Entry level Mountain Bike
Discussion
Morning all!
I've been thinking about starting to ride off road as well as using my road bike, and living within driving distance to Hadleigh Park and Thetford Forest has only stoked the fire.
I don't want to dump a fortune into a bike just in case I don't enjoy it, so I'm after any recommendations under around £400.
I've looked at the Specialized Pitch 650B and like it, but I can't get away from the B'Twin RockRider 520. It's £150 less than the Spesh, and I ride a B'Twin road bike and love it so I'm confident in the product.
Any other ideas? What to look for second hand?
Cheers!
I've been thinking about starting to ride off road as well as using my road bike, and living within driving distance to Hadleigh Park and Thetford Forest has only stoked the fire.
I don't want to dump a fortune into a bike just in case I don't enjoy it, so I'm after any recommendations under around £400.
I've looked at the Specialized Pitch 650B and like it, but I can't get away from the B'Twin RockRider 520. It's £150 less than the Spesh, and I ride a B'Twin road bike and love it so I'm confident in the product.
Any other ideas? What to look for second hand?
Cheers!
alfabadass said:
£400 will get you something pretty crap brand new.
Oh I dunno. £400 is far from the bottom of the market.My £100 Tesco special might be in bits in the back of the shed,
but for 15 years it was a reasonable bike. Thousands of miles no problem
and replacement bits weren't daft prices.
Its successor, the £150 Halfords aluminium frame and disk brake goodie,
did thousands of miles in five years. It doesn't owe me much and
again pretty cheap bits for it.
Its successor, the £250 Decathlon, only 200 miles in a couple of weeks,
is proving to be a fine fine bike.
Her indoors has managed fine with a £100 Halfords ordinary steel
frame and rim brakes for the last five years. Waddle along at 5 mph
in lycra, she's happy.
Yes, if you are Tour De France, then spend thousands, but for most
of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes.
FredClogs said:
dcb said:
Yes, if you are Tour De France, then spend thousands, but for most
of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes.
Hah, no matter the truth of this its not going to be well received around here... of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes.
Just a thought and you may have already considered this, but you can rent bikes out at both those places, I think £20 will get you a bike for 2 or 3 hours (can't remember the exact cost).
Might be worth giving that a go a few times to see if you get a taste for it, assuming you haven't already?
Bedgebury in Kent is worth a trip also, again can rent bikes there.
I'm Essex based too (Chelmsford) and like all three of those places, have only been to Hadleigh once but need to get myself over there more often really as it's fairly close.
There are some trails in Danbury too but you'd need your own bike for those.
Might be worth giving that a go a few times to see if you get a taste for it, assuming you haven't already?
Bedgebury in Kent is worth a trip also, again can rent bikes there.
I'm Essex based too (Chelmsford) and like all three of those places, have only been to Hadleigh once but need to get myself over there more often really as it's fairly close.
There are some trails in Danbury too but you'd need your own bike for those.
C722 said:
Voodoo Bizango?
29er and great fun to ride with a decent spec. Could pick one up second hand within your budget I'd imagine.
One of the guys here just got one of those new for about £500 with discounts. We did quite a lot of hunting about and there's nothing comes close spec wise for the money, gets good reviews too.29er and great fun to ride with a decent spec. Could pick one up second hand within your budget I'd imagine.
mackay45 said:
Bedgebury in Kent is worth a trip also, again can rent bikes there.
I'm Essex based too (Chelmsford) and like all three of those places, have only been to Hadleigh once but need to get myself over there more often really as it's fairly close.
There are some trails in Danbury too but you'd need your own bike for those.
Another Chelmsfordian here, once you've ridden Danbury you're going to hate Hadliegh unless its a real swamp everywhere else. Thorndon is great but i really wouldnt waste the fuel going to Thetford unless you really like places with no hills or technical features.I'm Essex based too (Chelmsford) and like all three of those places, have only been to Hadleigh once but need to get myself over there more often really as it's fairly close.
There are some trails in Danbury too but you'd need your own bike for those.
Sk00p said:
One of the guys here just got one of those new for about £500 with discounts. We did quite a lot of hunting about and there's nothing comes close spec wise for the money, gets good reviews too.
