I bought a basic Raleigh bike for £160 in March and have done about 100 miles in it. It has now developed a serious fault, the crank keeps clonking and I feel a knock through it.
When I took it back originaly they said its just the pedals and put some oil in it, I knew this wouldn't work and it didn't. The clonk has got worse so took it back again this evening.
I told them again the symptons and told them it feels like the a bearing in the cartridge. They said they will have to strip the crank down to find the fault and it might not be covered under warranty if they discover its been 'abused'.
I point out that the bike has been over a bit of gravel but thats the roughest surface it has been on, and that is sold as a mountain bike. They then said that is fine it depends if they find evidence of it being used in down hill trials. WTF? Why would anybody buy a big heavy cheap bike for stunts?
I then asked them what they thought has caused the bike to 'fail' so early. They told me that the cranks on modern bikes are made out of cheese and just break up.
Now I expect them to fix this fault and if this crank fails again in the next 100 miles I shall be rejecting the bike as not being fit for purpose. A £160 bike should be able to do more than 100 miles on good surfaces.
Have I just been unlucky?
It is a very basic bike but I hardly use it, I use it once every two weeks but when I do use it I tend to do a good 20 miles in it. It dosn't have any fancy features such as full suspension so I think for nearly £200 it is reasonable of me to at least expect something heavy but reliable.
The bike is supposed to be £240 RRP but I think its just the usual scam of selling that price for a day to make it seem like a good deal. I have seen it sold for £180 though.
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sounds like your bottom braket has gone as they say. get a new one fitted for as low as cost to you as possible. its fairly common for these to fail. sealed unit, perhaps you got a dry one
its true to sell a bike for £160 the parts are basically rubbish - once you get a new bb you will be fine.
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Yeah he used the word bottom bracket. I thought he meant just the sealed cartridge which fits between the two pedals (I remember replacing one when I was a kid).
It really does feel like oil starvation the odd thing is if you spin the rear wheels using the crank its silent it only clonks when weight is put on the pedals.
I expected minor things to go wrong like brakes, gear linkages etc and always carry basic tools with me, but to me the bottom bracket is a major component and should not fail to soon.
I suppose the maths just don't add up £160 a bike the retailer builds it so how much are the retailer paying for the bike which is made in China?
Its a shame as I used to have a Nottingham built Raleigh (cost about £160 again) and never had a single issue with it, until it got robbed.
If mine has failed so early it just shows how bad the sub £100 stuff must be! After the warranty is up I will probably trade my bike into something a bit more expensive, but then I have the hassle of not wanting it nicked. Its stored in a lock up about 4 minutes walk from my house so I cannot keep an eye on it. The main gate to the lockups should be locked at night but isn't always.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Wed 2 Jun 10 at 22:00
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rats, have you checked the cotter pins which hold the pedals onto the shaft ?
In my cycling days they used to come loose and cause the thing to clonk with every revolution.
That's if they still have them nowadays.
Ted
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Its all sealed so not a lot to check. As far as I can tell the two crank arms are just bolted onto the bottom bracket cartridge. The cottor pins are probably inside the cartridge itself.
I've checked what I can visualy everything looked fine and the bolts were correctly torqed. A dry unit is probably the best explanation.
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>> rats, have you checked the cotter pins
>> That's if they still have them nowadays.
They don't. People wouldn't know how to fit 'em now, anyway.
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>> Have I just been unlucky?
Always.
>> I think for nearly £200 it is reasonable of me to at least expect something
>> ... reliable.
So do I. If they don't fix it, threaten them with a small claims procedure.
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How are the pedals fitted on the shaft now, Fothers ?
I must have a look at mine tomorrow, but it is 10 yrs old.
Ted
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I think its taper fit.
>
>>>>>>
so what holds it on the taper
if the crank has gone then the bollies must indeed be made of cheese>
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I am hoping they will just fit the new cartridge and that will be the end of it :). I just don't buy this £160 dosn't buy a decent bike rubbish as I bought the most basic thing (they were bikes with ten times the features for half the price) and only use it for light cyceling on proper paths.
I really wish I had used my local bike shop though as the after sales would have been a lot better.
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If you've bought a "basic" bike for a couple of hundred, it should be OK. Suspension and useless stuff like that just add to the bill, lowers the quality (for the same price), and adds weight and complexity.
