Thursday, April 27, 2006

Mountain Bike Woes

I will buy a mountain bike. I need a mountain bike. Today I went to a shop that had the perfect bike at the perfect price- 2000nok off regular price because it was last year's model. It was a celeste Bianchi with LX and Deore components for 5999. The only problem was that it was only available in 21." I was thinking it was a little too large, and the store manager agreed. I guess it was too good to be true. The nice thing about Bianchi is that they offer more bang for the buck, since they are a European company. It even had a nice Fizik saddle, rather than some no-name piece of garbage. Trek, on the other hand, is hugely over-priced here. If I were in the US I would probably buy a Specialized and be done with it. I don't need anything terribly fancy, and durability becomes a little more of a factor than weight.

I then visited G-Sport- a sporting "superstore" that sells Scott and their own house brand. Neither impressed me much. They used high end parts where it mattered most, but rather crude hubs, brakes, and other components. I still can't decide if disc brakes are worth it. All I know is I want at least Deore, 9-speed, and in the 5000-7000nok price range. I wouldn't mind buying a "pre-ridden" bike.

I guess I will keep checking around.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If nothing else just install an Avid mech. disc on the front. Cheap, EZ, reliable.

The new Giant Anthem bikes look tempting but alas they are new!