TranceLov3

Hello!

I'm kinda new to these forums and I already need some help.
As a someone who has no idea about bikes (almost) I'm kinda in trouble here. I wanted to buy a mountain bike since where I live theres alot of forests and we mostly ride offroad with friends. I found some pretty great looking bikes for an awesome price tag but it looks a bit too good to be real so now I want to know if one of these bikes is a good idea to buy or should I stay away from them?

The bikes are here:

MFX A Pure Breed Outlaw MTB 26 inch - SportsDirect.com

MFX A Pure Breed Rascal MTB 26 inch - SportsDirect.com

Thanks!

WestPablo

Not knowing anything about the MFX brand, I would hesitate to recommend one of these mtbikes.

However, my instinct tells me that I wouldn't wanna take a chance on a FS mtb at that inexpensive price...

I'd tend to stick with the hardtail.

Daspydyr 

The pricing is very much bottom shelf. When it comes to new bikes you tend to get what you pay for.

gtrdave

I did a little investigating and it seems the MFX brand is closely associated with SportsDirect, so the frame is probably sourced at some factory in China or Taiwan where other name-brand bikes are made and then sold under the MFX label for SD at a discount price.
Just as WestPablo said, of the two I'd probably lean to the hardtail. Yes, the price does seem very cheap, so buyer beware and check to see what kind of warranty the bike comes with.

TranceLov3

So if I'd buy one of them then definitely thw outlaw one so the frame wouldn't break on me?
I think I wouldn't need FS anyway since I'm not only riding in the forests.

jimc101

Your budget is to small to get a bike which will survive and be capable off road, being realistic, pushing it to £500-600 and you will get a far better bike, take a look here for ideas Mountain Bikes :: Front Suspension :: Pauls Cycles even going upto £400 gets a much better one.

For full suspension, £1000 is still about the lowest pricepoint to get anything competent.

Whatever you are looking at, budget for protection, gloves, helmet etc

TranceLov3

Okay but apart from the frame, do the other parts on the hardtail seem ok?

> Suntour XCT Alloy Front Suspension Forks - 80mm Travel with Pre-Load Adjuster and Mechanical Lockout>
24 Speed Shimano Alivio Gears with Shimano Acera Rapid-fire shifters>
Front & Rear Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brakes>
26" Quick Release Alloy Wheels
Available in a 18, 20 & 22 inch frame sizes.

TranceLov3

Okay but maybe in this case I could upgrade my current bike which has a great frame, its a schwinn (i guess thats how you say it) not sure about the model but its quite old like 6-9 years. Everything else I would want to replace since it's getting old but the frame is real sturdy and lightweight. It's also a hardtail mountain bike.

jimc101

Would do the math on it, upgrading a high end frame can work, but it's never as good value for money vs buying a complete bike.

TranceLov3

Well, well, it looks like the bike I have is real old, It's the Schwinn s[9 six] and it looks like its 1996 or somewhere from there, basically the bike is older than me, my dad used to ride it. So my question is, is this bikes frame worth the upgrade or should I sell the bike? And if I should sell it then for what price, the condition of the bike is good I'd say. But the frame sure is real sturdy and lightweight. Looks like it's a hardtail if I'm not mistaken. According to the internet it's weight is 11,7 kg (26 lbs).

Pictures:

https://i.imgur.com/QINZk1N.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pi0a8jp.jpg

Thanks!

WestPablo

So what's wrong with your current bike?

Is it making any noise?

Is it not shifting correctly?

Does it not fit you properly?

What?

TranceLov3

Yes, it's making noise when i'm pedaling.
The gears are somewhat broken, because when I turn it to ex. 2, i need to turn it a bit up for bike to change gear, also it sometimes by itself changes the back gears from 7 to 8 or vice versa.
it fits me great i'd say.

Well as far as I know the chain between cogs is one of the reasons of it making noise and also the cogs themselves are (it sometimes skips a cog tooth).

Otherwise the fork is good I guess but a bit tough, and also the brakes aren't too good anymore and they're making noise when braking. The only thing i'm 100% happy with is the frame.