If you feel the urge, look up "shimano nexus" and similar. An advance on de-railiers, anyway.
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I really hope simpler bikes do come back into fashion, I wouldn't have minded a simple gear system but I do cycle through the meadows a lot with a lot of little hills so I need the lower gears a mountain bike offers.
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>> I need the lower gears a mountain bike offers.
"Overlap". Your 21-speed or more setups translate into far fewer. See Rohloff's website, IIRC (although few people want to afford one of their products).
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I realise I don't have anything like 21 gears and actually the higher gears are still too low, when I am doing 15-20mph I am just wanting to push it into a higher gear but they are none. However the lower gear is much lower than say on a road bike and that is essential when you're going up hill on grass (something I had to to do day).
I find the entire 21 speed system rather pointless and clumbsy. My Panda manages well with just 5 gears!
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my old sit up and beg would get through the meadows
specially is annes dad was chasing me with his shotgun for taking her liberties
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A Ford Popular side valve would have had at least 20bhp though! Even the best bike in the world has 0bhp (I think).
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Rattle - as a buyer and user of cheap bikes, I would say your bike is faulty and I would try to get them to fix it.
If you weighed 15 stone and did 20 hard miles a day on it then I would say you were on slightly dodgy ground, morally if not technically. But given your slim build (I think that's what you said in the beer thread) and light usage then there's no way it should be clonking now.
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I wouldn't call a clonking bottom bracket a major fault - annoying, possibly, but not major. Have you ridden through any water while pedalling? That tends to see off the ones on my bike. However, I'm a cheapskate and still haven't bothered to replace mine, which has developed a serious clonk and a bit of play. :-)
I'd push them to do the repair for free and supply the part at cost price.
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>> I wouldn't call a clonking bottom bracket a major fault
I would, on a new bike. My sub-£200 bike is 3 or 4 years old and has never clonked, and I ride it hard 3 times a week.
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BTW I did have what I think was a similar problem to yours on one of my previous cheap bikes. IIRC it was due to it being fitted with something which wasn't a sealed cartridge, and they fixed it by replacing it with a sealed cartridge.
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>>so what holds it on the taper
Mine's a tapered, square, shaft, with a machine screw pulling it into the taper. There's usually a cap covering the hole.
I had a problem with one of mine regularly coming loose. Thread locking compound seems to have finally held it.
There's also a splined shaft type. There may be others.
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I did cylce though a minor puddle where they were doing the metrolink extension works but then I have done 20-30 miles since without any problems.
My old bike had a bottom bracket that the crank arms getting falling off, took it to my local bike shop and it turns out the but just wasn't torqued enough. The bike wheel then developed a puncture and I had no where to store it so I just felt it to rot and got rid of it. Then I took on a lockup and suddenly had some where to keep a bike again so bought this one.
I weigh just less than 13 stone the last time I checked.
Some of the riding isn't always smooth concreter paths but the hardest terrarain its ever seen is gravel or grass.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Wed 2 Jun 10 at 22:52
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thats what i was thinking bt a loose taper rather than a goosed crank
as someone else said you cant beat cotter pins for the cranks
and real bollies for the crank
ive spent many an unhappy hour looking for the last ball bearing in my youth before i tightened up the big chrome ring with me dads old screwdriver and the hammer (hatchet actually for splitting logs)
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Is there no way to just spray some WD40 in there. I used to cycle 5000 miles a year and cranks usually responded very well to some oil. Ive replaced a few clonky cranks but only on very old or well worn bikes.
Its not a MAJOR fault though - that would be a wheel falling off.
Pay peanuts get monkeys as they say - does your bike like banannas Rattle? Sounds like it does!
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Apart from this fault the bike has been fine, one of the brake cables needed adjusting but that is a minor fault. The bottom bracket is a major component. The entire unit is completly sealed so not much I can do. The bike is at Halfords now so I just need to wait to see what they say.
I bet they only pay £5 for the bottom brackets and it can be replaced in ten minuutes with the right tools so should hunour the warranty really.
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>> so should hunour the warranty really.
yes they should - good luck
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A £150 bike going to use pretty basic components mass produced to a price. Sealed cassette BBs are a curse but every bike has them these days and they are at least simple to replace. A proportion fail prematurely. My guess is that Halfords will deal with it was a warranty claim and do a like for like replacement. If it fails again consider sourcing a better one; bearings are one of the few worthwhile upgrades to a cheap bike. Brake cables needing adjustment are maintenance not a fault, apart from pad wear the cables stretch from new and then settle down.
