Newbie lady buying first bike - advice please!

[tigglescat]

Hi everyone

 

I'm a newbie to mountain biking, living in Cape Town, and really need some advice on buying my first bike and related equipment.

 

1. A knowledgable beginner-friendly cycle store - any recommendations?

2. Looking at a budget of R10-12k, any recommendations?

3. I'll be looking at a small 26" i think, I'm short and petite (5'3" and 55kg)

4. Dual suspension or hardtail (if even possible to get DS in my budget)?

5. Beginner-friendly cycle clubs that can help with teaching me to ride with cleats, and maintain the bike, do emergency repairs etc

 

Thanks a ton, and hope to hear from you all soon!

 

Cat

[The Search]

Ill sort you out tomorrow. Have helped a few people with this n the past.

[Slowbee]

Cat, welcome to the Hub.

 

You are going to get loads of comments about the best shop. Everyone has had good and bad experiences.

 

Make a list of a few bikeshops in your area and then go and chat to them and see if they provide you with what you are looking for.

 

As an aside, is that budget for the bike, or all inclusive ?

[kosmonooit]

Olympic Cycles is one option if you are in that area:

 

67 Lansdowne Rd

Claremont

Cape Town

7708

 

Telephone: 27 (21) 6715008

 

I would suggest hard tail to begin with, take it from there. What you will also be considering and pitched on is the 29'er - apparently bodes well even for the smaller cyclists, so unless you going 2nd hand route where many 26" bargains can be had, might as well get with the program. Try go tubeless to begin with: much less hassle with flats.

 

As for learning the ropes - just get our there to one of the many bike parks and just get on the trail, and learn by doing. pack some essential spares, if you break down others will help. Then come home and search some youtubes for self education on techniques etc, as most of us do here.

 

If you go to Olympic please tell Jason (who is part of the dynasty there) that the guy who bought his Epic-hardened Scalpel 2000 sent you, and that the bke is still doing well.

[Heckflosse]

Hey, local bike shops are very helpful with these kind of things, if you around the city check out; Cycle Lab, and Bowman cycling, if in the North look out for Chris Willemse bike shop.

[flymango]

Pick a cycle shop or "LBS" (which stands for "local bike shop") near to where you live or work. It could be a larger franchise or small independent operator. Both have their pros' and con's. Try a few out in those areas where you live/work by testing them with the very questions you are asking here. You'll soon find that you spend more time there than you can appreciate now (and hopefully less money). Some might disagree, but relationships and convenience are important. Good luck and enjoy it!

[covie]

Hey, local bike shops are very helpful with these kind of things, if you around the city check out; Cycle Lab, and Bowman cycling, if in the North look out for Chris Willemse bike shop.

 

Local shops will sell you what they stock and most of them dont know anything about bikes whatsoever, they just want sales commision so they will punt you anything.

 

does your 12k include stuff for kit? gloves, pants, shirt, helmet, saddlebag multitool etc?

 

There are quite a couple of bikes in that price range at this stage. mostly decent enough hard tails, Dual sussers normally start at the 14-15k range, but might be really heavy, And dont be fooled into getting a "womens specific" bike, sure they look more lady like, but they generally have really nice paint jobs and thats about that. The only difference on most of them are shorter handlebars and female specific saddle. Most girls that are seriously into their MTB'ing do not ride female specific bikes. But its a personal prefrence thing.

 

the key rule of thumb is get a bike with decent hydrolic disc brakes, and a proper fork on a decent frame, the rest of the stuff you can and eventually will want to replace.

 

My girl is about your size, i bought her a scott aspect 10 last month and she is loving the bike. best part is that you will have cash left to buy all the other expensive cycling goodies. She is about your dimensions from what you describe and the small fits her perfectly. A very very decent bike at the price range. And remember to ask for your 5-10% discount when buying the bike they will give it but you have to ask for it.

[Just Keep Pedaling]

Advice from my wife:

 

Don't use cleats until you are comfortable on the bike. Get a full suspension even if its heavy. And then get a good saddle. Try Specialized saddles.

[thatsme]

Hi Cat

 

as has been said, everyone has there favourite bike people - mine are crown cycles on landsdowne road (carry on past olympic) - rip-off factor is low & they know what they're on about

If you can find someone to check it out for you, second hand is a good way to go - will get way more bang for your buck. Keep in mind you can always upgrade once you know if you love it or not (if you buy second hand you wont lose much when you resell either, if you look after it)

 

have fun!

