diverdi Posted September 13, 2012 Share Hi all.1st post here - please be gentle! As per my title, I currently have an Avalanche Tundra which I recently started riding again - really just for fitness and fun. The bike has slicks on it because I have only ridden it on the road (no particular desire to go off-road either!)However I've found that my hands get badly numb. I spoke to some colleagues that cycle and they said it was probably a fit issue. So I took it to a store to get some advice and it seems that the reach is too far but because the bike is quite old there isn't much I can do except ditch this one and get a new one. The saleman suggested a few - on the less expensive side my options were Axis A90 or 70 (R3k and below), on the more expensive side the Momsen Al129 or the Trek Marlin (in the 6K region). However I'm not completely convinced (1) that I'm ready to spend that much money and (2) about the need for me to have all these fancy shocks etc. If I'm only going to ride on the road for fitness it seems like serious overkill? And then there's the 26 inch versus the 29 inch story - another complication! I must also mention that I went to the shop thinking along the lines of a road bike so that's another factor. Perhaps the fact that I am fairly hefty (losing weight is one of the big reasons I want to get more into the sport) is why the salesman steered me away from roadbikes.. ? Anyway I would appreciate some input on this situation, given where I am coming from and what I am likely to be using the bike for..I'm sure there will be suggestions to buy second hand - I suppose once I have a better idea of what to look for I can do this but then I run the risk of buying a lemon or spending even more on getting it adjusted to work for me whereas if I buy new at least that aspect is taken care of. Oh and perhaps I should mention that I'm in my mid 40s and female. Randburg area FWIW! Thanks - I look forward to your comments. Edited September 13, 2012 by diverdi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted September 13, 2012 Share Allow me to play devil's advocate and suggest you try your hand (legs) at mountain biking instead of road. Nothing wrong with road but it lacks the excitement one gets from a bit of dirt. You main goal is to lose a bit of weight and to get some great excercise all while (most important of all) having fun and being social with likeminded people. A good fitting bike is the most important part in all this and it will make or break your cycling experience. There is no need to spend a fortune on your first bike. Keep in mind you need a good pair of cycling shorts and a proper fitting helmet. A good balance can easily be found between the cheaper bikes and the mid level bikes. Around the R4000 mark you can find something more than adequate that will be an excellent bike to start out on. I will have a look online for you to see what is out there. How tall are you? Just a basic idea of what size bike to look at. Edited September 13, 2012 by S.I.R Maxxis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 13, 2012 Share Allow me to play devil's advocate and suggest you try your hand (legs) at mountain biking instead of road. Nothing wrong with road but it lacks the excitement one gets from a bit of dirt. You main goal is to lose a bit of weight and to get some great excercise all while (most important of all) having fun and being social with likeminded people. A good fitting bike is the most important part in all this and it will make or break your cycling experience. There is no need to spend a fortune on your first bike. Keep in mind you need a good pair of cycling shorts and a proper fitting helmet. A good balance can easily be found between the cheaper bikes and the mid level bikes. Around the R4000 mark you can find something more than adequate that will be an excellent bike to start out on. I will have a look online for you to see what is out there. How tall are you? Just a basic idea of what size bike to look at.Hi. Thanks for the reply. I am 1.67 m with an inleg measurement of 79 cm.As for getting dirty my main thing is wanting to be able to cycle out of my driveway and get right into it. Additional costs for bike carriers is not part of the plan, nor the time to get to where the dirt is. Otherwise no specific objection to your suggestion! I bought a Bontrager Quantum helmut when I got the bike out of storage and I have a useable (but not fancy) pair of cycling shorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted September 13, 2012 Share Good start then. Not sure which part of Randburg you are in but some great riding can be done on the Spruit starting from Fratellis in Blairgowrie. Let me see what options you have in terms of a bike in your size and budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 13, 2012 Share Thanks S.I.R Maxxis.I'm next to Cresta Mall.Work weird hours so mostly would be alone when cycling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Posted September 13, 2012 Share From what you have said, your best bet would be a cheapish mtb. There is no need to spend bike amounts of money. You can ride it on the road to get fit, it will be nice and comfortable for you and would be able to handle the odd off road excursion too. Axis is pretty good value and they start at R1 999. Other cheap options are Titan and Avalanche. They should come in at the R2 -R2.5k mark for their entry level models. Raleigh is making a comeback into SA and from what I've seen, their entry level stuff is damn good value for money. Your only issue there is that they are currently only sold at Makro. Makro will offer no after sales back up, they won't set you up on the bike properly and their advice would be questionable. Visit