nickywarwick

arite all. the scenario is, me & my mate are going to be getting back into bikeing, ive been looking at a carrera banshee x 09 edition. has anyone any history with them?

were planning on weekends away in the lakedistrict, scotish boarders & yorkshire moors etc.

were do peaple ride, what do you ride & what do you recomend for navigation as im shit with a compass lol.

the bike im fancying
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_165499

Neil S

iTrader: (1)

Hi Nicky,

There's some excellent riding on the North Yorks Moors, that's where i do most of mine, but I get to Scotland, Wales and other bits whenever I get the chance

I've got a Santa Cruz Blur LT and a Cove G-Spot at the minute

For navigation I'd seriously recommend learning to use a map and compass properly. GPS is all well and good but maps don't have screens to crack or batteries to run out!

In the meantime try and find people to ride with who know the areas and just tag along with them.

Of course, there's loads of trail centres where you can just turn up, follow the marker posts and have a fantastic ride!!

Hope this helps a bit

Neil.

89xr2

I'd personally go front suspension only if you're only going for leisurely cross country rides etc.

I've never been a fan of carreras so would probably be looking at a specialized, giant, scott, trek, kona something like that.


As for navigation you cant beat the bike specific garmin gps systems. pricey but they look awesome. thats what i'd be getting for my racer if i didnt know the roads im cycling on.

Big G

If your after a bike or bits, give these a shout http://www.hargreaves-cycles.co.uk/Home.asp , ask for Michael and tell him Graham sent you.

nickywarwick

xr2, im planning on more etreme trails rather than just cross country,

neil, are the places with markers etc free to ride? do you know off many trails in ny moors where there would be plenty of peaple to start/follow? & do you no of any clubs around here? between me & my mates i think we could manage to use a compass i can read a map lol. & sweet bike =)

this is a better pic of the banshee


anymore help will be very greatfull =)

m4tt274

iTrader: (2)

Im can recomend *GIANT* there a brilliant make.
heres mine



i do alot of dirt jumping and give this one absolute hell.
i bought a new one and made it to my own spec about 3 years ago but that sadly got stolen. This one is just factory. but neither have ever gone wrong in any way and i wont get any other bike. there brilliant
have a look m8 http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/

nickywarwick

cheers guys, matt thats a real nice jump bike especialy for bein factory =)


are there any forums for this?

m4tt274

iTrader: (2)

cheers. get on MBUK

nickywarwick

ive just registerd on moredirt.co.uk im guna do mbuk now =) cheers

pollocks

try single track world mate thats a big cross country forum were most of the more serious riders hang around and it also helps deter all the young kids from hanging around there too which should help you be steered in the right direction


personally if i was you and starting out with some fun riding forget the carrera full sus and buy a hardtail for the same cash it will have better parts hung off the frame and also it will be lighter and pedal better making for more fun on the bike i only run full sus for my downhill racing and trips to the alps and the likes

89xr2

If you're getting into it seriously then i'd be looking at spending alot more money on a full sus. Certainly over a grand.

As pollocks says, if you're just starting out get a decent hard tail and then when you get more into it sell that and get a serious full sus machine. A cheap full sus really isnt worth the time of day unfortunately.

Do it once and do it right as my dad always says!

nickywarwick

cheers lads, i am seriusly taking it all in =)

Bg_rs

Hi mate - If you're looking in halfords I'd recommend having a look at the Boardman range too as they seem to be fairly high spec'd for the money compared to other brands.

I've got a specialized stumpjumper ht as my main off roader, but also recently got a boardman as part of the cycle to work scheme: http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/ so check with your employer as this can give you a big saving on more expensive bikes

Ben