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Shockwave XT 650

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G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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PostPosted: 16:54 - 28 Dec 2013    Post subject: Re: Shockwave XT 650 Reply with quote
It looks VERY heavy with useless suspension.
Ideal for losing weight, but you may find a more fulfilling experience from a bike without suspension and being able to cycle faster for the same input.

I'd only consider if it was VERY cheap.
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stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: 00:15 - 29 Dec 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mk1GSF wrote:
Thanks for the reply. It has discs front and rear, but only front suspension. Will it matter much? Would I be better ignoring the suspension/brakes? I want something that can handle a bit of abuse. There are hilly bits and shit nearby, and also canals etc. I don't really fancy a racer type bike. Always had mountain/suspension bikes from being a nipper.


If it cost £100 new, any suspension opr brake system fitted will be utter bilge. You're pushing £100 for a halfway decent rigid fork by itself these days.

I agree with G. You'd be better off with an oldschool rigid bike for that kind of money. You don't really NEED suspension or disc brakes unless you're going down black runs. I run a totally rigid, single speed mountain bike with v-brakes and take it along red routes. The tyres have more to do with your offroad ability than the equipment on the bike itself. Mine cost £55 on ebay, then I spent the same again on tyres.

It's maybe a sign of my age but suspension on a bicycle is a pretty recent thing. When I started mountain biking as a schoolboy they were all rigid bike. Some of the professional riders were just starting to use suspension. DIsc brakes are a very recent innovation on push bikes.

Getting to the point of that, we were riding our heavy, rigid bikes with 10 gears and cantilever brakes in exactly the same places people are riding them now. Except they weren't dedicated and graded bike trails, it was all a whole lot more freestyle and random. There was no garauntee the track was actually passable by bicycle round the next corner.

Do you have a bike recycling place near you? They will usually have ex-offenders rebuilding abandoned/recovered bikes as part of their rehabilitation and selling them on pretty cheap. They usually knock them out pretty cheap (say £60-80 but fully working). If you can persuade them to let you rake about in their warehouse, they usually have a huge pile of bikes awaiting service which you can puick up for a pittance as a project. I got a reynolds 531 steel framed racer with a full RX100 groupset for £30 from my local place. Tatty but I could still have parted it out for at least ten times that on ebay.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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PostPosted: 00:52 - 29 Dec 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ah, there seems to be two models being sold as that, or people have just got confused and the like.

The hardtail one doesn't look too bad.
I suspect the £100 was actually on offer if it was being sold as that.

If it was fairly cheap, I'd be tempted to give it a go.

Likely the fork won't be much use, still.

While you don't 'need' suspension, it does make it a lot nicer - even for XC I prefer it as it seems rigid causes problems for my lower back.
BUT, not cheap suspension, which generally seems to make things worse not better.
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