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Past rider getting back into the game advice needed please


hendrik@bikehub

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Hi all

Glad to have found this nice website. My wife and I rode mountain bike many years ago. Then the normal life changes happened. Getting married, kids, school, etc.

The kids are now little bigger and we can now start to enjoy nature together. I rode a Giant that was mostly entry. I might be wrong but it was a Rincon model. Didn't give me a days problems and we rode in different conditions and was quite hard on the bike.

My son now wants a mountain bike and with my Giant still in very good condition I told him if he has good marks end of the year he can have the bike. This leaves me now without a ride. I did some research and saw things have changed quite allot. Disc brakes being the standard thing, longer travel on suspension and then the new 29" thing.

I really need advice on the following questions please from the well experienced riders:

 

I am looking at the following because the price is in my range and looks decent quality.

 

https://momsenbikes.com/shop/2019-bikes/mtb-momsen-29-al029-2019/

 

https://www.takealot.com/momsen-al029-29er-alloy-24-speed-shimano-with-suspension-and-tub/PLID54856252/product-information

 

Some questions:

1. How good is Momsen. I saw it is proudly south africa which I will support if it provides quality. Is it made overseas

    or 100% local.

2. what is the deal with 29".  I am 185cm tall and weigh in at 94kg. will this not be too big?

 

 

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I see there is a dealer here in Bloemfontein. I will have to visit them to check the bike out.

On the takealot site I can't see what size it is. I can only see 19".

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I see there is a dealer here in Bloemfontein. I will have to visit them to check the bike out.

On the takealot site I can't see what size it is. I can only see 19".

Did some more internet reading. Seems 19" is a L frame size but I will be more comfortable feeling before ordering it online.

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My two cents, go to your local bike shop and get them to measure you for a bike.  You will definitely be on a large if not a very large depending on the brand.  

 

You will probably ride with your son to begin with so the rides will be short.  You won't notice that the bike doesn't fit properly.  You'll feel it when your rides get longer though.  So to save yourself the heartache of upgrading your bike 6 months/a year down the line, get it right the first time.  

 

Ordering online is difficult unless you have seen the same bike at a physical store.  

 

Momsen is a very good brand, you won't go wrong.  

 

19" is a large frame. 

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I see there is a dealer here in Bloemfontein. I will have to visit them to check the bike out.

On the takealot site I can't see what size it is. I can only see 19".

Buy from a dealer , you get backup and goodwill included in the price.

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My two cents, go to your local bike shop and get them to measure you for a bike.  You will definitely be on a large if not a very large depending on the brand.  

 

You will probably ride with your son to begin with so the rides will be short.  You won't notice that the bike doesn't fit properly.  You'll feel it when your rides get longer though.  So to save yourself the heartache of upgrading your bike 6 months/a year down the line, get it right the first time.  

 

Ordering online is difficult unless you have seen the same bike at a physical store.  

 

Momsen is a very good brand, you won't go wrong.  

 

19" is a large frame. 

 

 

There is a local dealer having the bike in stock. I plan on visiting them to see how it feels with fit.

I agree 100% with you. If I want to go on more extreme rides and for longer I want the bike to be right for it. Don't want to struggle later due to size. I tend to get attached to material things and plan on keeping the bike very long.

 

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Buy from a dealer , you get backup and goodwill included in the price.

already phoned around and it is for the exact same bike just below R2000 more expensive.

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Just another question. What symptoms will there be to indicate the bike is too small. My Giant was a 26" tire bike with a L frame and it was not giving me issues even when we rode 3 hours non stop and something like 30km. That was back in the olden days.

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Ask for a "size fitment". At Cyclelab Lynnwood they have a database of almost (if not) all bike brands. I asked them to check my size and compared it to different bike brands.
 

I am 1.88m and a size L fits me on all brands except Specialized (XL) and I border on L/XL with Pyga. I opted for the L Pyga, and I am extremely satisfied.

Do this before you fork out money on a bike and it is the wrong size. I made that mistake few years ago and bought a XL Giant (Giant mtb frames are larger than the other brands), which was comfortable on tar and dirt roads, but sucked in single track and technical bits as it was to large and even with a shorter stem I still struggled. Sold the Giant, and bought the Pyga. 

But I made sure of my size before I bought.  :thumbup:

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Thanks for all the tips and advice guys. Will do so. Don't want to make the mistake of buying and then when I decide to up the level of riding I am doing, for example trying my luck with some participation in mountain biking events struggle because the bike is not sized right. I am not too concerned with the parts list. If something breaks, I will just replace with a better component as they fail on me. 

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Just another question. What symptoms will there be to indicate the bike is too small. My Giant was a 26" tire bike with a L frame and it was not giving me issues even when we rode 3 hours non stop and something like 30km. That was back in the olden days.

 

Hendrik welcome back to cycling.

 

Having gone through the same in the last few years, a bit of school fees I paid ...  I went to a reputable shop, spoke to the owner (former pro cyclist).  He suggested I test ride a bike they had in the shop ... TWO sizes to small for me !!

 

Being out of shape, the very upright position of a very small bike was actually very nice.  And the test ride went good, and the bike was bought .... not once did this "reputable dealer" ask my my lenght and suggest to get the correct size bike for me ....  :cursing:   :thumbdown:

 

 

It took a fair bit of riding before I got back into some sort of riding shape ... and as I pushed the distances I got all kinds of aches and pains ..... eventually went for a proper bike fit, and it was confirmed the frame is way undersized, causing my aches and pains.

 

 

I took a massive financial knock, bought a bike that fits properly (different brand...)  Riding much further, and MUCH more comfortable !!

 

 

 

Point being.  You have checked the selection charts, make sure you get the RIGHT size bike.  If in doubt, let them do a proper bike fit first.  Items such such knee to peddle axle distances MUST be right.  If you are uncomfortable at the start get a raised stem, and lower it as you get back in shape.

 

 

 

ENJOY the journey !!!

 

 

 

PS - google "SPUR MTB" .... your son may just love this.

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I find all this a bit ironic. Banging on about getting yourself the right sized bike, but your kid must suffer with a size large bike (unless he is 6 ft)? Do the right thing and get him the right sized bike as well.

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I find all this a bit ironic. Banging on about getting yourself the right sized bike, but your kid must suffer with a size large bike (unless he is 6 ft)? Do the right thing and get him the right sized bike as well.

Will definitely look into that. If the bike is too big, I will keep my beloved Giant for myself and rather get him a proper sized bike.

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