A come back to Biking after 12 years...Advice on Fatboy 2010

Browny31

Just wanted to say Hi, Decided the other day that I was going to go by a mountain bike and get off of my backside & find myself a new hobby.
I've been into Motorcycle track days for the last few years but the cost is just getting too much so thought I'd go for a cheaper version of 2 wheels....

Only question I have really is about hardtails....been scouring the net trying to decide what bike to by, been to halfrauds, Cycles UK & all the normal outlets and my budget was around the £500-600 mark...

was all set to by new until a mate of mine offered me a Focus Fatboy 2010 which he has done about 30 miles on since new.....at a really good price , so that leaves a couple of hundred left over for accessories....
Picking it up on my birthday in a couple of weeks....

Just wondered if anyone owns a FATBOY & what their views were on them?
Seen good reviews on the net but can never beat a "Real" review from a biker....

Also as im new to this I need advice on safety gear, helmets etc....whats good, whats not etc...

thoughts please?

Cheers

Jon.

Browny31

Just to add to this Im in Braintree, Essex, so if there's anyone local to me let me know...

Would love to meet up with a few people and take some advice & learn from some more experienced people..

Uchiga

Well welcome to the site! I'm a fellow Essexer unfortunatly i'm closer to Colchester!

I don't know much about the fatboy but i can pass some advice on safety gear etc.

Helmet: Personal choice, try a few on see what you like, what fits you best etc. I personally have a Scott Fuga, originally a £100 i got it for £30 and it comes with a magnetic visor which is great in the rain. Really light helmet and plenty of ventillation.

Any other safety gear: Well it's up to you again. I'd suggest Gloves as a must have even if you see elite riders not wearing them... Knee pads/shin guards and elbow pads are optional if you feel insecure about riding and feel liek saving your skin go for it. You can never wear too much protective gear.

Accesories for your bike: Well do you want to upgrade or pimp up? If you want to upgrade your bike think about a lighter set of wheels or a better set of forks, or spend the money on buying some parts to get a perfect fit. ie get yourself a more comfortable saddle differant length stem or differnt width handlebars maybe with a differant rise etc etc. Wheels are always a good first place to start when upgrading because it saves a lot of weight, simple physics, turning, force and motion etc is obviously less when the weight is less.

Hope this helped!

Browny31

Uchiga wrote:

Well welcome to the site! I'm a fellow Essexer unfortunatly i'm closer to Colchester!

I don't know much about the fatboy but i can pass some advice on safety gear etc.

Helmet: Personal choice, try a few on see what you like, what fits you best etc. I personally have a Scott Fuga, originally a £100 i got it for £30 and it comes with a magnetic visor which is great in the rain. Really light helmet and plenty of ventillation.

Any other safety gear: Well it's up to you again. I'd suggest Gloves as a must have even if you see elite riders not wearing them... Knee pads/shin guards and elbow pads are optional if you feel insecure about riding and feel liek saving your skin go for it. You can never wear too much protective gear.

Accesories for your bike: Well do you want to upgrade or pimp up? If you want to upgrade your bike think about a lighter set of wheels or a better set of forks, or spend the money on buying some parts to get a perfect fit. ie get yourself a more comfortable saddle differant length stem or differnt width handlebars maybe with a differant rise etc etc. Wheels are always a good first place to start when upgrading because it saves a lot of weight, simple physics, turning, force and motion etc is obviously less when the weight is less.

Hope this helped!

Nice one mate, yeah that helped a lot, needed some recommended lids so that helped...
Im ok with motorbike gear as do track days all the time so know my stuff, but mountain bikes I havent got a clue....