New rider

tvxmole

Hi,

I just wanted to say hello to everyone! I've only just joined this forum.
I've decided as part of a New Years resolution to buy a new Mountain Bike. Any advice on what a begininer should buy?
I've played contact sports for a good few years now, but have been told to give it up by the doctor. As such I'm generally sporty enough and so it will be a wise investment.
Any advice on which bike to buy, im not looking for anything to pricey. I thought this wouldbe the best place to start.

james

ride_whenever

There are good bikes for most budgets from £250 up, but obviously the more you spend the more you get? What would you say your max budget is?

Shadowduck

There are a lot of threads on the forum about bike choices, a bit of searching will give you a lot of information and advice.

Are you sure an MTB is what you want? MTBs are wonderful things in their place, but they're slow and heavy on the road. Unless you're planning to spend the majority of your time off-road I'd advise looking at a hybrid or even a road bike, though I probably shouldn't be saying that in here!

*runs away*

BlackSpur

It all depends on where you plan to be riding it, how much you have to spend and which fells best when you sit on it.

redddraggon

Shadowduck wrote:

I'd advise looking at a hybrid or even a road bike, though I probably shouldn't be saying that in here!

Can't beat a road bike, although if you want to go off road a bit aswell as staying on the road, cyclocross bikes are brilliant. Hybrids on the other hand take the worst things from each type - flat bars and skinny tyres - you're better off with fat tyres and drops a la cyclocross.

Shadowduck

redddraggon wrote:

Shadowduck wrote:

I'd advise looking at a hybrid or even a road bike, though I probably shouldn't be saying that in here!

Can't beat a road bike, although if you want to go off road a bit aswell as staying on the road, cyclocross bikes are brilliant. Hybrids on the other hand take the worst things from each type - flat bars and skinny tyres - you're better off with fat tyres and drops a la cyclocross.

I kind of agree, reddraggon, but a lot of newcomers to cycling are put off by what they perceive as a "race bike" - ie anything with drop bars. You and I both know it ain't necessarily so, but as the question asked was about MTBs it seemed sensible to point him at something that at least has the look of an MTB without being such a liability on the road.

Hybrids aren't so bad as people on here make them out to be anyway - they're harder work than a road bike (especially into a headwind) but on the other hand they're easier to handle, especially through traffic. I alternate between my road bike and hybrid for my commute, but if I'm riding at rush hour or on a mixed surface route (bit of towpath or bridleway) the hybrid wins out easily. I've never ridden a cyclocross bike, but I've looked at them with interest once or twice - wonder why not many people use them?

TVXMOLE - Just realised how rude I was - didn't even welcome you to the forum! Congrats on the decision to join the fold, you won't regret it. Whatever kind of bike you get and whatever kind of riding you decide to do, the important thing is you'll be on a bike, having a good time!

batch78

What the bloody hell are all these roadies doing over here!!!! Short on numbers fellas? Right back on topic choose your price band and check out the What Bike thread then try as many as possible, once you've done that I'm sure we can convince you to buy the right bike off your short list. And he said he'd done contact sports so yes I think its a mountain bike he wants!

Steve_b77

I've kinda dome the same thing, I kept getting knocks playing footie and being the grand old age of 30 it was taking me longer to get over them. Mountain Biking seemed a good choice and obviously not as dangerous :?

As for bike pick yer budget then try all teh bikes you like the look of upto that limit. Buy the one that is best specced and feels best to ride round on, easy eh

Shadowduck

batch78 wrote:

What the bloody hell are all these roadies doing over here!!!! Short on numbers fellas? Right back on topic choose your price band and check out the What Bike thread then try as many as possible, once you've done that I'm sure we can convince you to buy the right bike off your short list. And he said he'd done contact sports so yes I think its a mountain bike he wants!

Who are you calling a roadie? I don't own a single pair of tights or white shoes and I certainly don't shave me legs! I also do contact sports (martial arts), but that doesn't mean I'm automatically an off-roader either... I do a bit of both, but I'm not a racer or serious off-roader.. :P

I was just trying to prevent him becoming one of those poor souls you see slogging along their commute on a full susser with tractor tyres on - horses for courses innit?

redddraggon

batch78 wrote:

What the bloody hell are all these roadies doing over here!!!!