Just had a look, £520 at the moment, bargain. You could probably knock at bit off too, they usually have deals on. https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bi...
la-593195114792%7Ccrid:203186066784%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:2806869405809319152%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:1o1%7Cmt:%7Cloc:9045668&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImdKNrd6c3AIVrLftCh1ZnwPrEAQYASABEgIAw_D_BwEC722 said:
Voodoo Bizango?
29er and great fun to ride with a decent spec. Could pick one up second hand within your budget I'd imagine.
After a couple years break from mtb(previously owned an all singing whyte t129 full suspension) I wanted a reasonably priced hardtail for local use/occasional trail center and went for a voodoo bizango. I can't fault it, spec is great for the price. 29er and great fun to ride with a decent spec. Could pick one up second hand within your budget I'd imagine.
Would definitely recommend as an entry level if budget allows.
lufbramatt said:
hehe so why do you drive a BMW 325i rather than a Dacia? both will get you from a to b at the national speed limit ;-)
I do a lot of miles across Europe. Try cruising comfortably at 120 - 150 mph in a Daciaacross Germany.
Mind you, the 325 is hopelessly overpowered for UK use and it doesn't
struggle in speed limited countries. Sitting at 90 - 100 mph on the cruise is easy peasy.
Mind you, my next car will have a smaller engine. I have a reducing need to get anywhere fast.
Even a lowly two litre Ford or VW will do 120 mph all day every day.
I used to do a daily 10 mile forest track ride on a French Vitus bike instead of paying for the gym. Very similar to the Rockrider 520 though self-built. Forest tracks, with roots, sticks, rocks etc are hell on the backside, eventually solved by adding a suspension seat-post. (Hadleigh Park looks a bit less hazardous than some unused rural forest tracks.)
Presumably the sus forks have a lock-out - it makes the bike a bit more versatile.
Also found that our local 'forest-tracks' and old railway lines were covered in dead branches, large sticks and other crap, so you'd be tooling along, the front wheel would flick a stick or large twig into the the rear derailléur and mangle it beyond repair. Long walk home. Then there's the dust/dried-up horse-apples. I'd get through two rear mechs, and two chains in a summer season, so access to spare rear mechs would be useful.
Decathlon fit split link chains at the moment which is a big help.
The Rockriders route the rear cables under the bottom brackets ( or did), so rear mech cables needed changing often. Helps if they are greased up where they run around the plastic guide. Also Decathlon frame sizing on MTB's seems generous - you might need one size smaller.
[Deleted erroneous guff about ball bearing bottom brackets. They're now sealed units.]
I've just bought a Decathlon cheap hybrid for tow paths/coffee expeditions. Was nicely put together and adjusted at the store, so don't miss wrecking £1000 of bike every summer. :-)
Frames appear to be made in Romania.
Presumably the sus forks have a lock-out - it makes the bike a bit more versatile.
Also found that our local 'forest-tracks' and old railway lines were covered in dead branches, large sticks and other crap, so you'd be tooling along, the front wheel would flick a stick or large twig into the the rear derailléur and mangle it beyond repair. Long walk home. Then there's the dust/dried-up horse-apples. I'd get through two rear mechs, and two chains in a summer season, so access to spare rear mechs would be useful.
Decathlon fit split link chains at the moment which is a big help.
The Rockriders route the rear cables under the bottom brackets ( or did), so rear mech cables needed changing often. Helps if they are greased up where they run around the plastic guide. Also Decathlon frame sizing on MTB's seems generous - you might need one size smaller.
[Deleted erroneous guff about ball bearing bottom brackets. They're now sealed units.]
I've just bought a Decathlon cheap hybrid for tow paths/coffee expeditions. Was nicely put together and adjusted at the store, so don't miss wrecking £1000 of bike every summer. :-)
Frames appear to be made in Romania.
Edited by Slushbox on Tuesday 17th July 09:09
MBR reckon the Vitus Nucleus or Specialized Rock Sport(?).
Less than 500 quid.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gl67ae
Less than 500 quid.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gl67ae
The Mad Monk said:
MBR reckon the Vitus Nucleus or Specialized Rock Sport(?).
Less than 500 quid.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gl67ae
That's very similar to the Vitus I had. Suntour forks were great. I went for V-Brakes, having mangled two sets of front disks running over 'twigs.' Less than 500 quid.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gl67ae
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