In the longer term what you have is a bike not one the scarebuses AF flies. Buy a copy of Richard's Bicycle Book (if it's still in print) and begin to accumulate the few special tools you might need like crank and cassette removers. If you've not got a set of basic spanners, allen keys screwdrivers and pliers you'll need those as well. Doing you're own maintenance and repairs is both satisfying and relaxing and you'll often do a better job than the shop.
There's a fleet of nine bikes in my garage and apart from a worn rim on the older Brompton (wheel building is an art) they've only been to a shop when time stopped me sorting stuff. And even the Brompton dealer made a dog's breakfast of fitting a gear cable.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 08:24
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I've had this trouble too with a sealed bottom bracket - the internal lock nut wouldn't stay done up - a few dabs of thread lock and no more problems. Trouble is you need the splined socket to tigheten it up, which costs a few quid, and crank puller to get the crank off so you can get in with the splined tool!
It could be a crank worked loose, but I didn't have trouble with those over many 000s of miles, but again a few dabs of thread lock will sort it if necessary.
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>> WTF?
Naughty, naughty!
>> They told me that the cranks on modern bikes are made out of cheese .....
No manufacturer would make cranks out of cheese.
>> Have I just been unlucky?
You do seem to be unluckiness-prone.
>> I think for nearly £200 ...
£160 is £160, not nearly £200.
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I see you're at it again Sheikh Rattolo...
I am so looking forward to the problems you will have when you buy your first private helicopter.
:o}
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You can't get a good bike for a adult for less than £300.00 the ones you do get like above are poor build quality sorry ralltle but you have to spend some more dosh.
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>> You can't get a good bike for a adult for less than £300.00
You can get ones that are good enough - mine was under £200 and has served me very well for 3 or 4 years with nothing breaking. I don't do a vast mileage - if I did then yes, I might have had to spend more money or expect breakdowns.
>> the ones you do get like above are poor build quality sorry ralltle but you have to
>> spend some more dosh.
For Rattle's usage, no he doesn't. Of course he can if he likes - I dream of owning a £300+ bike :)
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That is it really, I didn't want to spend a lot on a toy which I only use in nice weather and when I have a bit of spare time. It is not really transport for me, it is a toy.
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...No manufacturer would make cranks out of cheese...
It could be hard cheese.
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It might be re-cycled cheese.
Ted
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It's perhaps worth pointing out that Raleigh, once THE name in British bicycles, now import all their stuff from China; the vast Nottingham factories I remember in my youth are no more.
Rattle, you got what you paid for I'm afraid, a cheap Chinese bike with a once-illustrious British name on it.
Haven't we seen this somewhere before?
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And at some point the bike chain may have been made in Manchester (actually Stockport that side of Burnage lane)...
www.renold.com/Company/CompanyInformation/History.asp
www.renold.com/Company/CompanyInformation/History_of_Renold_continued.asp
The old chain factory some years ago was purchased by Tesco and is now a store. Not far from where I live. There was opposition but the chain factory had been derelict for a long time.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 21:28
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I never understood why they build that Tesco when there is already a big tesco half a mile away. I suspect they want to sell of the land at East Didsbury for housing.
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I must admit I assume this factory made chains for bikes. It was huge.
The site at Burnage was almost an Asda before Tesco persuaded the seller and the council that a Tesco would be better. You're right it makes little sense to have a smaller Tesco at East Didsbury. Part of the Tesco solution was housing (Flats) and shop units for other traders. I think all the shop units to this day are still empty.
Back to bikes.... I'd pop into the bike shop near the bus station for an opinion. It might be easy to fix. I remember when I lived near there in 1990/91 that shop was pretty good for customer care. Is it still there?
Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 21:39
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Still going strong but its a bit snobby. I have been in there a few times but I get the impression its main purpose is to serve chortonites with their £3k pushbikes. There is another smaller place on Beech Road which has a very good reputation for people with cheap bikes though.
Its at Halfords now so hopefully a second opinion is only needed if Halfords refuse to repair it.
Renolds still exists, they still have offices in Manchester but their chains are now made in the far east - at least its what I was told.
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>>
>> It might be re-cycled cheese.
>>
>>
>> Ted
perhaps its the Ricotta pin thats gone?
