Dirtbreath Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Get the best "used" hardtail you can afford. Bikes are like cars and if you shop right you can find a great bike where some other sucker has lost the value rolling off the showroom floor. You also wont be too miffed when you have your first spill and scratch your frame. A hardtail will also help you develop your skills which will aid you better if the bug bites and you decide to upgrade. When you do you will be better informed and will know exactly what you are shopping for.
Tumbleweed Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 no prob, keith. fand is spot-on! and, if it's shimano equipped, deore is more than good enough. i've ruined lx and xt derailleurs in the past. replaced them with straight deore and never had cause to complain.
fandacious Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Fandacious what shocks has it got? You throwing a spanner in the works here by telling me all this! Its got a merida branded "RST" shock. I dont even know what technolgy the shock uses. Sure, its not a fox or anything as fancy, but unless your start riding a couple of hundred km every month, you're not going to even notice... MTB isnt the same as road. Whereas its fairl easy to clock up a 1000km on the road bike in a month, you will have a torrid time clocking up 500km on a mtb in a month. And if you're riding your mtb on the road, who cares about shock - you're gonna lock it out anyways
PappaBear Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 keith, how much do you weigh?? us heavy guys must invest in descent shocks (and rims) if you plan on doing rough riding..... buckled quite a few wheels before I upgraded my rims.....
Slowbee Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Get the best "used" hardtail you can afford. Bikes are like cars and if you shop right you can find a great bike where some other sucker has lost the value rolling off the showroom floor. You also wont be too miffed when you have your first spill and scratch your frame. A hardtail will also help you develop your skills which will aid you better if the bug bites and you decide to upgrade. When you do you will be better informed and will know exactly what you are shopping for. now now dirtbreath... I am also just comming to terms with this little debate on hard vs softtail. surely a softail is more forgiving on handling skills for a weekend hacker social rider?
keith Posted June 4, 2008 Author Posted June 4, 2008 Fandacious I'm not doing anything serious, starting off here on basic trails in Giba Gorge, so maybe something not too fancy might be ok. I'm also a beginner so gotta get my courage up before I do anything hardcore- which I would need something decent shock wise! Thanks for your info though.
keith Posted June 4, 2008 Author Posted June 4, 2008 Pappabear I weigh 68kgs- I'm 23, so shouldn't buckle too many rims!
fandacious Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 keith' date=' how much do you weigh?? us heavy guys must invest in descent shocks (and rims) if you plan on doing rough riding.....buckled quite a few wheels before I upgraded my rims..... [/quote'] *hijack* you from somerset west?
fandacious Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Fandacious I'm not doing anything serious' date=' starting off here on basic trails in Giba Gorge, so maybe something not too fancy might be ok. I'm also a beginner so gotta get my courage up before I do anything hardcore- which I would need something decent shock wise! Thanks for your info though.[/quote'] Its your money to spend I've seen too many cyclists spend fortunes on the latest this and that because it will improve their performance. Nothing improves your performance like practice. How many guys ride PPA Z group on 40k cervelos. Does it make them better? faster? nope... same goes for mtb races. check out all the spaz stumpjumpers /epics/etc. and yet someone on a 6yr old raleigh rm5 or something normally wins
keith Posted June 4, 2008 Author Posted June 4, 2008 Fan you are so right! I've got an enrty-level Schwinn road bike and it does the job fine- getting something lighter might make me a bit quicker but I doubt it would improve my performance!
Slowbee Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Fandacious I'm not doing anything serious' date=' starting off here on basic trails in Giba Gorge, so maybe something not too fancy might be ok. I'm also a beginner so gotta get my courage up before I do anything hardcore- which I would need something decent shock wise! Thanks for your info though.[/quote'] Its your money to spend I've seen too many cyclists spend fortunes on the latest this and that because it will improve their performance. Nothing improves your performance like practice. How many guys ride PPA Z group on 40k cervelos. Does it make them better? faster? nope... same goes for mtb races. check out all the spaz stumpjumpers /epics/etc. and yet someone on a 6yr old raleigh rm5 or something normally wins But fand does a better bike not make for a smoother ride?
fandacious Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Well, whatever your decision i'm sure you're going to have a BLAST mtb'ing. Its very different from road riding but LOADS of fun. enjoy
PappaBear Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Brackenfell fandacious..... Keith, weighing 68kg..... JEALOUS!!!!!!
Dirtbreath Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 Slowbee, I agree with you fully which is why I ride a full susser. I did however spend 17 years on a hardtail (First ten with no front shock). I have learnt great respect for obstacles and my riding skills are better than they would be otherwise. I think if you are starting out you have so much to think about that you shouldnt worry about what your bike can or cant do. Get out there, get dirty and learn to ride. Have respect for the terrain and even walk obstacles. A full susser is no good if its not set up properly and when you are starting out there are so many other more important things to think of. Also, to buy a full susser at the compromise of a decent fork makes no sense. You will have much better handling from a decent fork than a mediocre full sus setup.
fandacious Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 But fand does a better bike not make for a smoother ride? I wouldnt know.. i dont have a better bike I think it boils down to personal choice. lots of "soft" riders did the epic on soft tails, and hardcore guys did it on hardtails...
Overlord Posted June 4, 2008 Posted June 4, 2008 My first mtb was a full susser and I had my suspension setup done properly and that bike is awesome.I don't worry about the suspension cause it works and I enjoy my riding.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now