Newbee to Mountain biking

[KitsuneAndy]

Halfords bikes get mixed revues, a friend of mine had one and liked it. Only buy one though if you can service it yourself as Halfords bike staff are notoriously hopeless, or at least they can be. The young guy in my local branch is ok but he was telling me how bad the two guys who proceeded him were, they'd rather sell you a new bike than sort your old one. The shop also sells bikes with disk brakes despite neither of the staff being trained to service them!

If you do go for a Halfords bike, don't buy one full price. Halfords don't sell many £500 bikes so hang on and you'll get one half price!

Depends what brand you're buying. Bikehut stock Voodoo, Kona and Boardman now and I'd imagine the price cuts they can offer on those are very limited.

The Carrera bikes do get pretty good reviews and I believe the frames are made by Merida, so there aren't any Halfords parts on there. But as you say, their workmanship in the shops isn't always particularly good.

Saying that, the guys at my local one seem competent and I'm picking up a new bike in the morning.

 

[Yanto]

This is the Felt

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Felt_Q220_2008/5360032858/

 

[Yanto]

And here's the Focus

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Focus_Highland_Peak_2008/5360032162/

 

[KitsuneAndy]

In my opinion the Focus would be the better buy.

It might not have disc brakes but it's generally a better spec (Deore rear mech instead of Acera).

But there's not a huge amount in it. Depends whether you particularly want disc brakes or not, you can always upgrade in the future.

For around the same price there's also the GT Avalanche 3.0 or the Halfords version the GT Aggressor XC3.

The most important thing would be to atleast sit on the bike first, make sure it's the right size for you. Spec doesn't matter if you end up feeling uncomfortable everytime you ride.

 

[bonj2]

both got shite suntour forks.

 

[KitsuneAndy]

both got shite suntour forks.

lol, very true. Can't expect much more at that price though.

I've currently got crappy RST Gila's on my Trek 4300, they're a bit shite as well. Will have some lovely Rockshox Reba's from tomorrow though!

 

[Yanto]

andy - yes I totally agree

bonj - at my price point, what forks should I be hoping to get then please?

 

[mickle]

Don't get hung up on which forks to use, the most important thing to fret about at this early stage is what frame size you need. A second hand rigid fork equipped bike will probably do for now and give you a good intro to dirt riding without breaking the bank. If the Scott fits you, is mechanically sound and the right price I think you should buy it, If you really get into it and choose to upgrade to a real mountain bike you'll lose less money flipping a second hand bike than a newish £250 bike.

The most important parts on a mountain bike are the tyres by the way. A set of new good quality rubber will have much more effect on performance than an average pair of sus forks.

 

[Mr Pig]

Here's the best price I can see for the Altitude 00, £450:

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/1026755/Genesis-Altitude-00.html?referrer=froogle.txt

My last bike was an aluminium Hardrock. The difference between it and the steel Genesis bike is that after an hour on the Hardrock you're dying to get off. The Genesis is far less fatiguing and after an hour you feel like going further.

It's not just that the ride is less harsh, the geometry is more comfortable too. These things are so important that it makes buying a bike blind a very risky proposition. Is this a bike that will be used almost exclusively off road?

Another interesting thing that I discovered about the Altitude 00. The 2009 bike is virtually identical, in fact the only differences I can find are two small decal/colour changes. It's the same bike and the price is now up to £650!

 

[Yanto]

Mr Pig - yes I am looking to use the bike exclusively off road. I already have three roadies.

 

[Mr Pig]

yes I am looking to use the bike exclusively off road.

I would look for a bike very specifically set up for that then. There's huge differences in the geometry of mountain bikes. I found the Hardrock too aggressive and twitchy and when I mentioned this to the guy in the shop he said 'Yeah, it's because they're designed for teenagers, they're the biggest buyers of them'. Solid bikes, good warranty, reliable. Off road? Not a lot of fun.

Try phoning round a few places to get opinions? I phoned the bike shop called 'The Hub' at the Glentress trail centre and they recommended the Altitude, they use them as hire bikes. It's really hard to try lots of different bikes but if you gather as much information as you can you begin to build up a general picture of the character of them. For me the main thing I wanted was a bike that was comfortable and fun off road. Have a think about what you really want from the bike then track that down. If you get a bike that's not right for you you'll end up not using it.

 

[Yanto]

Thanks very much for that. I am going up to Llandegla at the weekend to ride the beginner's trail. I have spoken to a colleague of mine who has been mountain biking for quite some time and he tells me that various types of bikes can be hired at the centre there. That should give me an idea of exactly what type of set up I would prefer, before I buy. Cheers again

 

[Mr Pig]

I have spoken to a colleague of mine and he tells me that various bikes can be hired at the centre there.

Ideal. Have fun :0) Try and get a shot on a steel one, the difference is night and day.

 

[bonj2]

andy - yes I totally agree

bonj - at my price point, what forks should I be hoping to get then please?

like i've said, fox, marzocchi or high-end rockshox (i.e. not 'judy','lisa' et al or any other women's name. reba, fine - pike - even better.)
if you can't afford them at your "price point" then increase your price point.

 

[Mr Pig]

The best Rockshox for he's going to get under £500 is a Tora and down around £300 is Suntour Land.