People with push bikes, help please?

[AndyBrad]

Ok folks, ive got a very old sarason bike thats 19" from the top of the seat clamp to the middle of the crank. im approx 5'6" and this is obviously too big for me. (nuts hit the bar)

now ive seen a bike on ebay that i like and its 18" frame size apparently. will this still be too big? if so what size should i be looking for? im wanting to get some use out of it this year and never felt confident on my old one (anyone want to buy it ;) )

[Icanopit]

I would suggest a 17" closer to your size?
Also do a search on "goggle" for bike sizing for an accurate measurement.

[Teejayexc]

Shouldn't the thread title read .. People with push bikes need help ! ;-)

[Luckypants]

Andy, you gonna ride off road with it? If thats the case, then the stand over height is the key measure as far as seat tube length is concerned. The height of the top tube (cross-bar) above the ground over whrer you would stand when astride the bike. This should be at least 1" less than your inside leg, preferably around 2" for off road riding.

FWIW my hard tail is a 17.5" and I am around 5'9". (32" inside leg).

Remember that different bikes have different geometries (shapes) so a 17" in one make will be different to 17" in another...

[AndyBrad]

bugger, not easy is it :(

[Owenski]

we're not far off the same height and mines a 16inch frame if that helps fella, it does me fine.

[AndyBrad]

aye well ive found a dawes one thats 18" and a carrera banchee thats 17.5 there both 150 quid so a bargin imo but 1" too big :( all the 16-17" stuff is 100 quid more :(

[Owenski]

u just gonna buy a frame and then swap over all the gubbins from the sarasson?

[AndyBrad]

na scrap the old one and get a new one.

[husky03]

sorted mate get one of these

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n190/jbenso1/migit.jpg

[Owenski]

a yellow hat?

[punyXpress]

Nah! Husky's right.
Fit 12" wheels to it - sorted!
( anyway, wouldn't like to buy yours complete with plum-shaped dents in the top tube )

[Jayneflakes]

aye well ive found a dawes one thats 18" and a carrera banchee thats 17.5 there both 150 quid so a bargin imo but 1" too big :( all the 16-17" stuff is 100 quid more :(


Be very careful with the Carerra Banshee. They are lovely bikes, but due to the nature of them being bashed out cheap in Thailand, the design gets changed and makes things hard when spares are needed. A second hand full suspension bike is likely to need a new set of bearings or bushes and if it is an older model Banshee, they could be hard to get hold of.

Your best bet, wander down to your local bike shop and try a few out for size, you may well find that full sus bikes still bash your nadgers due to the high bottom bracket and funny seat angle that gives ground clearance even when bottomed out. :smt093

I have worked for several high end bikes shops over the years and most recently had to try to get enthused about Halfords stuff. In all of that time I do not think I have ridden a nicer bike than my Giant, but it did cost me £2K. :pale:

[AndyBrad]

yea sorry 2k on a push iron, no thanks.

ive got a 17" and a 19" in the cellar and it does appear that i need 17" or 16", bugger.

oh well. it was just to knock arround on and maybe get to work. i also fancied the look of those org mtb weekendds :) but not for a while yet. if anyone can offer some advice it would be greatly recieved. i dont want to spend more than 200 notes really. and would like somethig with front suspension if possible? they seem to have these dart1 forks on the cheep ones, any good?

[mattSV]

yea sorry 2k on a push iron, no thanks.

ive got a 17" and a 19" in the cellar and it does appear that i need 17" or 16", bugger.

oh well. it was just to knock arround on and maybe get to work. i also fancied the look of those org mtb weekendds :) but not for a while yet. if anyone can offer some advice it would be greatly recieved. i dont want to spend more than 200 notes really. and would like somethig with front suspension if possible? they seem to have these dart1 forks on the cheep ones, any good?

No ;)

I would forget about buying new, and look for a fleabay bargain. If you want to do do some 'proper' off roading, then front suspension is a must unless you want to get thrown off the bike, however a new £200 bike is going to be heavy and the forks & brakes will be a bit crap - UNLESS you manage to find an end of line (eg 2010/2009 bike) going for a bargain.

Have you looked in to whether you can do a Cycle to Work scheme through work?

[AndyBrad]

i would do the cycle to work but the problem is they wont. also it seems as though you dont get such a good deal as you have to pay what the bikes worth when your done.

theres a kona fire thingy on ebay at the moment but its got the above forks. they all seem to have been around the 450 quid mark when new so they cant be that bad can they?

