hi guys ill be purchasing a bike next week on a saturday or sunday!
but i need help because im choosing from a few bikes..

my budget would be below 1K and around 700-900

my first option would be
GT AVA 1.0 -> but apparently L&T has no stock and if i choose this i would have to wait till late march early april

Cannodale F7 -> Any opinions?
PolyGon Cozmic 3 -> Abit market but from what i heard has parts with it that come very cheap

does any one have anymore recommendations?
my first choice is actually the GT AVA cos it comes with not just looks but also with some pretty good deore parts and a 9 speeder

oh yea and i forgot the bike ranges im looking for is a HARDTAIL / Hybrid [ in the future]

tHANKS alot!

and can some one please give me more details about merida bikes
such as how much would a bike like :
http://togoparts.com/items/view_item.php?i...0&cid=4&bid=182

cost?
ive seen some nice merida bikes ..

neverquit, for XC ah? not jumping around?

as for GT avalanche.. not necessary you need to go for Avalanche 1.0.
Say Onn trading in tampines has Avalanche 2.0 Disc which is just as fine & within your budget as well.

L&T has some merida as well.

for that merida, the specs comes with xt and lx..
The price shud be around 2k or more.

i do alot of road too
for me its either road or trails

and i suppose the GT AVA 1.0 has a better and stronger drive train rite?
datsy i guess its better then me, is it?

whats the diff from 1.0 and 2.0 for trails?

and yes yang.
stop dissapointing me! LOL

dont really have difference
just that ava 1 got better parts.

thx
so is there anyone out there with merida knowledge?
or marin for that matter.
but please note that my budget is still below 1K.

The cannondale f7 is nice. And very very cheap.

but does it come with disc?
i think next week i go LnT check it out bah..

Whatever your choice is there is always a better priority in either a better
bike frame, compononts or a more famous brand.

If the Merida has better parts than the GT AVA 1.0 and your priority is
for better parts, then go for it.

On the other hand, the frame that has been proven for its strength
and durability but with a lesser grade in the parts, go for GT because
you can upgrade the compononts later when you are ready.

There is a GT group started by NightKids sometime ago, but have not
seen them in this forum for a long time. Anyone knows if they have
their own website? Perhaps this is a good time to meet the GT riders.

:towelcheer:

mm so either way, turn here turn there ..
still the GT AVA is the best decision ?

My first bike was a GT Ava 1.0. Pretty common "starter" bike I think. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with regards to biking..Just knew that I wanted a bike....haha....I guess you will be upgrading the parts as you go alone. Frame wise, it is durable and heavy. Stiff also. If you have plans to cut weight, you shd not begin with the GT ava.

Merida is a good alternative. You might even be able to build up a XTC with 2nd hand parts here and there under yr budget. Likewise, scott scale 60 shd also be around a thousand and if you into road also, scott might be better. Lighter and all.

Happy deciding. It's not an easy choice to make....... :cheers:

the polygon cozmic i saw not bad ma... cheap and not bad.. maybe u shud go rodalink take a look..cheaper than gt, parts around the same or better. Polygon is rented by bike shop but it really doesn't matter. Cannondale is also rented out by some bike shop actually.

neverquit,

u might outgrow your bike anytime. I'm serious!! get something decent to start with. it's pointless to get a high end & within a year you will outgrow the bike & you probably cant fit in any much.

stick with avalanche 2.0 in my opinion. i've seen it. it's really decent to start with.

but accordingly to yang,
he said the parts for GT AVA 2 ( 8SPEED) cassets and etc etc are not very easy to find and if it spoils most prob will have to change the whole drive train, or somewhere along that line right?

the price for GT AVA 1 - 910
GT AVA 2- 690, 710 at most

which is more worth it man .. zzzz!!!!


okay i tell you my riding style then u tell me which i should take
I would usually do road riding towards the trail so i would prefer to have a bike that can perform better for platform speeding
But when i do trails i want the bike to be able to be pushed up as in pedal'd up properly without having to mash ( even at low gears)

so whichhh

about out growing .. i dont think that could be a problem cos maybe ill settle for an M size, even if it MIGHT be abitttt too big for me , i dont think it will be such a big problem, righttt?

could i ask all of you something too
could the GT AVA pass off as a freestyle bike whenever i want to change?

