Novice of note

[Tilon]

I am seriously thinking about taking up cycling as a sport. Shopping for a bike at the mo. Settled on the MTB type, but thats about it.

 

Not sure whats a good price to pay on my first pro bike. Whats a good solid bike to use to get into the sport?

 

Obviously dont want to spend too much coz I might want to upgrade as I get better.

 

Help!!!

[scotty]

New or 2nd hand, if you buy wisely 2nd hand you can get very good bargains. Are you looking at 29 or 26, dual suspension or hardtail, this will depend on the type of riding you want to do. Brands being specked very similar it could even boil down to preference by color.

[DamMTBer]

New or 2nd hand, if you buy wisely 2nd hand you can get very good bargains. Are you looking at 29 or 26, dual suspension or hardtail, this will depend on the type of riding you want to do. Brands being specked very similar it could even boil down to preference by color.

Giant has a couple of decent entry level bikes and so does silverback. There is also Serfast

 

Check with your LBS, it's christmas might even pickup a few specials.

Edited November 29, 2011 by DamMTBer

[Tilon]

New or 2nd hand, if you buy wisely 2nd hand you can get very good bargains. Are you looking at 29 or 26, dual suspension or hardtail, this will depend on the type of riding you want to do. Brands being specked very similar it could even boil down to preference by color.

 

Thanks for the reply. I dont envisage doing any hectic terrains at the moment. Just road and easy trails. Would you prefer dual suspension for this?

 

It makes more sense to go second hand, doesnt it?

[Tumbleweed]

Thanks for the reply. I dont envisage doing any hectic terrains at the moment. Just road and easy trails. Would you prefer dual suspension for this?

 

It makes more sense to go second hand, doesnt it?

 

It's mostly better to start off with a hardtail.

 

Before you look second-hand, be sure of the size frame that will suit you.

[rouxtjie]

Thanks for the reply. I dont envisage doing any hectic terrains at the moment. Just road and easy trails. Would you prefer dual suspension for this?

 

It makes more sense to go second hand, doesnt it?

Go hardtail...you get more bang for your ZAR this way. Also it teaches you to ride the right lines instead of just "mik en druk". PS put some money aside for accesories..helmet, shoes...gloves etc etc

 

And yes on secondhand, you will get very good value if you go 26 inch hardtail, check the classifieds section. See you on the trails bud

[hboli4]

It all depends on your budget, but for the type of riding you will be doing a hardtail will do fine. Maybe look at the Silverback Stride 10, they go for R4100-R4400, I don't think you'll find better components at that price level on a new bike.

[NotSoBigBen]

It's mostly better to start off with a hardtail.

 

Before you look second-hand, be sure of the size frame that will suit you.

 

Can only re-inforce the size issue! MAKE SURE IT FITS BEFORE BEING SWAYED BY PRICE/PRETTINESS!

[Caerus]

My mate who has also just bought his first MTB on the weekend, got the GT Avalanche 1.0 for R5400, pretty good specs. Decent starter bike, with a fairly decent front fork. Here are some reviews, MTBr.

[nigelhicks]

Dude go hardtail first. Spend 7k or so on a decent hardtail and use for a year ot 2 and then move up to a full sus.

 

Remeber to calculate in the price of a helmet and shoes and shorts into your budget. I would say buy new for your first bike as your LBS will be instremental in helping you choose the right size and style of bike. Also you get good back up from your LBS with things such as setup and first services on new bikes.

 

Remember you may spend a bit more than what you hoped but its like buying a car - you never say "no i'll just put in aircon and powersteering later ..." same with a bike ... when you go in pretend that you are buying a car. But remember to be within budget.

 

At about 7k all the bike brands are much of a muchness so you need to look for the best deal with the best components!!! At this level its the components that make the difference not the make of the bike.

 

Also remember to support your LBS once you have bought the bike - the more you support them the more they'll help you in return. If you flick from shop to shop you wont get as good service as you are not supporting a single shop (TRUST me on this one been a bike salesman for 12 years and its the worst when guys come in for prices you spend hours and then they buy somewhere else but still come back to you for advise! eventually you just disregard them).

Make sure your LBS does a proper setup with you on the bike to make sure it fits you properly!

 

HMM thats about all i can think of right now - good luck.

Edited November 30, 2011 by nigelhicks

[The Drongo]

I am seriously thinking about taking up cycling as a sport. Shopping for a bike at the mo. Settled on the MTB type, but thats about it.

 

Not sure whats a good price to pay on my first pro bike. Whats a good solid bike to use to get into the sport?

 

Obviously dont want to spend too much coz I might want to upgrade as I get better.

 

Help!!!

 

Go see the Summit Chap. (He is fairly close to you as the Jhbg crows fly)

 

He won't sell you a Carbon-e 29" Hardtail with carbon-e "breaks" and cranks, if you don't need all that.

 

ENJOY !

[nigelhicks]

oh and DONT be swayed into buying a CHEAP full sus ... if you spending below 13k on a NEW full suspension you are buying a piece of crap!!! (no offense to anyone who has bought something at this level ... but they are crap) ... rather spend 10k on a top end hardtail then with top spec parts.!

 

But Id say look at spending 5k on a decnet entry level hardtail, but dont be bummed if you end up spending 7!

Edited November 30, 2011 by nigelhicks

[Caerus]

oh and DONT be swayed into buying a CHEAP full sus ... if you spending below 13k on a NEW full suspension you are buying a piece of crap!!! (no offense to anyone who has bought something at this level ... but they are crap) ... rather spend 10k on a top end hardtail then with top spec parts.!

 

But Id say look at spending 5k on a decnet entry level hardtail, but dont be bummed if you end up spending 7!

 

 

This is exactly what I was trying to convince my mate to do, but which he is suddenly finding out, there are extras that need to be factored in, ie: Helmet, gloves, shorts, bottle cages + bottle, pump, multi tool, tyre levers & repair kit. Plus anything else, these will amount to about 1K+++++

[Pieterg]

Don't buy crap the second time you ride you want a better shox better croupset act, so buy the best you can welkom en geniet dit dis n voorreg

[Tilon]

Thanks for all your help. I think I have a pretty good idea now. Will keep you guys informed on what I settled on.

[Clinton1]

Dude go hardtail first. Spend 7k or so on a decent hardtail and use for a year ot 2 and then move up to a full sus.

 

My word, R7k on a first bike for a chap who is just wanting to try things. Some people clearly have a lot more money to throw around than me. I started off on a hand me down Giant Boulder (that was too small for me) and after a year realised I liked this cycling thing. I now just recently upgraded to a brand new R4500 Silverback Phoenix that was on sale. I'm almost certain the same bike would more than suffice for this chaps needs.

 

OP, look out for old models on sale. All the shops are filling up, or are filled, with the 2012 models so a lot virtually give away their 2011 models. That's what I got. Remember that these limited offers also usually come in limited sizes as they are being cleared so as stated elsewhere find out what size frame you are first and then shop around.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Clint_ZA