Yesterday, coming from another bike trip, i noticed some scratch noises coming from my bike's cranks, and felt the whole pedal set loose. when i arrived home i grabbed a wrench, opened the cranks, and noticed the inner bearings were all crushed. well, since i'm not gonna spend money on cheap bikes anymore, i decided to start saving for a better one.
from the range of prices, i decided to spend around 300-400€, and found this bike in a sports store close to me. i would like to ask your opinion, if this is a good deal or there are better options in this range of prices. before i forget, i usually ride 40-50km of tarmac road on my trips, but still want to make some light dirt riding, so a roadbike is out of my plans.

Berg Stuka 89

http://www.sportzone.pt/Produc ... ;oid=6|29|174|&c=1027

Since it's a portuguese website, i tried to translate the bike's specs the best i could. here they are.

Frame
Berg Stuka

Fork
RST Launch T7 130 MM

Rear Suspension
N/A

Headset
The Head Ritchey LB-Plus

Front/Rear Derailleur
Shimano Deore

Shifters
Shimano Deore

Brakes
Disk Shimano BR 415

Hubs
Shimano

Rims
Rigida Taurus double wall

Tires
Kenda RAD K905 Street

Cranks
Truvativ Iso Flow

Pedals
Platform

Saddle
Berg DH2 Cross

Sizes
17 inches

Weight [kg]
14 kg

Guarantee
Frame-2 years, Components-2 years.

Remarks
Urban Jump

Seat post
Aluminium

About the looks, well, i just love that orange .

edit: here's a bigger photo: http://www.teambergcycles.com/ ... /11/BERG%20STUKA%2089.jpg

Very nice bike indeed , and about the "scratch noises coming from my bike's cranks", did the noises sound at a particular angle of the crank or randomly?

Quote from Ricerguy :

Very nice bike indeed , and about the "scratch noises coming from my bike's cranks", did the noises sound at a particular angle of the crank or randomly?

oh, and about those sounds, they only sound when i'm pushing hard, sounding at the moment i press them harder (happens with both pedals) and i quiet them with a bit of oil , but so far can't do nothing to the loose pedal set...

edit: the oil solution is only temporary, because after a while the annoying sounds are back. maybe some lubrificant will do a better job if i had some right now...

The scratching sound just sounds like a worn bottom bracket. Most bike shops will sell you a new one and fit it for £20 (30€).

Quote from Crashgate3 :

The scratching sound just sounds like a worn bottom bracket. Most bike shops will sell you a new one and fit it for £20 (30€).

yes, i know it was something like that (too much usage ended in it's worn and consequent destruction), but i decided not to spend anymore money on this bike.

but ok, i can't blame it, i put it in more run than most top-class bikes around here, and being a low-budget bike, i would have to predict something like this.

Sorry but im curious about my possible similar problem. When the left side of my pedal is being pushed from 90 degrees (north) to 0 degrees (forward), it makes about 3 clicking noises . Its a road bike I got for free and put some money into, it is over 20 years old. This bike is all I have to signify freedom!. :P

Quote from Ricerguy :

Sorry but im curious about my possible similar problem. When the left side of my pedal is being pushed from 90 degrees (north) to 0 degrees (forward), it makes about 3 clicking noises . Its a road bike I got for free and put some money into, it is over 20 years old. This bike is all I have to signify freedom!. :P

you can try this website:

http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html

since mine broke it's not a big help for me, but maybe you will find it useful

Thanks, solved my problem. Apparently I shouldn't be riding around in final gear all the time.