Muddyfox for touring?

Fatbiker

Hi. Young fella is abroad and looking at a Muddyfox, says it is being sold as a touring bike. He wants to cycle it across Europe in the summer! I can't really advise him from here but what would you guys think? Good brand? It has Shimano gears (21) and brackets for racks. Any views welcome. FB

Plutonium Kun

Are they still made? Its probably very old. However, in general old model steel mtb's are very good for touring. Without knowing the model its impossible to say more.

Coronal

Don't know too much about the brand, but apparently they focus more on the "value" end of things, according to bikeradar. 21 speed Shimano is likely bargain basement in terms of groupset, Alivo or something like that. If it's in good nick (or new), the gears would probably last trouble free for a short tour, but tyre/chain/cassette/wheel wear could make things slow going after ~500 km. This is from experience, mind...

That said, you can tour on almost anything. How long is he planning to do per day? If some parts upgrades are possible, it might be worth it. Is there a budget for the bike, or is it just to pick one up as cheap as possible? Things to watch for are metal brake levers and brake arms (plastic doesn't really feel the best for stopping), non-adjustable stems (cheap ones wear out really fast and the bars start to wobble from side to side), and a decent (non-suspension) seatpost and saddle.

Is it something like this?http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-muddyfox-reflex-11-45214

Tonyandthewhale

Do muddyfox make touring bikes? I've only ever heard of them in relation to cheap mountain bikes. I don't suppose you'd have a link to the bike in question? Or even a spec list?

Fatbiker

Thanks but I can't copy the pic Or ref yet. I will try to get more info. Various bike shops have advised this would be 'ideal' for his planned trip, a several hundred km trip through Europe, east to west. I have advised against this but...Btw it's coming in at €189.

RobFowl

Back in the day Muddy fox used to be a top end mtb manafacturer. They went bust though and the brand was bought out. Nowadays it is used as a label for lower end bikes. If its all you can afford better than some but not great and wouldn't want to tour Europe on one.

reallyunique

Sorry but no. As a brand Muddy Fox is not one that would be considered as making decent bikes let alone touring ones.
Touring isn't like racing in as much as weight isn't a real problem it's more down to reliability and comfort. In a race if things break you're probably close to mates or your car or something. When touring if things break you can be stuck so quality of components matters. You'll blow your tour budget pretty quickly if you have to make repairs and those can easily cost more than the bike you mentioned.
If money is so tight that you can't afford a decent bike then you may not be able to cope if things go wrong. If in doubt scrounge more money from relatives

Buying second hand is a better bet if you're short of funds but reasonable second hand bikes don't trade at less than 200 and add another hundred to that to get something decent. Don't forget a lock, a saddle bag and some tools. You'll appreciate getting a good bike if you have to ride it over any distance.

Fatbiker

Cheers all. I was afraid of that. I will advise him accordingly. Unfortunately, I be the relative that he will be tapping for more funds

ford2600

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/vintage-French-Peugeot-C50-mdl-racing-touring-bicycle-/160999534291?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item257c51eed3

something like this?