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Fosters Cycle Logic....been there years. I got my bike for passing my 11 plus from them..
They cater for the lycra set and the ' tow your kids to their deaths in a plastic box ' set.
They are very freindly and helpful though.
Reg Deardens the motorbike people were virtually next door. We used to gather at the cafe there, put a record on the juke box and see if you could get to the crematorium and back before it finished.
I think we all got back !....although a few of us have taken the one way trip since !
Ted
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Wow shows how little traffic there was in those days.
Its funny how that place used to be a cafe, then a used car show room, then a tile place, then a car stereo place and now its back to its original use as a cafe.
I always wonder if my final trip will be at Southern Cemetery but if it is I just hope it is not in the back of a cut and shut Vauxhall herse!.
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>>
>> No manufacturer would make cranks out of cheese.
>>
I disagree, Monsieur Snail. After 6 years of mountain biking on a regular basis (and racing), I have come to the conclusion that the more expensive the part, the more cheese-like the consistency.
*cough* Fox Suspension *cough*
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You cannot buy a new bicycle for £160. What Rattle has landed himself with is a Bicycle Shaped Object, or a BSO as it is known in the trade.
If anyone can weld a frame together and spray it, build a pair of wheels with the spoke correctly tensioned, the bearings and races ground and adjusted properly in the hubs, headset and bottom bracket, the gear indexing system matched so that it changes smoothly every time, fitted with quality brakes that work wet or dry, tyres that hold the road when the surface is slippery etc etc, and sell it for £160 making a profit on the sale then they've done something no one else has ever managed.
Have a trawl through the cycle forums or type Bicycle Shaped Object into Google for the horror stories surrounding these contraptions. Personally I would return the bike for a refund as it is not fit for the purpose, and either spend more or buy a second hand bike of better quality.
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 23:48
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I have come late to this thread. But do I understand that the 'main bearing' in Sheikh Rattolo's bike, the one in the middle of the big pedal sprocket, is some sort of throwaway item and not a thing you can dismantle bearings and all?
Unless new ones are cheap and easy to replace, that's just rubbish.
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>> I have come late to this thread. But do I understand that the 'main bearing'
>> in Sheikh Rattolo's bike, the one in the middle of the big pedal sprocket, is
>> some sort of throwaway item and not a thing you can dismantle bearings and all?
>>
>>
>> Unless new ones are cheap and easy to replace, that's just rubbish.
>>
You are correct, AC.
The bearings are contained in a sealed cartridge and in the case of Rattles bike a new one would be around a tenner and a fifteen minute replacement job. However, for them to fail after 100 miles is an indication of poor manufacture or assembly. Which is why I would demand a refund.
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I paid £400 for my GT ten years ago and it all still works. Wasnt that expensive, but the quality really was twice that of a £200 bike. Well worth the extra for the casual cyclist. I expect the same is true today.
It does help if you develop a basic understanding of how things work as if you use them with any frequency, they need a certain amount of ongoing adjustment and fettling.
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I would kind of agree and disagree with you Stu.
A few years ago I bought a Specialised Crossroads Hybrid bike, paid about £350 for it, and agree definitely get what you pay for with bikes. Great bike, really comfy, "just feels right".
Back in Feb I bought a new road bike, another Specialised, and while I was there the salesman was telling me all about the maintenance I should do etc I confessed I had not done a single iota to my existing bike and had done over 2000 miles on it.
So I arranged to have my bike serviced, an all singing all dancing version. When I went to collect it, I was advised the bike was in great order, it didn't need anything major done to it and I obviously looked after it!
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Yes, 100 miles doesn't sound much.
Unless the Sheikh has been doing stunt nipper stuff, dancing along the tops of fences on his back wheel with a parrot on his shoulder, that sort of thing? You never know, and that might put a strain on the, er, cough, transmission...
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,quote---------and sell it for £160 making a profit on the sale then they've done something no one else has ever managed.----------unquote
><>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>its called dumping
amazes me how many people do not appreciate that most of the stuff we buy these days are made in continents where the end result in real time money the article being sold costs more than the actual cost of the article to the end seller
what do these people want?
they want foreign currency and to rule the world
its quite simple really why use bombs when you can do it through consummerism
you seen it here first be afraid.........be very afraid
i bought a watch from china delivered to my door complete with lucky charm,total price including postage costs was £2.47, same watch on the street in a fancy shop is £27.99
dumping
.......simples
at least america has stopped the wall of tyres and put import tax on them and the country has retaliated by putting import tax on millions of chicken webbed feet
you cant make it up can you
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I just bought a very nice watch, hand made in Germany - I know the name of the guy who made as it's written on the back.......Nice people the Germans.
