Originally Posted by
leunkstar
At my sisters house she showed me her own mtb. That gave me a chance to have a detailed look at such bikes. Oh my.. a pretty new bike with, I kid you not, 5 speed rear wheel, full suspension (zoom fork and noname suspension in the back). The parts are all unknown names to me like a "dnp" front derailleur. Lot of plastic pieces, etc.
Is there a reason these bikes sell so well in the UK?
Two reasons actually:
1) Bike theft is rampant in the cities. You do NOT want to have the nicest bike in the bike parking area. I ran an 80s steel 6-speed racer for a year without any hassle. Upgraded to a modern carbon framed bike for an upcoming trip and it was stolen within a month.
2) The condition of many roads is very poor. Potholes and torn cement everywhere. I can see why people would want some kind of suspension.
Speaking for London here.