Finally bought my first proper bike, woop

[Louisa911]

Slightly over excited at the moment as eagerly awaiting delivery of my first proper offroad machine after a year of riding trails and xc routes on a dirt jumper! (I'm a student, money doesn't come easily so a nice bike is a luxury)

After a week of keeping my eyes glued to a 2006 Mongoose Teocali Elite listing on ebay, I managed to secure it as mine after a very nerve racking evening (i never seem to manage an auction win)

Its nothing expensive, majorly impressive or particularly well specced, probably rather heavy too, but its my first venture into the world of a real full suspension, and can't wait for it to arrive, don the cleaning products and spanners, and take it out for a whirl.

Ordered a pair of cheap grey DMR V8s for now, to replace the eggbeaters and match the forks- then hope it'll last me a few more years of progression and take a few upgrades in the process, some new rims probably next on the list.

anyway here is Goosey

[Parrot of Doom]

That shock is going to get plastered with mud. I had a similar problem, I chopped an old mudguard to pieces and placed it so as to protect the suspension linkages and shock. Works a treat.

[Louisa911]

I've heard the same elsewhere too! Thanks for the tip. Where did you place it, the usual below the seatpost clamp or on the small triangle section?

Edited by Louisa911 on Wednesday 15th September 00:56

[Zippee]

Get yourself a neoprene lizard skin to wrap around the shock! Will keep the crud off all the moving/open parts.

[Louisa911]

Ordered one from wiggle just now- also looking at chainstay protectors before I pay. Do you reckon a regular size fitting one would go on, or would you go for the jumbo?

Cheers

[Roman]

Nice one.

Looks like it will handle 99% of terrain and I reckon you could drop nearly 1kg fairly easily & cheaply if you wanted to:

Mavic XC 717 rims
Lighter tyres (maybe wait 'til summer)
Bellair SL saddle
BBB or unbranded Chinese (from ebay) o/s carbon riser bars.

Got yourselves up to Whinlatter or Setmurthy!

[Zippee]

Wouldn't bother with chainstay protectors personally, main reason for chainslap is having the bike in too low a gear and hence not enough chain tension.

[shalmaneser]

Roman said:

Nice one.

Looks like it will handle 99% of terrain and I reckon you could drop nearly 1kg fairly easily & cheaply if you wanted to:

Mavic XC 717 rims
Lighter tyres (maybe wait 'til summer)
Bellair SL saddle
BBB or unbranded Chinese (from ebay) o/s carbon riser bars.

Got yourselves up to Whinlatter or Setmurthy!

I'm with you up until the chinese carbon bar recommendation. I'm aware (more than most due to my job!) that the majority of carbon bars are just relabelled taiwanese items anyway, but a bar is a bloody important component and I wouldn't want to trust it to anything that doesn't have a name on it!!!

[anonymous-user]

Louisa911 said:

Ordered one from wiggle just now- also looking at chainstay protectors before I pay. Do you reckon a regular size fitting one would go on, or would you go for the jumbo?

Cheers

a regular size will be fine. i would get one to stop scrathes and things. its all well and good people saying its a result of being in the wrong gear but sometimes you are in the wrong gear and it happens....

[Roman]

shalmaneser said:

Roman said:

Nice one.

Looks like it will handle 99% of terrain and I reckon you could drop nearly 1kg fairly easily & cheaply if you wanted to:

Mavic XC 717 rims
Lighter tyres (maybe wait 'til summer)
Bellair SL saddle
BBB or unbranded Chinese (from ebay) o/s carbon riser bars.

Got yourselves up to Whinlatter or Setmurthy!

I'm with you up until the chinese carbon bar recommendation. I'm aware (more than most due to my job!) that the majority of carbon bars are just relabelled taiwanese items anyway, but a bar is a bloody important component and I wouldn't want to trust it to anything that doesn't have a name on it!!!

I've bought a couple + seatpost & bottlecages (by 'unbranded' I mean bought directly from the manufacturer & branded such) & they're identical to the Western 'branded' component - apart from the printed logo. Had no problems at all. The BBB's from Allterrain cycles are only £30 though.

[Parsnip]

Zippee said:

Get yourself a neoprene lizard skin to wrap around the shock! Will keep the crud off all the moving/open parts.

I wouldn't - it will keep the crud that does get in pressed against the shock - just wash the important bits when you finish riding.

Chainstay wise - old inner tube and a few zip - free and one size fits all.

[shalmaneser]

Roman said:

shalmaneser said:

Roman said:

Nice one.

Looks like it will handle 99% of terrain and I reckon you could drop nearly 1kg fairly easily & cheaply if you wanted to:

Mavic XC 717 rims
Lighter tyres (maybe wait 'til summer)
Bellair SL saddle
BBB or unbranded Chinese (from ebay) o/s carbon riser bars.

Got yourselves up to Whinlatter or Setmurthy!

I'm with you up until the chinese carbon bar recommendation. I'm aware (more than most due to my job!) that the majority of carbon bars are just relabelled taiwanese items anyway, but a bar is a bloody important component and I wouldn't want to trust it to anything that doesn't have a name on it!!!

I've bought a couple + seatpost & bottlecages (by 'unbranded' I mean bought directly from the manufacturer & branded such) & they're identical to the Western 'branded' component - apart from the printed logo. Had no problems at all. The BBB's from Allterrain cycles are only £30 though.

It's your face.

[Louisa911]

I can get some Monkeylites for not much more money second hand, so think I'll probably go down that route after I've got some new rims sorted, the current Sun SOS rims are apparently less than brill to say the least, but will do me for now. Cannot wait to get out on it- shame I have to go back to uni in Bristol city centre in a week or so and leave the Yorkshire Dales biking behind

[Parrot of Doom]

Zippee said:

Get yourself a neoprene lizard skin to wrap around the shock! Will keep the crud off all the moving/open parts.

It won't, it'll just keep all the crud that gets in, in.

I just put my makeshift mudguard in the best place I could. It differs for each frame.