First 'proper' MTB?
Discussion
Morning all,
It's time for me to get some cardio done, and I've wanted a 'proper' mountain bike for years now but never gone for it. I've got some spare cash, the weathers nice, lets do it!
I'm pretty clueless on bikes however, growing up I never had anything too fancy, usually <£300 range. What I want is a hardtail 29er with a decent spec that will last me a while to find out if I actually enjoy it as much as I think I will!
I'm looking at used bikes <3 years old, with the thought that if I don't enjoy it I'll not lose too much money on it.
So, any suggestions, or anyone have anything for sale?
Cheers!
Dan
(I live in West Yorkshire)
It's time for me to get some cardio done, and I've wanted a 'proper' mountain bike for years now but never gone for it. I've got some spare cash, the weathers nice, lets do it!
I'm pretty clueless on bikes however, growing up I never had anything too fancy, usually <£300 range. What I want is a hardtail 29er with a decent spec that will last me a while to find out if I actually enjoy it as much as I think I will!
I'm looking at used bikes <3 years old, with the thought that if I don't enjoy it I'll not lose too much money on it.
So, any suggestions, or anyone have anything for sale?
Cheers!
Dan
(I live in West Yorkshire)
Just a suggestion, but don't get hung up on having a 29er.
In your position, I'd try to find a 27.5" (aka: 650b) wheeled bike. You say you aren't sure yet that you'll enjoy it (you will, though
) so don't limit yourself by going in with a big wheel. They are pretty pacey, but are often said to be less "chuckable" on 'proper' MTB trails. The general rule seems to be the faster and straighter routes of Cross Country racer types favour larger wheels, whereas having fun in the woods on the twisty-turny trails favours smaller wheels. There'll certainly be some 27.5" bikes available if you are looking for bikes from the last three years. 27.5" is, in my mind, the best compromise between 'big' and 'small' wheels. Many of the reviewers also say that it retains much of the fun of 26" bikes whilst benefiting from the larger circumference and some of the better 'roll over' character of the 29" wheels. I am biased, though, as I'm a short-arse and find the 29ers too big for my little legs. Most of all, don't discount a 26" bike completely. Especially second hand, because as the industry 'experts' have told us all that we need a bike with bigger wheels, riders who have bought into the idea then sell off their 26" bikes to make space or raise funds for newer stuff. There may well be some really high-spec 26" bikes struggling to find a buyer out there, and they'll be a much bigger bargain than the more fashionable big-wheelers. Once you have a bike, get out and ride a variety of terrain to find what bits you enjoy best. Only then will you really know what wheel size you should go for. In the meantime, try to find a bike shop that has demo bikes you can borrow, or a trail centre with a hire fleet, then get yourself out on a variety of bikes to see if you can feel the difference between the wheel sizes. Good shops will sometimes be able to point you to a customer of theirs who is selling a bike, too, and that way you'll buy a bike known to the shop, and usually well looked after, and less likely to be 'hooky gear'.
In your position, I'd try to find a 27.5" (aka: 650b) wheeled bike. You say you aren't sure yet that you'll enjoy it (you will, though
) so don't limit yourself by going in with a big wheel. They are pretty pacey, but are often said to be less "chuckable" on 'proper' MTB trails. The general rule seems to be the faster and straighter routes of Cross Country racer types favour larger wheels, whereas having fun in the woods on the twisty-turny trails favours smaller wheels. There'll certainly be some 27.5" bikes available if you are looking for bikes from the last three years. 27.5" is, in my mind, the best compromise between 'big' and 'small' wheels. Many of the reviewers also say that it retains much of the fun of 26" bikes whilst benefiting from the larger circumference and some of the better 'roll over' character of the 29" wheels. I am biased, though, as I'm a short-arse and find the 29ers too big for my little legs. Most of all, don't discount a 26" bike completely. Especially second hand, because as the industry 'experts' have told us all that we need a bike with bigger wheels, riders who have bought into the idea then sell off their 26" bikes to make space or raise funds for newer stuff. There may well be some really high-spec 26" bikes struggling to find a buyer out there, and they'll be a much bigger bargain than the more fashionable big-wheelers. Once you have a bike, get out and ride a variety of terrain to find what bits you enjoy best. Only then will you really know what wheel size you should go for. In the meantime, try to find a bike shop that has demo bikes you can borrow, or a trail centre with a hire fleet, then get yourself out on a variety of bikes to see if you can feel the difference between the wheel sizes. Good shops will sometimes be able to point you to a customer of theirs who is selling a bike, too, and that way you'll buy a bike known to the shop, and usually well looked after, and less likely to be 'hooky gear'. yellowjack said:
Just a suggestion, but don't get hung up on having a 29er.
