MrBen's stats
- Review count9
- Helpfulness votes38
- First review4 December 2009
- Last review17 December 2009
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.8
Reviews comments
- Review comment count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNone
- Last review commentNone
- Featured review comments0
Questions
- Question count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
- Answer count129
- Helpfulness votes78
- First answer29 July 2010
- Last answer24 August 2010
- Featured answers0
- Best answers24
MrBen's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Superb book
Posted17 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, clear, well set out
This book is a brilliant guide to improving your knowledge or reminding you of how to perform a particular service on a bike. Good step-by-step instructions, supported by clear, helpful coloured diagrams help the aspiring mechanic come out in you. Haynes are one of the best at making this kind of book and it is one of their best. Contents is split up well in order to keep things clear and simple for even novices to the bike maintenance game and it covers bikes of all levels and specifications. A great book and a must have for the aspiring mechanic!
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
A brilliant commuter tyre for mountain bikes.
Posted15 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality, Comfortable, best puncture protection available
These Specialized Nimbus tyres are brilliant for commuting using a mountain bike. At 26 X 1.5 they are a perfect width for grip and comfort and with the same style of tread which you get on the All Condition road racer tyre, they are very slick which allows for good rolling resistance for smoother and easier road riding. The Armadillo puncture protection is superb and will ensure that punctures are kept to a minimum and you may find the tyre may wear down completely before you even have your first puncture! overall, the best all round commuter tyre for a mountain bike. 5 out of 5
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Brilliant summer tyre
Posted14 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality
These good looking and highly practical tyres have a 60 duro compound, which is a good balance between speed and lifespan if you’re shredding and drifting on dry rocks, and it’s not as lethal in the wet.
+5points
6of 7voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
4
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Fantastic shifting for hardcore riders
Posted14 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality, durable
These new Saint shifters can be positioned on either side of the brake lever via their adjustable mount and utilise the two-way release – downshifting with finger or thumb – although you can only shift one gear down at a time unlike XTR's double shift option.
As you would expect from a Saint shifter. It is extremely durable and as an added bonus - it's quite good looking.
The spring tension is quite strong meaning heavier shifts but these shifters work when riding through anything I have come across.
Not perfect, but as close as it ever needs to be. A superb product
As you would expect from a Saint shifter. It is extremely durable and as an added bonus - it's quite good looking.
The spring tension is quite strong meaning heavier shifts but these shifters work when riding through anything I have come across.
Not perfect, but as close as it ever needs to be. A superb product
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
4
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Nice T-shirt
Posted9 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality, Comfortable, Looks great
Cons: close fit to the body
A Nice quality T-shirt with a good design, the only flaw could be that it is quite tight fitting, so if you are like me and constantly flitting between two different sizes, go for the bigger size! (I bought a small when I should have ordered a medium!) Other than that little quip, these t-shirts are an awesome addition to any wardrobe whether for cycling or leisure wear!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
10 out of 10
Posted9 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality, Lightweight, Looks great, grippy, durable
For the mountain biker or commuter unsure of clipless pedals, these DMR V8's are the best of both worlds, they offer a superb level of grip for platform pedals, are very lightweight, and when well maintained, the bearings are very durable, meaning a pair of these can last for years! A superb choice for the commuter or mountain biker on a budget. A must buy!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Comfortable, Cool, Quality
Posted9 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good quality, Comfortable, Lightweight, Looks great, grippy
These Nike trainers are some of the best around for comfort, aesthetics and grip. When you are in the saddle they grip to pedals uncannily (Pair a set of these with some DMR V12's and it's not unlike being clipped in to SPD pedals) Available in so many different designs and colours, there are styles to suit anybody in this great range of footwear. I myself own two pairs! A must buy!
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Destined to be a great "dark horse"
Posted4 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Comfortable, Lightweight, Looks great, Good quality, understated
I own the 2009 model of this bike, for 2010 Ridgeback have maintained the same specifications for this new model, meaning Shimano Alivio and Acera componentry and carbon front forks to keep weight down.
