Mountain Biking

[Spanks]

Hey guys got a few friends into this now and been riding a few of the MTB trails and really enjoying it. and been hiring alot of bikes now its getting costly.

What i was wondering since trickery is a fountain of knowledge, and i know a few are avid cyclists. im looking for a beginner/intermediate MTB that can handle the type of trails such as Cannock Chase and the Rock Garden trails

I took out my own hybrid rigid frame on those and almost killed myself


Price range im looking for up to 500

If anyones got any advice whether to go for full susp or front susp/hardtail

id prefer an ally frame really but any and all advice is welcome

makes ive heard are good for my price range are Giant? but i should be able to find an old model Santa Cruz?

[Scrobbs]

From a novice's point of view (both rider and experience), a Trek hardtail might be a good starting bike.

[Inertiaman]

Yeah at that budget second hand hardtail is deffo the way forward. Good full suspension is excellent but bad (i.e. cheap) full susp is a waste of time.

[Nomad]

sysagent won't answer unless you admit to leg shaving and lycra

what nersh said for suspension, don't buy dogshit for the sake of it, my understanding is rear suspension is only needed if you are planning on doing quite extreme off-roady stuff, otherwise the flex can just make it inefficient for everyday use. since cycling is an exercise though suppose that would make it more of a workout

[Inertiaman]

More that for every downhill there's an uphill, and bad suspension loses so much energy, workout or no you don't want to be wasting effort on the way up. Newer full floaters have a lockoff switch for that within easy reach.

[Sysagent]

Look out for some bargain 2010 models out there that will be greatly reduced, for a £500 budget you are looking at an entry level hardtail with minimum spec Shimano and own branded components, you will also get some shite front shocks thrown in for bad measure...

[BBW]

Kona. The only answer. I'd always go ht as it's more versatile. (Unless you get high end fs which is a different thing altogether) Don't bother with XTR etc, XT is sufficient for most needs.

If you can stump up £699 you'd get this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...mpaign=froogle

or for £594 you'd get this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...-bike-ec026500


Imho the Konas are better than the Treks. Kona parts are very solid and I've had my Lanai for donkeys with no trouble at all. (I don't ride off-road any more really though, just trails)

[Sysagent]

Aye Kona are a good old brand from the same era as Marin, Cannondale, etc, you will get a good sturdy beast from their stables...

[Lungboy]

I always remembered Marin as being great bikes back when i was a kid, but that they didn't cost a fortune. I just had a quick check of their website and holy shit they got expensive.

[Spanks]

you absolute star after reletnless searching i pushing my limit to 800-900 max as i saw a fair few mongoose on sale full susp from 1300 down to 800 for a 2010 model

any idea how good mongoose ones are?

ill post a link up to the bike when i get chance

thanks for the advice sofar!

That kona is great if it wasnt for the fact the only frame thats not discontinued is 14"

[*XeR0x*]

I've got a Kona Blast and it's awesome, best bike i've ever had!

[Spanks]

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/pr...5_20_Bike_2007


Any ideas if this is worth the price? ive also been lookin on Ebay for lightly used bikes, has anyone gave that a go before? tips or advice?

[Lungboy]

All i know is that GT were another of the brands that were considered pretty damn good when i was a kid.

[Spanks]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GT-Drive-Mens-...d#ht_579wt_992


loving the look of this one actually

[Inertiaman]

Local to me that if you have any serious doubts and want eyes on.

[Spanks]

Cheers nersh but gonna find a place closer so i can pickup meself

asked to go see this tonight:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...#ht_500wt_1008

Marin Rift Zone 2005 model for £300 starting

If its in decent condition what price should it go for/ what offer should i make

[Inertiaman]

300!

[BBW]

Used full suspension? /purses lips, frowns and shakes head.

[Spanks]

I dont really want to be spending 1200+ on a full susp bike or 500+ or a hardtail with iffy components

so this way i can get a few years old model that was 1500 brand new in good condition for 400 or so

i just cant part with the cash

[BBW]

Kona bikes use very good components. I've seen people buy Kona stems and bars etc aftermarket.

[Sysagent]

Problem is with a second hand full suspension you have no idea on what state the suspension is.

For example does the rear shock need re-nitrogening, are the bushes worn, bearings shot at, front shocks oil seals on their way out, etc, etc...