In your position, I'd try to find a 27.5" (aka: 650b) wheeled bike. You say you aren't sure yet that you'll enjoy it (you will, though ) so don't limit yourself by going in with a big wheel. They are pretty pacey, but are often said to be less "chuckable" on 'proper' MTB trails. The general rule seems to be the faster and straighter routes of Cross Country racer types favour larger wheels, whereas having fun in the woods on the twisty-turny trails favours smaller wheels. There'll certainly be some 27.5" bikes available if you are looking for bikes from the last three years. 27.5" is, in my mind, the best compromise between 'big' and 'small' wheels. Many of the reviewers also say that it retains much of the fun of 26" bikes whilst benefiting from the larger circumference and some of the better 'roll over' character of the 29" wheels. I am biased, though, as I'm a short-arse and find the 29ers too big for my little legs. Most of all, don't discount a 26" bike completely. Especially second hand, because as the industry 'experts' have told us all that we need a bike with bigger wheels, riders who have bought into the idea then sell off their 26" bikes to make space or raise funds for newer stuff. There may well be some really high-spec 26" bikes struggling to find a buyer out there, and they'll be a much bigger bargain than the more fashionable big-wheelers. Once you have a bike, get out and ride a variety of terrain to find what bits you enjoy best. Only then will you really know what wheel size you should go for. In the meantime, try to find a bike shop that has demo bikes you can borrow, or a trail centre with a hire fleet, then get yourself out on a variety of bikes to see if you can feel the difference between the wheel sizes. Good shops will sometimes be able to point you to a customer of theirs who is selling a bike, too, and that way you'll buy a bike known to the shop, and usually well looked after, and less likely to be 'hooky gear'.
Thanks for the input fella. The reasons I want a 29er are pretty much as that's what my mates have. We're all similar height (6ft 2-5) and the bike will see a fair amount of road use as well so thought a 29er would be better for that. My last bike back in the day (going back a few years here) was a 26 and I can't exactly say I felt like it needed bigger, but since riding my mates 29er it seemed much better overall. In your position, I'd try to find a 27.5" (aka: 650b) wheeled bike. You say you aren't sure yet that you'll enjoy it (you will, though
) so don't limit yourself by going in with a big wheel. They are pretty pacey, but are often said to be less "chuckable" on 'proper' MTB trails. The general rule seems to be the faster and straighter routes of Cross Country racer types favour larger wheels, whereas having fun in the woods on the twisty-turny trails favours smaller wheels. There'll certainly be some 27.5" bikes available if you are looking for bikes from the last three years. 27.5" is, in my mind, the best compromise between 'big' and 'small' wheels. Many of the reviewers also say that it retains much of the fun of 26" bikes whilst benefiting from the larger circumference and some of the better 'roll over' character of the 29" wheels. I am biased, though, as I'm a short-arse and find the 29ers too big for my little legs. Most of all, don't discount a 26" bike completely. Especially second hand, because as the industry 'experts' have told us all that we need a bike with bigger wheels, riders who have bought into the idea then sell off their 26" bikes to make space or raise funds for newer stuff. There may well be some really high-spec 26" bikes struggling to find a buyer out there, and they'll be a much bigger bargain than the more fashionable big-wheelers. Once you have a bike, get out and ride a variety of terrain to find what bits you enjoy best. Only then will you really know what wheel size you should go for. In the meantime, try to find a bike shop that has demo bikes you can borrow, or a trail centre with a hire fleet, then get yourself out on a variety of bikes to see if you can feel the difference between the wheel sizes. Good shops will sometimes be able to point you to a customer of theirs who is selling a bike, too, and that way you'll buy a bike known to the shop, and usually well looked after, and less likely to be 'hooky gear'. Budget wise, I don't really have one to be honest. Around £500 used would be great, but I don't mind spending up to a £1000 for the right bike.
