Looking to get back in the saddle after 13 years!

joenitro

Hello all,

The last time I rode a mountain bike was when I was about 15 years old! I loved it at the time, but seem to remember that it died a slow creaky death!!
Anyway, I'm 28 now and I think I want to get a new bike. I live in the Cotswolds and have access to loads of good forest / field / country lane riding. Would also like to get fit again and shift my own spare tyre :oops: , so buying a mountain bike seems to fit the bill!

I have read as many of the guides, FAQ's and tips on this excellent site as I can, and think I know roughly what I want :shock: BUT would really appreciate any opinions, guidance / advice from those more knowledgeable then myself!!

Budget is £800 absolute maximum. I think a hardtail is the best choice for me as I will be riding fields, muddy forest and gravel tracks and probably some lanes etc as I said. No racing downhill particularly! When I first started looking, I really wanted a full suspension bike, but now realise that it would probably be heavy and not that good for my price range?
I would like as light a bike as possible,with a quality fork, hydraulic disc brakes, 100mm of suspension travel minimum and decent quality components. So, just what everyone else wants then

From my own "research" :oops: I've seen a few that look good to me but what do I know!!

1. Hello all,

The last time I rode a mountain bike was when I was about 15 years old! I loved it at the time, but seem to remember that it died a slow creaky death!!
Anyway, I'm 28 now and I think I want to get a new bike. I live in the Cotswolds and have access to loads of good forest / field / country lane riding. Would also like to get fit again and shift my own spare tyre :oops: , so buying a mountain bike seems to fit the bill!

I have read as many of the guides, FAQ's and tips on this excellent site as I can, and think I know roughly what I want :shock: BUT would appreciate some opinion, guidance / advice from those more knowledgeable then myself!!

Budget is £800 absolute maximum. I think a hardtail is the best choice for me as I will be riding fields, muddy forest and gravel tracks and probably some lanes etc as I said. No racing downhill particularly! When I first started looking, I really wanted a full suspension bike, but now realise that it would probably be heavy and not that good for my price range?
I would like as light a bike as possible,with a quality fork, hydraulic disc brakes, 100mm of suspension travel minimum and decent quality components. So, just what everyone else wants then

From my own "research" :oops: I've seen a few that look good to me but what do I know!!

1. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Kona_Kula_2009/5360039349/
I'm leaning towards this one at the moment. Seems very good for the price with half-decent kit? Are Kona a good solid make? What about the gears etc? Decent quality?

2. http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s2p1684
2008 model but seems pretty good?

3. http://www.bikesapart.com/2008-lapierre-tecnic-fs-900-75-p.asp
I know it's full suspension, but saw this bike after reading http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12650030&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=[/url] Underpants comment made me take notice I know nothing about Lapierre though. Anyone got one?

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to avoid the typical "I've seen xxxx, is it what I want" post!!

Thanks for any help you can give.

Joe

wez130

really like the look of that lapierre but like you say, do you need full sus, does it have rear lockout as well as front for road riding as any work put into the pedals will be absorbed by the rear sus moreso than the front sus, however, out of the 3 you chose there i'd definitely be swaying towards the Lapierre, even though it's well advised that the minimum you should be looking at for full sus is about £1k for a lightweight one at least.

Kona have been around for a good decade or more and make a half decent bike, but again, you need to spend a fair bit to get a decent one, i suppose the same goes for any bike, when i was shopping around in my budget, most had near enough the same spec and i imagine the same could be said for your budget, however, check out the Chris Boardman bikes in Halfords, they sem quite well specced for the price.

Torres

Am i the only one who thinks that Lapierre is a stupidly good deal?
As in so stupidly good that there's a 1 missing of the front of the price tag?....

joenitro

wez130, The description says "Rear Shock: X-FUSION O2 RL AIR, LOCKOUT" so I guess that's fairly conclusive I think that the Lapierre was over £1000 when new but it's obviously 2, nearly 3 years old now. Also, the Kona is £977 retail price, so there's gotta be some quality there surely :?:

Torres, I know what you mean! The only possible issue is that looking at that site, they are listing 41, 51 and 56 cm sizes which equates to 16.1, 20.1 and 22 inches respectively. I'm about 5'10" tall, so I guess the 16" and 22" are no good. Just leaves the 20.1" Would it be too big for me?