My advise is spend as much as you possibly can on a new mountain bike, be this an Hard Tail or Full Suspension, the choice of which type of MTB you are going to go for is entirely down to you and what type of trails you are going to be doing the majority of your riding on.

If you are only riding fire roads, low level trails with reasonable terrain conditions then a good Hard Tail with a decent front suspension setup will be perfect for you, as this will be a lower weight than a full suspension (better for climbs and less maintainance). Expect to pay around £1000 for a good well spec'd out machine, using Rockshox (or similar) front forks, Shimano XT groupset, this will last you a lifetime with care and attention.

If you are going to throwing yourself around rocky, hard abrasive trails, with lots of drop offs and good fast hard descents then a Full Suspension is going to be your choice as a Hard Tail in this type of environment will just drain all your energy and be bloody hard work (trust me I have been there), costs for a good well specified Full Suspension are going to scare the living daylights out of you (£1,500 - £5,000).

But with this cost is the comfort of knowing that you will have a rig that not only will be able to stand what you throw at it, but it will also be designed to maximise power output, as with poorly designed Full Suspension bikes all your pedalling motion is dissipated into the shock mechanism, also it will be lighter than a poorly designed / costed one. Again look for bikes with brands like Shimano, Rockshox, Fox.

I base my purchasing through out the years of mountain bikes on several criteria:-

• The frame - This in my opinion is the single most important thing on choosing a bike of any sort, get this wrong and you have pissed your money away. The frame is the skeleton of what all bikes are built on, this needs to be the right choice from the outset, investigate the bikes you have shortlisted and see if other poeple have had problems with frame cracking, snapping, bending, this happens a LOT and you don't want your frame collapsing on you when you are hurtling down a hill at 30mph+
  Also tied in with the above look at the warranties offered on the frames, this is also a consideration.
• Componentry - is it good and will it last, of course parts can be replaced and updated but it is always good to start from a solid base
• Weight - As this is a major factor in any bike as it is a mass that you have to power
• Reliability - this bike has to be able to withstand a Hell of a lot of abuse and pressure, you cannont afford to buy a bike that will fail you when you are many, many miles away from any populated area and you need it to get you back

So far in my Mountain Biking life (starting in the mid 80's) I have had a Marin Pallisades Trail, a Cannondale M700 and the last bike I bought a Rocky Mountain ETSX70, all good brands with good components and solid frames to trust.

Look out for brands like Orange, Trek, Kona, Marin, Rocky Mountain, Cannondale and reluctantly Specialized, there are other's but they will be miles ahead of your budget.

p.s. I cannot stress how important it is to keep the fact in mind that your bike needs to be able ultimately to get you there and back with whatever you throw at it, buying cheap invariably always ends up meaning buying twice.

[Spanks]

Thats some great info you gave me there Sys!

i was so tempted getting the full susp marin on eBay, but i resisted!

Now im thinking of getting a Trek 6300 Disc 2010 model

specs below

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/117903.html

these guys are selling it for £695

that worth it?

[Lungboy]

"Bikes » Mountain Bikes » Women Specific » Trek » 2010 6300 Disc Hardtail WSD MTB Bike"

"Mountain Bikes » Women Specific » Trek"

"Women Specific"

Perfect for you.

[Spanks]

the spec is correct theres a guy on ebay selling that exact one as brand new in mens

[Sysagent]

No problem Spanks happy to help, don't want you to get off on the wrong foot with your first MTB, if I was to be purchasing a hard tail again with a maximum budget of around £700 I would go for this:-



http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/122853.html

It has an excellent frame (Cannondale frames are superb quality), it has Shimano Deore, whilst not being XT or LX it's still a Hell of a lot better than some of the crap being sprinkled around £700 mountain bikes, the fork looks "ok" not brilliant by no means, but when funds permit you can always upgrade these to a better costlier model as you have the all important good frame to start with...

[eek]

That is a lovely bike.

[Lungboy]

Would the Shimano 500LX be worth salvaging off my dead bike? It hasn't been used in 15 years and is probably rusty as fuck.

[Spanks]

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...-bike-ec016564

what you guys think of the spec of this?

[Inertiaman]

Be better if they had stock!

[Spanks]

local shop near me has it in ex stock for £450 new

specs for price?