jackl’s blog

How Jack found his groove, again

I’m getting close to the BIG FOUR–O. For instance I can remember Hawaii Five–O, the birth of Hip–Hop and Elvis Presley dying. More of my time seems to be spent reminiscing so in order to stop myself falling off the edge into old age I have revisited some of my youthful hobbies.

Yoot o’ y’sterday

Some of my late–teen activities will be unlikely to make a resurgence in my life:

• Breakdancing (I was never very good even when young and supple)
• Buying 12inch vinyl
• Loitering at the edge of a dance floor, girl–gazing at the Youth Club disco
• Styling my hair ;-)

Other’s haven’t really ever left me:

• Cycling (much less now but I still love bikes)
• Playing music (gone from loving smooth jazz and hip–hop to enjoying music with more instant energies ie. rock).
• Eating chips (done right they’re still the food of the gods)

Where does that leave my resurgence? I could live vicariously through my child but that would do neither of us much good; so I have decided to return to my training/racing (running) and maybe a bit of light mountain biking. Both of these pursuits were favourites in my youth and only really needed a little jolt to get them restarted.

The jolt in the terms of MTB was the NGF. As you may be aware I have known the NGF for some considerable time (he is another part of my youth) and in all that time I have never managed to get him into bikes. However he too is approaching the dread age and has shown the odd sign of Mid Life Crisis. This, along with the new year, has manifested itself in a need to “get fit” and no doubt get a nice new bit of kit.

It all comes down to money

As I said to the NGF, you have to spend at least £300 to get a good bike. ‘You only get what you pay for’ was never more true. It’s weird that usually intelligent, reasonable people seem to have problems with paying £500 for a new push–bike when they think nothing of spending thousands on a second hand motor vehicle (usually once every few years). It is true that you can get an automobile that will transport you for around the same price as a good new bike however it is unlikely to be as reliable or as much fun.

I love bikes. They are one of the most efficient pieces of mechanics, can look stunning and can make you feel like you’re flying. But…

Cheap bikes aren’t funny or clever

Firstly I am not a seller of bicycles, nor do I get paid by any bicycle retail outlet. It is just the plain truth from someone who has owned more bikes than most and has seen and felt the difference a good bike makes.
So why can’t I buy that £80 Mountain Bike from the supermarket? It looks like all the others and the bike, as you’ve said, is an efficient design that has been around for centuries.
Because it will be harder to live with and will end up rusting quietly in the shed until it is scrapped. The reason for this isn’t just the problem of the bike being made down to a miniscule budget but the fact that these bikes go to people who don’t understand cycling. They think they do because they could ride a bike as a kid. Sadly the joy of a child riding a cheap bike isn’t the same as an adult trying to push a heavy, usually badly setup, cheap, adult bike. This is why the majority of (non–cycling) people think cycling is hard, frustrating work.

So if I spend lots of money on a bike it’ll be easy?
Erh no. It may still be hard work depending on the weather conditions but if you give it some time it will get a lot easier. And you will have those moments of child–like joy returning as the bike will feel good to ride.

Safety

If you’re considering a bike to use off–road then you really should spend time and money getting the right one. Whereas most bikes that are sold could be used pretty successfully on the road many of the bikes that look like they could cut up the countryside couldn’t make it to the back of an allotment without dumping the rider.

I won’t go into the why’s and wherefore’s of the dangers of cycling debate for this post but you should budget for a helmet(£30+) if you intend to go off–road.

Also if you are a beginner then I recommend that you go out in a group when off–road.

What to buy

I fancy a nice steel–framed, hard–tail MTB. My previous MTB was a Stumperjumper M2 and I loved it to bits. Sadly the problem with the frame on the Stumpy was the inability to easily repair breaks and once it broke that was that. This time I want to get a British bike: probably an Orange (the new Clockwork would be ideal but is a little out of my budget). That said the GT Avalanche gets a lot of fine reviews and has a nice spec and comes in at my price range.

I will have to discuss with The Wife as she is the one holder the majority of the purse–strings ;-) . No doubt I will post pictures here once I get the right bike for me.

Take note of the last part of the previous sentence, I am not recommending a bike for you as I don’t know your needs or situation. It may be that once I get on what I think will be my dream bike I will find it wanting. Reviews only tell part of the story, it is important to ride the bike before you buy it.

NGFs MTB

The NGF has a similar budget to me and is looking for a similar steed so we will no doubt be spending some time going round bike shops (hoo–rah). Obviously I will have the better bike no matter what one he finally decides on, as mine will have a bigger engine ;-)

Photo courtesy of Andy_C. Thanks Andy, great picture.

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