Entry level Mountain Bike
Discussion
Slushbox said:
I 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.
Done that too.Slushbox said:
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.
Good tip.Slushbox said:
Also Decathlon frame sizing on MTB's seems generous - you might need one size smaller.
I'm 1.77 meters (5'10") and I'm in a medium with the seat set very low,so you might well be correct there.
Slushbox said:
Frames appear to be made in Romania.
Mine's made in Portugal, so this French version of Halfords seems pretty keenon using cheap labour.
All of the above. There's so much choice these days. Then some-one invented 'gravel bikes.'
I did look around the current market before buying my disposable Decathlon town hybrid : 'Riverside 120' - £169. Coffee-runs only despite eyeletted double-wall rims and 42mm tractor rubber. It's a great ride, as in 'comfortable.'
Most of my 'fun' off-road stuff happened on a spindly Raleigh purple/green steel-framed MTB something or other I got off Ebay in 2004 for £30. No amount of crashing into trees or ditches fazed it.
Naturally, some scrote had to steal it. Hence the superior but less crashy alloy Vitus.
I did look around the current market before buying my disposable Decathlon town hybrid : 'Riverside 120' - £169. Coffee-runs only despite eyeletted double-wall rims and 42mm tractor rubber. It's a great ride, as in 'comfortable.'
Most of my 'fun' off-road stuff happened on a spindly Raleigh purple/green steel-framed MTB something or other I got off Ebay in 2004 for £30. No amount of crashing into trees or ditches fazed it.
Naturally, some scrote had to steal it. Hence the superior but less crashy alloy Vitus.
MarkJS said:
I haven’t looked for a long time, but Paul’s Cycles always have great discounts on last years models (brand new) and I’m sure you could pick up a decent hardtail Cannondale or GT to get you going. I’ve used them and the service was spot on.
Was going to suggest similar. Although only a hybrid, I got my GT Transeo 3.0 from them a couple of years ago and paid £330 for a £550 bike (2014 model)Service was spot on too
dcb said:
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.
Very hard to say.
You will get a reasonable bike for £400, but it wont have £250 hydraulic disk brakes and a £500 pair of forks on it, pays your money takes you choice. You might well get something higher spec 'nearly new' but if you don't know what your looking for you could equally well get a right lemon.
I've got a previous generation Spesh Pitch (when it was a high spec all mountain bike) and its second to none, but I paid £1500 for it nearly new.
My hardtail is a equally old by modern standards Rockhopper (will be about a 2006/7 I expect, blue) which has nice brakes and forks on it and its the best hardtail I have ridden bar maybe the better £1000+ carbon/ti frame jobs.
Good mechanical disk/levers are ok, at a super quick canter the 'sport' and 'comp' spec have brand name mech disk, but I would shy away from anything with unbranded mech disk calipers and levers. SR Suntour are a low spec brand, but will work ok for a year or two light use.
Daniel
You will get a reasonable bike for £400, but it wont have £250 hydraulic disk brakes and a £500 pair of forks on it, pays your money takes you choice. You might well get something higher spec 'nearly new' but if you don't know what your looking for you could equally well get a right lemon.
I've got a previous generation Spesh Pitch (when it was a high spec all mountain bike) and its second to none, but I paid £1500 for it nearly new.
My hardtail is a equally old by modern standards Rockhopper (will be about a 2006/7 I expect, blue) which has nice brakes and forks on it and its the best hardtail I have ridden bar maybe the better £1000+ carbon/ti frame jobs.
Good mechanical disk/levers are ok, at a super quick canter the 'sport' and 'comp' spec have brand name mech disk, but I would shy away from anything with unbranded mech disk calipers and levers. SR Suntour are a low spec brand, but will work ok for a year or two light use.
Daniel
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.
The OP is after a mountain bike. I am confident a £350 mountain bike would not survive more than a few hours with the treatment my mountain bike gets. of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes.
Actually I am not sure I would survive either. Who's to tell that the OP is not going to love it ? (it's far more interesting than road riding).
The problem with cheap mountain bikes is that they can be a hurdle to liking mountain bike because they are cheap and not capable, but if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever s
t they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.nickfrog 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.
The OP is after a mountain bike. I am confident a £350 mountain bike would not survive more than a few hours with the treatment my mountain bike gets. of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes.
