What to Buy ??? asked a million times :-)

[RomP]

Hi All,

 

Ok so im looking for a MTB for my 16yr old son ( 1.75m tall, 85kg and still growing ) . He needs to get fit for Enduro and Trials and we thought it good to get fit on a MTB and build skills in this area also.

Ive been watching many FB groups with used MTB 's for sale but for someone not into this ( last MTB I owned was in 1993 ) and not knowing the industry well its mind boggling how many brands, models and variations are available.

 

Main requirements are suspension front & rear ?. I think he wants to do less long distance, more jumping and technical offroad type riding. Not downhill.

 

Not sure how pedals will work at this stage as I suppose shoes also play a role ( also need shoes) Budget R12k max . Ok so that leaves us with another 1000 options.

Where can one go to start somewhere on getting up to speed with whats available , whats crap and whats fair in our price range.

Bike shops are probably a good starting point , but they will only tell you about the specific brands they sell ???

 

We are based in Centurion and not willing to travel across Gauteng to view bikes, Centurion / Pretoria area preferred.

There are obvious do's and dont's in this very technical field..Frames, Sizes, Suspension, group sets etc...gees, how does one get to understand all of this.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by RomP

[ChrisF]

Hi Romp

 

Welcome to the Hub

 

 

Our little one is now 8 years old, and on his 3rd bike in 3 years .... scary how they grow through these bikes !!!!

 

 

Difficult if not plain impossible to find a balance between a "decent" bike and not throwing money away as they grow out these so quickly.

 

 

At least your son is now getting to the 29'' size, and you can buy and sell 2nd hand.

 

 

 

As for "what bike" .... please check your race rules first.  Though at his age I think the rules are less restrictive.  Things such as water bottle holders actually impact their race strategy, IF he will be doing longer distances.

 

 

Yes, there will be many R100k+ bikes in his age group.  Though I have often seen that the legs are more important .... dont get bullied into insane purchaces.

[RobertWhitehead]

Morning RomP

 

Welcome to the Hub and you've come to the right place for some additional info before pulling the trigger. There's a vast amount of options available out there and most of the bike shops will try to push a sale rather than giving you a proper solution. 

 

At 1.75cm tall I believe that he'll be comfortable on a M frame size. But please feel free to send me a PM and I will gladly help you out to get the right option for you    

 

But here’s some options I would go for:

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/397383/ktm-ultra-sport

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/394652/ghost-ebs-pro-29-for-sale

https://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/scott-scale-950-m-bm3865/ - These guys also have lots of options available at their shop in Sandton

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/165357/momsen-full-carbon-racing-spec-bike-for-sale-m

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/397274/trek-xcalibur

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/389255/scott-aspect-910

[RomP]

 

Thanks for the links Robert.  all links advertised are in my budget. One full carbon frame...so Carbon is nice, however i suppose when buying a carbon frame 2nd hand, there are many things to look for like damage to the frame ? Aluminium is easier fixable ? and less risk ? All are hardtails. Like I said he is not going to do much racing, he does however want to do some jumping and technical stuff...will the hardtails work for this ?

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by RomP

[RobertWhitehead]

There is a bit of a misconception about carbon frames in the market, here's a nice link that you can read through: 

 

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/expert-advice/carbon-vs-aluminum-mountain-bike-frames-the-showdown

 

Yes a 2nd hand carbon bike can be cracked but so too an aluminium frame.

 

There's sooo many guys in the market who does near perfect repair work on carbon frames. I have had 4 in the past which I sent away to fix everything from a crack in the headset through to just removing some scratches. 

 

When you say that he wants to do some jumps and technical, are you referring to the first 2 or the last two images I have attached  . 

 

If he wants to go to places where the drops are like 2m + then the frame will not be the biggest problem, the travel on the fork as well as his skill level will be the biggest issue. 

 

But, if he wants to go to places like: Rosemary Hill, Cowhouse, Buffelsdrift, Big Red Barn and or any of the other bike parks nearby (possibly even Wolwespruit - I have never been there before so cant comment too much) then yes a HT with a 100mm travel in the front will be more than sufficient    

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the links Robert.  all links advertised are in my budget. One full carbon frame...so Carbon is nice, however i suppose when buying a carbon frame 2nd hand, there are many things to look for like damage to the frame ? Aluminium is easier fixable ? and less risk ? All are hardtails. Like I said he is not going to do much racing, he does however want to do some jumping and technical stuff...will the hardtails work for this ?

 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by RobertWhitehead

[Me rida my bicycle]

On the point where you asked about jumps and technical riding, geometry on the hardtail is important.

Most older HT's have very steep head angles and short wheelbase which makes it nippy at slow speed but nerves and twitchy at high speed.

Good bikes to look at would be Scott scale, Rocky Mountain Vertex, Silverback Slade (2018+).

 

As for carbon bikes in your budget, it's most likely going to be a very outdated bike.

 

I would suggest looking 2016 and newer. A lot has changed in the last couple of years in terms of geometry and tech.

 

I love HT's even though I recently bought very nice new dual suspension, I am already busy building a new HT.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Me rida my bicycle