Advice on buying a bike

[franco2017]

Hi Guys,

 

When buying a bike,new or used,what tips or advice can you give me on what to look out for.What is good,what is bad component wise etc.What should I avoid (ie. should it have coil or air shocks etc.)?What have you learnt from past experiences.

 

Also, can I still buy a 26' or is the 29' the way forward?

 

Thanks.

[Rocket-Boy]

The usual starting question is what are you intending to ride?

[Capcha]

Hi Guys,

 

When buying a bike,new or used,what tips or advice can you give me on what to look out for.What is good,what is bad component wise etc.What should I avoid (ie. should it have coil or air shocks etc.)?What have you learnt from past experiences.

 

Also, can I still buy a 26' or is the 29' the way forward?

 

Thanks.

If you were wanting to let a bull loose in a China shop with regards to 29er vs 26...you succeeded! Personally coming from a 26, I love my 29er and would never go back. I have always been a Shimano fan all my life so its XT for me. Being new to mtb I would say spend your money on a good 2nd hand bike and make sure you enjoy the sport and once you have the feel for it and fitness then go crazy and buy the expensive stuff. Email guys from Upshift_Cycles, they on the hub. They deal in selling and buying mid to top range used bikes. Can probably help out with any questions

[PeterF]

Contrary to popular belief 26er's are very much alive.  There are some amazing deals to be had on 26er's.  I recently bought a brand new 2012 carbon Scott Scale 20 with full XT for R9k, the original price was over R18k.

[eddy]

Both these issues have been repeatedly discussed on thehubsa. Use the search function and spend a few hours checking out the development of the various arguments/debates.

 

You will get a much better idea.

[HOEKVLAG]

Buy for as much as you can afford (except if you're Bill Gates - a R200 000 bike is not worth it if you're starting off...).

Second hand is fine - there's some good deals out there.

I prefer SRAM but both SRAM and Shimano is good.

26", 27.5" or 29" doesn't matter - as long as you enjoy riding it!

[Ryan100]

I bought my mountain bike last year. My lessons learn. Before we talk about what kind of riding and brand specifics and the big 26 vs 29 debate.

 

I didnt want to spend too much as I was starting out and didnt know how much I would ride etc. So I got a Titan 29er. What would I change is I did it again. Definitely the fork, I have coil, if you can get air. Its like 3k just to upgrade the fork. Make sure the frame fits you nice and you like it!!!

 

I know I will get flamed but the XT debate, thats the top end stuff, if you starting out and dont want to spend to much there it no point saying I need XT and then getting a very old frame or something. Remember if you have XT and it breaks its more expensive to replace.

 

If you worried about cash and just want to try mountain biking you can get a LOT more bike if you buy a 26er. You will have to deal with people saying o shame you have a 26er, but if you a noobie just wanting to get started I dont think having a 26er will mean you ride less or suddenly hate the sport!!!

 

Of course if you have buckets of cash and want to win the coolest bike competition then for sure hit the 29er with the lefty fork and the dual suspension with XTR parts and carbon stuff. Not going to suddenly mean you love the sport more!!!

 

Lastly if the bug bits, its going to cost, you will want more stuff and you will end up looking on CRC or CWC daily to see whats on special!!!!

[franco2017]

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

The reason why I asked whether 26er or 29er is that I noticed at Cycle Lab(Fourways),they only have 29er and 650B on display across all their bike brands. Even their tyres for sale are only 29er and 650B.

[Andrewjw]

Personal experience

 

As a first purchase I bought a second hand 26er DS with bottom of the range components and i absolutely loved it.  Recently i have bought a 29er HT with better components and love riding just as much as i did on my 26er.

 

You do get alot of bang for your buck on a second hand 26er and that why i purchased it.  I am a large guy - 115kg and did not want a bike to fail when i was first starting out.

 

Good luck with the purchase.

[Eugene]

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

The reason why I asked whether 26er or 29er is that I noticed at Cycle Lab(Fourways),they only have 29er and 650B on display across all their bike brands. Even their tyres for sale are only 29er and 650B.

26ers are pretty much extinct on anything other than supermarket bikes.

[AlanD]

At the end of the day it's really about what you can afford. Suggest maybe try riding a 26er, 650b and 29er and see which you prefer but there are better deals on 26er bikes with great compoenets.

[Samurai Pizza Cat]

If you are buying a bike for purely fitness reasons, and are more concerned with distance, buy a 29er.

 

If you rapidly want to improve your bike handling skills, buy a 26" bike, preferably a hard tail. You are more likely to learn how to pick better lines through rocks, get airborne, and improve your cornering skills on a smaller wheel bike. That's why so many Pro downhillers come from a BMX background...they paid their school fees on 20" bikes.

 

Also remember that entry level 29ers are much heavier than similarly priced 26" bikes.

 

If you want to stay on the safe side, go for a 650B.

 

And finally: Although you might find better deals from the "big box" retailers, the smaller bike shops will give you much better advice.