a few other bike shops and see what they have to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servetus Posted September 13, 2012 Share Hi Diverdi Your story sounds a lot like my own - I also had a very old ('98 model) MTB with slicks on that I used for many years to ride on the road, just for fun, exploring neighbourhoods and training for one or two races per year, nothing serious. Then, when a friend suggested I try an MTB race, I put on a pair of knobblies, rode out to the nearest MTB track... and a whole new world opened up! I kicked myself for not doing this years ago! So if you're unsure about whether to invest in a new MTB right away, I would suggest you go to your nearest bike store (or Sportsmans Warehouse, etc), get the simplest pair of knobbly tyres, and put them on your old bike, and try some (easy) off roading. Chances are your enthusiam (and budget!) for a new bike will go up a few notches.. ....oh and sorry for dishing out advice as if I'm not a total noob myself! Edited September 13, 2012 by Servetus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted September 13, 2012 Share If you need a pair of knobbies to try your hand at a bit of offroad let me know I will be happy to lend you a pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 13, 2012 Share Axis is pretty good value and they start at R1 999. Other cheap options are Titan and Avalanche. They should come in at the R2 -R2.5k mark for their entry level models. Raleigh is making a comeback into SA and from what I've seen, their entry level stuff is damn good value for money. Your only issue there is that they are currently only sold at Makro. Makro will offer no after sales back up, they won't set you up on the bike properly and their advice would be questionable. Visit a few other bike shops and see what they have to offer. Thanks for the brand suggestions. Any recommendations perhaps as to shops with decent prices and service in the Randburg area? Your story sounds a lot like my own - I also had a very old ('98 model) MTB with slicks on that I used for many years to ride on the road, just for fun, exploring neighbourhoods and training for one or two races per year, nothing serious. Then, when a friend suggested I try an MTB race, I put on a pair of knobblies, rode out to the nearest MTB track... and a whole new world opened up! I kicked myself for not doing this years ago! So if you're unsure about whether to invest in a new MTB right away, I would suggest you go to your nearest bike store (or Sportsmans Warehouse, etc), get the simplest pair of knobbly tyres, and put them on your old bike, and try some (easy) off roading. Chances are your enthusiam (and budget!) for a new bike will go up a few notches.. ....oh and sorry for dishing out advice as if I'm not a total noob myself! Similar experience counts a lot so don't apologise - thanks for the comments. If you need a pair of knobbies to try your hand at a bit of offroad let me know I will be happy to lend you a pair. You guys are REALLY trying to get me to go "rough"! Thanks for the offer of knobblies S.I.R Maxxis. The problem is that it doesn't overcome the original issue with my existing bike - which is that it's uncomfortable due to the bad fit. (Ironically it was bought from a LBS not from a Makro or a PnP!! But I'm told that "10 or so years ago bike shop salemen knew less aboput these things"... whether or not that's true or I just dealt with an idiot I can't say.) My intention for the existing bike (now that I've found out its the wrong fit for me) is to use it on an indoor trainer I bought a few weeks ago. I've only used the trainer a few times because it was chewing the tyre so my plan was to go out first thing tomorrow and get a trainer tyre to put on it and assign the bike to permanent indoor trainer use. Which would mean no outdoor with it at all. But at least I'd get some use out of it because for plain cardio workout indoors I don't need handlebars! So I don't know that I'd get a chance to try the knobbly route... Edited September 13, 2012 by diverdi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 14, 2012 Share Ok so I've done some phoning around and would appreciate the comments.I've been offered a Momsen AL126 for around R5k, (remember theres also the AL129 at around R6K as well)A Giant Revel 3 Women specific for R5ka GT Avalanche 3 2012 for R4300, a Merida TFS300 for R5200 and a Silverback Aline 3 for R4300.Oh, and a Trek 3900 for R5k too.I think most of these are 26 inch?2 shops ercommended the Momsen 29 inch as pretty good specs but one shop said maybe the 26inch Momsen rather because of my height?Comments please? Unless you've found other options, S.I.R Maxxis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted September 14, 2012 Share Pretty much what I found also. Fuji Addy 2.0 2012 : R5500Fuji Tahoe 3.0 2011 : R5500Axis A60: R3999Momsen AL126: R4500 Quite a lot of options at Solomons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 14, 2012 Share Pretty much what I found also. Fuji Addy 2.0 2012 : R5500Fuji Tahoe 3.0 2011 : R5500Axis A60: R3999Momsen AL126: R4500 Quite a lot of options at Solomons. My first bunch of quotes (yesterday) came from there. They quoted on the A70 and A90 and recommended the AL129 to me - didn't mention these others. Not sure why.. Edited September 14, 2012 by diverdi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdi Posted September 15, 2012 Share Morning gentlemen.I opened a new thread with some spec sets and would love your opinions please..See here: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/120666-help-comparing-spec-sets-please-1st-real-bike/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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