Bicycle Gurus - Help me choose a bike.

[pertuan]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of getting a new pushbike since my last one got stolen from my garage.

Looking at spending about 1000 bucks. I mainly need it to ride to and from work which is about 8km each way. Got some hills to climb but not too steep. I was looking at flatbar road bikes but now I'm thinking maybe a MTB would be best so I can take it on trails if I so wish.

Looked at a Giant Alias at $995.

Haven't look at other brands yet. Do any of you biking gurus have an opinion on this bike? Or any recommendations? Any tips? Things to look out for? Also any good shops around Randwick/Bondi area in NSW.

Many thanks for your help in advance.

Giant are probably the best value for bikes sub $1000 - you'll have no dramas with it.

[TURBO_GHIA]

all my mates have yukon's giants there a lot better then my GT ,one mate has had heaps of problems with the front shocks tho ,

[CRIM]

Originally Posted by pertuan

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of getting a new pushbike since my last one got stolen from my garage.

Looking at spending about 1000 bucks. I mainly need it to ride to and from work which is about 8km each way. Got some hills to climb but not too steep. I was looking at flatbar road bikes but now I'm thinking maybe a MTB would be best so I can take it on trails if I so wish.

Looked at a Giant Alias at $995.

Haven't look at other brands yet. Do any of you biking gurus have an opinion on this bike? Or any recommendations? Any tips? Things to look out for? Also any good shops around Randwick/Bondi area in NSW.

Many thanks for your help in advance.

Giants are a great bike you can't go wrong.I have a Mongoose super tyax 2007 model and just broke the derailer today going up a hill.Bike is 3 months old,keep away from this bike. :

[Scott]

Here's a good push bike:
Press here for cheap "push bike"!

Sounds like not a lot needed to make her a goer though ;)

LOL I bought a Repco Sport $300 downhill bike, Y frame, adjustable rear suspension, quickrelease, gripshift about 6 months back etc.

After the first real outing around Heathcote in the National Park, I needed to get a new rear hub and bearings, landing a jump fairly gracefully, It bent the hollow rear axle, heated the bearings until they failed and the whole thing sort of fell apart. Still need to get around to fixing it.

[pertuan]

Originally Posted by CRIM

Giants are a great bike you can't go wrong.I have a Mongoose super tyax 2007 model and just broke the derailer today going up a hill.Bike is 3 months old,keep away from this bike. :

Yeah my old bike was a Mongoose Tyax Elite 05 model. They were crap. Heavy as anything.

[XRchic]

I have always bought my kids Giants. My son in particular should get a job as a bike durability tester! He breaks bikes like you wouldnt believe. Giants last him, they have tougher gears and parts generally, and they are nice and light compared to cheaper brands. Ive always found them good value, would have thought you would get a really nice one for that price!

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by pertuan

I was looking at flatbar road bikes but now I'm thinking maybe a MTB would be best so I can take it on trails if I so wish.

You could put a set of slicks on it and will be much better for riding to work, and if you wanted to stretch a bit more, get a second set of cheap-ish rims for the slicks and keep the better quality ones for the off-road stuff. Semi-slick or dual purpose tyres aren't good enough for either purpose really... dedicated tyres are the way to go!

Dan..

[rodderz]

I used to do quite a fair bit of riding when I was younger, did a few tours and Great Vic Bike rides, always used a Giant and found them very reliable and easy to maintain. The way technology has travelled there are great features on bikes these days.

Shogun I found were good too

[Falchoon]

Avanti are pretty good value bikes as well. Giant tend to mix and match their components to get the cheap price. They will have a high end Shimano rear derailler and a lower grade front and no-name brakes and mix and match other parts. Should be able to buy a pretty decent bike for $1000. Agreed about the slick tyres too, though the semi-slick is a good comprimise.

[drcook]

have you considered ebay or trading post for a second hand?

i got a giant ac2 full suspension downhill bike 2003 model. the guy paid $3,500 for it new then upgraded forks, shock, derailers, brakes.

i got it for $1,075.

[GRNKPR]

one with a seat is comfortable !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sleepa]

For what you want the Giant should do the job nicely. It will handle light trail work with no dramas. Giant, Avanti, Mongoose and Norco are all large reputable brands and offer good value at that pricepoint.