New lad from Luton wanting to say hi

gafferz21

Hi, My name is simon and like i said before i am new here. Until recently i was seriously into running and basically i want to try something new that is going to be a bit of fun too.

Now i dont want to go out and buy a bike for 5 grand or anything, because like we all know its not what you got but its what you do with it that counts. so has anyone got any ideas about what would be a good cheap bike to get to start off with?

Look forward to your replys.

Simon

xtreem

For start off, probably a hardtail, XC bike.
What's your budget, or doesn't matter, it's the bike that's important?

ride_whenever

You'll probably want a trailsy/am hardtail, something fun, reasonably quick but happy to take some big hits if you find that to be your thing


what sort of budget do you have in mind?

gafferz21

Well there is no budget really but i dont want to go mad right away.

nonnac85

where do you ride - are you allowed at sharpenhoe?
Im local - about 10 mins outside bedford

as others said a decent hardtail will be ok if you want to do XC trails rather than freeride etc.

MrKawamura

Well then, as said above, something in the middle will suit as an introduction to the world of mountain bike riding. Get a hardcore hardtail / trail / all mountain machine and take it from there. Do a few organised cross country rides, take it to a trail centre or two and a freeride park and you'll soon know what it's all about.

Alternatvely, go to a trail centre and hire a couple of different types of bike to see what you like.

xtreem

Like ride_whenever said you'll need some trail/am bike.
For smoother and softer ride I would recomend fullsus bike, because as you said money are not a problem.

So I think you need max 14-15kg bike with Pike on front, XT/LX (X7/X9), hydro brakes
(like juicy 5 185/160). Or you want lighter bike and not Pike, more like Revelation.
Price £1000-1500, is this ok?
Mongoose Teocali Super 2008
Scott Genius MC - 40 2008
Trek Fuel EX 7 2008
GT Force 2 2008

Now with Pike:
Specialized Pitch FSR Comp 2008
Canyon Nerve ES 7.0

By look, I mostly like the Canyon and the Scott. So should we look at other bikes, hardtail, or XC fullsus?

ride_whenever

I still say stick to a hardtail to help you get the necessary skills, there is very little that cannot be done on them and it forces you to make decent line choices, you'll also get more bike for your money as in better forks and parts, that can then be moved onto a FS frame at a later date.

I'd look at the Marin B-12, Orange Crush, or possibly getting an LBS to make you a custom build.

BlackSpur

The Saracen Zen range would be a good starting place - the Zen 1 was a WMB bike of the year award finalist. A hardcore hardtail with 130mm of travel will do XC and trail centres, as well as things like freeride parks - a bit of everything so you can see what you like and what you don't.

GHill

I'd recommend something in the £500-600 range to see if you actually enjoy it (budget an extra £100 or so for shorts,helmet, gloves) before spending much more.

There's a what bike thread on the forums, probably worth a good read.