Here's a couple I've been looking at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trek-X-Caliber-9-29-Hard...
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1751222/
richardxjr said:
Kermit might like that but it's not for me lol.
DanielJames said:
richardxjr said:
Kermit might like that but it's not for me lol.
It's a shame this won't fit, superb vfm with slacker geometry and a dropper.
(and I don't like the SRAM/Avid they build them with now)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/On-One-Parkwood-Deore-29...
(and I don't like the SRAM/Avid they build them with now)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/On-One-Parkwood-Deore-29...
DanielJames said:
Thanks for the input fella. The reasons I want a 29er are pretty much as that's what my mates have. We're all similar height (6ft 2-5) and the bike will see a fair amount of road use as well so thought a 29er would be better for that. My last bike back in the day (going back a few years here) was a 26 and I can't exactly say I felt like it needed bigger, but since riding my mates 29er it seemed much better overall.
In that case, you have some sound reasoning for looking to the larger wheel, especially the on-road use. It was just that your opening post was quite open in it's scope. What you will find, though, is that most decent modern bikes will be better than most old school bikes, because the tech has moved on, especially with regard to suspension forks and gearing. If most/all of your mates are on 29ers, it suggests that they would be riding terrain suited to such a bike, so if you are riding with them then it would make sense to ride a similar bike. But I wouldn't discount the 27.5" wheel size completely, at least not just yet. If you are looking second-hand, try to get one of your MTBer mates to look over any potential purchase with you, and budget for a few new bits too. Chains/cassettes/cables will inevitably be worn/stretched if a bike has been used for any length of time, swapping in new brake pads makes good sense, and forks may be in need of a service. 
richardxjr said:
What's wrong with it? Meets spec to price constraints perfectly.
I suspect by reference to me, he's against the colour! 
My old car (still my profile pic) was bright green, my current hardtail is bright green, but even I'd draw the line at that monstrosity! It looks like it wants to be a police car when it grows up!!
You should get a decent bike for that money second hand!
When I was in a similar position to you, I bought a Vitus Nucleus from Chain Reaction Cylces, it was under £500 new and has been a great beginner bike. I didn't want to spend too much incase I ended up hardly using it, but have used it loads (coming up to 1,000km on it).
When I was in a similar position to you, I bought a Vitus Nucleus from Chain Reaction Cylces, it was under £500 new and has been a great beginner bike. I didn't want to spend too much incase I ended up hardly using it, but have used it loads (coming up to 1,000km on it).
Try this for £500 - Cube Analog - for the price it's got reasonable components. Hope the colours ok?
On-one Parkwood posted above is fantastic VFM. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPWX9/on-one-parkwo... would be a goodb bike for you really, On-One are from your neck of the woods too.
If you're on a budget then go second hand, should be able to pick up a decent 26er as people upgrade to 650b.
Looks like you've already been checking out PinkBike, but other forums like SingletrackWorld are good for bargains too.
If you're on a budget then go second hand, should be able to pick up a decent 26er as people upgrade to 650b.
Looks like you've already been checking out PinkBike, but other forums like SingletrackWorld are good for bargains too.
Thanks for the replies guys, I am really set on buying used though just to see if I like it etc.
I won this on eBay at the weekend but it was below reserve. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171782733849?_trksid=p20...
I spoke to the seller and he said he wanted £500, but has since gone quiet.
I won this on eBay at the weekend but it was below reserve. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171782733849?_trksid=p20...
I spoke to the seller and he said he wanted £500, but has since gone quiet.
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