Advice for a newbie!

BillyBoomhauser

Hey guys, complete newbie here. :oops:

My workplace has a cycle to work scheme going with EvansCycles (up to £1000) and I've been looking into getting into MTB.

I'm planning on using it mainly for woodland, trails, hills and general beaten-track terrain. I don't plan on using it too much on paved areas. As a bit of an adrenaline junkie I'll likely look into more difficult terrain, descents and possibly even jumps as I become more experienced.

Budget isn't a major issue to be honest, obviously the scheme goes up to £1000 but the rest can come out of my pocket. I don't want to go nuts but I'm willing to pay more for a bike which is going to last and has quality components.

That being said does anyone have any ideas about which MTB would suit me? I've been advised a Rockhopper is a good choice and will try one out shortly. I'd much rather ask you guys this question than someone who's job is to sell me something more pricey that I don't need.

Thanks in advance.

Andy

waby1234

Are you allowed to top up the fund? Some schemes do not allow it.

BillyBoomhauser

Hi Waby,

Yeah, I spoke with an EvansCycles chap earlier today who said I could go over but anything over the £1000 mark would come out of my pocket on the day of purchase.

paul.skibum

Are you limited to Evans cycles? What would be your max budget?

I would suggest if you are wetting your toes in the world of mtbing that you go with a hardtail for your first bike, for a grand you can expect decent forks, brakes and shifting on a hardtail where as for full suspension you would be looking at spending more to get something not so well specced.

Within the hardtail world, you can get forks ranging from 100mm to 150mm which basically suggests intended use - shorter travel generally you would expect to accompany a lighter more xc oriented racier bike, longer forks come with a more trail oriented, bomb proof number. Again if your just setting out on the journey somewhere in the middle may be a good choice, 120mm forks offering a good compromise.

I would not recommend a rockhopper however. For the money there are better bikes.

Looking on Evans site, try and get a look at a Genesis Core/Latitude these come in just over a grand but compared to the rockhopper at 800 bucks, the kit you get is apples and oranges. Dont forget to budget for hydration pack, tools, helmet and some decent ride shorts/shoes and pedals (most bikes dont come with pedals).

My 10p.

cooldad

BillyBoomhauser wrote:

Hi Waby,

Yeah, I spoke with an EvansCycles chap earlier today who said I could go over but anything over the £1000 mark would come out of my pocket on the day of purchase.

That's fine for Evans, they want to sell bikes, but under the scheme you don't own it. Your employer does.

BillyBoomhauser

Paul - unfortunately I am limited to Evans. My max budget would be around £1500 normally, although I'd prefer to stay nearer to the £1000 mark as as Cooldad has reminded me, the bike would belong to my employer until I'd buy it out or otherwise.

Cheers for the suggestion on the Genesis bikes, I'll take a look at them.

Curly93

You're definitely going the right route with the hard tail, your skills will improve much faster than on a full sus, The Genesis Latitude from Evans looks like surprisingly good value for money. All the components look to decent quality branded components so you shouldn't need to change anything.

BillyBoomhauser

Thanks Curly. Is this the Latitude you're talking about?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gen ... e-ec031859

I'll pop into Evans over the next few days and try a few bikes.

Curly93

Yes that's the one, just make sure you get the right size and maybe read how to set everything up just right. Then you should have lots of fun.

The Rookie

Do Evans/your employer allow an extended lease at the end of the year or will you be paying the 50% FMV.