The saddle is a bit rough but thats a minor issue.

gtrdave

If the bike is that old it may need a new chain and definitely need a cable adjustment if not a couple of new shifter cables, but that might be it to get it fixed and trail worthy again.
So, I would suggest getting that old Schwinn into proper rideable condition and then save up for a better bike down the line.

TranceLov3

Okay, but let's say I would have a bigger budget, can anyone recommend some great mountain bike brands and an online shop to buy them from that ships INTERNATIONALLY.

WestPablo

Contact www.bikesdirect.com and ask how you can best wire them the cash from your country. Once they have the cash, they will make arrangements with the Freight Forwarding CO. that you have selected (like DHL or something). Order either a Motobecane or a Dawes mtb.

Now, take that Schwinn to the bike shop for repairs and get riding!

Otherwise, checkout the Cannondale Badboy 29er there in the UK.

Good Luck!

gtrdave

Sadly, bikesdirect will not ship internationally.

Q: Do you ship internationally? (Back to Top of Page Click Here)
A: Not directly, sorry. There are far too many customs restrictions to be able to accommodate this. Our website DOES NOT ACCEPT international credit cards. Canadians see below. All other international customers, if you make arrangements with a freight forwarding company or with family or friends in the U.S. we can sell you a bike but payment MUST BE MADE with a wire transfer or with a U.S. Money order. Please email bikesdirectbikes@aol.com for details

WestPablo

They will NOT ship DIRECTLY, BUT they WILL hand the bike to a freight forwarding company such as DHL.

By the time you're all done, you could've purchased two bikes of greater value!

gtrdave

Gotcha. Seems like there's got to be another easy, affordable option, though.

TranceLov3

Thanks for your help though the problem is I don't actually live in the UK, I use international delivery from sportsdirect to Estonia. And the problem is that there's very few shops that sell good bikes here if any and they are usually overpriced.

If I would be, i would've probably bought this bike already https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s2p...VEL-1-LTD-2012

TranceLov3

OKAY! FINAL QUESTION!

First of all thanks to everyone that has helped me so far.
So should I
1. Repair my old Schwinn
2. Buy that mfx hardtail mountain bike MFX A Pure Breed Outlaw MTB 26 inch - SportsDirect.com

WestPablo

Repair your Schwinn! It's a good bike that just needs some tender lovin' care...That's all!

gtrdave

I second the advice to repair the old Schwinn.
It looks solid and shouldn't need more than a tune-up to be a great bike.

jimc101

For the Schwinn, it's upgradable, just depends what the end use you have planned for it is, for the photos, to bring it up to modern(ish) standards, replace the forks, Gripshift with Shimano Rapidfire+ shifters, brakes, front disc (+ wheel) or hydraulic rim or V, for the rear hydraulic rim or V-brake, get a shorter stem & wider handlebar, & keep everything else. Do the math to make sure it's viable vs buying a new one.

For international suppliers, why? you say you are in Estonia (putting this in the Location field makes life a lot easier for other poster) you are in the EU, ordering internationally (which would be understood to be out of the EU) will incur high shipping, customs & VAT charges. There are plenty of UK, German, French & Italian discounters who ship all over the EU, you pay VAT at source & there are no additional charges from within the EU. Just Google search for them, for a start, CRC, Wiggle, Rose, Bike24, plenty of others

TranceLov3

That's exactly what I wanted to do, I just wasn't sure if it was possible. I'm sure gonna need some more help from this forum when I'm going to do that because I really have no idea about bike upgrades or repairing.

Now about the shipping thing, yes, I do live in Europe but the weird thing is that companies charge almost twice as much to deliver to Estonia and other Baltic countries than to Finland that's even more north from us. Sometimes they don't even deliever to Estonia which is weird. Tried to buy a computer case from amazon once and the shipping turned out to cost over 150 $.

jimc101

For shipping, looking at Rose (German based) it's the same/cheaper than shipping to the the UK, CRC is £6.99 standard, which is comparable with Rose, others should be similar.

Bike component shipping should be a lot cheaper than computer cases; which are a bad example, as they are bulky & heavy, similar to shipping a complete bike rather than say a cassette.