New mtb for beginner

Author
Discussion

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Hi all, first post here. Just looking for a bit of advice really. I’m looking to get myself a mountain bike for going up the woods and finding some local trails.
I’ve found a voodoo aizan for sale locally that’s a year old and looks in good condition. Has anyone got any experience of this bike?
Cheers

Bacon Is Proof

5,740 posts

237 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Not that model but they are a well regarded brand. The Bizango (bit more expensive) gets very good reviews.
How much for the second hand Aizan?

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Bacon Is Proof said:
Not that model but they are a well regarded brand. The Bizango (bit more expensive) gets very good reviews.
How much for the second hand Aizan?
He wants £350 for it. I think they’re £550 new so not a bad saving

BRR

1,859 posts

178 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
for just pissing about in the woods that bike will be fine, if you find yourself getting into it and riding more extreme stuff you'll be able to sell that bike and get most of your money back and then buy something more suitable

Bacon Is Proof

5,740 posts

237 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
BRR said:
for just pissing about in the woods that bike will be fine, if you find yourself getting into it and riding more extreme stuff you'll be able to sell that bike and get most of your money back and then buy something more suitable
Yep.

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
BRR said:
for just pissing about in the woods that bike will be fine, if you find yourself getting into it and riding more extreme stuff you'll be able to sell that bike and get most of your money back and then buy something more suitable
Brilliant thanks for the reply.
It’s a 29” wheel. Will that be ok? Might be a stupid question but not really sure what the differences are

BRR

1,859 posts

178 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Kent_dan said:
Brilliant thanks for the reply.
It’s a 29” wheel. Will that be ok? Might be a stupid question but not really sure what the differences are
yeah 29" is fine, most modern bikes are 27.5 or 29 with the trend moving towards 29 and some people running a 29 on the front and 27.5 on the rear. a 29" wheel will typically have better rolling speed as the bigger circumference helps them roll over obstacles easier.

dhutch

15,037 posts

203 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Unlikely to go too far wrong there. Similar spec to a Specialized Hardrock by the looks.

Only thing is to have a good peddle of it made sure the chain isn't skipping under power, small front ring and smaller rear rings mainly, and the brakes work as expected. Because whole plenty of bikes never get used and are a bargain second hand, if it's been ridden heavily without any replacements, a new chain, chain rings, cassette, brakes etc will cost any savings.

Daniel

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Just picked it up. It’s in really good condition. Only bit of wear I can see is where the cable has rubbed in the fork.
Got it for £330 in the end as the brakes need bleeding. If I get the mineral oil and a bleed kit, is it an easy job or should I just stick it in a bike shop?

Bathroom_Security

3,435 posts

123 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
Easy enough just be patient. Look on YouTube.

Remove your brake pads and put a proper bleed block in the calipers though

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
So looking on amazon I’ve found a bleed kit for the Clark brakes. Can I use any mineral oil or is it a certain one? Sorry for all the questions but this is all new to me

dhutch

15,037 posts

203 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
As far as I know any mineral oil based brake fluid will be fine. Just avoid the DOT4/DOT5.2 glycol ether based fluids.

Daniel

Mezzanine

9,593 posts

225 months

Tuesday 6th October 2020
quotequote all
I got a kit from Epic Bleed Solutions to do mine.

It’s easy to make a right mess so make sure you do it outside or in a garage. And wear some eye protection hehe

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Wednesday 7th October 2020
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So my bleed kit arrived today from amazon and it didn’t work with my brakes! I watched a video on how to bleed without a kit but they are just the same as they were. Spent an hour on the front and mineral oil everywhere. They are also very noisy/squeaky. Is this normal? They are Clark m1 hydraulics. Is it just worth upgrading them for something better? Was hoping to ride this weekend but that won’t be happening now I’ve got no brakes haha.

dhutch

15,037 posts

203 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
Noise/squeak depending on the pad being using (organic, sintered, kevlar) as well as contamination, such as pissing mineral oil on them. But without hearing them I wouldnt worry too much.

Take it in the to a local bike shop, get them to bleed them, which will hopefully resolve the issue.


