Bike for a begginer

varun_me

hi everyone.

a short intro. I am from India, and have only gotten into riding recently. Have ridden a friends kona hoss and am intending to buy my first hardtail. The brands that are available here in India are - Trek, Merida, Decathalon, Orbea and Cannondale.

My budget is less than 500 pounds. That ruled out the treks and Merida cause at those rates you don't get much. I was pretty much fixed on the Cannondale F4Z which at 650 pounds has all the components i am looking forward to. But recently i have been eyeing the Rockrider 5.3 which is less than 300 pounds here. Its got x5 f/r der's, a Suntour xcr - with lockout/preload and tektro mech disc. I am more or less going to ride trails and sometimes day long xc mostly in tea estates and around the Himalayas. My question is if I buy the 5.3, can i later on add a better and longer fork like the tora 302 uturn - will the frame be able to take the additional travel. I might immediately upgrade from tektro mech disc's to juicy5's/7's. The entire bike weighs in at 13.5 kgs and has a 6061 alluminium frame - but will it be able to take a little rough riding including the odd jumps (over roots, rocks) and technical downhills.

Btwin - the french guys who make the entire rockrider brand has posted a promotional video of the 5.3 on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3f7raMbT78
(i will be riding harder than that)

The last couple of rides were on a kona hoss which at 14.9 kgs was a little heavy but very sturdy. Unfortunately importing a bike is a headache here :x .

Thanks

supersonic

It is a very good bike for the money and certainly one worth trying out.

No, you can't fit bigger forks I don't think.

If you are planning to change forks and discs quickly, why not get a 500 quid bike?

The Rookie

Come on stick with an Atlas or Hercules, where is your national pride? Posting from Pune where I spend circa 10 weeks a year working!

On a serious note, the dec is a very good buy for the money, but agree with SS, you can't fit longer (though you may get slightly more travel wuthin the existing length) forks without wrecking the geometry really, if your intending to upgrade quickly (within a year) it usually makes more sense to buy what you want in the first place!

I notice the RR 5.3 is currently on a special offer for Rs19,999 http://www.decathlon.in/Cycling-Mountai ... 7jp7i1eui5 (£240ish for the brits) which is a steel! May even try this place out!

Adventure World
5/6, Shri Daulat Soc, Opp Choice Health Club,
Behind McDonalds, Karve Road,
Kothrud, Pune - 411 029
Maharashtra.

Simon

varun_me

Thanks Supersonic and Simon. I spent the entire day reading all your stickies for noobs on choosing the best hardtails. Agreed. I was on a high from watching too much of extreme mtb videos. Thinking about it, I won't need more than 100 mm of travel (maybe a tora air 318 after a year or two or even a fox). The reason i would upgrade to hydraulics - cause they are so cheap online - saw a pair of Avid Elixir for USD 250 prebled and all (Juicy's even cheaper).

The reason I initially wanted a VFM (not 'cheap :P ') bike was cause then it helps upgrades later on. Most of these 500 pound bikes in India have more and more components that i don't want and I end up having to upgrade more and more components. (RST gila forks/alivio and altus gears - etc - etc)

I will be keeping this bike for atleast 5 years (after which most probably an AM Full Susser). I am looking for 9 speed - a good fork with lockout - disc brakes (atleast mech or even mounts for disc) - good backing from the dealership. Ideally the bike has to be a good trail muncher. Could you please comment on the following bikes,


Rockrider 5.3 Pound 250
-Suntour XCR with Preaload and LO (100 mm)
-X5 Shifters with X5 F/R Der's
-Tektro IO Mech Brakes
-6061 Aluminium Frame (1.9 kgs / The bike weighs 13.5kgs)
-There is only one main dealership in the entire country and many retailers. But they (the dealership) are getting a reputation for good service. They even respond to emails instantly. (Good service is something very rare in India).
-Guaranteed for Five years on the frame and two years on main components


Cannondale F5 Pound 442
-RockShox Dart 3 with LO (100 mm)
-X5 Shifters with X7 F and X5 R Der's
-Avid BB5 Mech disc's
-CO 2 Frame (The entire bike weighs 13.8 kgs)
-There are two main retailers. Cannondale and Bianchi are being distributed by TI - India's biggest cycle manufacturer. And these two retailers are exclusively for so called high end mtb's, hybrids and roadies. Not so good reviews on the technichal knowledge of their service men.
-Guaranteed Life time on frame and two years on main components


Trek 4500 Pound 422
-RockShoxDart 2 with preload and LO
-Deore Shifters with Deore rear and Alivio front Der's
-Avid SD3 Mech Disc's
-Alpha White aluminium (The entire bike weighs 13.6 kgs)
-There is a nice LBS who retail these and the guy is real good and his service men are pretty good with bikes
-Guaranteed Life time on frame for first owner and two years on components
(Everyother trek is either 8 speed or too costly for me)


Merida MTA 510-A Pound 375
-RST Gila with LO
-Deore shifters with Deore F/R Derailleur
-Vbrakes (with front and rear disc brake mounts)
-Advance Alloy Frame (Entire bike weighs 13.8)
-A former national cycling champ owns the only merida retail shop. So he knows what he is doing.
-Gaurenteed life time for frame and two years on components
Every other Merida is either too costly or 24 speed with horrible mix and match components.


