pit said:
Hi! I'm looking to buy 2 bicycles - 1 for my wife and the other for myself.
For the experienced bikers, what would you recommend with the following requirements:
1) Budget - $200 to $300 each
2) Shimano Gears - 21 Speed
3) Mountain Bike
4) Preferably with both front and rear suspensions
5) As Light as economically possible
6) For my wife - need a low seat height
7) Comfortable Seat if possible
Thank you for your replies and hopefully with a price estimation and place to buy.
My goodness you are talking about my first passion before photography that comes a very close second heheh....
Looking at your list....there are very limited choices open to you. your budget begets you all the really heavy bicycles that uses steel or very inferior aluminium. Shimano gear is a given and are of the lowest entry level type. The other brand they might still use is Suntour. Try to stick with shimano.
Expect that the bicycle will all be made in Taiwan even if they claim to be european or american brand. Usually you will be looking at generic oem type brand like Urata, Shimano(fake stuff....shimano do not make bike frames) Martini, Chris Cycle.. Don't let them fool you even with that king of fake..Aloe Bike ( can;t recall that brand at this time) They have always claim to be made in Italy..this is a taiwan made but it is now selling cheap like it should with the rest of the funny brand I mentioned. For a long time, alot of people got con into buying them at crazy prices and they were selling them at shopping centres.
As for suspension front or both front and back...dont expect them to be of any really use but to offer you some cushioning benefit but you will still be bopping around alot when you cycle around bumpy places and especially when you get up to hammer down the pedal. What that means is that you loosing alot of power cycling. You would do better with a front suspension bike. And also take note...full suspension cheap bikes are even more heavy then those with just front suspension. As they are cheap...those suspension parts are normally spring loaded or use very cheap rubber dampers..meaning after sometime they get harden and stop being very good at absording bumps. Have spring coil as suspension does not alway means a comfortable ride if you intend to ride long. The rebounce rate is just as important if you intend to ride long and in off track trails. A relatively good rear suspension shock ALONE will buy you at least two of your bike at your stated budget. So what you are getting is just what we bikers call cosmetic appearnace. They add to the "look" but does nothing more then to add weight to the bike.
And as they are budget bikes, keeping them clean each time you come home is important as rust and metal fatique is your worst enemy.
If you are both new to riding and especially for ladies...get those gel padding saddles...the ones that comes with the bike is usually not as comfortable...for long rides invest a couple of dollars (35 to 50) and change to those wider saddle as specially for ladies as they have wider pelvis bones.
As I say....forget about light. At that price there is no way you will find those bike l-i-g-h-t.
They are all heavy clunkers. Something relatively light would set you back at least S$1000 each. Gearing is not an issue unless you learn to use them so it does not matter if you dont get a 21 speed one. Invest also in some good gloves, helmet and a good blinking light for the rear of your bikes and a front lamp that last at least 3-4 hours. I am a strong supported of safe riding. I would advice that if both of your are not use to riding a bike, spend some time riding in parks away from the road till you are more competence.
If you are going to combine biking with photography..great! welcome to the club. But I would advice you get a good bagpack with a built in drinking pack. Straping those waist pack might seem a good idea but when you have a heavy SLR with a couple of lens in them...having that daggling on your waist as you are on the saddle will proof to be a huge strain on your lower back region. ANd could put you out of commission for a while.
I usually have a racing saddle for my bike but then I use to do alot of racing around and have gotten use to it. But if you are new..get those with a good wide pad as I mentioned with those gel padding. Supporting your weight is bad enough on a bike for long period but strap with heavy photgraphic gears...it will really be alot of down force your butt is placing on the saddle heh
There are a number of places you could find all this bike brands I mentioned. I would stay away from the really big name bike shops as they are more keen to service those buying bikes in the four to five figure range.
I would suggest Hup Leong. At Blk 51 Havelock Road just opposite the Subordinate Courts. They do sell some pro bikes that I am into but they also have some lower bike range that would fit your budget. And they are pretty friendly. Look for Gilbert the owner. You can go to Treknology they have a few outlets..and unfortunately they are now the dealer for my favorite Klein Bike...they are about snobbish as they cater more to the up market but they do carry some relatively good bike that might be abit higher in price to your budget but you get better options and quality for your money. Worth considering. Forget Soon Watt if anyone suggest them...they really ony give the time of day to people lookin to get thorough breed bikes from them and if you are into custom building your bikes. You can buy from those unknown small shop at HDB housing estates that selling cheap bikes along with other electrical stuff...etc. BUt if there is a problem with the bikes ..dont expect much help from them as some of the owners dont fix or fit the bikes but gets some freelance guy to do so..and he might never be around to do it.
Someone here mentioned Tiong Hin..they are quite good a place too for buying lower end bikes.
Come back in here again if you have questions...see if I can answer more of it. Or you can visit this forum and ask some of the folk there for more advices.
http://pub33.ezboard.com/bsmbf?