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I phoned up Halfords they said they have ordered the part in and should be fixed over the weekend. It is covered under warranty.
The bottom bracket has basicaly gone. Said its probably dried out and admited it should not have failed so soon. So I will have this work done and probably just get a proper one on next year, a decent one is only £15 or so.
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Good customer service then - no battle ! Rattle I always used to go for the worst case scenario in life changed a bit in the last few months..
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An over active imagination. How have you changed? I suppose you've been through a lot which will change perspective on things.
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Exactly - I've worried so much over the years about trivia - I now realise that most things are sortable with a bit of patience - consequently I have become a very patient man and happier as a result - it's also benefited my driving - I go fast when I can on he bikes but amble in the car....
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but amble in the car.
Dangerous admission to make on here. Will be referred to the anti mimsing tribunal
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I rest my case - see I would have worried about coughing that a year ago - pray silence for AC the chairman !
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Bike developed a fault. Halfords fixing. No battle. No problem.
Chill out in the sun this weekend, Rattle.
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Still a problem when half of the 100 miles I have clocked up has been to 'halfords and back!
Although I long cycle down the Salford docks on the way back may have been something do with that.
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Why get a £15 bottom bracket when you can bling it up with one of these Hope ones?
www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25571
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>> www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25571
That costs more than one of my old bikes! (which I used to do about 20 miles a day on)
EDIT: and that was new price, not second hand
Last edited by: Focus on Sat 5 Jun 10 at 19:06
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You guys forget that bike prices, like car prices, are far from linear as you move away from the budget end of things.
Up to about £600 for hardtails, and about £1600 for full suspension, the improvements are pretty much proportional to the cost. Weight falls, bearing surfaces are ground more accurately and hardened, suspension design and function improves dramatically, and the overall riding experience is far better.
Beyond those sort of prices, volumes are so small that the improvements are only worth it if you value them as a rider. If you race, or do a lot of off-road miles then XT or high end Sram stuff will last much much better. In context, an XT BB is about £30, the deore version (heavier but still the superior external bearing race) £25. Hope brackets will last for ever and weigh very little, but are in no way worth the money on a purely rational basis.
XTR, incidentally, is light at the expense of longevity - designed for racers who want the lightest kit and don't mind replacing it frequently.
Still, if you want a light bike, then every little helps and the end results of silly weight savings made everywhere can be impressive. It's an expensive hobby, but a lot cheaper than a car habit!
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Unless you ride off road - and I mean proper off road, not bridleways - sunpension on bicycles is a waste of money which absorb power and add weight. One of the reasons a road bike is so much faster than an MTB.
And suspension systems on cheap bikes are little more than a couple of glorified sponges placed in the forks.
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RR, couldn't agree more. Suspension has to be seriously expensive before it adds a worthwhile benefit, and then it's only of use off road. My FS mountain bike is fabulous offroad, but you can really feel the unnecessary movement sapping power on road.
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I also see no use for suspension on bikes used onlyon roads/cycle trails. For a few weeks inthe spring I saw a guy daily in London on a cheap folder with rear suspension by spring/damper. It pitched up and dwn visibly with every stroke of the pedals!!
Not seen him for several weeks and suspect bike is now gathering dust in shed prior to going to tip in 2 years time!!
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My Bromp has a squashy doughnut about the size of a cotton reel which provides a small, but useful, bit of suspension at the rear, without adding any weight or complication.
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IIH.
Ahh, for use at the caravan? Sometimes see them in ones/twos on the back og motorcaravans.
As I'm sure you know the Bromp's shock absorber, like Moulton's, is there for the purpose of assisting ride on small wheels. A firmer version is available for the larger rider. Enthusiasts also experiment with changing the spring rate using a jubilee clip round the elastomer.
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The 4 bikes we took on holiday last week would hardly make £200 in total on Ebay but they are all well serviced by myself and each fits the rider. I think when Rattle was looking for a bike back in March I said I'd do something like we did with the good lady a few months back.... buy a tidy £300 (new) bike used from Ebay for £60... add £20 in repairs (inc bottom bracket bearings) and it's good for years.