To answer your question, no.

ouu .. cos freestyle looks really interesting ..
is there any way i could make mr avalanche a freestyle, thru modificationS?

and i would also like to add
putting aside freestyle [if it really is too much of a thing for avalanche]

could the ava be put to gangsa?

Sure you can take it to Gangsa. You can even ride to Gangsa with it. It is a bicycle after all...

i had worries that maybe the hardtail wouldn't be suitable for all the big jumps (or so..) at gangsa
Then i suppose bukit timah wouldnt be a problem

and guys may i know is there anyone who can teach me on how to DIY spray+gloss my rims?

my idea is that i want the rims to be maroon'ish pink or in simple terms - metallic pink
is there a way to do that?
And how much would getting a color'd disc cost?

neverquit,


it's silly to get a M. I'm god damn sure you can't fit into it. S might be already alittle big for you given your current built.

as for the 8spd blah blah.. dun have to worry about it. other than the freewheel & cassette, there's nothing much to worry. & if you are gonna do XC, there's nothing much you can do to this bike. if you insist on a Avalanche 1.0, it's fine too. just a recommendation. :rolleyes:

as for colours & all that crap ideas you have... STAY AWAY FROM IT!!! :kaopeh:
& what makes u think it's easy to DIY? u might churn out something disgusting in the end... so heed my advise. get avalanche 1.0 or 2.0, leave it alone & ride. dun even think about using DH saddle, ultra strong rims, 160mm thru axel fork for it. it will never work.

no la parts i wont change cos i know i also wont out use it,
but for the color'ed rims i really want it to be diff color because .. its just a personal thing XD
but isnt it then the AVA 2's gearing is not as quick and swift then the 1 ?

thanks for all the help :D

tell u what... i'll let u ride my lizard in the trail & i will take your avalanche. i will show u something.

&... for DIY rims... let me help you visualized the steps involved.

1) removing tires, tubes & of course off your bike.
2) Unlaced hubs, & spokes all cannot be reused.. usually.
3) stripping the based colours of your rim, chemically or manually which may turn nasty & might weaken the rim somehow.
4) buy metallic pink spray off DIY stores.
5) Spray
6) too thick causes "tears", if too thin... get ready for camo pink instead.
7) once tears, sand it with sand paper.. which might turn nasty looking.
8) re-spray..
9) failed.. re spray... go back to step (4)
10) paint too thick in result.. cracks surfaced.. & nothing much can be done.
11) accept the fact, laced it back with DT & worksmanship may cost a total of 60 - 70.
12) during relacing, Uncle may scratch your paint again... after tensioning, more paint cracks may surfaced.
13) accept the fact & ride with those ugly rims...
14) You fren commented.. " you can join Circus De soleil "
15) You gave up, you spent 200 over for new XT wheels. :hehe:

If that is the reason for your preference for the AVA 1.0 instead of the 2.0 then
I would say the compononts of the AVA 1.0 are of a higher grade which
sometimes may or may not out perform those of the lower grade. The difference
lies in the weight of the compononts with a slight difference in quality though if
I am not wrong.

But having been using Shimano Deore and Shimano Deore LX for a couple of
years on different frames many riders would have agreed that their performance
never would dispoint you unless they are misalign or damaged after a crash or
a fall.

:clap: :towelcheer:

ouch...
alright.. i guess maybe not yet... LOL..
thanks as usual

huh what will you show me? Dont try anything with my new bike please! ( fUTURE To be)

Cos actually i dont really intend to send it for any trails checking out so soon cos i want to ride around with it scratchless
ok ok enuff with color'd rims, how bout color'd wires, i could purchase them off the shelve for quite a price right? (cheap price i meant)

those are called cable housing. they are available at most LBS.

the AVA 2 uses alivio's shifter
can anyone tell me what exactly is the difference between
Shimano Alivio rapid-fire shifters
and
Shimano Deore trigger shifters ??

for me i dont think weight will be a problem cos i guess im not looking at the high end section yet to care that much about weight and either way the bike will be lighter then my current one

my main concern for the GT is
1) have a drive train that can allow speed
2) have good shifting powers that does precise gear shiftings
3) i guess thats about it

The AVA 1.0 at less than a thousand bucks is a better choice than the
Can F7 or the Merida and knowing with firmed knowledge that though the
frame is a bit stiff it is strong and tough for all your future
stunts.