BoardinBob

that Lapierre looks excellent. I don't know how they size up but 20" may, depending on their frame setup, be too big for you. I'm 5'11" and run a 19" hardtail and a large full susser but frame sizing can vary massively between brands.

it looks like a great bike though with a very good spec and should be <30lbs with the air fork and decent components. Speak to a proper Lapierre dealer for info on sizing.

FWIW the Giant XTC got slaughtered in MBR last year so is maybe best avoided.

It's worth taking a look at the Kona Calderas at Pauls Cycles. Good solid bike for the money.

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p1938

wez130

joenitro wrote:

wez130, The description says "Rear Shock: X-FUSION O2 RL AIR, LOCKOUT" so I guess that's fairly conclusive I think that the Lapierre was over £1000 when new but it's obviously 2, nearly 3 years old now. Also, the Kona is £977 retail price, so there's gotta be some quality there surely :?:

Torres, I know what you mean! The only possible issue is that looking at that site, they are listing 41, 51 and 56 cm sizes which equates to 16.1, 20.1 and 22 inches respectively. I'm about 5'10" tall, so I guess the 16" and 22" are no good. Just leaves the 20.1" Would it be too big for me?

i never read the description tbh, i just looked at the pic and instantly thought 'that's nice' and then saw the price and went .

FWIW, i've just bought a TREK 6000 and i found the 19" most comfortable and i'm 5'8 so just go to your local bike shop and try a 20"

Torres

joenitro wrote:

Torres, I know what you mean! The only possible issue is that looking at that site, they are listing 41, 51 and 56 cm sizes which equates to 16.1, 20.1 and 22 inches respectively. I'm about 5'10" tall, so I guess the 16" and 22" are no good. Just leaves the 20.1" Would it be too big for me?

It might be, it might not be. Sizing vaires from compan to company, so a 20" lappiere might be smaller than say a 20" giant, the only way you can really tell if i bike will fit properly is by sitting on one.

It's not just seat tube length that's important either. Top tube length and stand over are also important, if you're long in the arm and get a short top tube ou might find it quite an uncomfortable ride. Like wise if you're short in the leg, and dont have much stand over room, you may find yourelf singing soprano if you come off the saddle

It might be worth emailing the website selling it, see if they have a returns policy for if you buy it and it doesn't fit. I know wiggle does this, and i think you are allowed a 14 day cooling off peroid [by law] on all purchases too. Just dont go getting it muddy

joenitro

Thanks Torres.Yeah, I know I need to sit on some bikes, but that Lapierre looks nice!!
I think it's a bit overkill really and that shop is in Glasgow, so I'm not going to ride the bike!!

What others shoudl I be looking out for? I'm going through the What Hardtail 2009 thread and they all look decent!! Or is it the case nowadays that pretty much all bikes are pretty good?

Torres

Most bikes for that price are very capable, some just more capable than thers. Secialized, GT , Mongoose and Giant are the usual suspets if you want value for money.

Although i would be tempted by that lappiere but it's not my money i'm spending. Do you have any Lappy dealers localy? you could always try a simiar model for size, see how you get on with it?

joenitro

Good idea. I'll have a scout round and see if I can find a local dealer.

Meanwhile, any other suggestions welcome! Am I missing that special bike?!!

mac_man

joenitro wrote:

Good idea. I'll have a scout round and see if I can find a local dealer.

Meanwhile, any other suggestions welcome! Am I missing that special bike?!!

Hi Joe

Like you I've just got back into this MTB after many moons away.

I was really hung up on getting the best spec I could for the money (budget was £400). I ended up getting (supposedly) a £650 bike for £395. I'm very pleased with it so far, but it was a real punt buying something unseen and untried over the net. Fortunately it worked out ok as the size I got is bang on.

From the items listed the Kona and Lapierre (especially) look the better buys, with the Kona in a size to suit... as I think Wiggle have a good returns policy. Not sure on the metric sizes on the Lapierre.

When I bought mine I looked at all the special offers going and tried to find as many reviews as I could. Bike radar fortunately had given mine a decent 4.5 out of 5 from last year, so that swung it for me. But you might see a review that only gives a bike 3 out of 5, but if the discount is hefty enough that may sway things completely assuming the spec is good.... always good to read the detail in the review eg.... "great bike but too expensive".

Anyhoo... happy hunting. And don't forget to leave some dosh for extras like helmet, gloves etc.

joec1

Right.

I was in a similar dilema a few months ago.

Im 23, havent riden much (mtb) since i was 16. was completely out of the loop with technology and after research i set the following criteria:

Hyro Disks
100mm Travel on the front
Lockout
19.5" frame
must be reasonably light and look nice.


