MTB vs Road Bike

Cyclo-cross bike /endthread.

First time bike in his life? Surely something more like a spesh cross trail is more likely to fit the bill taking ability into account - you could get around a blue trail at a trail centre on something like that (slowly), but I wouldn't fancy my first experience of trail riding being on a CX bike having never had a bike before!

Welcome!

If you have never ridden a bike before, then I would go for a hybrid bike- they are the most common kind of bike you tend to see around town that look more like Mountain bikes but may not have suspension and have larger wheels that roll better on tarmac. If you are only looking to ride on bridlepaths and gentle trails (rather than technical rutted mtb trails) then this would suit best for general road/ town use as well as getting off the beaten track.
However, if you have more aggressive off road ambitions then most entry level MTBs are also fine for town use if you put semi slick tyres on, although the mudguard mounting options for the front are a little limited which is no fun on a wet day.

As the others have said, cyclocross bikes are great for longer road use and 'light' trail work, but it will be harder to learn how to ride on the narrow drop handlebars- the wide flat handlebars are easier to learn how to ride, then be able to look over your shoulder for traffic, take a hand off the bars to indicate etc. As you grow in confidence and ability then swapping to a drop bar bike is a possibility.
As for economical, unfortunately if you put serious miles into any machine you will wear out parts such as chain, cassette and brake blocks, but if you keep the chain clean and well oiled then it will last a long time, and replacements aren't very expensive. Same with the rims- if using rim brakes clean the rims and pads of grit after wet rides, or else this will wear the pads and rims much quicker.

Very cheap bikes will probably be fairly horrible to ride and wear out very quickly, but decent bikes that are worth maintaining start around £4-500, not cheap, but with the exception of chain/ brake blocks they will last a very long time if you look after them.

If you really have never ridden a bike before, then your best bet is to take the pedals off and lower the saddle so you can touch the floor really easily, and scoot around your local park to get the hang of balancing. Remember to work out how the brakes work first though- stopping with your feet is not a good idea!!
After you're happy with that, put one or both pedals back on and try to rest your feet on the pedals during long glides. After you're happy with that, then you can try pushing the pedals round to propel you. You should be able to teach yourself in less than a day- it is easier than it might seem at first, but just take it steady and you'll be fine.
After that gradually raise the saddle until your leg is slightly bent at the bottom of the stroke to improve efficiency and help save your quads, but do this very gradually (i.e. over weeks/ months) as eventually you will find it difficult to put a foot down when you stop and will need to 'step off' the pedals instead so you will need to be confident.

Good luck

cougie wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cyclo-cross bike /endthread.

Yep. What he said.

Nope. For a complete novice what iron-clover said is spot-on and a remarkably helpful post. A real novelty.