Complete mtb newbie...HELP!!

teejay73

Hi all, Been reading a few posts on this very excellent forum and have found it very useful, However I would like some advice on purchasing my 1st ever mtb. I have not been on a bike for nigh on 25 yrs :shock: and even then it was my old mongoose bmx which was used for street riding and some freestyle, Now at 38 I have taken an interest in getting on a bike to have some fun and also would use it for a 10 mile roundtrip commute daily. The type of surface would be tarmac for the commute and whatever (would like to try some trails, Though nothing too serious....yet) for the fun.

I have a budget of £350 and would like to get the best bang for buck, As it would be my 1st venture into any bike riding for a long time I want to ensure that I am going to like it before I lay down some serious dough. I have looked at halfords range of Voodoo and Carrera bikes but they are a bit over my budget, At the moment I am swaying towards this @ £299 http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 06682.html Unless there are better options out there that I have missed?

Also I understand that the parts that make up the bike can be customized with better parts, Is the rockrider 5.3 upgradable at all? Thanks in advance for your time!

cooldad

Welcome.
Read this
viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12875967

And yes, upgradeable if you need it.

teejay73

Thanks for the Welcome Cooldad!! So that pretty much answers my q on the Rockrider 5.3 and fit`s the budget nicely with some money left over for essentials. Thanks!!

cooldad

Yup, it's a slippery slope. You'll soon be selling body parts to buy new bits.
Initially look at a helmet, basic multitool, pump, puncture kit, some gloves and decent pedals. The ones on THe Rockrider (and most new bikes) are rubbish.

hopper1

cooldad wrote:

Yup, it's a slippery slope. You'll soon be selling body parts to buy new bits.
Initially look at a helmet, basic multitool, pump, puncture kit, some gloves and decent pedals. The ones on THe Rockrider (and most new bikes) are rubbish.

You might wish to get a pair of shorts with an insert, too :shock:

teejay73

cooldad wrote:

Yup, it's a slippery slope. You'll soon be selling body parts to buy new bits.
Initially look at a helmet, basic multitool, pump, puncture kit, some gloves and decent pedals. The ones on THe Rockrider (and most new bikes) are rubbish.

Had all those in mind with the exception of the pedals, Remember quite fondly how my old shimanos on my mongoose would spin and tear into my shin , What type of pedals should I be looking for or is it subjective? Heard also that sports direct are good for stuff like helmets, Gloves etc? Thanks!

teejay73

hopper1 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Yup, it's a slippery slope. You'll soon be selling body parts to buy new bits.
Initially look at a helmet, basic multitool, pump, puncture kit, some gloves and decent pedals. The ones on THe Rockrider (and most new bikes) are rubbish.

You might wish to get a pair of shorts with an insert, too :shock:

Ah padded shorts, Yes I had thought about that are they much of a muchness from one pair to the other??

cooldad

Just get some cheapies from Decathlon or somewhere. I have some Btwin (Decathlon) and Aldi or Lidl or something and they are fine.
Chain Reaction are having a decent sale at the moment.
Pedals are personal but some decent flats are worthwhile - Wellgo with replaceable pins are good - again CRC have loads on sale.
They are also selling helmets - my favourite Bell is about £12, but they need to fit so you should try a few. You could be cheeky and try some on in the shops and then shop around online.

cooldad

Don't go mad initially - you don't have to spend a lot or buy fancy designer stuff. Wait until you know what you want.

teejay73

Thanks for the help cooldad!! Just another q if you don`t mind, A friend of mine is thinking of selling his 2011 carrera fury, He has said I can have it for £350.00 if he decides to sell and also claims it is a far superior bike to the rockrider 5.3 I was looking at. Is he right and if so should I go for it at that price?

chez_m356

teejay73 wrote:

Thanks for the help cooldad!! Just another q if you don`t mind, A friend of mine is thinking of selling his 2011 carrera fury, He has said I can have it for £350.00 if he decides to sell and also claims it is a far superior bike to the rockrider 5.3 I was looking at. Is he right and if so should I go for it at that price?

this one ? http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... y-10-35495 a fantastic bike, but obviously depends on condition and if it actually fits you, regarding price, i'd check ebay to get an idea

cooldad

Not sure if that's the one with the Epicon or Raidon fork but yes, it is a better bike.
BR review of 2012?
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... y-12-45764

Does it fit?
Is the fork perfect because if it needs a service it could be expensive.
Otherwise seems like a decent deal, but I'd grind him down to a max of £300.

teejay73

cooldad wrote:

Not sure if that's the one with the Epicon or Raidon fork but yes, it is a better bike.
BR review of 2012?
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... y-12-45764

Does it fit?
Is the fork perfect because if it needs a service it could be expensive.
Otherwise seems like a decent deal, but I'd grind him down to a max of £300.

Not sure on the fit as he lives some 60 miles away so not had a chance to try it out yet, we are about the same height so the fit might be ok? Not sure what to look for in the forks tbh though my mate says it is near perfect. I will chuck that price at him but he ain't made up his mind what new bike he is after, but will look to get down to try it out for size.

