Cheap Mountain Bikes

12/27/2011

Thule Big Mouth Bike Mount Review

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(More customer reviews)Other than Yakima, who are you going to buy? Anyway, this is alot cheaper than Yakima products, so I like that! Bikes lock in great, and fit tight. In terms of convenience, I would rather have a tailgate type rack, but I don't have a trailer hitch set up so this is it.

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Nite Ize Spokelit Bicycle Light Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow, can't believe how many people don't read the simple instructions.
I got these last summer for my new bike, since I'm riding through parts of Los Angeles that have very poor lighting in the middle of the night (Cahuenga Pass, if you're familiar), and I LOVE these SpokeLits! I had to order them from another website and they seemed much more expensive (around $15-$20 apiece), but I'm thrilled that Amazon in selling them now!
I put a green and red light on opposite ends or my wheels, and they look great when I'm riding through the streets. I feel much more visible, and I can see the lights reflecting off of the ground and windows I pass.
I agree the Blue doesn't seem like it'd be as visible, but for $5 and free shipping, I'm going to order one to try it out.
IMPORTANT! The biggest downside to these is the batteries, which don't last all that long and sell for almost $4 most places (and the SpokeLit uses 2 at a time). But I just found a seller on Amazon that sells a pack of 25 for $8, with free shipping. Just search for "CR2016". I haven't gotten mine yet, but there is a lot of positive feedback on the product page, so I'm hoping its as good a deal as it sounds.
Enjoy! And thanks for selling them, Amazon!
~Trav
UPDATE (December 16, 2010):
First, the current link to the batteries I mention is here:
[...]
I ordered the batteries over a year ago, and still haven't used up my supply, and I have 4 SpokeLits on my biks (2 on each wheel), plus two more for my boyfriend's bike (though he doesn't ride as much as I do).
As far as the Spokelits themselves go, I am back to buy more. Unfortunately, my front wheel was stolen with two of my lights on it. But I couldn't love these more. They are bright, and they look SO cool riding down the street. I have one of every color on my bike (2 front-2 back) and I get compliments all the time about how cool they look. And I've never yet had a problem with visibility. I always feel like car drivers can see me, especially coming from the side.

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Michelin XC Hard Terrain K tire, 26" x 2.0" blk Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, I've worked in the bike industry for 20 years, so I've seen lots of semi-slick and crossover MTB designs. But when I got a classic Bontrager steel hardtail to ride on firetrails and rural paved backroads in the Santa Cruz mountains, I did a lot of research. I decided on the Hard Terrains, ordered a set and after six months could not be happier! These tires are amazing. Absolutely no noise on the street -- no wierd behavior in turns, but edges that grab and hold in the loose stuff. You mount them with the arrow shape pointing forward in the front for less rolling resistance and backward in the back for more traction.
Like the Michelins I have on my GTI and Ranger, they're solidly built, which means they could be a tiny bit lighter, but they perform and give me a real sense of confidence. I've had 26x1.5's on other MTB's, but I really like the 2.0's. I don't normally write reviews, but these are so darn cool I felt compelled to give a big shout out.

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12/26/2011

Pyramid Handlebar Sunlite Mountain Bike Alloy Black-61 cm 6 degree Review

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(More customer reviews)I needed a new handle bar to re-build an old bike, and this fit the bill quite nicely. The weight of it scared me. It weighs almost nothing and I figured it would bend on the first pot hole. But no, I'm not exactly sure what type of metal this is, but it's quite strong. The paint is also surprisingly durable, I've yet to scratch it with all the monkeying I've been doing with brake levers and shifters... Highly recommended.

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Shimano HG70 7sp cassette, 11-28 Review

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(More customer reviews)My conclusion is the Shimano HG70 provides better, crisper shifting than HG30, when comparing cassettes with identical ratios. My original HG30 with Alivio setup on my $400 GT Bicycle had almost zero miles (not worn at all), but it was ALWAYS a bit stubborn...grinding and refusing to upshift one gear at a time. Adjusting the cable in the other direction invariably caused unreliable downshifts. You had to skip two gears or more at times to complete a shift and then quickly backshift one gear. I discovered adjustment was not the issue. I wasted money on premium shifters, cables, upgrade to superior Deore derailleurs & repeatedly adjusted until I decided to replace the silly cassette last week. Sham wow, issue FIXED. Hey, don't be afraid to waste $25 on this oft-ignored component...it made my 15yo GT bicycle shift far better than new. Shifts are now very positive and reliable. The difference between the HG30 and 70 is significant from a technical design perspective. The HG70 clearly has more engineering provisions in it's design to coax the chain from one sprocket to another. you can see it comparing them on the workbench.

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Maxxis CrossMark Mountain Bike Tire Review

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(More customer reviews)Primarily used on the rear in the desert Southwest, but I have used it on trails in and around the Denver area in the past with very good results. Good all around tire for rear use, and would be good for front use for a faster (race) type setup. Seals up well tubeless using stans sealant with Arch and 355 rims. Cannot comment on other tubeless conversion. Wears well, climbs rock and off camber well, fast roller. The volume is a true 2.1. This tire corners much better than it's rolling resistance would indicate. It's only real limitation is when it gets real loose. While it holds it's own in the loose on the rear, you will have to reign it in a bit on the front. I prefer to pair it up with a bigger front tire for general riding (like the Panaracer Rampage), and to run it at both ends for race applications. The only tires I have found out there that roll faster give all of the speed up in the corners, and typically have fragile side walls. While this is not a mud tire, it does wet well enough to get by.
Bottom line, I have tried many other tires for rear use and keep returning to the Crossmark.
Other product tried include: Maxxis Ignitor, Specialized Captain 2.2, Specialized Eskar 2.3, Geax AKA, Geax Saguaro, Kenda Smallblock 8, Kenda Karma 2.2, WTB Weirwolf 2.4, and WTB Exiwolf 2.3.

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Shimano SL-TX30 TOURNEY 3 x 6 Speed Shifter Top Mount / Thumb Pair. Review

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(More customer reviews)I was leery about purchasing such inexpensive shifters. For less that ten dollars it hard to believe there as good as they are. Sure more expensive shifters may be better, but these work just fine. Time will tell if I was prudent in spending so little. But, even if they don't work out, it's only ten dollars.
Ed Waggoner

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