in february 2004 i had a phone call from my best friend matt, the total length of the call was about 6 seconds and consisted of him telling me that i had been entered into two cycling events!
after he had hung up and i had got over the shock of the news( it was shocking because i hadn't riden a bike since 1996 when i was unceremoniously ejected from my bike by a passing car!) i phoned him back and tried to find out what events i haad been entered into.
the first wasn't too bad it was a small downhill event in Aldershot this was on march the 13th (i finished 38th out of 53) but the second one will be a lot harder, it's the london to brighton!
once it had sunk in that i was actually going to have to ride a bike and do some vigorous excercise i realised that i would have to buy a new bike. "What sort of bike should i buy" i thought down hill event ,easy answer, mountain bike with all round suspension, london to brighton, another easy answer, a road bike.
so now i had to decide wether i was going to buy 2 bikes or 1 to do both events. i obviously couldn't use a road bike for a down hill as it wouldn't take the punishment, so it would have to be a mountain bike. i had £800 total available to buy everything i needed, bike, helmet, riding jersey and shorts.
i went to all the bike shops around brighton and hove and all said the samething,"if you want a new bike you'll have to wait between 4 to 6 weeks as shimano are having manufacturing problems" "ah" i thought if i ordered a new bike i would miss the first event al together and would only have 9 weeks training for the london to brighton, not enough training time for 60 miles .
the last bike shop i went in was baker street bike's on london road, i told the owner my predicament and he came up with a solution, he went round the back of the shop and got out loads of cycling equipment and then the nrs4 came out. the bike was up at £750 and we did a deal for cash and i got it for £600 which left me with enough cash for the lycra shorts.
the rear suspension was designed by the renault formula one team, and is double wishbone that doesn't flex when you sit on the bike but gives upto 4.5 inches of rear travel when you hit large bumps hard. so this bike is ideal for the down hill heavy hitting where it gives you plenty of cushioning but when you get on the road it is nice and stiff so you don't waste energy pushing the bike up and down instead of forwards. best of both worlds!
on the down hill it was really good, sturdy yet flexible, and on the road training for london to brighton is eay because of the 27 gears and stiff rear suspension. i don't think that i could have chosen a better bike for the same money and have it do both events, all in all this bike is great for whatever type of riding you are going to do.
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Price
£750 - £600
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