Not that new newbie, wants your opinion.

steve100

Hi my name is steve, I am new to this site sothought I would say hello.

I have been cross country biking for nearly 2 years, I live in macclesfield so the peaks are right on my door step.

When I decided to start mountain biking I went ount and bought a new bike and thought well there is no point in spending loads of money in case I don't enjoy it, so I got a "muddy fox intrigue" for £220, i know is not even a proper mountain bike in terms of features, it had road tyres on, and every thing was very basic on it. I have a friend who has been riding now for a month and has spent £1200 on his bike, he has only been out several times and never comes out in the cold wet weather, but he is always boasting about how much better his bike is, ok I have had to replace quite alot of stuff on my bike due to them getting damaged and falling off (front deraileur, pedals etc) but surely I have made the wiser decision with my bike, I will be changing it in the new year either that or just upgrading everything.

But i don't understand why someone would go out and spend ££££s on a bike when they don't even know if they will enjoy the riding it, which I am not sure my friend does. I am right or wrong????

habitrail

that is always the on going debate, spending lots on your bike when you dont know how much you are going to use it or if you are even going to enjoy it is a mistake only the rich can make.

but... i am in the opinion you should buy the best you can afford as i am sure 80% of riders that are starting out will fall in love with biking if they get a good taste of it first few goes, so buy with progression in mind.

I think now a days a good starting bike should def be over the £300 mark and these are still just recreation bikes, but are good learner bikes that will help you get your teeth stuck into riding. You get what ya pay for.

Unfortunately we live in a society where spending a lot on something does not always mean it is the best thing to do and certainly £1200 on ya first bike is a lot to pay and to be honest doesn't make you a bigger man.

I have seen so many people recently on expensive bikes with all the gear and no idea riding terribly and putting way more work into riding cause they cant setup suspension etc.. an expensive bike doesn't make you a good rider. But too cheap a bike will do the same.

I guess what i am trying to say is we all have to start somewhere and it is all about having fun at the end of the day. I am actually quite glad you are riding a £220 bike and enjoying more than a guy on a £1200 you will be the one grinning from ear to ear when you upgrade and improve over time and he will still be the little bitch that wont ride in bad weather.

So enjoy ya bike and ride.

steve100

Another thing I would like to know is what is the difference between a decent mountain bike and a recreational bike labeled as a mountaining bike, other than the obvious, gears and brakes and suspension, are things like frame, handle bars and seats really that different on the expensive bike compared with the ones on the cheaper bikes, the only advantage that I feel my friends bike has over mine is that it is always alot cleaner and does not way the as much, which I never notice when riding it, he has hydraulic brake discs which don't stop the bike any quicker than my Vbrakes, if they came on any harder they would launch me over the handle bars LOL.

I have had my muddy fox for nearly 2 years and it has been on some really good rides around the peaks, trails like jacobs ladder and feel that considering the trails that it has been on and the accidents that it has been in, it has faired very well.

I do want to upgrade next year though and was thinking of just slowly upgrading every thing on my current bike rather than just buying a complete new one. My thinking behind this was that I would have the components that I want/like and the cost is also spread over a long period of rather stumping out £600ish in one go. Wha do you think??

supersonic

I am a big fan of budget bikes and defend them all the time, but some are a lot better than others. There is no doubt though that the more you spend you DO get a better bike - though the law of diminishing returns sets in. As you say weight is a noticable difference - your bike will be 32 pounds or so, a 1200 quid hardtail may only be 24 pounds. The suspension will be damped and adjustable, allowing it to track the ground better, as well as been sealed better from the elements. The frame will be multi butted, reducing weight and offering a smoother ride. Same goes for the bars and stem. Discs often work better in the wet, and provide greater control than the average V nrake, and the 9 spped gear set ups are much smoother and robust. The bearings in the wheels and headset will be of much higher quality, and the wheels will be tensioned higher and use quality butted spokes and eyeletted rims. All this adds up to a better riding experience.

However as technology trickles down, the budget bikes are getting closer. Some 300 quid ones I have seen are amazing. The 500 quid Carrera Fury rides better than some bikes twice its price!

Anonymous

the beauty of mtb riding is that what suits one person,might not suit another, and vice versa.

you sound like you have had a blast on your bike in the last 2 years and fair play to you.

a good way to look at it, is this: riding well and gaining experience on the bike you have will ultimately make you a better rider when you do decide (if you ever do that is) to upgrade.

it is widely regarded that learning the basics on a hardtail makes you better on a full sus bike. the same logic could be applied to learning on a basic bike will make you better on a lighter quicker bike.

as to upgrading, i am a massive advocate of it for the exact reason you have stated, you get what yu want and with some carefull sourcing, you can pay less than for the equivalent off the peg item. be aware, the foundation for any good build is the frame, if you upgrade everything else, it would be well worth upgrading the frame at some point too.

