Buying a Mountain Bike from UKBikesDepot.com
When purchasing your first Mountain Bike from us, you need to decide what use it will be for. Job number one is to decide on wether you actually NEED a mountain bike.
First time buyers often go for a mountain bike, as they think there is only Mountain Bikes, or Road Bikes. This is not the case, as there are many Hybrids and Cyclocross Bikes inbetween, as well as specific things like Touring Bikes.
So, what you need to decide is what budget you have, and where you'll be riding. Then you need to decide what amount of suspension you need. Many people think "full suspension" bikes are the most comfortable to ride, however, full suspension is only really necessary for hardcore, super fast mountain biking. There are many "Cheap" mountain bikes out there that look the part, and would typically be priced well below the £1000 mark. These bikes are likely to be heavy and bounce around a fair bit. If you're looking for something under £1000, like most, we recommend looking at something with just Front Suspension.
For general leisure riding, up and down tracks and trails and country lanes every few weeks or so with no major drops or anything, people typically need a budget of around £200-£300. The Ridgeback X0.2 is a fine example of something suitable for light tracks and trails.
Disk Brakes come in on bikes in the next price range of the £300-600 bracket. Bikes such as the Ridgeback X0.4 and the Saracen Mantra Pro come into this price range. Disc Brakes come in two forms, Cable Disc Brakes and Hydraulic Disc Brakes. We recommend people go for the Hydraulic disc brakes as they are generally more powerful and aswell as being self adjusting. Geneis, Saracen and Scott Bikes all use the best braking systems from Shimano or Avid.
For the serious off roaders amongst us, the price bracket of £600-£1200 will get you an excellent hardtail mountain bike. The best brands for this price range that we do is usually Genesis and Saracen. The Genesis Core 120, a lightweight 26 inch wheeled off road bike, is fits well in this price bracket and will get you an excellent bike for the money. This bike offers a great mix of technical handlng ability, low weight, comfort, and an astonishing all round trail performance. Cycle Gear also supply these bikes to Bradford Police force who use Continental Double Fighter tyres to make them an all round crime fighting machine!
29 vs 26 vs 650b:
For years, the "normal" in mountain bikes has been a 26 inch wheel. However more recently we've had bikes called 29ers appear in the market. Bike brands such as Scott have embraced these with open arms, and now their full range comes with the option of wheel sizes. More recently a 650b has been added for the best of both worlds.
Cyclocross:
Cyclo-cross bicycles generally resemble road racing bicycles. Cyclo-cross-specific frames differ with their wider tire clearances, knobby tires, cantilever or disc brakes, and lower gearing. Cables are generally routed on the upper side of the top tube, which allows the rider to carry the bike comfortably on the right shoulder through portage sections, and prevents cable contamination by dirt. Popular on many cyclocross bikes is routing the brakes opposite that of a classic road bike, meaning the right brake is often the front brake. This is done because a majority of a bicycle's stopping power comes from the front brake, and many right-handed people can actuate the brake lever more precisely with their favored hand. As a high-end bicycle purpose-built for a specific sport competition, they also differ from ordinary cross bikes (Hybrid Bikes), which are general-purpose utility bikes fitted with slightly wider 700C tires for use on unpaved paths or trails.[7]
Cyclo-cross bike design and frame geometry has evolved over the years. The first cyclo-cross bikes were touring-type road bikes, used for their cantilever bosses, slacker angles and wider tire clearance. Over time as the sport became more formalized, frame angles changed for quicker handling and bottom brackets heights were raised to clear broken ground. Most cyclo-cross frames have a non-compact (flat or near-flat top tube) frame design for easier shouldering. Some design features have recently begun to change, for example, a heightened bottom bracket was typical 10+ years ago; now many cyclo-cross-specific frames do not have elevated bottom brackets, in fact many have a lower bottom bracket than road racing bicycles; this is favorable since the lower seat height makes for easier remounting, and a lower center of gravity increases stability. Many cyclo-cross bicycles are now set up with a single chainring and chain "drop" guards. A single chainring setup simplifies mechanics and reduces the chance of the chain derailing on a bumpy course. People that do run a double chain-ring set up on their bicycles generally use a 36-46 gearing. Many professional-level cyclo-cross bikes are set up with deep-section carbon tubular wheels, not for the purpose of aerodynamics, but to keep the wheel from being entrapped in deep sand or mud sections. Tubular tires are used to avoid pinch flats, decrease rolling resistance and increase grip with lower tire pressures. In addition, single speed cyclo-cross bikes are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons, including lower initial cost of setup, ease of use and maintenance, and decreased likelihood of mechanical failure on the course.