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Best SECOND bike to save up for


BLADE_RSA

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So I dipped my toe into the proverbial muddy water that is mountain biking a few months ago and ended up with a pretty sweet deal on my first bike (full story on another thread) and I must say the bug has definitely bitten hard.

 

So I was wondering, if you were budget conscious (or budget constrained), what bike would you save up for and what would be the price bands you would look at?

 

I realize it's a bit of a "how long is the string question" but hear me out;

 

I'm loving my 26" Hardtail Silverback and have even enjoyed my first ever race on it (Winter Fast One), I'm fitter, leaner and generally a happier man having taken up this little "hobby" called mountain biking. So much so that I'm fairly convinced that I'll be a "lifer" from here on out (bar any life changing events that may dictate otherwise).

 

All of which has got me saving up already for bike number 2. My problem is, I don't know what I'm saving for yet... I mean would the next logical step be to go to a carbon hardtail or to a full suspension aluminium bike instead?

 

I'm hoping to hear from those of you who have already ridden this particular single-track in life... what was your progression of bike purchases and what, if anything, do you regret not researching better before splashing your cash?

 

I'm leaning towards the Giant Trance X2 (or similar) because I've not been able to find a bad review on it to date but I am about 10-12 months of saving away from that price range so I have plenty of time to decide (especially since I can still clock up the kilo's on my current bike in the mean time).

 

Scott also looks great (read "red and black") but I've heard guys talk about the lack of the Fox shocks as being a bit of a dampener on the Scott mojo. Is that really the case or can it still be a contender despite the lack of Fox "stickers" on it?

 

The Silverback Slider 1 also appeals to me cos of all the XT goodies on it out of the box.

 

What are your thoughts about Trek?

 

In the end, I will battle to part with more than about R25k and would be open minded about wheel size (but not about frame colour - black/white/red/grey or combinations thereof only please :thumbup: ...)

 

I'm 1.74 meters tall and I NOW weigh 70kg (was 82kg :excl:  in Nov last year) I enjoy mixing up jeep track with a bit of tar road as well as trails, single track and 'technical stuff'. I am generally riding 20-40 kilo's once a week at an average speed of 16-20 km/h (depending on the day's route/trail) and I would really enjoy a bit more comfort/confidence on rougher downhills. For now, I don't mind granny gearing it up long uphills but I would love to be able to cain it uphill like the some of the okes that seem to blast past me.

 

Oh... and Spaz-love is welcome on this thread - though I doubt I could pick up a Spez in that price range anyway.

Your thoughts?

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Read half way and was thinking 140mm Trail bike. Your next sentence said Trace 2 so nail on head.

 

Keep the hard tail for the long stuff and the Trance for the fun stuff! There are other good options besides Trance but will cost a few k more. Stump jumper comes to mind. I'm not sure I would spend big money on a Silverback dual suspension bike. I have nothing against the brand (huge supporter in fact) but I don't think they are proven yet in that regard. Getting a good dual suspension design is not easy and takes a while for companies to get right. I would spend my bucks on something tried and tested. But yeah Trance is an insanely capable bike, great warranty, great value etc. Only thing going against it is that it is very common.

 

Be sure to look for a 2nd hand bike first. In 2013 I picked up a 1 year old Stumpjumper for R13k in great condition with upgrades so good deals do come you just need to be patient and it seems like you got time.

 

Once that is sorted you can start saving for bike #3 (n+1 is a real thing ;) )

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One place to have a look for well priced bikes is on OBike. It's all older models Cannondale, GT, Mongoose and Schwinn at bargain prices. Check it regularly and you might just find something suitable. An added bonus is that if you order a 26" bike on the 26th of any month, you will get a further 26% off the listed price.

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One place to have a look for well priced bikes is on OBike. It's all older models Cannondale, GT, Mongoose and Schwinn at bargain prices. Check it regularly and you might just find something suitable. An added bonus is that if you order a 26" bike on the 26th of any month, you will get a further 26% off the listed price.

sheesh good point. check out this bike pawn scalpel - ok 2010 model, but that's a lot of bling for R36k - 26% = R26k. down from R63k originally.

 

http://www.obike.co.za/index.php/component/rokecwid/?Itemid=#!/2010-Cannondale-Scalpel-1-Large-26-Custom-Bike/p/45276292/category=8480226

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So I dipped my toe into the proverbial muddy water that is mountain biking a few months ago and ended up with a pretty sweet deal on my first bike (full story on another thread) and I must say the bug has definitely bitten hard.

 

So I was wondering, if you were budget conscious (or budget constrained), what bike would you save up for and what would be the price bands you would look at?

 

I realize it's a bit of a "how long is the string question" but hear me out;

 

I'm loving my 26" Hardtail Silverback and have even enjoyed my first ever race on it (Winter Fast One), I'm fitter, leaner and generally a happier man having taken up this little "hobby" called mountain biking. So much so that I'm fairly convinced that I'll be a "lifer" from here on out (bar any life changing events that may dictate otherwise).

 

All of which has got me saving up already for bike number 2. My problem is, I don't know what I'm saving for yet... I mean would the next logical step be to go to a carbon hardtail or to a full suspension aluminium bike instead?

 

I'm hoping to hear from those of you who have already ridden this particular single-track in life... what was your progression of bike purchases and what, if anything, do you regret not researching better before splashing your cash?

 

I'm leaning towards the Giant Trance X2 (or similar) because I've not been able to find a bad review on it to date but I am about 10-12 months of saving away from that price range so I have plenty of time to decide (especially since I can still clock up the kilo's on my current bike in the mean time).

 

Scott also looks great (read "red and black") but I've heard guys talk about the lack of the Fox shocks as being a bit of a dampener on the Scott mojo. Is that really the case or can it still be a contender despite the lack of Fox "stickers" on it?

 

The Silverback Slider 1 also appeals to me cos of all the XT goodies on it out of the box.

 

What are your thoughts about Trek?

 

In the end, I will battle to part with more than about R25k and would be open minded about wheel size (but not about frame colour - black/white/red/grey or combinations thereof only please :thumbup: ...)

 

I'm 1.74 meters tall and I NOW weigh 70kg (was 82kg :excl:  in Nov last year) I enjoy mixing up jeep track with a bit of tar road as well as trails, single track and 'technical stuff'. I am generally riding 20-40 kilo's once a week at an average speed of 16-20 km/h (depending on the day's route/trail) and I would really enjoy a bit more comfort/confidence on rougher downhills. For now, I don't mind granny gearing it up long uphills but I would love to be able to cain it uphill like the some of the okes that seem to blast past me.

 

Oh... and Spaz-love is welcome on this thread - though I doubt I could pick up a Spez in that price range anyway.

Your thoughts?

 

The End - now ride off into the sunset.....

 

the silverback is not bad either as an option...

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