You could replace the pair of them, which should come fully assembled and bled ready to do, assuming you dont need to split the pipework for through-routing or the like and hence should be a one stop shop. At which point I would look at Shimano Deore or the like (prefer them to Avid, which are DOT based and hence tend to rust internally with time) but then as per my last post you quickly spend the difference the second hand price you paid and what a new bike would have cost!


Daniel

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
dhutch said:
Noise/squeak depending on the pad being using (organic, sintered, kevlar) as well as contamination, such as pissing mineral oil on them. But without hearing them I wouldnt worry too much.

Take it in the to a local bike shop, get them to bleed them, which will hopefully resolve the issue.


You could replace the pair of them, which should come fully assembled and bled ready to do, assuming you dont need to split the pipework for through-routing or the like and hence should be a one stop shop. At which point I would look at Shimano Deore or the like (prefer them to Avid, which are DOT based and hence tend to rust internally with time) but then as per my last post you quickly spend the difference the second hand price you paid and what a new bike would have cost!


Daniel
Thanks for the reply. I’ve found a kit on eBay which should definitely be for my brakes that’s £20 so might give that another go. Phoned local bike shop and he doesn’t have the bleed kit for the brakes. So it’s either order another bleed kit and try again or book it in at Halfords.
I don’t mind spending a bit of money for a decent upgrade for brakes, pedals and bits but I know what you mean about it outweighing the initial saving.

Bathroom_Security

3,435 posts

123 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
If you got mineral oil on your pads, disks and caliper then you just clean them thoroughly. Cant recommend enough you take your time with this and make sure everything is squeaky clean

Personally I'd replace the pads if they are contaminated with oil, if not clean the whole lot very very throughly with brake cleaner and isopropyl alcohol.


dhutch

15,037 posts

203 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
Kent_dan said:
Thanks for the reply. I’ve found a kit on eBay which should definitely be for my brakes that’s £20 so might give that another go. Phoned local bike shop and he doesn’t have the bleed kit for the brakes. So it’s either order another bleed kit and try again or book it in at Halfords.
I don’t mind spending a bit of money for a decent upgrade for brakes, pedals and bits but I know what you mean about it outweighing the initial saving.
For £20 any decent shop should be able to do it, I am surprised they have said they don't have the bleed kit for it, what do halfords want for it, doesnt seem a bad option especially if they can fit it in before weekend.

Kent_dan

Original Poster:

22 posts

48 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
dhutch said:
Kent_dan said:
Thanks for the reply. I’ve found a kit on eBay which should definitely be for my brakes that’s £20 so might give that another go. Phoned local bike shop and he doesn’t have the bleed kit for the brakes. So it’s either order another bleed kit and try again or book it in at Halfords.
I don’t mind spending a bit of money for a decent upgrade for brakes, pedals and bits but I know what you mean about it outweighing the initial saving.
For £20 any decent shop should be able to do it, I am surprised they have said they don't have the bleed kit for it, what do halfords want for it, doesnt seem a bad option especially if they can fit it in before weekend.
Halfords want £30 per caliper so £60 in total.i think I can buy the same brakes from Halfords for £50. Other shops don’t have availability for a couple of weeks and wanted £35 which I’d have paid if it could’ve been done sooner so I’ve ordered the kit and i will try again. Watched videos last night and it didn’t seem too bad to do(famous last words). I may as well order new pads now. Any recommendations?

dhutch

15,037 posts

203 months

Thursday 8th October 2020
quotequote all
Fair enough, £30 a caliper is getting a bit steep. All being well it is an easy job, sometimes in can be a pita! Make the orientation is such the bleed point is at the top and the caliper well below the lever, rotate bike/lever to suit!

Pads, not a huge amount to it imo especially in wet weather, I am fairly price in-sensitive for the amount of riding I now do and want it to work reliably, so I have taken to buying Shimano own (inc the finned 'Saint' pads for the DH bike) deore/xt for the others.

However I have also used Superstar components, Clarks, Nukeproof, BBB, Avid (for there own calipers obviously)

Whatever is a reasonable price at Chain Reactions, Merlin Cycles, Wiggle even.

Organic/kevlar/resin is standard which is fine for most use, good performance from cold.
Sintered metallic is good for heavy use, and reduced pad wear, but can be noisier.
Semi-metallic, almost be definition, are a halfway house.


Daniel