[Jayneflakes]

Dart forks are cheap, have steel stanchions and magnesium sliders. Internally they are basic, but and this is a big but, compared to similar priced forks available ten years ago, they are great. If you buy second hand, it is worth sending them off to TFTuning for a service. Tim Flooks used to be the Rockshox importer and he now spends his time servicing forks full time.

The Fire Mountain is the introductory level Kona, not bad bike, but at full price was a little expensive. I had a Kona Cindercone a few years ago and selling it was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. It was a wonderful frame and fitted me nearly as well as my custom frame. Did I mention that I have a custom made Touring bike too that also cost me £1.5K? Yes, I know... I spent more on push bikes than I spent on motorbikes!

It is possible to buy a Merlin Metal Works (http://www.merlinbike.com/home.aspx) Titanium frame and then build it up and not have change from £6K. It just depends on how seriously you take your push bike riding.

My Giant XtC Team Edition Racing hardtail was up for sale a while ago when I lost my job, I asked for £800. Luckily I found another job and did not have to sell it, it would have broken my heart to see her go. She has Carbon fibre handle bars, Hope twin pot hydraulic disks front and rear and Marzocchi forks. The icing on the cake though is a set of old School Deore Thumb shifters, they are nearly as old as some Orgers!

http://vintage-mtb-parts.erkan.se/wp-content/uploads/shimano-deore-dx-thumbshifters-picture1.JPG

[AndyBrad]

yea this is for knocking about on a few trails (north face run etc) and getting to work.

so what can you recomend?

[Jayneflakes]

yea this is for knocking about on a few trails (north face run etc) and getting to work.

so what can you recomend?


Have a look at one of these (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/revel/7880/45536/).

Giant make loads of frames for other companies (Trek, Kona etc), they are cheaper than other makes because of this and they offer a multitude of frame materials. Have a good look on E-Bay or go and see your local dealer. Try a few sizes. It has been a hard Christmas for bike shops, so they are likely to have a few last year models laying around taking up room, while trying to clear space for the 2012 launches that will be coming in the next six months! :pale:

Avoid Halfords, they are so big, they don't need to haggle prices and over price anyway. I would not ride a bike built by them, especially since I worked for them and saw the barely trained young lads fresh from school trying to build customer bikes! [-X

[AndyBrad]

Ok folks i managed to get a GT zum for a good price. Im really happy with it and have been to work on it a couple of times already. Overall its pretty good although still a little big at 18” but its got a lower stand over so not all bad.

now the thing is (keeping up with the jonses here) coming down home the other day i thought the brakes were not as good as i expected. The previous bike had v brakes and this has cable discs (alivio levers and quad qmd-5 calipers) yes they are better when its wet and i am going faster thanks to the tyres but there not as good as i was hoping for. Im now looking at hydraulics on ebay ! anyhow a bloke at work has some for sale but there seized. He recons there like 150 quid a set so do you know if you can get replacement seals for these things? And if so where from?

[-Ralph-]

Blimey, suspension seen as essential equipment, there are specialists who service forks, needs a trained mechanic to build one out of the crate, how did we manage years ago before push bikes had suspension and disk brakes?

[Owenski]

Same frame shape as my timberline Andy, as regards the brakes: oddly on bikes the parts cost a lot more as parts than they do if bought with the bike. Ie u can buy a higher spec's bike than u could ever self build. No idea why but it does make a bugger of it if you're tryin to upgrade things. As for the seals etc u require I'd try eBay if u can't find em there then I suspect it'll be more hassle than it's worth.

[AndyBrad]

yea im kind of getting that now. the bike should have come with hydraulics but i think the guy swaped em out before he sold it. although for the price i cant complain.

[yorkie_chris]

especially since I worked for them and saw the barely trained young lads fresh from school trying to build customer bikes! [-X

Not exactly difficult though is it

[speedplay]

how did we manage years ago before push bikes had suspension and disk brakes?


Suspention did make me faster back when I got my first pair of rock shox mag 21 but as for discs...

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/files/13072007200_small_145.jpg


I used to make do with Magura hydraulics..;)


Oh, and thats a 17.5 inch frame and I'm 6 foot 1.

I've got a 16 inch Kona sat here in the attic that I built up for the mrs and never got used.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/files/26012008076_medium_625.jpg

What a waste of a brand new pair of 1998 judy superlights :(