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Beginner. Need help buying a new MTB.


Regelex

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I am looking to buy a new MTB for a beginner.

 

 

I am looking at the Raleigh mxr 29er. Is this a good bike to start out with?

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Whats your budget? And your expectations once you have a bike....

I know money may be tight all round but after making an expensive purchase myself (not bike related for a change!) I do now subscribe to the buy once, cry once adage...Try not to have to buy something 'twice'....

And remember you still need a helmet and a few other bits and pieces to help you get going....

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Do the due dilegence on the components to make sure you're getting the most bang for the buck. Look around in your budget - find a frame size that suits you and then look around again to see if you are still happy. 

 

If you want to conquer the Epic on your first bike, make sure the wheel are tubless, the deraileurs are not damaged or bent, the bottom bearing is in good nick, the chain is serviceable, no funny sounds/clicks, the wheels are tracking straight, the brakes are ok etc. Do a good old standard mechanical check over first. If you can change a car tyre, you can give the bike a good look over yourself. 

In fact, if the buyer is serious, you can make an arrangement to get it chcked out by your local bike shop. Or, you must have a friend or colleague thats been on bikes before or at present. Talk to them too 

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Thank you all for your response.

 

I am just starting out and looking to do some downhill rides and up hill climbs.

 

I am looking for a mountain bike that can with stand heavy trails.

 

I saw a bike at Game valued at about R5k. It is the Raleigh mxr 29er. It has Duel suspension but when I look at comparable bikes I see they valued over R30k. So I am not sure if it is a good bike to start out on.

 

My budget is roughly R12k.

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Thank you all for your response.

 

I am just starting out and looking to do some downhill rides and up hill climbs.

 

I am looking for a mountain bike that can with stand heavy trails.

 

I saw a bike at Game valued at about R5k. It is the Raleigh mxr 29er. It has Duel suspension but when I look at comparable bikes I see they valued over R30k. So I am not sure if it is a good bike to start out on.

 

My budget is roughly R12k.

You need to ignore that bike at Makro/Game then....

 

Its a bit of a shelp but remember, part of the fun is doing some homework before you buy the bike...

You will learn a lot.

 

My friend had a Raleigh dual sus bike, picked it up for a good price and he thought he had a bargain..After one flattish race he said it was the only bike he has had to keep peddling downhill to keep going...Weighed a metric ton...!

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Thank you all for your response.

 

I am just starting out and looking to do some downhill rides and up hill climbs.

 

I am looking for a mountain bike that can with stand heavy trails.

 

I saw a bike at Game valued at about R5k. It is the Raleigh mxr 29er. It has Duel suspension but when I look at comparable bikes I see they valued over R30k. So I am not sure if it is a good bike to start out on.

 

My budget is roughly R12k.

If your budget is 12k you can get a very decent bike plus ancillary kit (helmet, shirts - called jerseys and padded shorts) without having to purchase the bike from Game. My suggestion is to have a look through BikeHub's classifieds keeping the cost to 8k. You will get a fair number of decent good quality hardtails from various brands like Silverback (my personal favorite), Titan, Merida amongst others. Also find out what size bike will fit you so as to maximize your comfort with riding the bike. And you'll definitely be better of getting a 29er, more for resale value than anything else.

 

Also this little video is meant to be funny in the early part it does give good advice regarding purchasing a bike.

 

https://youtu.be/yotOZVELSMc

Edited by Mntboy
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.

I am just starting out and looking to do some downhill rides and up hill climbs.

I am looking for a mountain bike that can with stand heavy trails.

.

My budget is roughly R12k.

There was a Morewood Zula advertised here a few days ago. If the frame size fits you, go for it. It is designed to do exactly what you want

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There was a Morewood Zula advertised here a few days ago. If the frame size fits you, go for it. It is designed to do exactly what you want

Fortunately for him I don't currently have the cash otherwise I would have taken that one.

 

Without getting into a debate about wheel size; I can tell you that you will get an infinitely better 26er for R5k than you can get a new 29er. 

 

I started MTB in September 2020. I bought a new Silverback Stride 275 for R6 500.

 

As a new rider I though the bike would be more than I would ever need: suspension fork, Shimano gears, disc brakes, etc. I did several easier trails with it and it handled everything great until I started doing rougher, faster trails.

 

The things I learnt from riding this bike on some of the more challenging trails: 

The coil fork on the cheaper bikes make some of the tougher trails "interesting"

Your fingers will go numb if you have to regulate the mechanical brakes on a long downhill section.

Shimano Tourney gears are terrible if you need to shift in a hurry and expect it to go to the gear you want.

 

I have since bought myself a much older 2nd hand Cannondale dual suspension bike that has a much higher spec level including hydraulic brakes, tubeless tyres, an air spring fork and much better drivetrain (SRAM X-9). This makes an incredible difference!

 

If you are going to remain a recreational rider and will only be doing light trails, then a bike like the Silverback I bought would be perfect and you should remain happy. Anything more and you WILL be longing for a better bike.

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Looking for a bike is half the fun, I agree with the advice given, choose a bike with the highest spec you can find within your budget, it will make riding that much more enjoyable, having said that you don't know what you don't know and therfore it cannot hurt you but if the bug bites, you will notice the short commings of a 5k makro bike very quicky. Hydraulic brakes are a good place to start as the spec of the rest of the components should also be of a reasonable spec. Enjoy the journey.

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