Upgrading son's mountain bike

[Cslabb]

I need some help guys,

 

My son started with mountain biking at school last year. Like a good parent???? i bought a relatively "cheap" bike for him to start off with, and to see if he likes it and continues, which he did and is doing.... So the time has come to buy him something a bit more substantial. I need advice please, I have a budget of about 15k, and no knowledge of the sport...

Are there specific things/brands etc that i should look for?

Any advice will really be appreciated

[Fisan]

* What age is he (might determine factors such as frame sizing wrt his growth)?

* What discipline of MTBing is he doing? Racing XC? Or just riding for general fitness?

 

For R15k most of your options will be aluminium hardtails or some relatively heavy full-suspension bikes...better to go hardtail in that price range (my opinion though). You can get a 2nd hand carbon hardtail frame, but be wary when buying carbon 2nd hand.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Firstly, welcome to the BikeHub! 

 

Before we can help you, we need to know a couple of things.

 

Firstly - how old is he?

Secondly - how tall is he? 

Thirdly - New or 2nd hand? I'd personally suggest 2nd hand as you're much more likely to get a light and well sorted bike if you go 2nd hand. 

 

And last of all - remember, don't push him too hard. I'm assuming he's relatively young, and up until the age of 13 or so it should primarily be about enjoyment otherwise he's going to lose interest. 

 

Look up Luke Moir as an example of what should be done. Father is Mark Moir, and the okie can SHRED!!!

[Tony datoy]

You should be able to get a hard tail 2016 Merida Big Nine XT for around 16k

 

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bikes/hardtails/29-hardtails/2016/big-nine-xt-4484.html

 

Its a lot of bike for the price.

 

If he is looking for full suspension, you may want to consider preowned.

The biggest problem with preowned is the manufacturers warranty does not carry over to the new owner.

 

With the 2017 bikes coming soon, there will be some good deals on 2015/2016 bikes soon.

 

Don't wast your money on anything from a chain store, invariably they sell junk.

T

[the nerd]

My colleague built up his sons bike for the spur series... 

 

Raleigh Alu 26" HT frame (Weighs Nothing) 

Easton XC one's 

DT Swiss fork

1x10 XT with Kitted ring

 

Ritchey Carbon bar (Remember the 600mm xc race bars we think are too narrow now fit a young kid perfectly!) 

 

Bike weighs less than his dads S-Works!

 

Go used 26" and get your son an awesome bike! 

 

I think total cost was less than R8k

[Cslabb]

Thanks for all the responses,

 

He is 13, 14 in two months, about 1,5 m tall, they do mostly trail riding, no serious down hill or anything like that (spur series as "the nerd" mentioned)

 

I was looking at the Merida big nine, then saw that they have a big seven as well...., wondered what the difference was

 

Main thing for me is to buy something which will last him for a few years, and which won't weigh a ton as his current bike does

[Tony datoy]

Big 7 had 27.5" wheels and Big 9, 29" wheels.

Considering his height, 27.5 would be more suited.

Big 7 1000, is a higher specked bike than a Big 7 300

T

 

 

Thanks for all the responses,

He is 13, 14 in two months, about 1,5 m tall, they do mostly trail riding, no serious down hill or anything like that (spur series as "the nerd" mentioned)

I was looking at the Merida big nine, then saw that they have a big seven as well...., wondered what the difference was

Main thing for me is to buy something which will last him for a few years, and which won't weigh a ton as his current bike does

[Eugene]

At 13, a hardtail is perfect. It's only us old guys that need suspension to cushion our old bones.

 

Don't worry at this point what type of riding he does, just let him ride. The marketing gurus have convinced us that we need one type of bike for cross country and another type for marathon and another for trail. At his age he'll try a bit of everything.