Orbea Replay Disc Pound 400
Suntour XCM HLO with LO
Acera Shifters with Deore Rear and Acera Front Der's
V Brakes with Disc mounts
MTB sport frame
They are new and came in just a week back
Life time warranty on frame and two years on components

I am leaning towards the Rockrider 5.3 or the Cannondale f5 among the above. What do you say ?

Here is a review on the f5: http://www.mbaction.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=6C606132AD374521BC58D4CBDB82F733&nm=Main+All+Modules&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=52570BE6FFB341DC90D231011E37274C

Thanks a lot,

Varun

PS: Atlas - Hercules have left me with little or no national pride at all. Their mountain bikes are essentially city bikes with heavy frames and fat knobby tires for rich kids. Take it to a mountain and it will come out in pieces.

supersonic

The Decathlon seems to offer the best spec and value there.

The Rookie

With SS on this, the other bikes are slightly better specced but not enough to cover the price difference, and the RR range has all had good reviews.

The Atlas/Hercules (or Hero which I forgot, and they at least do a geared bike - for UK readers bikes with gears are probably less than 1% of the bike population with rod brakes, SS and 90degree back sweep bars being the norm - yours for circa £35) was a pun, they are clearly nowhere near in the same league as even a UK apollo let alone these bikes.

Dcathlon seem to have a good range of dealers, drove past the Pune one last night (closed by 20:00) and it at least looked the part - and I know what you mean about Indian Customer Service, the company I work for (Tata Motors) not having the best reputation in that area - but hey were working on it!

Simon

xtreem

My vote is for the Cannondale, similar spec with the Decathlon, the rest are poor.

varun_me

thanks supersonic, beginner and xtreem...

i am gonna ride the 5.3 and f5 again. my mind says the cannondale but my heart (and wallet) says the rockrider. I don't see anything wrong with the 5.3. Am just unsure which will perform better in trails and singletracks. (especially downhill) The seat stay - chain stay - drop outs - of the 5.3 gives me the feeling that they can't take a beating. Where as in the cannondale they are pretty thick (don't know what term i should use) and seems reassuring. Any inputs on this ?

I am gonna keep you guys posted. In the mean time if any rockrider 5.3 owner wants to give a review please do.


( beginner - guess you know the situation in Inda very well. DO you ride here as well ? As far as tata's are concerned - they are like the decathalon very good value for money except their service record is so so poor. But now with the nano, jaguar and landrover - they better up their efforts. All the best in your ventures)

Varun

varun_me

wow...just read geordiefreerider's thread "Attn noobs, it aint the kit its all about the confidence". this just about did it. I am now more confident i think its the 5.3 but will test ride both the 5.3 and the f5 once again.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12640924


varun

The Rookie

varun_me wrote:

beginner - guess you know the situation in Inda very well. DO you ride here as well ? As far as tata's are concerned - they are like the decathalon very good value for money except their service record is so so poor. But now with the nano, jaguar and landrover - they better up their efforts. All the best in your ventures

Yup, having spent more than 6 months here over the laset 3 years I know Maharashtra at least quite well! Not sure its fair on the Decathlon to compare it to say an Indica, I think the Decathlon is much more competative with similar vehicles! But yes I think Tata's weaknesses and what needs doing are obvious to most!

Simon

xtreem

[b]varun_me[/b] wrote:

i am gonna ride the 5.3 and f5 again.

That's good, and check the fork on the F5, how does it compresses, because some Dart 3's come with firmer spring so if you're not a heavy rider the fork will be useless.

varun_me

Hi guys..

Since my last posting, Kona's have entered the market and marin is on the way. I was really hooked to the Kona Blast, but unfortunately, cash started to get tight. So instead of having no ride at all and sitting out this season, I went and bought a used bike. Its a Merida TFS 100 2008 model - the frame is the same for the entire tfs range for that year. The only draw back are the components are all bad....except the rear derailleur which is deore.



It climbs great...but the decents are dissapointing. I need to get rid of the 80 mm xcm fork and get a tora 100mm atleast. I am also getting rid of the poor chinese branded vbrakes. Can anyone suggest the process to fit disc brakes...i hear i need to change the hubs. Does changing the hubs mean getting new wheels ? And finally need a riser bar, a new crankset and shifters (as the current one is shifter and brake dual purpose)


More Pics Here

All advice welcome...

cheers.

alomac

Your current hubs may be compatible with discs; if they are, there will be six bolt-holes in each hub, on the non-drivetrain side. This is where the rotor bolts on. If your hubs don't have these holes, then you will need new ones. Replacing a hub involves rebuilding the wheel, which I can't imagine being worth it with the rims you'll have. I'd say you'll be looking at a new wheel. It might be worth getting better Vs (Avid Single-Digits?) as an cheaper or interim option.
If you buy disc brakes and get them pre-bled, installing them will ideally just be a matter of bolting the rotors to the hubs, the levers to the handlebars and the callipers (with appropriate adaptors/mounts) to your frame.

I'm far from being an expert so someone else may want to expand on/contradict/ridicule this.

Cheers,
Adam.

KonaKurt

My general advice on a beginnerbike, is always start with a decent hardtail, and keep forks short on travel. You get what you pay for, and also you will 'pay' in the long run, for under investing in a decent bike spec. So long as you are reasonably serious about riding off road, spend the most you can within £1000 that you can 'comfortably' afford.

Like small children do in their clothes, you will 'grow' into a good spec machine as your skills progress.

Have fun!
KK.