francdore Posted February 22, 2018 Share Hi, I found this Avalanche bicycle on Bike-Addict.co.za - https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/mtb/products/avalanche-reflex-29er-2018?variant=1857778712585 I want to buy it for my wife who wants to start cycling with me. Just for fun/maybe start doing short road races as well. It's got disc brakes, it costs R3390, shocks, Alloy frame and 29" rims. Is this a yes or a no? My budget can't be more than R3500 for now as I don't know if this is something she will keep doing. Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterbean Posted February 22, 2018 Share Rather find a nice used 26" bike in the classifieds. That bike isnt great, the fork will be heavy, the rim brakes will suck, and you'll just not have a high chance of your wife liking the ride, thanks to the bike. Keep. Your eyes peeled and you'll find some great entry level bikes used for your budget. Minimum requirements for me would be hydro disk brakes. If it has those, generally everything else is going to be okay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirkitech Posted February 22, 2018 Share Rather find a nice used 26" bike in the classifieds. That bike isnt great, the fork will be heavy, the rim brakes will suck, and you'll just not have a high chance of your wife liking the ride, thanks to the bike. Keep. Your eyes peeled and you'll find some great entry level bikes used for your budget. Minimum requirements for me would be hydro disk brakes. If it has those, generally everything else is going to be okaythe advert has disc brakes, not rim brakes... and hydraulic disc brakes for entry level is like air forks on a makro bike, at least in my experience. Its also not as quick, cheap or easy to service as brakes with cables. Edited February 22, 2018 by Dirkitect Darrynbp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bateleur1 Posted February 22, 2018 Share When I started cycling in 2001 I bought a Avalanche. Wasn't long before I sold it and bought something better. I found the components on it was not the best quality and wear and tear quickly took care of them. Replacing it became expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC-Diesel Posted February 22, 2018 Share From personal experience, don't get something as basic as this. Honestly, you just scare your wife off. And, if you're thinking of road, get a road bike, or at the very least a hybrid.I know that money is always a contentious issue, so maybe this will make more sense. If you spend a little more on a reputable bike and if she does not like it, you will not loose that much as you can sell it for a fair amount again. However, the Avalanche is like a Fiat Uno as far as what resale value is concerned. You may be lucky enough to get a 3rd of what you paid for it. There is a reasonable amount of decent bikes on the hub under R4k. Factor in the price of a service and (maybe) some new tyres (depending on age) and most will be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysterperd Posted February 22, 2018 Share Rather find a nice used 26" bike in the classifieds. That bike isnt great, the fork will be heavy, the rim brakes will suck, and you'll just not have a high chance of your wife liking the ride, thanks to the bike. Keep. Your eyes peeled and you'll find some great entry level bikes used for your budget. Minimum requirements for me would be hydro disk brakes. If it has those, generally everything else is going to be okayHave to agree. Bike is weigthy, and will only frustrate your dearest. ThT being said, does she really really want to join you. A couple of us have gone down this road just to end up with an albatros hanging in the gararge FrikkieMeyer87 and keithbe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithbe Posted February 22, 2018 Share Maybe try renting a bike and hit a trail and see how that goes as a starting point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Posted February 22, 2018 Share Yes it is entry level, yes it has cable disc's, yes it is heavy, but it will do what she wants it to do. It is not as nasty as the supermarket bikes out there. If her aim is to ride for fun or to short road events, this will do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaynejG Posted February 22, 2018 Share Also started on a Avalanche. Quickly upgraded to something else. However still get use out of the avalanche. Put it on a indoor trainer this afternoon. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francdore Posted February 23, 2018 Share Thank you everyone for the advice. So I have convinced my wife to rather get a better bike and save up a little. We're going for the SILVERBACK STRIDE 29 HD 9 (2018) Hydraulic brakes and everything. Bateleur1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted February 23, 2018 Share Good choice, I have 2 Silverbacks 26" HT and 29" DS, backup and warranty are excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francdore Posted February 23, 2018 Share Awesome. I did some research and they look like really good bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amberdrake Posted February 23, 2018 Share Silverback will also have better resale if she doesn't take to the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francdore Posted February 23, 2018 Share I saw they have them at Cycle Lab. So maybe I'll get a bit of a discount if we buy two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrikkieMeyer87 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Have to agree. Bike is weigthy, and will only frustrate your dearest. ThT being said, does she really really want to join you. A couple of us have gone down this road just to end up with an albatros hanging in the gararge I solved this issue by just rather buying myself two bikes instead of one for each of us hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francdore Posted February 23, 2018 Share Well as was mentioned, if she doesn't use it that much eventually, the bicycle will have a great resell value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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