Beginner , please help ?

[Danie1234]

Hi Guys

 

Im a beginner and im looking for n nice bike ? What would you prefer ? I want to spend between R7000 and R10 000 on a mountain bike ? Would you recommend hardtail or softail ? I am willing to go a little Over my budget for a full suspension bike ? I was looking at the following bikes at cycle lab but none of them was good looking to me ?

Silverback Spectra Comp Air 2x10 29”MTB

Scott Aspect 930 29”MTB

 

I liked thw following but they say that it’s not a good bike because of the cheap components

Fuji Outland 1.5 29” MTB ( Dual suspension )

 

I also like this bike but there was nothing in stock ?

KTM Ultra Fun 2017 29”MTB

 

Is there anything else that i can look at ?i will even go for a second hand bike if it is decent ?

[BaGearA]

Silverback

[Dexter-morgan]

+1 on silverback, sola is good value

[JacBrand]

Second Hand Silverback Sola (pref a Sola1)

[Red Bird]

Don’t go dual for less than R20,000 unless it is a good second hand bike. Hardtail is a great way to start off with to build skills and fitness. Go for Silverback.

[Jacoo]

Absolutely buy second hand in my opinion. My friends dad just dropped R30k on the new specialized stumpjumper, but the entry level ST alloy version. The bike comes with tektro brakes, thats already enough said. We both cringed at what he couldve bought here on the hub with that money. Buying a new bike with your budget you cant even look at dual suspension. Even a new hardtail in that price range will be entry level. Buying second hand though will get you a bike thats worth more than double that new if you get a nice deal. For 10k you can get a very nice hardtail, but thats pushing it for dual sus though - I would be looking at more like R15-20k for a nice dual sus.

In my opinion some nice hardtails would be a giant XTC (or even a talon 1), silverback sola, merida big 9, or scott scale.

Groupset - if its sram, look at x7,x9,XO, (and XX)

Shimano - Deore, SLX, XT (and xtr)

Fork - can never go wrong with rockshox. Best value for money and reliability. Fox is great but pricey and more maintenance. Any stanchion wear - stay away!

Brakes - im more of a sram fan myself but shimano is more reliable, i would recommend shimano for most people.

Get a friend that knows his/her stuff when you go to see a bike.

Hope thats a help to you.

[Me rida my bicycle]

Would look at the scott scale 970 at cwc 2X10 air suspension great frame that you can upgrade on later. Was around 12k on sale.

[Guest Ratchet road]

Go for a hardtail . I would say  Scott scale 29R 2018 too. Decent componenets. Hardtails are also really good for beginners, i mean endurance and fitness and helps with techniques and skills. Although it costs 13k at CL, maybe check lbs.

[Guest Ratchet road]

Lol... Or maybe buy the Titan I am selling

[ChrisF]

Jip

 

For that money you will get an "okay" hardtail at best, in the new market.

 

Dual suspension at R30k (new) gives you the most basic components !  Then you end up dumping money into better wheels and better drive train components .... If I am lucky I will get slightly more for this bike than what the upgrades cost me - https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/324219-trek-ex5-full-suspension-mtb-with-boost-hubs/

 

Which brings me to my next point - PLEASE make sure you buy the correct size bike !!  And NO, you cant trust your local bike shop to properly advise you - unless you ASK them .... unless prodded, they sell what they have in stock.  The Trek above is in PERFECT nick, but suitable for persons under 1,72m ....

 

 

So for the 10k budget :

- get the correct size bike, as this can be a very expensive mistake !

- buy a decent secondhand hardtail.

 

 

better still ... if you are under 1,72m, make me a reasonable offer.

[scotty]

My choice would be the Silverback, better specced from group set down to tubeless ready wheels and classed as Intermediate whereas the others are beginners. Not that anything should go wrong but Silverback have an excellent frame warranty as well, peace of mind right there. 

[Swany05]

Components can always be upgraded, make sure which ever you go for that that it fits properly. Ride them and get a feel for each. once you find your glove you can then start looking at spec. 

 

This is what i did when i bought my first decent bike and is by no means gospel

 

Furthermore, dont rush into it. take your time, the right one will pop up 

 

Good Luck 

[Dirkitech]

Don’t go dual for less than R20,000 unless it is a good second hand bike. Hardtail is a great way to start off with to build skills and fitness. Go for Silverback.

I endorse this advice (both the price bar for a dual sus and hardtails teaching good skills)

example at R22.5k, just not impressed with the crest rims based on recent posts:

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/294705-santa-cruz-full-carbon-tall-boy-ltc/?click_src=topad

 

there are actually so many mtb adds you can sieve through!

 

Absolutely buy second hand in my opinion. My friends dad just dropped R30k on the new specialized stumpjumper, but the entry level ST alloy version. The bike comes with tektro brakes, thats already enough said. We both cringed at what he couldve bought here on the hub with that money. Buying a new bike with your budget you cant even look at dual suspension. Even a new hardtail in that price range will be entry level. Buying second hand though will get you a bike thats worth more than double that new if you get a nice deal. For 10k you can get a very nice hardtail, but thats pushing it for dual sus though - I would be looking at more like R15-20k for a nice dual sus.

In my opinion some nice hardtails would be a giant XTC (or even a talon 1), silverback sola, merida big 9, or scott scale.

Groupset - if its sram, look at x7,x9,XO, (and XX)

Shimano - Deore, SLX, XT (and xtr)

Fork - can never go wrong with rockshox. Best value for money and reliability. Fox is great but pricey and more maintenance. Any stanchion wear - stay away!

Brakes - im more of a sram fan myself but shimano is more reliable, i would recommend shimano for most people.

Get a friend that knows his/her stuff when you go to see a bike.

Hope thats a help to you.

and this advice

 

Or maybe buy the Titan I am selling

definitely not what you are looking for Danie, as I'm sure you can tell by yourself.

[Rick Sanchez]

Secondhand all the way, otherwise you will be buying a piece of crap

[TheEd]

Really good advice above! 

 

Some "generic" advice, if your starting from scratch:

1. First decide on what your budget is and set it at that.  A floating budget is going to make things difficult, especially due to the wide variety to choose from.
2. Be sure to make an allowance for necessities to start riding with (helmet, pump, patch kit, water bottle and cage), either within your budget or as a separate budget.  You'll soon learn that accessories also adhere to the n + 1 principle, but you need to distinguish between "want" and "need" to budget accurately.
3. Budget(s) set, look for the best bike that falls within your budget, whether it's new or second hand.  Be mindful that highest price doesn't necessarily mean the best.
4. Do yourself some good and splurge on a helmet!  If it costs less than R600, it's probably not worth it.  A R300 cell phone cover will save your phone, but a R300 helmet can cause a cracked skull...  Regard your life and health as worth more than your phone.

I started with a Silverback Spectra Sport a few years back and it was a great bike in my personal opinion!  Got it new for R6600 back then.  It was a heavy bike that didn't have great specs, but still so much fun and durable as can be!  If I had to start all over again, I would probably try and get something second hand that has better specs and is still in good condition.  Or maybe not...  At the end of the day, if you are having fun, then it doesn't really matter what you are riding!

 

If I may take the liberty to voice another opinion...  The KTM bikes scare me!  They look great and perhaps even sexy...  But upon closer inspection most of them seem to have good frames paired with extremely poor choice of components...

[ChrisF]

all this advise .... and no feedback from Danie ...