Btw he bought it in august 2011 so assume it is the 2011 fury.

paulneenan76

If its the white 2010 Fury, then on the basis that its in good nick and fits you, bite his hand off. These fetch good money and I've watched them go for over £400 on fleabay this past year.

teejay73

paulneenan76 wrote:

If its the white 2010 Fury, then on the basis that its in good nick and fits you, bite his hand off. These fetch good money and I've watched them go for over £400 on fleabay this past year.

All I can say is it is white and he say`s he bought it brand new from Halfords in Aug 2011, So based on that then I assume it is a 2011 version, What diffs were there that you know of between the 2010 and 2011 fury`s?

LJ.

If it's the older one I wouldn't give him £350 for it, they have been going for less than £300 these days even £250. The newer one is adifferent bike, they have a review on this website

teejay73

Sorry to be a pain to all you nice folks here, But Halfords have a 30% off on selected Carrera bikes and was thinking how these two bikes would match up to the rockrider 5.3?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... zone=PDPz1

Thanks for your time again guy`s

The Rookie

The 'offer' on the vengeance just puts it at the price it should be, that's never a £450 bike.

The Celos the same.

chez_m356

teejay73 wrote:

paulneenan76 wrote:

If its the white 2010 Fury, then on the basis that its in good nick and fits you, bite his hand off. These fetch good money and I've watched them go for over £400 on fleabay this past year.

All I can say is it is white and he say`s he bought it brand new from Halfords in Aug 2011, So based on that then I assume it is a 2011 version, What diffs were there that you know of between the 2010 and 2011 fury`s?

carrera only change models every couple of years so when he bought it doesn't really mean much, if its this one

its the 2010/11 bike, which in my opinion is better than the 2012 model, more or less the same spec as the current boardman comp mtb

teejay73

chez_m356 wrote:

teejay73 wrote:

paulneenan76 wrote:

If its the white 2010 Fury, then on the basis that its in good nick and fits you, bite his hand off. These fetch good money and I've watched them go for over £400 on fleabay this past year.

All I can say is it is white and he say`s he bought it brand new from Halfords in Aug 2011, So based on that then I assume it is a 2011 version, What diffs were there that you know of between the 2010 and 2011 fury`s?

carrera only change models every couple of years so when he bought it doesn't really mean much, if its this one

its the 2010/11 bike, which in my opinion is better than the 2012 model, more or less the same spec as the current boardman comp mtb

Yes that is the one he has at least by comparing the two pic`s and he also said it has Suntour Epicon forks and avid juicy 3 hydraulic discs on them and after a bit of scouring about and reading the reviews on the fury, It seems they are very good bikes all round...I am getting too very indecisive at the moment as I have also been looking at a jamis durango 2 and the guy said I can take it off his hands for £200! It is a 2011 bike and looks and rides very well, Could someone browse over the specs for me and tell me what it is like please http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/ ... _spec.html

I know BR have done a review on the bike but it was very brief and tbh for a newbie I wondered if I would notice the same things that more experienced riders would and for the money it seems perfect. Thanks for all your time!

supersonic

That's the 2012 you have linked to.

teejay73

supersonic wrote:

That's the 2012 you have linked to.

I think it is the 2011/2012 bike as when you click back to the overview page page it say`s 2011, But the specs are correct for the bike I have seen as I made a point of asking the chap, It clearly has not been used as it appears in pristine condition and he bought it from evans just under a year ago.

supersonic

It's good for the money - if it fits. I'd upgrade the fork though, it is pretty poor.

teejay73

supersonic wrote:

It's good for the money - if it fits. I'd upgrade the fork though, it is pretty poor.

In relation to the fury how does it stack up? I assume the forks on the fury are better? Thanks for your advice btw

supersonic

Forks on the Fury are much better, makes a big difference.

teejay73

I see what you mean about the fork on the jamis, it seems to be really poor, which kind of negates it being a worthwhile purchase if you have to spend £150 to £200 on a decent fork set, Especially if I can get a fury for a £100 more. Thanks for the heads up supersonic!!

teejay73

Hi, After some deliberation and my mate changing his mind and wanting to keep his fury, I decided to buy the Durango 2 for £200, At that price I couldn't refuse it. I will at some point be using the bike on some light trails, Though at the moment will be using it for general tarmac stuff like a small commute to work and some urban riding. As a future upgrade, What would be a good set of forks that wont break the bank (max £150).

Also, I would like to change the tyres for something more suited to the road, What slicks could I put on it that would be ok for my bike?

Cheers in advance, Terry

supersonic

Rockshox Recon Silver is a great budget fork.

teejay73

supersonic wrote:

Rockshox Recon Silver is a great budget fork.

Cheers, will look at those in the new year..

The Rookie

For slicks, the 'go to' budget option are Schwalbe City Jets which can be picked up for a little over a tenner each. You then jump to circa £25 each to get a significant upgrade.

teejay73

The Beginner wrote:

For slicks, the 'go to' budget option are Schwalbe City Jets which can be picked up for a little over a tenner each. You then jump to circa £25 each to get a significant upgrade.

Thanks The Beginner, though after a little advice from a shop manager at my local cycles uk, He suggested going for an in between tyre, He showed me a few examples and said I could get cheaper at chain reaction but can`t determine which ones would be right as they all look like off road tyres!! Still I do like those slicks, Do they hold up well in the wet?