£250 MTB Advice

vilevictor
vilevictor Posts: 4
edited June 2015 in MTB buying advice
Hi,

I want to purchase my first Hardtail MTB at the above mentioned price. In that price I have a few options but I am fairly confused as to which one to go far. I have done my research and understand everything what these bikes offer and also understand at that price there are a few sacrifices in some parts so I want to know which parts to give more preference over other.

Most people on different similar discussions say to go for good frame, fork, quality others you can sooner or later upgrade once you grow out of those.
But going by that advice means I would have a bit lower derailleur model and other drivetrain components.
As I don't see myself upgrading to FS / XC I might prefer upgrading parts for the bike I buy now for the next 3-4 years mostly.

I would really appreciate if anyone could advice on this with some good reasoning.
I have the 21 gear options going by the advice to upgrade components later and good frame now.

About the fork, cheap / unknown forks tend to get bad overtime so I have added them as con and most say atleast 100mm is good to have even for beginner trails.

Thank you

P.S. : All the pros and cons are based on the information I acquired over internet by reading forums / reviews / tech specs and trend over the years. So there might be a few things which I think are cons but might not be a con but just okay to have. Please feel free to correct me if you can.

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The Btwin is the best buy, you usually cant upgrade a 7 speed rear to anything else without a new wheel. Nothing suggests the 'branded' bikes will have a better frame than the Btwin.

    I'd buy second hand if you want a bike to use as a mountain bike rather than on road or on just smooth gravel tracks.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Thanks for the reply.
    Agreed with the frame quality. These all are with good frame and quality.

    There are a few with horrible frame quality from small brands but with Altus / Acera and are much more cheaper than this ( very tempting ). I am leaving out those from my options completely ( hope thats wise )

    Most of my daily riding would be 30-40% on road/smooth gravel tracks and rest in jungle with small hills. Not very steep.

    A very noob question, won't it be possible to just change the cassette/freewheel ( compatible with the crankset ) instead of changing the whole wheel/hub? Also how expensive of an upgrade that would be?
    To be noted, my gear system upgrade would come probably after a year of use. As first upgrade would be disc.

    If on v-brakes as most choices are, my first upgrade in few months of wearing off v-brakes would be going for Disc brakes.

    I am not well versed with fixing my own bike yet so I am staying away from buying used bikes. I don't want to end up spending a lot of fixing a used one within a year as I wasn't able to understand how badly it was used when I bought it. Of course the other side is I could be lucky and get a really good one and won't have to spend a whole lot on it. But I like to think about the worse so I could be ready to tackle it. In this case I don't think I am capable enough to tackle that situation. ( Am I thinking too much on this ? )
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Very few bikes these days have bad frames, most of the budget brand frames are made by Merida and they are the second largest frame maker in the world.

    Most 7 speed are spin on freewheel, this is not only inferior but can't be converted to 8 speed, even if it is a freehub, if its a seven speed freehub (rather than an eight with a spacer) it won't take the wider 8 speed cassette.

    If you are going to disc brakes in a few months it would be better to save your money up and buy the right bike, that could mean new frame, forks as well as the new wheels (with disc mounting) and the costs of the brakes themselves.

    If you can't do your own work, the upgrade will cost even more in labour, making buying a V-brake down even sillier! That said working on bikes is really easy, even a big job is just a series of simple steps.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • jamski
    jamski Posts: 737
    Very few bikes these days have bad frames, most of the budget brand frames are made by Merida and they are the second largest frame maker in the world.

    Most 7 speed are spin on freewheel, this is not only inferior but can't be converted to 8 speed, even if it is a freehub, if its a seven speed freehub (rather than an eight with a spacer) it won't take the wider 8 speed cassette.

    If you are going to disc brakes in a few months it would be better to save your money up and buy the right bike, that could mean new frame, forks as well as the new wheels (with disc mounting) and the costs of the brakes themselves.

    If you can't do your own work, the upgrade will cost even more in labour, making buying a V-brake down even sillier! That said working on bikes is really easy, even a big job is just a series of simple steps.

    I agree, just save up a little more and get a bike with the extra bits. Another £80-£100 will get you a lot more bike.
    Daddy, Husband, Designer, Biker, Gamer, Geek
    Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Just seen somebody in the classifieds on here selling a spotless Marin Mt Vision for £500...
  • Cyph3rs
    Cyph3rs Posts: 69
    Just seen somebody in the classifieds on here selling a spotless Marin Mt Vision for £500...

    Seems he's looking for bikes around the £250 mark, £500 is abit unrealistic.
  • Most 7 speed are spin on freewheel, this is not only inferior but can't be converted to 8 speed, even if it is a freehub, if its a seven speed freehub (rather than an eight with a spacer) it won't take the wider 8 speed cassette.

    If you are going to disc brakes in a few months it would be better to save your money up and buy the right bike, that could mean new frame, forks as well as the new wheels (with disc mounting) and the costs of the brakes themselves.

    If you can't do your own work, the upgrade will cost even more in labour, making buying a V-brake down even sillier! That said working on bikes is really easy, even a big job is just a series of simple steps.
    Thanks for the info on the lack of upgradable option and advice.
    I might just save up a bit and go for a better bike which would be 8 speed and with disc brakes.
  • jamski
    jamski Posts: 737
    People are going to start thinking I'm working on commission, but the Calibre Two.Two is now £300 and a million times what you'll get for £250! Just consider it. :)
    Daddy, Husband, Designer, Biker, Gamer, Geek
    Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two