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my wife would like a bike (on a budget)
I have some 100mm forks, tyres, front mech, seatpost & bar, saddle.
I'm thinking rocklobster 853 (£160 at the mo)
x7 rear mech £34
deore m590 chainset (with bb) £59
SLX m665 brakes (with rotors) £139
x0 twist shift (£50) could go x9 £35?
mt15 wheels (£99)
pg970 cassette & pc971 chain £38
orbit headset £21
£566
will need cables, pedals & someone to build it up £50ish
so £610 ish
what do you reckon? good call?
Just get decent second hand mechs and wheels.
This looks a good deal on brakes/shifters
My wife went through a few builds, but women specific suited her shape best, she ended up with a Kona Lisa. So how about something like this:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=75103
And switch a few bits around if you wanted?
For a bit more (£649 should be £749) you could get one of the women's specific Boardman mtbs from Halfords .
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_746519_langId_-1_categoryId_165499#tab2
Decent spec ,depends whether you want the trouble of building your own up or not.
Yeah reasonable build, Try second hand if you need to save a little
Put a wanted up on here plenty of mechanics would do it for a couple of beers,
that's a very good bike in anyone's book. you might be able to get better for the money, but that wasn't the question, was it?
Merlin are doing STX shifters, Mechs and HG61 9 Speed cassette for less than £110 plus there's the extra discount 8% on purchases over £100 or 10% on over £150. Seems good to me. 🙂
Rock Lobster is a lovely frame but does have a short top tube and their sizing tends to be 15", 17" etc. What would be the weight be? How tall is she?
lightest wheels and frame as possible for the girlies, well for my missus anyways
Don't forget light forks!
check out the german stores for drivetrain stuff. Just picked up an SLX cassette for the price of a Deore one over here and saves a bit chunk of weight out back. Deore spec cranks can be another big saving.
But Merlin do have some good deals.
You are also pretty close I guess so can pop along and try out one for size. I used to live in Chorley so did likewise when I got my Malt 2 (need to get round to selling that frame actually)
rock lobster is only on sale in the 15" if that's what you need?
shes only small so 15" should be good.
came in at £580
rocklobster 853
x7 rear mech
deore m590 chainset
deore m596 brakes (with rotors & pads)
x0 twist shift
mt15 wheels (88quid)
pg970 cassette & pc971 chain
orbit headset
welgo v8 pedals
raceface xc stem & bar
grips
got some sid race forks & ok tyres I can put on it
I'm thinking it will be around 26lb
I tried specing a bike like this for my wife, but she tried a few bikes in shops and the only one she found comfy was a Trek Skye which has a very short top tube... so that is what she bought.
What I'm trying to say is the usual... get her to sling a leg ever a few rather than just buying from a spreadsheet... if you want her to ride it then fit is far more important than component vfm and weight.
ah its bought now (she'll be rite) 😉
I'll fiddle with the stem if needs be.
ordered around 10am (it's already been dispatched)!
big up to merlin again (always next day)
Well done! I seem to remember having an issue with the seat clamp, had to get a bolt from Merlin. This was a few years ago so the design may have changed.
I'll fiddle with the stem if needs be.
Many years ago I remember borrowing as many stems as I could off friends etc and literally riding the same short loop with my girlfriend; replacing the stems every time and like an optician "better or worse". Nothing to add but you're comment just triggered an old memory. It is worth trying a few though as (if she is a new rider) it might take actually riding the bike with the stems to decide what is right.