Lol, I'm only a roadie because I've currently only got enough space for two bikes, and no car. If I could fit in another bike a decent full susser would be there, and I don't fancy cycling to Llandegla (15ish miles each away) just for proper offroading.

NEILHEAD

Ok First decide what type of rining you are going to be doing,On road, off road commuteor a bit of all.
Then look at your price range.
Talk to your local bike shops try at least a couple.
Once you have a short list ask bike shops for a test ride as some bikes simply look great but dont feel great,(Its a very personal thing)
Once you have shortened your shortlist to a small handfull have a look on e-bay.
Enlist any pals with bike knowledge to advise you.
THEN ENJOY

Shadowduck

Tvxmole has been very quiet since starting this thread... Hope we haven't scared him off! :?

tvxmole

Hi guys,

Thanks I appreicate the advice. I didn't expect such a response. Didn't mean to cause tension between roadies and non-roadies.

My budget is around £300-350.


I'll be doing a bit of road commuting and at the weekends some offroad stuff, so maybe a hybrid would be the way forward.

Cheers


James

Shadowduck

tvxmole wrote:

Thanks I appreicate the advice. I didn't expect such a response. Didn't mean to cause tension between roadies and non-roadies.

You're welcome, and don't worry - It's all in fun.

tvxmole wrote:

My budget is around £300-350.

I'll be doing a bit of road commuting and at the weekends some offroad stuff, so maybe a hybrid would be the way forward.

You should be able to get something decent for that budget, especially if you're willing to go second-hand.

Hybrids will take more off-road abuse than road bikes but be aware that mountain bikes they are definitely not - if your commute is shortish (<5 miles or so) and you intend to spend your weekends on anything rougher than bridleways and towpaths I'd say you need an MTB. If you have a longer commute, you're going to have to prioritise; do you want something that will make your commte easier but limit you off road, or are you willing to slog to work in exchange for a bit more freedom at weekends?

NEILHEAD

if you go for a mountain bike but still want to commute you can always get semi slick tyres

dave_hill

tvxmole wrote:

Hi guys,

Thanks I appreicate the advice. I didn't expect such a response. Didn't mean to cause tension between roadies and non-roadies.

Don't worry, it's been there for years - not your fault!

tvxmole wrote:

My budget is around £300-350. I'll be doing a bit of road commuting and at the weekends some offroad stuff, so maybe a hybrid would be the way forward.

Personally I wouldn't touch hybrid with a barge pole. Ok so they're great for commuting and towpaths, but I can guarantee that once you venture off-road you will want to do more. That's where a hybrid will let you down because they simply can't take the stick that even mild off-roading will dish out. Well, they might be able to but I dread to think what it would be like.

As this is yur first bike, try not to be tempted into buying mail order. You will come across some very attractive deals on-line but you are far better off visiting a delaer (LBS = local bike shop) to try different bikes first-and see what suits. You may also spot something which you hadn't considered in the first place!

Don't forget to budget for your first few accessories, too. At the same time that you buy your bike should consider getting a helmet, padded under-shorts or liners, some basic tools and pump and puncture repair kit at the very least.

As far as bikes go have a look at some of these...

Giant Yukon - Giant are often outstanding value for money. They are the world's largest cycle manufacturers and as such have enormous buying power - their bikes are often a lot of "bang for your buck".

Haro Flightline - Haro started out making BMX bikes and progressed on to MTBs in the late 1980s

Trek 4300 Disc - Trek are another well-respected brand with a long history and superb line-up of models. If they're good enough for Dubya...!

Note that all these links are to All Terrain Cycles' website, based in Bradford. I'm nothing to do with ATC but I do use them a lot and I like the service that I get. Many dealers like ATC also offer the possibility of 0% finance deals so that you can spread the cost over 12, 24 or 36 months.

tvxmole

Cheers Dave,

The advice had been taken on board. i'll let you knwo how i gwt on.

James

Symchicken

Yeah I second what has been said above. In a similar situation actually. I commute about 4 miles but want to "play" at the weekends. I got a specialized mtb for about £400 and am loving it. Even got it kitted out with panniers etc that I strip off come Friday. I've had hybrids in teh past and I cant tell you how much more freedom a mtb/commuter gives you. Go for it.