 

Buy new......you'll have the peace of mind of a warranty, your local bike shop is more likely to do cheap or free work and give advice if you got it from them, you will know it has been correctly set up for him. Mountain bikes can get a lot of abuse, a second hand one could cost a fortune in repairs (unless you are able to do that yourself)

[HenkD]

As mentioned before soon there will be specials on the older models when the new one comes out. Go see Farook at Cycle Zone magalies view and ask him what old stock he has got. Speak to him and not one of the sales guys. He as got a "lay buy" option as well if.  

 

Good luck

[Stefan Cremer]

DO NOT buy him a 29" bike - I rode MTB from a young age and can tell you that I will never regret learning how to handle a bike on a 26" bike. Entice him to play on the bike, bunny hopping, wheelie-ing, ramps, etc. I really like my 29" bike, but still miss the playfulness of the 26" bike.

 

You've got some good advice re which machine to buy above - the best bike is not necessary, a reliable one is.

[JScottP]

My younger brother finished school last year and did all the Spur races for a few years, we managed to get him a 26" carbon S-Works hardtail, XTR wheel set etc. for about 8K. He was also about 1,6m and weighed about 60kg. The 26" was perfect for him, used it for the XC races as well as the eliminator series and all other races in between. He could thrash it and learn everything he needed to on it, without it costing an arm or a leg to repair or replace. 

 

Go for a light 2nd hand hardtail in my opinion...

[NukeproofPeanut]

I recommend getting a 2nd hand 26" for him to mess around on. Will be easier to learn to jump, manual, wheelie etc.

 

And depending on your sons affinity to mechanics, he may be like me at 13/14 and strip/rebuild the bike for "fun". This is the bet way to learn imo.

 

 

Get him something he can have fun on, not worrying about crashing or messing up etc. 

[dev null]

Thanks for all the responses,

 

He is 13, 14 in two months, about 1,5 m tall, they do mostly trail riding, no serious down hill or anything like that (spur series as "the nerd" mentioned)

 

I was looking at the Merida big nine, then saw that they have a big seven as well...., wondered what the difference was

 

Main thing for me is to buy something which will last him for a few years, and which won't weigh a ton as his current bike does

 

Whatever you buy him now will not last him a few years, as he will probably be entering his growing phase this year.  A Large frame will be too large now, but not in a year's time.

 

Get a decent aluminium HT frame (Silverback Slade) and invest in a good wheelset (Crest).  The wheel set can then be reused as you upgrade to a nice carbon HT frame later once he is past his growth phase.

 

EDIT:  At 1.5m, he is still too small for a 29er.  For now I would go for a 27.5.  For Spur, he will need a bike that will accelerate faster out of the corners, and the Spur is really not technical at all.  If he wants to start doing XCO, maybe then it will be different, as the XCO races are way more technical. 

[sias]

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/195941-volcan-xc3-small-26-inch/

[divernick]

Whatever you buy him now will not last him a few years, as he will probably be entering his growing phase this year.  A Large frame will be too large now, but not in a year's time.

 

Get a decent aluminium HT frame (Silverback Slade) and invest in a good wheelset (Crest).  The wheel set can then be reused as you upgrade to a nice carbon HT frame later once he is past his growth phase.

 

EDIT:  At 1.5m, he is still too small for a 29er.  For now I would go for a 27.5.  For Spur, he will need a bike that will accelerate faster out of the corners, and the Spur is really not technical at all.  If he wants to start doing XCO, maybe then it will be different, as the XCO races are way more technical. 

 

Crests for a teenager? Don't do it.

When I was a teen I ramped and bunnyhopped everything in sight and destroyed wheels. 

 

Something bulletproof like WTB frequency rims would be better suited.

[dev null]

Crests for a teenager? Don't do it.

When I was a teen I ramped and bunnyhopped everything in sight and destroyed wheels. 

 

Something bulletproof like WTB frequency rims would be better suited.

 

My son is doing that with his Crest wheels, and they are still fine.  Remember, they not weighing 80kgs + like us.  Also, he can do that with an el cheepo 26er set up as a jump bike.