That was the same conclusion I had a year ago after struggling with
the best compononts available on a bike that is strong and meeting
my allocated budget.

I won't feel too much pain even after the bike received all the injuries
after a crash or a dreadful fall.

thx for the advice

so anyone up for my alivio's question? XD

haha... i guess donny gonna show u the golden phrase.
Its the rider, Not the Bike.

Using a 9 speed component now is better and easier for replacement coz 8 speed casette difficult to find. Maybe a few months of hardcore riding and the casette will wear out & it will be tough to find a brand new 8 speed casette.

For precise gear, nth beats a well tuned drive train. But comparing same lvl of tuning, deore is definetly faster than alivio shifting. When u get ur bike feel free to ask me out, i can teach u easy way of tuning urself.

As for the color stuff, forget about it. DIY might get results that u do not want and wrong steps might screw ur stuff. Cable hose is good enuff unless u are thinking of changing to good ridge brake hose. That would be a good invest but might be off ur budget.

And lastly, about sizing. I think i told u before S would be just nice for u. S is around 15.5 or 16" i guess. M is around 17". I am 180cm and i am using 18". But not everyone is the same so u have to try the bike and do some bike fitting. Some ppl might have longer hands,torso or legs causing variations in the sizing. But these can be changed using length of seatpost,stem,handlebar(riser or flat) and saddle position.

All in all, dun think so much. Get the bike that fits u and ride it. Dun think of customizing it if u have a low budget. All the color color stuff are not included in performance. Unless u are talking about kool stop brakepads.

oh.. leme calrify bah
when i said i get M meant that ill get a frame that would be JUST nice for me and maybe ABITT too big only :P

thanks for ur gear shifting explanation, i think yes it is all up to the rider
so i guess the best thing for me to do is to go test ride the 2 bikes, the AVA 1 / 2

Ill just have to see which gearing makes me feel more comfortable and all.
I dont mind spending a 100-200 more just to get a more precised gearing system cos after all im planning for this bike to last me the way ive used the giant, a 8-10 year period.
Unless riding trails will get my bike broken 1 day then ill get it changed

but either way ... thanks all for the help! :D

Trigger shifters you can think of it like a gun. Your 2nd finger next to the thumb (whatever the heck tat is called) is use to shift the gears. You do so by "clicking" it. You can feel the pressure until it clicks into place.

Rapid fire I think would refer to the rapid rise series of rear ds. Unlike conventional rear d, the spring is on the reverse direction meaning it is easier to shift up then shift down. Useful when climbing.

Actually if you ride a lot, aluminum frames are supposed to have a lifetime of around 4 years. But I dun have experience in that. Haha...

The concern with frame size cannot be understated. Too large a frame makes riding almost impossible. The top tube height might not even the safe if you know what I mean. Too small and it might not be comfortable. One thing I learn abt frames is that too big a frame is harder to maneuver. Maybe it's just me.

I never seen you but judging by the other replies, you should seriously consider getting small, especially if you plan to go offroad.

yea its like wearing a shoe..
Too big difficult to walk with it
Too small can't fit in.. even if u can squeeze in, its painful to walk with

:shutup: neverquit, just listen to yang & Raptor. they have given you very good advise. i'm tired for the day. *censored*

The spirit of sharing experience is seen in this thread as almost all
the questions put forward by TS are not only answered truthfully and
sincerely but with a sense of humour too.

Keep this higher awareness of your being spread among the cycling
community as well as any other human being and the world will be a
more fun and joyful place to live in.

:clap: :clap: :towelcheer: :towelcheer:

yes yes ill get the appropriate bike fit! haha
okay ill get the GT ava already.

Now just depends on whether LnT will have the stock cos according to yangs they dont -.^^?

your proper fit is "S" or XS. that's about it. dun attempt anything funny. Say Onn Trading in Tampines has a S Avalanche 2.0 disc & a 2007 avalance 1.0 but it's M. just take note.

LOL
When i clarified just now i meant that i did not literally meant i would take an M la.
haha..
alright thanks! :D