[SL7]

Hello Cat,

 

My penny's worth:

 

Go DS - easier on the back.

Leave the cleats for now.

Go with Specialized bikes - as you don't have to pedal uphill they are so awesome they fly!

Buy a black bike, matt finish.

Go new, nothing like a new bike.

 

Good luck with the purchase.

[covie]

Hello Cat,

 

My penny's worth:

 

Go DS - easier on the back.

Leave the cleats for now.

Go with Specialized bikes - as you don't have to pedal uphill they are so awesome they fly!

Buy a black bike, matt finish.

Go new, nothing like a new bike.

 

Good luck with the purchase.

 

Yeah fakes spez is known for their sub 12k bikes

[covie]

Oh btw tiggles, where in CPT are you North or South,

 

Tygerberg MTB club is one of the biggest, but they essentially based in the North. If I remember correctly cyclelab has some sort of club in the South.

 

If your looking to do skills courses. There are a couple of options best of those in the WC would be.

 

James Thornhill Fisher (MTB GURU) http://www.mountainbikeguru.co.za/

Dirtopio Skills Clinics. They have beginner and intermediate clinics www.dirtopia.co.za

 

Then if you want to start training and you are on FB look up "The Social Group" its a bunch of awesome people at all levels from beginner to Race Snake that form training groups, outings, etc. Good people and loads of fun.

 

As far as the cleats thing is concerned. cant fault starting on flat pedals, but on the flip side one gets used to being clipped in fairly quickly, but its easier to master the technical stuff with the knowledge that you can put your fut down anytime without having to clip out in time.

[hayleyearth]

I was in your shoes exactly a year ago, well before then I was not on a bike for 15years.

I borrowed a friends bike to go do a off-road loop (Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch) just to see if I would like it. (Dont know if you have ridden off-road already)

It was a HT (hard tail) and I decided then and there I like the sport, I want to ride a lot and thus I would not be happy with a HT.

 

My budget was the same than yours, I was looking at second hand (now I know why that is not wise) as I thought I could not buy a decent DS (dual suspension) for anything less than R20000 untill I walked into CWC and saw the (lower spec) bike that was on the back of the Cycling mag which was lying on my bedside table for about R15000.

 

Scott Spark 60 - only thing I would want to change on this bike is the front fork, but for my level of riding it is WAY more than capable and I dont see myself buying anything other anytime soon.

 

For the same price I got a few extras:

- tubless conversion; always Stans (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - in one year now I have not had one puncture! and did crazy rides.)

- clipless pedals and shoes (I will also recommend to go with cleats from the start, you build confidance as you go further, even if you feel like clipping out over techincal bits at 1st (I still do, but can say with certainty, it gets better everytime.)

- helmet

- cycling computer (I had a fall and it broke unfortunatly)

- and the normal bottle cage, saddle bag (which I dont use)

 

I just thought that if I would have bought a lower spec bike then I would have wanted to upgrade already, so it would have been double money spent in less than a year.

 

Best advice I can give: ASK, TALK and READ.

[Clinton1]

As a fairly new rider myself these topics always interest me. Now I know tigglescat mentioned a R10-R12k budget but, wow, to think I have started out on a R4.5k HT Silverback Phoenix and am more than satisfied with how it is serving me. Now I read on here about recommendations of Specialized and the like. Yes, I would love a R6k fork. Yes, on occasion I do think rear suspension would be nice. But I am quite capable of motoring around Giba on what I have.

 

And I hear this talk of skills clinics and the like, and each to their own, but I just got on my bike and rode! No better way to learn skills than to just do it. Technically I may not be doing somethings 100% right but you soon find out when you come off and you learn.

[covie]

As a fairly new rider myself these topics always interest me. Now I know tigglescat mentioned a R10-R12k budget but, wow, to think I have started out on a R4.5k HT Silverback Phoenix and am more than satisfied with how it is serving me. Now I read on here about recommendations of Specialized and the like. Yes, I would love a R6k fork. Yes, on occasion I do think rear suspension would be nice. But I am quite capable of motoring around Giba on what I have.

