A tiny bit lost

j_mcd

Whilst I would know exactly what I'm looking for in a road bike, I have no idea about mountain bikes at all.

• It appears there are a number of wheel size choices - why, and is there a 'best' or is a 'what suits' situation
• What gearset is a decent mid range set? I'm on 105 on my road bike so I'm looking for similar mid range type quality. I think.
• Is cf such a big thing on mountain bikes, there seems to be a lot of Ali out there, even on really pricey bikes
• Forks - bloody hell, how do you make a choice about forks
• Brakes - I'm just going to assume that if you get a decent bike with a decent fork then it'll probably come with decent brakes. This probably makes me a chump.
• If I'm just doing simple off-roading around the Surrey Downs, do I really need FS, it's not like I'm going down a mountain or anything.

The list of options is, quite frankly, gigantic. As is the list of manufacturers. I've head good things about the top spec boardmans and mid range Giants but considering my budget is around the 1-1.5k mark there are so many more out there.

Anyhow, can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers

James

kickaxe

I don't know what the area of your riding is like, but it sounds like you won't really need a FS, you might want to look at a slightly more trail-oriented Hardtail. This also gives you better components than a FS at the same price because there isn't any money going into rear suspension. Also hardtails need less maintenance (no pivots, etc.).

Wheel sizes: they are a weird thing. Smaller wheels (27.5") are a bit easier to ride on tight and twisting trails, and accelerate better. Bigger wheels (29") sustain speed better and roll over small rocks, etc better. The real thing is, while you can notice the difference when comparing two bikes right after another, they don't actually matter much when you are just out riding. In fact, you will probably not even notice the difference (if so, you probably won't be able to tell which one is better) if you are new to mountain biking. Main point: don't decide on a bike just because of wheel size.

Drivetrain: Anything shimano Deore and up (SLX, XT)/SRAM GX and NX is totally fine and is the point where you will not notice any difference in shifting, mostly in pure weight.

Brakes: You are mostly right, there are few brakes that don't work well these days. Some people may like some brakes better than others, but that's just preference and what they are used to.

Forks-Anything from Rockshox and Fox (Manitou as well) will not be bad, we can be more specific when you give us details about a specific fork.

rockmonkeysc

Sounds like you need some test rides.
Forget about wheel sizes, there's a lot of cross over in capabilities and characteristics.
Fork just needs to have at least adjustable rebound damping, compression would be an advantage. Air springs are lighter and more adjustable. Coils have limited adjustment but better sensitivity.
For brakes you won't go wrong with Shimano. Just make sure you get hydraulic discs (no they won't slice a leg off).
Shimano SLX is a good mid range groupset but don't discount Deore, also very good kit.
You'll want a xc or trail bike for the riding you describe. Other than that it's personal preference.
Carbon is nice but aluminium is perfectly good. I've seen too many broken carbon frames recently.

Giraffoto

J_MCD wrote:

Whilst I would know exactly what I'm looking for in a road bike, I have no idea about mountain bikes at all.

• It appears there are a number of wheel size choices - why, and is there a 'best' or is a 'what suits' situation

Why, marketing and/or incremental gains under certain circumstances. It's a personal choice based on the perception that bigger is faster in straight lines and smaller is more chuckable and tougher.

J_MCD wrote:

• What gearset is a decent mid range set? I'm on 105 on my road bike so I'm looking for similar mid range type quality. I think.

SLX is probably the 105 for off road in the Shimano range, they're all good though.

J_MCD wrote:

• Is cf such a big thing on mountain bikes, there seems to be a lot of Ali out there, even on really pricey bikes

Carbon generally starts a bit higher up the MTB price range than it does in road bikes. The other components are heavy enough to make it less worthwhile as a weight saving measure.

J_MCD wrote:

• Forks - bloody hell, how do you make a choice about forks

Not a clue, I have a rigid fork. Go for the fork that's on a bike you like.

J_MCD wrote:

• Brakes - I'm just going to assume that if you get a decent bike with a decent fork then it'll probably come with decent brakes. This probably makes me a chump.

Just make sure they're hydraulic Shimano ones and you can't go wrong.

J_MCD wrote:

• If I'm just doing simple off-roading around the Surrey Downs, do I really need FS, it's not like I'm going down a mountain or anything.

. . .

If you're not bouncing, flying, or jumping you don't NEED suspension. Try both though.

Summary: test rides.

cooldad

FS is better on the bum and lower back after a longish ride, especially if you are old. Every little root starts hurting.

Saying that my two current favourite bikes are HT.

j_mcd

Thanks for all the help on this, some good insights. At the end of the day, although I envisage doing a bit of off-roading, the likelihood is that the bike will be mainly used for cycling down routes that are 'a little bumpy' with the kid. I think that rules out the need for FS.

Take the point about Carbon as well so won't be too fussed about that.

So, I'm looking for an Ali bike, with Shimano SLX, hydraulic Shimano brakes. I'll start the search (and then try to clear it with the wife).