I didnt have quite such a large budget and would have loved a Full sus but like you realised you needed 1-2k for a sensible one.

So i settled for a Mongoose Tyax Super. had exactly the above spec. the parts are ok. used Sram x4 levers and x5 deraileurs and it a really nice ride. i was tempted with a rockhopper (more money) but as a first intro bike i decided that the extra money i saved would give me a start to get some better kit (i.e better helmet, pump, lights etc etc)

i bought my Tyax from a Local Bike store but have noticed Evans had them on offer (the Super model) for around £350

In your situation i would give it a try. then in a year or so you can look at upgrading to a full sus in the knowledge that you saved here.... or you could just upgrade the parts on the Tyax as and when you felt you needed to....

Just my 2pennies worth.
and as im new please dont shoot the messanger lol. its just the way i viewed my similar position...

joenitro

mac man & joec1,

You two really were in the same situation as me then!!! Weird how we were all into exercising until we discoverd beer, girls and weekend hangovers And only now do we realise that eating pizza every weekend and doing no exercise actually makes you put on weight :shock: Who'd have thought it?!!

To be honest, the £800 is pushing it a lot really. The Kona at £635 down from £977 for example would allow purchase of the essential stuff like helmet, multitool, pump and stuff like that to start with. If I could walk in and try that exact size of Lapierre (same bike) then I probably would buy it, but think it's overkill for me. For now at least

The Tyax does look nice though.
I'm just getting a bit confused now

:oops:

mac_man

joenitro wrote:

mac man & joec1,

You two really were in the same situation as me then!!! Weird how we were all into exercising until we discoverd beer, girls and weekend hangovers And only now do we realise that eating pizza every weekend and doing no exercise actually makes you put on weight :shock: Who'd have thought it?!!


:oops:

Marriage/kids/mortgage did it for me

Am 45 now, so no spring chicken these days. A day on the hills and I'm bushed.

However... on the bike front.... what about this FELT, also at Wiggle.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Felt_ ... 360038906/

I got my Saracen from there and was pleased with their service. Bike arrived on time and in perfect nick - no delivery dents or anything.

Another thing I invested in was a skills day with a local MTB guide up here in West Yorks. It was money well spent and really helped my confidence and technique.

Other bits n bobs I've bought so far have been...
Gloves (much grippier than skin, and a lot more comfortable)
Spare tube
Padded undershorts which I wear under regular shorts. The 'lycra lout' look is just so not me.

Next thing will be some grippier shoes. I wear some old lightweight walking boots which are ok in the dry but get a bit slippy when there's some mud on them.

I'll be off out again tonight if it's still light when I get home :-)

ride_whenever

joenitro wrote:

mac man & joec1,

You two really were in the same situation as me then!!! Weird how we were all into exercising until we discoverd beer, girls and weekend hangovers And only now do we realise that eating pizza every weekend and doing no exercise actually makes you put on weight :shock: Who'd have thought it?!!

just don't stop the exercise... and find girls who exercise... bish bash bosh!

wez130

i'm just the same, i discovered beer and now have a bit of a belly for it lol.

Have a look at the Trek 6 series (6000 or 6300), i have the 6000 and i love it, i paid £550 for it).

joec1

the Treks are nice too

allow around £20 for gloves, around £50 for an average helmet and buy a few supermarket Tubes, Asda have normal and high pressure tubes for£2 each lol so i stocked up and they are actually pretty good.

just remember that you need something that matches your criteria. (the spec you would like)

the better the components .. Great...

i did see some Felt Bikes in Evans for 450 that were a bit better than the Tyax and probably worth the extra 100.

Mar_curley

Guys,

It must be the mid life crisis in us all. Back to the Bike after a good few years too and your research (Joenitro) as been a fantastic help.

Sold my motorbike last year and decided to invest some of the proceeds to treating myself to a MTB, Bought a nice cheap one (Viking Vantage) and this year decided to upgrade, however I'm unsure on what I need.

I'm considering a Dave Hines Pro but concerned about all the bad comments on the forum. After everyones comments here I'm going to do a little more research on the make Lapierre.

Thanks again guys, great discussion. If I get one I'll let you know how it goes.

Carp.man

have a look at the mongoose, just over 300 quid , i have just started cycling at the age of 50 , and is a good all round bike , lots of hills around gloucester , nothing has beeten me yet ..lol