Advantages: great value and functionality Disadvantages: might fall off once or twice whilst learning!
The ShimanoM535 pedals are my pedal of choice these days, I?ve used other pedals and even other manufacturers but I have found that for value for money and ease of use these cannot be beaten.
At first, using clipless pedals can be daunting but its not really an option when riding cross country as the added power and control are more than worth the effort of overcoming the fear and the odd bumps and bruises that you might get during the learning process.
Obviously using these pedals you also need to have shoes which are compatible, mind are the top of the range Shimano units (which I would highly recommend) at a cost of around £120 but these are by no means the only option as compatible shoes can be picked up for as little as £20 to £30.
Back to the pedals, they?re reasonably light, easy to maintain, set up and use and even ...
Advantages: Robust, Shifts cleanly Disadvantages: Might be a little tricky for novice mechanics to install
For all the non-cyclists reading this, I bet your first question is going to be "What's a rear mech?" A rear mech is the doobery-wottsit that hangs down at the rear of the bike and moves the chain between different gears, also known as a rear derailleur, although this term isn't used much because nobody ever seems to be able to spell derraileur correctly two times in a row!
This one in particular comes from Shimano, who are pretty much the Microsoft of the bicycling (and fishing) world, with most bikes out there having at least one bit of Shimano kit on them these days. Deore LX is what Shimano class as their MTB Enthusiast range, which seems to fit somewhere in the middle of all their kit.
I didn't actually buy myself this mech, it came with a bike I bought in 2000. Although this is now two years old, Shimano don't update their ...
Pritch 03.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Shimano LX9
Advantages: They Stop The Bike Disadvantages: Not Disk Breaks
ShimanoLXM600 M-system V brake blocks (not pads but they are the same thing) are the brakes my bike uses.
They consist of two rubber blocks with a screw comming out of them, for easy fixing to your bike. Fixing them is easy anyone who can use a spanner can do it, and at around about 6-99 a pair then they are a lot more resonable than brakes for cars. (Yet another reaon to ditch the motor around town)
One of the most important things brakes do is stop your bike and it is vitaly important that they do it quickly. When new and properly adjusted these babies are bloody good at doing that task, and if you have been used to a dodgy old worn pair then it is not a good idea to hit the front brakes too hard. Unless a mate has a camcorder handy then you could earn a quick 200 quid from Youve been Framed.
The next most important thing ...