Actually I am not sure I would survive either. Who's to tell that the OP is not going to love it ? (it's far more interesting than road riding).
The problem with cheap mountain bikes is that they can be a hurdle to liking mountain bike because they are cheap and not capable, but if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever s
t they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.nickfrog said:
The problem with cheap mountain bikes is that they can be a hurdle to liking mountain bike because they are cheap and not capable...
... if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever st they bought... was a total waste of money.
Seems about right.... if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever s
t they bought... was a total waste of money.Daniel
Yes, proper entry level MTB is more than 400 for sure. One choice is Canyon: https://www.canyon.com/fi/mtb/grand-canyon/grand-c...
That is a proper mtb bike with quite good fork and Basic but good enough spec. I did start riding MTB 10 years ago similar specced Felt. Happy times
Now i have a too expensive full sus beast, i drive way too fast for my driving skills but it is so fun…. I can higly recommend this sport.
It is not important which rear derailleur bike has, it is more important to have a proper fork, tires and good frame.
That is a proper mtb bike with quite good fork and Basic but good enough spec. I did start riding MTB 10 years ago similar specced Felt. Happy times
Now i have a too expensive full sus beast, i drive way too fast for my driving skills but it is so fun…. I can higly recommend this sport. It is not important which rear derailleur bike has, it is more important to have a proper fork, tires and good frame.
Edited by LasseV on Saturday 28th July 23:28
nickfrog said:
The problem with cheap mountain bikes is that they can be a hurdle to liking mountain bike because they are cheap and not capable, but if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever st they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.
Some say a Porsche 911 Turbo is quite nippy, others say a Nissan Micra has bags of power.t they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.I'd estimate very few folks spend more than a thousand pounds on a bicycle.
Saying mountain biking starts at £800 sounds quite arrogant and exclusive to me. Lots of
leisurely mountain biking happens below that price level. See Halfords sales figures for details.
They sell thousands of cheap bikes every year. Most of us aren't serious about our biking,
it's just leisure activity.
dcb said:
nickfrog said:
The problem with cheap mountain bikes is that they can be a hurdle to liking mountain bike because they are cheap and not capable, but if the new MTBer is not put off, then he very quickly realises that mountain-biking starts at £800 for a new hardtail and whatever st they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.
Some say a Porsche 911 Turbo is quite nippy, others say a Nissan Micra has bags of power.t they bought because " for most of us, a basic bike is way way enough for most purposes" was a total waste of money.I'd estimate very few folks spend more than a thousand pounds on a bicycle.
Saying mountain biking starts at £800 sounds quite arrogant and exclusive to me. Lots of
leisurely mountain biking happens below that price level. See Halfords sales figures for details.
They sell thousands of cheap bikes every year. Most of us aren't serious about our biking,
it's just leisure activity.
Again go down a red at Bike Park Wales (or even Peaslake/Leith Hill) on a cheapo bike and you'll realise within 10 yards (literally) that it's not fit for purpose. The same way as a Micra won't work well on track day. Track days are also a leisure activity.
I'd estimate very few folks there spend less than two thousand pounds on a bicycle.
Btw I see you have selectively quoted me. So for your convenience I am quoting the initial part of my post:
nickfrog said:
The OP is after a mountain bike. I am confident a £350 mountain bike would not survive more than a few hours with the treatment my mountain bike gets. Actually I am not sure I would survive either. Who's to tell that the OP is not going to love it ? (it's far more interesting than road riding).
There is a very wide spectrum between riding along a canal path and going down a UCI World Cup course.Again, we can't assume the OP will stick to canal paths. But I'll repeat, a cheap bike can put the new rider off by virtue of very quickly not being fit for purpose.
Edited by nickfrog on Sunday 29th July 11:39
Joscal said:
To counter the argument I bought a £250 btwin a few months ago and absolutely love it so far, but I’ve got an itch for something slightly better!
Well, it's worked out quite well for you and it's great as if you hadn't liked the sport, your exposure was limited to £250.On the other hand, with the benefit of hindsight, do you wish you had started with a better bike from the off ?
nickfrog said:
I really don't want to hurt your feelings again but £800 is very cheap for a mountain bike that is fit for the purpose of a leisure activity called mountain biking (spot the hint "mountain"). If mountain biking doesn't involve the level of solidity (and therefore safety) that a £800 new bike has, then it's probably not mountain biking and doesn't require a mountain bike.
