Noob buying a bike, what should I change first on it?

danharvey

So I am looking at buying a bike for the first time in 15 years. The ones I am looking at going for are either the Merida Matts Pro-D Bike 2011 or the Rockhopper 5.2.

Is there anything I should look to change on either of these straightaway in terms of peddles etc.

Thanks

Dan

Twelly

A lot of new bikes don't come with pedals supplied, I don't know if these two do because you haven't given us any links.

grenw

Usually if a bike does come with pedals they are pretty crappy, certainly at the lower end of the market.

After that perhaps tyres but most things are best left until they wear out. Replacing parts is a slippery slope which there is no end to.

danharvey

Thanks Gren, any reccomendations?

waby1234

Change nothing. Ride it. Then see what needs replacing if anything.

I changed the contact points on mine first but only after a few rides.

cat_with_no_tail

Depends on your budget

Wellgo MG1 and Superstar Nano pedals are the default recommendation. They are both very good. Go for whichever you like the look of best.

Superstar pedals

Wellgo MG-1

Copntact points are the things most people look at changing first for their own personal preferences (so, pedals, grips, saddle and tyres). But get the bike and ride it first before you start swapping stuff about.

As for upgrading, ride it till it breaks / wears out, then look at upgrades. If you're upgrading lots of stuff straight out the box, you've bought the wrong bike.

chez_m356

Cat With No Tail wrote:

As for upgrading, ride it till it breaks / wears out, then look at upgrades. If you're upgrading lots of stuff straight out the box, you've bought the wrong bike.

+1, it also depends how much you get into riding, if you catch the bug, chances are in 12 months or so you may end up buying a " better " bike anyway

rockmonkeysc

Ride it and see if there is anything you want to improve. Don't just go replacing stuff because you can.

felix.london

It still amazes me the amount of people that come on here saying they have bought or are going to buy a new bike - what should I change first? Completely bonkers the lot of them

Darkstalker420

Ride it 'till something brakes/wears out. If it works for what you want why throw out perfectly working kit?

Thanks.

snotty badger

felix.london wrote:

It still amazes me the amount of people that come on here saying they have bought or are going to buy a new bike - what should I change first? Completely bonkers the lot of them

+1 or "I have £xxx to spend, what should I buy?"

Pedals is fair enough, but anything else is potentially wasting monies.

lesz42

wellgo pedals if it needs decent pedals


maybe tyres? otherwise leave alone!

danharvey

Thanks for the replies, the only reason I asked is that I am totally new to this. I am not stupid enough to buy a bike that will need loads of updates, just needed advice on if what I was buying was a clunker or not.

YeehaaMcgee

snotty badger wrote:

felix.london wrote:

It still amazes me the amount of people that come on here saying they have bought or are going to buy a new bike - what should I change first? Completely bonkers the lot of them

+1 or "I have £xxx to spend, what should I buy?"

Pedals is fair enough, but anything else is potentially wasting monies.

+Potato

mountaingoatimnot

As previous replies, try the bike for a few weeks first. Contact points are cheap and easy to replace but if you are happy with the stock items then why change them. You might find after a several rides, and having made a few basic adjustments to fit, that you might want to change to a shorter/lionger/more angled stem, or wider / narrower bars.

No point spending money until you know what parts you aren't happy with or are wearing out.

dhobiwallah

danharvey wrote:

So I am looking at buying a bike for the first time in 15 years. The ones I am looking at going for are either the Merida Matts Pro-D Bike 2011 or the Rockhopper 5.2.

Is there anything I should look to change on either of these straightaway in terms of peddles etc.

Thanks

Dan

What is the second option? A rockhopper is a specialized bike, but it sounds like you are looking at a rockrider due to the 5.2 bit!
The rockrider 5.2 is £200 at decathlon, the rockhopper is £500. The rrp on the meridia is nearer the £500 mark (never trust discounted rrps) -but I have found one online for £275, so I'm not quite sure which your options are.

At the cheaper end, if you have extra cash for upgrades use it to buy a better bike that won't need it - why spend your pennies on a rubbish fork and a barely adequate fork when you could spend the same amount on a reasonable one in the first place.....

As has been said (esp if you are on a budget -which it looks like you are) the only thing you should be looking at changing from the off are contact points (pedals and poss saddle/grips), and even then only if you need to. At the end of the market you are looking at you are probably best saving and upgrading the entire bike when the time comes if you get the bug seriously. If you don't enjoy what you have

danharvey

Apologies for the obvious error. It is a Rockrider not a Rockhopper I was looking at.

I am not on a budget as such, however I do not want to spend £500+ on a bike and then not use it as this will be the first bike I will have owned for a long time.

I would rather buy a bike lower down the scale and then if I get the bug, but a more expensive bike.

dhobiwallah wrote:

danharvey wrote:

So I am looking at buying a bike for the first time in 15 years. The ones I am looking at going for are either the Merida Matts Pro-D Bike 2011 or the Rockhopper 5.2.

Is there anything I should look to change on either of these straightaway in terms of peddles etc.

Thanks

Dan

What is the second option? A rockhopper is a specialized bike, but it sounds like you are looking at a rockrider due to the 5.2 bit!
The rockrider 5.2 is £200 at decathlon, the rockhopper is £500. The rrp on the meridia is nearer the £500 mark (never trust discounted rrps) -but I have found one online for £275, so I'm not quite sure which your options are.

At the cheaper end, if you have extra cash for upgrades use it to buy a better bike that won't need it - why spend your pennies on a rubbish fork and a barely adequate fork when you could spend the same amount on a reasonable one in the first place.....

As has been said (esp if you are on a budget -which it looks like you are) the only thing you should be looking at changing from the off are contact points (pedals and poss saddle/grips), and even then only if you need to. At the end of the market you are looking at you are probably best saving and upgrading the entire bike when the time comes if you get the bug seriously. If you don't enjoy what you have

Hidden Hippo

I just purchased a Matts Pro-D and took it for the first spin tonight. Rides very well straight out of the box (pedals included ). I had a minor issue when I clipped a rock/branch and the chain slipped off, but other than that it was great - rode well over the bumps, tyres gripped well enough in the mud. The only complaint I would have is that the suspension can be a little bouncy (and is a common thing to upgrade on this bike apparently) on the roads, but off-road it was great.

For the price I'd thoroughly recommend it as something to start out on.

Shylock

Tyres if anything. The tyres that came on my Genesis, although they were mountain kings were like Sovereign fags (the compound was a cheap mix)!

Changed them to Maxxis 60A and have a much grippier compound.