Brand new to MB

united12

Ok guys and girls, this is a shoutout for help please.
Have decieded its time to get out there and start biking, after 5 years of no exercise after a bad back incident i have now run out of excuses and with my little boy starting school and me working shifts, i have 4/5 hours a time free to get off my butt and get biking.
Have been trawling thru several mags, read the bucket-loads of info on this site and am having total brain meltdown on what sort of bike to go for.
I have a budjet of around £200 for my first bike - don't want to spend a fortune for the first 12 months or so untill i get fit and really into it and am considering buying second hand.
Will be doing mostly Riverside/forest rides on my own around the Windsor/Maidenhead area so no major Mountainside stuff just yet!!!
Have been told i will need around a 20" Frame as i am 6 ft tall and to not bother with rear suspension yet and that Disc brakes are a must??????????
I know this must seem VERY basic to you guys but i am just starting out and any advice is really appreciated please.

supersonic

Go and have a read of the what bike thread in the general section, and the begginners bike thread in the begineers ection (its buried deep down!). Frame size - you must go and test the bike. Going to a good local shop is essential.

nferrar

Yeah definetly test the bike, I'm 6 ft but ride an 18" but the geometry means it suits me fine. I'd always err on the side of too small rather than too large if you're going off-road a lot.

Disc brakes aren't essential, MTBing was around years before they came on the scene. No need to get worse then v-brakes these days though as they're dirt cheap.

£200 is pretty tight though and won't really get you a new bike capable of doing much off-road so although that's not high on your list for now if you do get the bug then you're looking at a new bike in the future. Alternatively spend like £350-400 now and get something with a decent frame and upgrade the other bits as you need. Second-hand is obviously an option but you might end up buying a lemon if you don't have much bike knowledge.

Oh and factor in the other stuff you need to buy, like a helmet

MarvintheAndroid

Agree about the brakes - don't get hung up on discs, v-brakes are fine for a first bike / general purpose bike.

Your budget will certainly go a lot further on a hardtail and I agree that full-suss is not necessary for your intended use, in fact more than that they are much better to learn skills on.

Something like the GT Aggressor would probably suit you quite well, retail approx £199. Or you could look for second hand deals on known brands.

Marv

Bromski

Hi United

I'm a relative beginner - started in Summer '06

I agree very strongly with what these guys say.

The one thing I would add is that off road riding is very addictive. Compared to, say, the gym it is far more likely to get you fit and keep you involved. There's guys on here that will write you off for saying that your budget is £200 because they're used to spending more than that on an upgrade to shave a few grams off their bike.

If you are genuinely up for it, and it sounds like you are, try to push your budget to £300 including helmet and maybe gloves - it will be worth it.

Marvin is spot on with his recommendation about the GT aggressor. The Carrera Vulcan or Trek 4300 may be just inside that £300 budget (this is the right time of year to buy).

Either way, I can heartily recommend reading WMB and this very forum to inspire you to ride. It's worth every penny!