Anonymous

the beauty of mtb riding is that what suits one person,might not suit another, and vice versa.

you sound like you have had a blast on your bike in the last 2 years and fair play to you.

a good way to look at it, is this: riding well and gaining experience on the bike you have will ultimately make you a better rider when you do decide (if you ever do that is) to upgrade.

it is widely regarded that learning the basics on a hardtail makes you better on a full sus bike. the same logic could be applied to learning on a basic bike will make you better on a lighter quicker bike.

as to upgrading, i am a massive advocate of it for the exact reason you have stated, you get what yu want and with some carefull sourcing, you can pay less than for the equivalent off the peg item. be aware, the foundation for any good build is the frame, if you upgrade everything else, it would be well worth upgrading the frame at some point too.

steve100

sheepsteeth wrote:

the beauty of mtb riding is that what suits one person,might not suit another, and vice versa.

you sound like you have had a blast on your bike in the last 2 years and fair play to you.

a good way to look at it, is this: riding well and gaining experience on the bike you have will ultimately make you a better rider when you do decide (if you ever do that is) to upgrade.

it is widely regarded that learning the basics on a hardtail makes you better on a full sus bike. the same logic could be applied to learning on a basic bike will make you better on a lighter quicker bike.

as to upgrading, i am a massive advocate of it for the exact reason you have stated, you get what yu want and with some carefull sourcing, you can pay less than for the equivalent off the peg item. be aware, the foundation for any good build is the frame, if you upgrade everything else, it would be well worth upgrading the frame at some point too.

I have certaily had a blast on my bike, you mention becoming a better rider, I have no idea what the best techniques are for riding up steep stonely loose hills or riding down steep rocky tracks. The way I have been looking it at it is that if I manage a climb that on previous attempt I had to get off and push or if I manage a decent with out coming off and hurting my self I must be getting a little better. This may sound daft but as I only ride with people with the same experience as me or even less I have never had anyone to teach me the rights and wrongs but falling off and hurting myself is a good incentive not to make that mistake again LOL. I was thinking of going on a Mountain bike training coarse after christmas just to learn a few skills and also meet a few new people does anyone know if they are worth the time and money and is there a good one in the northwest???

As for upgrading my bike well I think i will be doing it piece by piece, may be I should start with a frame first, this may take some research as I will need to find a frame that will suit my current forks or I may have to upgrade them to. But i defo think this is the way I want to go. But Like you said I am having a blast so I am in no rush LOL

Anonymous

well,if you are gettng better each time you go out, you are doing better than most!! rding with better riders will definately improve your own skills but your own technque of trying your best not repeat mistakes must rank with the best training techniques for all sports.

as for courses, maybe try finding like minded folks on here in the rides thread and see if there are folks in your area who could go out with you instead. that way, you could get experience and the cash you save on a course, can be spent on shiny new parts

steve100

sheepsteeth wrote:

well,if you are gettng better each time you go out, you are doing better than most!! rding with better riders will definately improve your own skills but your own technque of trying your best not repeat mistakes must rank with the best training techniques for all sports.

as for courses, maybe try finding like minded folks on here in the rides thread and see if there are folks in your area who could go out with you instead. that way, you could get experience and the cash you save on a course, can be spent on shiny new parts

Cheers for the advice
Might look for a local riding club to join this week there must be one near by as I live 2 mins from the peak district.

fumps

I have to say i have just read this thread right through.

Although there was some long words lol (only joking) :?

It was really refreshing to read that.

Welcome to the site mate

Gav

steve100

fumps wrote:

I have to say i have just read this thread right through.

Although there was some long words lol (only joking) :?

It was really refreshing to read that.

Welcome to the site mate

Gav

Cheers and hello gav, I like big words its just a shame I never spell them right LOL

fumps

Lol i'm not alone anymore.

My bird always say that i have a big vocaulary

I know the words but buggered if i can spell em lol.

Nice one mate on joining a club, i need to get my skills up i think first. i judge my success on staying on at the mo, but i seem to be getting my endurance up now.
Only spilled once so far lol & it was a pathetic dismount no bruises or scratches i was mortifyed........theres time yet .

zero303

Hi Steve,

One thing you mentioned that no one has picked up on...

You said you were thinking about spending £600. For me this is quite a magic price because if you pick the right one you are close to that optimum price vs return thing that someone just mentioned. There are bikes at that price range where you could get away with racing on them if you so wished...

A friend of mine has just started coming out with us - he bought an '07 Kona Caldera on the bike2work scheme, it was about £600. The bike is more than good enough to ensure he has the best start in the world of MTBing but he'll also be able to progress on it too - he's going to be riding it in next years cheddar challenge with us in fact!

supersonic

IMHO the 07 Caldera does not hit that value point very well - completely undamped fork for this money is not good and lets the bike down badly. 08 is a better bike.

fumps

I rode the kona was a bit heavy

good bike but i'd say either the Carerra fury, trek 6000 or even the boardman.

They were the ones i found was absolute belters when i was test riding anything i could get my hands on