Mountain Bike Recommendation

[Tumble]

My Marin Wolf Ridge (FS Hope M2's) cost me £1000 5 years ago.. it's on it's 3rd set of cranks/rear cassette I love it. Best thing I've ever bought imo. And me Bear Valley SE from '96 is still going too, lovely ride that one

[noah]

there are apparently courses you can go on....

yeah ive heard about them, sounds like a great idea as you do feel immensely proud when you ride your own wheels, its not really something many people can do. i was lucky enough to have a great mechanic watch over me when i started (always helps) would have loved to stay as a mechanic, great job, maybe one day i couldve been as good as some of the guys i know at building wheels, but in the end i suppose medicine/surgery is mechanics of a sort

[Stewart]

6ft2 and you only weigh 10 stone?? Christ on a bike you must be built like a runner bean lad.

I'm 10 stone as well, and 6ft.

[shiato storm]

its all that time spent sitting in front of the computer, wasting away from muscle atrophy!

[Dr. X]

Listen to Shiato, he talks sense.

I've been very tempted by anything Merlin make in the past but instead bought wheels and groupset from them and selected the rest to make a hard as nails fully rigid chuckabout. I skimped on the groupset (Deore throughout) which adds a few grammes but is still running smoothly after a year and a half mostly living outside.

The real money went on the frame, wheels and the extras. Coyote HT5, disc ready hubs w/517 rims and race face, titec and woodman finishing kit.

Doesn't look as flash as many out there but is sooo fast and I can upgrade to front suspension and discs if I ever get out of this Student Loan hole!

ps. light wheels make a huge difference because they spin round not just tranlslate. A few g off the rims is better than twice as much off the rest of the bike and Merlin's wheels have been reccomended by MBUK for years and years. Whihc is basically what Rave said

[noah]

ps. light wheels make a huge difference because they spin round not just tranlslate. A few g off the rims is better than twice as much off the rest of the bike and Merlin's wheels have been reccomended by MBUK for years and years. Whihc is basically what Rave said

its a very good point rotational wieght makes a massive difference, but as a rule please dont trust MBUK, i have good friends that are/were writers/photographers for them and as a rule they write biased reviews for kids, there are far more 'adult' (he he) publications around that wil serve you better

[0iD]

I'm 10 stone as well, and 6ft.

I wish I was still 10st Was when I met my wife 8 years ago. Now I'm a 13st8 5ft10 thirtysomething amoeba with no time to exercise.

[shiato storm]

are you saying you shrank 2 inches from excess weight?!

[0iD]

naa, i've always been 5'10", just not always so lardy.

[shiato storm]

oh...you could eat dust...i hear thats fat free

[schmunk]

How about a nice bit of cake?

[0iD]

Noo, don't tempt me, I have a serious sugar addiction. Sweeties mainly & a total lack of willpower

[Craig]

Right then guys,

Tomorrow me and two lads from work are setting off to Merlin Cycles in Leyland to try out the sizes of their bikes, i have already picked the spec (below) If any of you live around that area and see a 03 silver Focus with TSK Computers written on it, wave, flash.. whatever After that we are off to Blackpool for a night out, then back up to newcastle on sunday, ready for work on monday! Anyway heres the spec!

MERLIN MALT 2-05 (Double butted aluminium)
*New 2005 Merlin Malt 2 frame
*2005 Magura Vidar forks
*Full 2005 spec Deore groupset
*Magura Julie hydraulic disc brakes front and rear with the new wavy discs
*Wheels - Handbuilt with Deore discs hubs and Mavic XC717 disc rims
*FSA bars stem and seatpost
*Panaracer fire XC tyres

And here are the upgrades...

Front & Rear mech + shifters upgraded to XT
Forks upgraded to Marzocchi MX comp ETA's
Easton EA50 seat post and riser bars
XC717 rims in black

All coming to £795

Feedback welcome!

Craig

[shiato storm]

nice...you'll have to post pics of it though now!!

[noah]

sounds lovely mate, hope you enjoy it

[XA04]

I'm just wondering, what have you been smoking? if you were in the right mind, you would know that selling your laptop for a bike is totally crazy. You shouldn't be living outside in the real world, you belong to the Hexus gang of geeks, and that's the way it is going to stay.

















:shifty:

j/k mate