What shampoo would you use to clean your bike when you purchase it?


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Nice bike!


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks chaps. Done about 30 miles on it this week, just about to go out on it again. Ill stick some pics oup of my cateye computer later, really pleased with.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Tips said:


> What shampoo would you use to clean your bike when you purchase it?


Errr:lol:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

minimadgriff said:


> Thanks chaps. Done about 30 miles on it this week, just about to go out on it again. Ill stick some pics oup of my cateye computer later, really pleased with.


How much did that set you back?


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