 

And I hear this talk of skills clinics and the like, and each to their own, but I just got on my bike and rode! No better way to learn skills than to just do it. Technically I may not be doing somethings 100% right but you soon find out when you come off and you learn.

 

Clint Im going to play devils advocate on one thing you said here, "no better way to learn skills than to just do it" summed up in one word BOLLOCKS.

Your natural instincs and behaviour on a bike is totally wrong by default, you brain says you have to lean back while you actually have to lean forward, you think you need to bend your arm turning while you actually need to keep it straight.

 

Getting good on the technical stuff, only comes from learning the "proper techniques" and these techniques because most of them dont feel normal does not come naturally. This is stuff someone needs to show you, be it a clinic, a friend, youtube, videos like Dirtschool. Sure youll get by trying to teach yourself but you will never be as confident as you can be, or as fast as you can be. If you just want to stay in the fun aspect sure teach yourself some bad habbits youll make it to the end of the trail. But there will be a time when you want to do it harder and faster, and thats when people start doing research into techniques and they realize they have been doing it all wrong, and those bad habbits my friend will take you years and years to unlearn.

 

Not trying to burn you here, but its always a good idea to learn skills ahead of time, in any sport. you learned to catch and pass a rugby ball before you got stuck in a team to play rugby. Same rules apply here. Get the right training upfront, practice what they tell you and enjoy every single minute on your bike.

[Clinton1]

Clint Im going to play devils advocate on one thing you said here, "no better way to learn skills than to just do it" summed up in one word BOLLOCKS.

Your natural instincs and behaviour on a bike is totally wrong by default, you brain says you have to lean back while you actually have to lean forward, you think you need to bend your arm turning while you actually need to keep it straight.

 

 

Please man. I started riding a bike when I was probably about 4. Yes, I stopped for a number of years but you are telling me all those years of learned natural instincts on how to stay on your bike are crud? And my brain does just fine at sorting out when to lean where. Not sure whose brain tells them to lean forward over the handle bars when heading down a steep hill!

 

Whenever someone argues vehemently in favour of something I think they may some financial interests in the said field.

 

My GF has just started riding. I ride with her with the Giba Gals. Throughout the rides she is getting tips from the more experienced riders and is already handling amazingly on a far inferior third hand bike.

 

 

Sure youll get by trying to teach yourself but you will never be as confident as you can be, or as fast as you can be. If you just want to stay in the fun aspect sure teach yourself some bad habbits youll make it to the end of the trail. But there will be a time when you want to do it harder and faster, and thats when people start doing research into techniques and they realize they have been doing it all wrong, and those bad habbits my friend will take you years and years to unlearn.

 

As stated above, most people are not jumping on a bike for the very first time so those bad habits are already learnt! What you are effectively saying is that I should send my 3 year old daughter on a skills course now as she is starting to ride and will no doubt be picking up bad habits already. I don't want her to spend years unlearning those habits if she gets serious about riding one day!

 

 

 

Not trying to burn you here, but its always a good idea to learn skills ahead of time, in any sport. you learned to catch and pass a rugby ball before you got stuck in a team to play rugby. Same rules apply here. Get the right training upfront, practice what they tell you and enjoy every single minute on your bike.

 

Again I will disagree. If my friends and I decide to go and play tennis on the weekend I don't go and get some coaching before hand. I pick up the racket and whack the ball. Same with soccer. We go to the park and kick the ball around. We are doing it for fun. I'm not trying to out play Messi and win the champions league. Yes, if I decide to become a pro one day then I better get a coach and get all the skills 100% but until then I will continue to have fun and learn as I go along.

 

You seem to imply that I currently do not enjoy every minute on my bike. Rubbish. I probably enjoy it more as I am just doing what comes naturally instead of constantly thinking "stick that leg out", "move that elbow there"....

 

The bike industry has become big business and people are trying to cash in all over the place. I view "skills clinics" as one of these places....

 

EDIT: I listen to some friends who are "serious" about mountain biking and they honestly do not sound like they are having fun. Constantly analysing what they are doing ( and falling a lot more than I have!), checking out that they are in their target heart rate zones, keeping an eye on the ascent and descent of their rides, constantly wondering if they need a new component to lose a few grams and gain a few seconds. Sorry but that doesn't sound like they are having fun. I ride. I enjoy it. And all those measurements and what not are secondary and take care of themselves.

Edited March 13, 2012 by Clint_ZA