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...Ahh, for use at the caravan?...
Yes, although the Bromp fits perfectly in the boot of the CC3 with the roof down.
I have the elastomer for the, er, larger rider.
I'd also heard the tip about the Jubilee clip.
I was told it was used to make the softer elastomer firmer, so there's not much point in putting a clip on if you already have the firmer elastomer.
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Perhaps someone should make an elastomer for the extra larger rider:)
Pat
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>> Perhaps someone should make an elastomer for the extra larger rider:)
>>
>> Pat
>>
I do believe they're called spare tyres! ;-)
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Got the bike back now. The repair was three days late (they said it would be done friday) and everytime I called them I didn't get through. In the end I had to walk to the store (1.5 miles away) to find it still had npot been repaired. I came back at 4:30 and it was finally ready.
It rides much smoother now and I find I can easily cruise at 15mph where before 10mph was the easy cruise speed. It feels a lot better than it every did. They fitted an uprated bottom bracket and they said the new one should last for a 'while'.
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Glad you got it sorted.
Bike bits are like PC parts, either they perform to spec for a good service life or are duff from the word go and fail as soon as they're under a load. Looks like your BB was the equivalent of a dodgy memory module!!
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Hopefully thats the last time I will need to use Halfords. I can do all the brake adjustments etc myself and will only need to use a bike shop if the gear system goes wrong.
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Gears are pretty simple Rattle, basic principles involved. Just a tip - if you want the gears to last longer on a cheap bike, ease up the pedal pressure when you shift.
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Off subject a bit, Ratso.. Isn't that computer repair shop about 30ft from your house a bit of competition ?
Ted
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Maybe but I can't really say much on a public forum. I have gained some of their ex customers but then I may have lost some too.
I've been busier than ever in the last few months :). Still working now in fact but then may be due to the fact I was in Anglesey all weekend so need to catch up.
I get a lot of business because people like and trust me although I do admit that I have found it harder to find new customers lately but I have clients going back four and a half years which is very valuable.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 7 Jun 10 at 22:59
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>> Hopefully thats the last time I will need to use Halfords.
It's unfair to condemn the whole of the Halfords group on the basis of one purchase from one store. I've always had excellent service from the branches of Halfords I've visited.
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>> >> Hopefully thats the last time I will need to use Halfords.
>>
>> It's unfair to condemn the whole of the Halfords group on the basis of one
>> purchase from one store. I've always had excellent service from the branches of Halfords I've
>> visited.
>>
If it helps, I can also condemn them on the basis of their branches in Newton Abbot, Exeter, Rochdale, and Oxford, who win a special award for trying to ID me when I bought a can of de-icer when it was -5 outside.
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A shop is only as good as its manager. I used to work at a flagship Curry's Digital store and the maanger there was very good. The only times customers complained was when they were in the wrong. E.g we would refuse to repair a laptop which didn't work due to them downloading porn all the time and getting viruses.
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>> It's unfair to condemn the whole of the Halfords group on the basis of one
>>
Halfords? I didn't know they were Romanian. :-)
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>> >> Hopefully thats the last time I will need to use Halfords.
Funny, you'd expect a national chain store to be quite good with bikes (groan).
I must get round to cleaning up my own bike - a Reynolds 531DB-framed tourer put together in 1986. The Campagnolo Record groupset is still as silky-smooth as it was when new, and I can often coast along in the company of furiously-pedalled 'mountain bikes' made from bits of old gas pipe :-)
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>> The Campagnolo Record groupset is still as silky-smooth as it was
>> when new, and I can often coast along in the company of furiously-pedalled 'mountain bikes'
>> made from bits of old gas pipe :-)
>>
MTB's remind me of those Capris you used to see with wobbly jacked up rear suspension, pop riveted spoilers on the boot lid, sidewinder exhausts and whip ariels. Everything purely for fashion and detrimental to performance.
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I play with them. They seem to have the need to overtake 'grandad', they stand on the pedals, bike rocking from side to side, knobbly, underinflated tyres droning loudly and then they coast. I put a litttle extra effort in and they're off again.
I'm sometimes grateful when our ways part. ;>)
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>> MTB's remind me of those Capris you used to see with wobbly jacked up rear
>> suspension, pop riveted spoilers on the boot lid, sidewinder exhausts and whip ariels.
