Choices Choices Choices

[DemiCat]

Hey fellow cyclists.

 

So I am still living in my home town(student) and the cycling options aren’t much. There’s a mountain bike route,and a 20km road route. These are people who I know.

 

I am not too worried about the exact bike right now,just what type.

 

I would like to participate in both,as the riders of both routes are doing it for the fun of it.

 

Buying two separate bikes right now isn’t an option.

 

Silverback has a range of “adventure bikes” that they claim can do on or off road.

Can this mean that you can change tyres to fit your terrain ?

 

I am a beginner,so please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Your advice will be appreciated

[Butterbean]

The adventure bike is the worst combination...

 

Rather get a normal mtb, with 29" wheels and when you want to ride on the road, you can change to road tyres if you need to... But you'll be just fine on mtb tyres, and you can ride everything you want.

[Me rida my bicycle]

29er hardtail great for off and on the road.

[DemiCat]

29er hardtail great for off and on the road.

Thank you ???? would a 29”er work for a short person ?

[DemiCat]

The adventure bike is the worst combination...

 

Rather get a normal mtb, with 29" wheels and when you want to ride on the road, you can change to road tyres if you need to... But you'll be just fine on mtb tyres, and you can ride everything you want.

Thank you ????

[Me rida my bicycle]

Thank you would a 29”er work for a short person ?

yes if it feels comfortable I would suggest 29er over 650b especially if you are going to use it on the road as well never mind the off road roll over advantage bigger wheel = more distance for each pedal stroke = faster.

My wife is 167cm and very comfortable on her medium 29er so I would say you could be quite short as most brands still have smalls but you will know if you are comfortable or not.

[Butterbean]

Thank you ???? would a 29”er work for a short person ?

Frame size, not wheel size, dictates your fit on a bike... Just buy the right size for your body shape and you'll be set.

[DemiCat]

Thank you,I’m 161 cm,so a small frame will probably work. I’ll definitely ask the bike shop to check my fit ????

[Vetplant]

Do you have a budget? I am sure a bunch of people on here will be able to advise on some proper 2nd hand options in the classifieds of Bikehub.

 

You can usually ask the seller to take the bike to a bike shop for a service and then report the status to you. So you pay for the service and that would be your insurance that somebody with cycling knowledge had given the bike a good look before buying.

[Dirkitech]

yes if it feels comfortable I would suggest 29er over 650b especially if you are going to use it on the road as well never mind the off road roll over advantage bigger wheel = more distance for each pedal stroke = faster.

My wife is 167cm and very comfortable on her medium 29er so I would say you could be quite short as most brands still have smalls but you will know if you are comfortable or not.

You'll hear a lot of this going round, 29ers having better rolling performance over rocks. Its true to a limited extent. The biggest benefit I see to a 29er is a 2nd hand market resale value.

 

Go for what suits your riding style and is the most comfortable with the right mix of fun. I'm 6'1 and ride a large 26er and speed is only a problem when I run out of gears, otherwise my 26er outperforms most 29ers, especially on technical descents and climbs.

[MORNE]

You'll hear a lot of this going round, 29ers having better rolling performs over rocks. Its true to a limited extent. The biggest benefit I see to a 29er is a 2nd hand market resale value.

 

Go for what suits your riding style and is the most comfortable with the right mix of fun. I'm 6'1 and ride a large 26er and speed is only a problem when I run out of gears, otherwise my 26er outperforms most 29ers, especially on technical descents and climbs.

 

^ this OP + the quote in my sig

 

you'll can get some - "disgusting/outdated/worthless/slow/inefficient/clownbike 26" machines on here for ridiculously cheap  and I promise you'll run out of talent way before the outside diameter of your bike's wheel becomes a limitation.

Also true though that your second hand value will be better for 29 and 650b but use all that to your advantage if you are looking to hold on to a bike for more than 30 minutes. 

 

One thing alot of beginners get wrong or don't know when bike shopping is that it is the quality of the components on the bike that dictates the price almost more than anything else. Don't just look at the color of the frame and the nicest stickers and saddle and stance...for the most part(especially on a cooky-cutter ALU framed hardtails)...the frame can be of the cheapest components on the bike.

check for fork quality(if you want one), then brake and groupset quality, then wheels and hubs...then the rest imo. 

 

EDIT: I'll add though that if you probably want to be future proof (in the medium term atleast) go for something 29"or 650b. You'll find tires and wheels in local bike shops easier. well tires and new front suspension. thats about it, the rest is all interchangeable at least at this stage and depending on what you buy.  Just realise that you'll probably be paying a bike industry premium for the 'privilege' to ride the newest and latest as with everything.  

[Me rida my bicycle]

You'll hear a lot of this going round, 29ers having better rolling performance over rocks. Its true to a limited extent. The biggest benefit I see to a 29er is a 2nd hand market resale value.

Go for what suits your riding style and is the most comfortable with the right mix of fun. I'm 6'1 and ride a large 26er and speed is only a problem when I run out of gears, otherwise my 26er outperforms most 29ers, especially on technical descents and climbs.

I have owned over 60 bikes 26er, 650b and 29er I know GP is flat but here in Cape Town I would love to see a 26er do the same time as 29er down Conties or Hoogies. Go ride a decent 29er and even you will have to agree.

[MORNE]

to be fair he did mention right mix between riding style, comfort and fun though.  To some 26ers are way more agile and fun, others think they are ancient dinosaurs. i don't have any overly polarising opinions on 26" vs 29" vs 650b or whatever, I just like how the smaller wheels play better offroad - for me. I also don't like squishy bicycles for that matter..to me they feel like what boxy American cars look like in car chases in the movies lol. i'd like to have a 29" rigid mtb for urban riding for the same reasons...it'll probably be faster over a distance and more fun peddling it around town. The Keyword is always 'FUN' for me...otherwise what is the point? Luckily there is a lot of choice these days so everyone can get what he/she likes best for a certain application.  

[Dirkitech]

I have owned over 60 bikes 26er, 650b and 29er I know GP is flat but here in Cape Town I would love to see a 26er do the same time as 29er down Conties or Hoogies. Go ride a decent 29er and even you will have to agree.

Not sure your biased opinion is helping OP, so I pointed out that they shouldn't take every piece of opinion as revelation.

 

I would really appreciate it if you could point me to flat areas in GP? or specifically JHB South. I know there are flat areas 60km out. I've actually been trying to find some, because my average ride has 650m elevation over about 50km and I'd like to practice long distance endurance on flats!

[popcorn_skollie]

[Wannabe]

650m elevetaion in 50km is flat.

Here we do that in 20km, easily.

 

Not wanting to get dragged into a 26" vs 29" debate, I steadfastly clung to my 26" hardtail, also saying I can go anywhere a 29" can go, until a friend convinced me to take his 29" for a ride over our regular training route. I was amazed at how much easier it was to climb Dorstberg, I just rolled over the loose rocks I normally had to avoid on my 26". And going down was even better.

Not long after that I upgraded to a 29" and never looked back. 

It took me a few years (and a J2C) to actually make the decision to go dual suspension, and the above scenario repeated itself, in that most trails are just that easier on a ds (I'ts not even a downhill bomber, but a modest enduro bike with 100mm of travel front and back.)

 

So OP, go for a fairly decent spec hardtail 29'er off the bat, and if you can, get a 2nd wheelset you fit out with slicks, for road use. Much easier and quicker to just swop over wheels, than having to swop tires everytime you want to go road riding, it can become a schlep.