This is a great commuter bike which feels easy to ride, has a good riding position and the saddle and handlebar grips are very comfortable. A simply joyous bike to ride for commuting or leisure all throughout the year!
5 out of 5
This is a great commuter bike which feels easy to ride, has a good riding position and the saddle and handlebar grips are very comfortable. A simply joyous bike to ride for commuting or leisure all throughout the year!
5 out of 5
+18points
18of 18voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
Overall rating
5
/
5
MrBen
from London
Age:18-24
Style:Leisure riding
Experience:Occasional
Gender:Male
Superb bargain MTB
Posted4 December 2009
Yes, I recommend this product.
Pros: Good value, Good quality, Comfortable, Lightweight, Looks great
At the new and reduced price of £549.99, I cannot recommend this bike enough. I made this bike my first full adult mountain bike purchase at the age of 16 and I have no regrets. It rides great, the RockShox Dart 3 forks are great quality, which is always expected of Rockshox. A full Shimano Deore groupset at this price range is an incredible find, and the aluminium frame is surrisingly lightweight. Overall, an incredible bargain of a bike and one I would recommend to anyone looking within the price budget!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Share this review:
MrBen's Review Comments
MrBen has not submitted comments on any reviews.
MrBen's Questions
MrBen has not submitted any questions.
What's the weight of this bike? Compared with the Carbon PInnacle model?
Unfortunately, the Pinnacle Bikes website does not include information on weight, so I would say the easiest way to find this information out would be to test ride both bikes in-store, as the weight difference is not the only thing to consider when deciding between 2 different road bikes (especially between an aluminium and a carbon frame). I hope this helps.
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
Hi, just have a few questions about this bike. Does it have 105 brakes as well? And does it have eyes for a rear rack. Thanks,Sarah
Hi there Sarah, this bike has Shimano 105 shifters, but the calipers that perform the braking itself are not Shimano 105. You can also fit a rear pannier rack to this bike as long as it is not a pannier rack for disc brakes. I would advise the Blackburn MTN rack (120871) as this is a good value rack. I hope this helps.
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
What is the weight of this bike in pounds ?
According to the Stolen catalogue, this bike weighs 26.1 lbs. I hope this helps
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
how much does it weigh?
According to the Stolen catalogue, this bike weighs 26.1 lbs. I hope this helps
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
How do you know if its instock your closest store
The quickest and easiest way is to ring your local store (the number can be found on this website) - they can check stock levels for you, and if they do not have one but identify that the warehouse or another store does, they can get one ordered in for you in a matter of days to have a look at and test ride for a fully refundable deposit of £50. I hope this helps :)
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
i have just taken up moutain biking and have been advised to get padded shorts but with a bib what do you recommend/
This depends mostly on what king or mountain biking you are doing (cross country/downhill etc) but generally mountain bikers use conventional padded shorts such as Fox Sargeants or Endura Humvees - baggy shorts but with a padded insert. I hope this helps.
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
does the commencal absolut 1 have hydrolic brakes???
Yes, this bike does come with Hydraulic disc brakes, Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes are Avids entry model Hydraulic disc brakes but are still very powerful and are a definite improvement on using mechanical disc brakes or even "vee" brakes.
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
I'm 5ft 11inches tall. Do I need a size 56 or 58 frame?
Your size chart seems to suggest either would be fine but obviously I'd sooner get the ideal size frame.
supposing that you have relatively normal length arms and legs, without looking at you on the bike I would say a 56cm frame. The best course of action would be for you to use our bike sizing chart to measure yourself up at home, or better yet come into store where one of our staff members will be happy to help you make sure you get the right frame size for you!
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen
what wheel size is the large frame
This frame (as with all frame sizes of this bike) comes with a 26 inch wheel size - generally with adult bikes as a guidance the wheel size stays the same and it is the geometry of the frame that will change i.e. get smaller or bigger
14 years, 8 months ago
by
MrBen