>> Everything purely for fashion and detrimental to performance.
That depends entirely on the bike and what you want to use it for. I ride a mountain bike that is firmly in the realms of the ridiculous (price wise) according to many on here. As an off road tool it is fantastic, so good it's almost cheating, but brilliant, brilliant fun to ride on steep, technical trails.
It's a bit carp on the road, as you'd expect, not what it's designed for at all. And this is a light, stiff, well designed bike, well set up and fettled. The heavy, floppy, badly sprung carp you get for a couple of hundred pounds at Halfords and the like are hundreds of times worse, probably literally.
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When I was stuck in Oxford for a year which has absolutely nothing to cater for mountain bikes, I had road tyres and a huge chainring on my Trance. Used to confuse the roadies, but I had the added advantage of being able to go flat out along potholed roads and over speedbumps too. :-)
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>>
>> That depends entirely on the bike and what you want to use it for. I
>> ride a mountain bike that is firmly in the realms of the ridiculous (price wise)
>> according to many on here. As an off road tool it is fantastic, so good
>> it's almost cheating, but brilliant, brilliant fun to ride on steep, technical trails.
>>
I should have said MOST MTBs, you are of course quite right in saying there is some seriously good stuff out there in the quality range.
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I do most of my riding here so a road bike would be pretty useless.
www.merseyvalley.org.uk/site/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
I need grip a lot more than speed. Only 5% of my riding is on the road.
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A hybrid is a good compromise for the many riders who spend time on asphalt, cinder tracks and very rarely go seriously off road.
Not many take the option because hybrids, with their larger, narrow tyres, are not 'sexy'.
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Absolutely agree with IIH. We bought Bromp junior a Dawes Discivery 201 (about £225). It's absolutely fine on the local cycleways like Brampton Valley or Rutland Water but will take mudguards and a rack for touring as well. His ride to school is a breeze and the nutters can't work out how to let the prests valve tyres down!!
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Strictly its a presta valve.
According to Wiki:
"Some advantages of the presta valve are their use in narrow rims to preserve strength, and the fact that there is no return spring allows for easier hand pumping and prevents pressure loss when attaching/detaching pumps.
"Opinions vary on which is the better valve type, but the Schrader is far more prevalent in automotive applications and most compressors are designed for Schrader valves."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presta_valve
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If I get to use my bike long enough for the tyres to wear down I may replace them with less knobbly ones. I think at the moment they are a bit too knobly for the roads which is causing resistance. They said I can still cruise at 18-20mph if its slightly down hill.
But the most important thing is I want to enjoy my bike without spending a fortune on fancy £500 bikes with light frames etc. I can't afford for it to become my hobby.
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'Mountain Bikes' are sold with nobbly tyres 'cos that's what the (misinformed) market wants. In fact, unless you ride truly off road they just make resistance and noise while actually offering LESS grip on the tarmac.
Just get the mixed use tyres now; they're far cheaper than a tank of petrol. You wouldn't put tractor tyres on the Panda would you? The other great thing with bike tyres is that they only take minutes to change; you can keep winter or mud tyres in the shed!!
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Its just the hassle of removing the back wheel though. I will probably do it next year when no doubt I will have to strip it all apart anyway under maintance. I will replace the tyres the next time I do need to remove the wheels though :).
It is the same in the HIFI world, in the late 90's they was a spate of cheap AIWA type systems with lots of flashing lights and so called bass ports but the kids loved them. In HIFI less is truly more and its the same with bikes :).
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 8 Jun 10 at 22:50
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>> Its just the hassle of removing the back wheel though.
So practice. It should be a 10 second job to remove or replace the back wheel. If you don't have quick-release skewers though you might need to fit them!
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Sorry to drag this up but just read through an older copy of MBR magazine on the way to Turkey, and thought Rattle would want to know that they've printed and replied to his letter*, if he doesn't get the magazine regularly.
* I assume it's your letter since it's from "ratster", seems to describe the same problem, and sounds a tiny bit hysterical. :-)
Will scan it in for you if you want (this issue isn't in the shops any more).
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Nothing to with me but it is rather odd :). The only place I mentioned this problem is on this website :). I also only use Rattle on this site.
PS done about 30 miles since the repair and its been fine :). I did knock the chain off when it fell on top of me but that didn't take long to fix.
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Bike developed major fault - possible battle - nick1975