Arguably true, but not the kind of statement guaranteed to get newbiesinterested in bikes. Newbies like having a low cost introduction, not a "£800
minimal entry price or don't bother" snobby attitude.
nickfrog said:
Again go down a red at Bike Park Wales (or even Peaslake/Leith Hill) on a cheapo bike and you'll realise within 10 yards (literally) that it's not fit for purpose.
More of the same, really. Would it surprise you to hear that I did Leith Hill on my old £150 Halfords bike and it was
completely fine ? Indeed, I got to the A25 on freewheel.
nickfrog said:
The same way as a Micra won't work well on track day.
Of course it won't keep up with very much, but I bet it would go round ok.I wouldn't get all snobby about someone having a go,
I'd be buying them a pint for trying some cheap fun.
I have seen VW campervans on the Nurbergring - I bet they were having 50% of the fun
of the Porsche 911 at 10% of the cost.
Another thing: the use of "BSO" by some posters. Very dismissive. Yes cheap bikes
aren't as good as more expensive bikes, but they are still bikes and someone's
pride and joy.
Theres nothing snobby in " dont buy a sub £££ bike".
Its because many of us have been riding for many years and give our advice out from experience.
Ive had bikes - BMX's back in the 80's, MTB's when they had solid bent forks and bar shifters, up to today where I have a carbon hardtail, a 170mm Full susser, 2 bmx's and a road bike.
I understand that budget influences a purchase enormously, but dont ever tell someone a £300 bike will suffice when you have no idea of either their ability or enthusiasm.
I introduced my SiL to MTB, she rode my Specialized Enduro Comp. She loved it but couldnt force herself to spend £1800 on a bike.
She bought a Scott HT, rode it for a few months then bought a Whyte full susser. Hindsight, she wishes she skipped the HT. Shes now on a 2017 Enduro comp....
My wife went apest when she found out I bought the Enduro for £1600.
I then later that year bought a F29 Lefty and she started to ride the Enduro, After 1 ride she accepted the difference between a BSO and something with a set of suspension and shifters.
As stated already, a £350 bike will work, but at what level? If youre purely tow path then buy a hybrid, but soon as you start riding berms and small jumps, the failings will be more than evident. My wife would quite happily ride down steps and drops knowing the bike was far more capable than she.
Its because many of us have been riding for many years and give our advice out from experience.
Ive had bikes - BMX's back in the 80's, MTB's when they had solid bent forks and bar shifters, up to today where I have a carbon hardtail, a 170mm Full susser, 2 bmx's and a road bike.
I understand that budget influences a purchase enormously, but dont ever tell someone a £300 bike will suffice when you have no idea of either their ability or enthusiasm.
I introduced my SiL to MTB, she rode my Specialized Enduro Comp. She loved it but couldnt force herself to spend £1800 on a bike.
She bought a Scott HT, rode it for a few months then bought a Whyte full susser. Hindsight, she wishes she skipped the HT. Shes now on a 2017 Enduro comp....
My wife went apes
t when she found out I bought the Enduro for £1600. I then later that year bought a F29 Lefty and she started to ride the Enduro, After 1 ride she accepted the difference between a BSO and something with a set of suspension and shifters.
As stated already, a £350 bike will work, but at what level? If youre purely tow path then buy a hybrid, but soon as you start riding berms and small jumps, the failings will be more than evident. My wife would quite happily ride down steps and drops knowing the bike was far more capable than she.
Thanks for all the input guys!
I know that a bike at the lower end of the spectrum will come with it's compromises, but I'm not intending on flying down the first rocky decent I see! I'm more after something that will handle trails and inspire a little confidence!
I took my old Giant Hardtail out for the first time in ages on Monday and felt so uneasy on it. I'm aware that most of is down to confidence, but it never felt at home (Although it was a budget bike when I bought it in 2009!)
I'm keeping an eye on second hand adverts
I know that a bike at the lower end of the spectrum will come with it's compromises, but I'm not intending on flying down the first rocky decent I see! I'm more after something that will handle trails and inspire a little confidence!
I took my old Giant Hardtail out for the first time in ages on Monday and felt so uneasy on it. I'm aware that most of is down to confidence, but it never felt at home (Although it was a budget bike when I bought it in 2009!)
I'm keeping an eye on second hand adverts
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