Newbie cyclist looking for advice regarding best buy within budget

[Melxisdead]

Hey everyone!

I'm a fairly active woman, in my mid-twenties (1.68 m tall) looking for a mtb within a budget of approximately 3.5 to 4.8k.

I just had my entry-level Raleigh nomad 90 26" bike stolen. So, looking to slightly upgrade from this. My aim is to find something that is budget-friendly as well as won't need replacing within a year or two at least. I would potentially like to enter races in the future, I used to run 5 and 10k races (with the intention to do longer ones) but recently stopped due to achilles injuries. I have heard that road bikes tend to be more difficult to ride for beginners. I live in Somerset West so would be riding around here and possibly to Stellenbosch.

I found a few second-hand bikes which I will list below:

-GT Karakoram 3.0 29" wheels, 3x9 groupset, medium frame. Hydraulic disc brakes. Grossmark 11 alexrims MD19 tyres. Shimano Alvio gear set. rear derailleur. Shimano Acera crankset. for 5.5k (a bit out of my budget). 

-GT Karakoram medium frame with deore xt components. Magura brake levers. 29-inch new Hornet tubeless tyres (ridden twice). New saddle. Just had a service. Spare saddle and cycle clothing included. At 4.9k. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/551320800270968/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

-Titan Racing Calypso Cruz 650b medium frame 27.5-inch wheels. tubeless Vittore tyres. Hydraulic disc brakes. Shimano Altus rear  derailleur.. All Shimano components  for 6.5k.  https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/713574107217115/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

Titan Calypso 27.5" tyres. Unsure of sizing, https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/572736628032405/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

-Titan Racing Rogue SE second hand for 5.5k. Ad did not include specs but the bike is apparently close to brand new, have added a link to the official site for specs here https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/rogue-se/ 

-Merida 1: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/213050991346228/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

2: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1305792310280194/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

What would be the best bang for my buck out of the above? Or alternatively any other recommendations in this range? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Updated: links

Thanks in advance. 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Melxisdead
added another bike's specs and links

[MORNE]

Hi

id remove all the 26” variants from your list as a start. Also the Axis.Also anything V-brake. It’s 2023. 

titan’s are known for their good value so there are options. Out of all those and in that budget..the titan rogue SE in the link you provided seems like a nice deal for that budget…i mean its 29”, relatively modern looking and wide range 1x8 (12/46) which is a bonus.
 

26” id avoid purely because you’ll be limited by the availability of decent tyres and parts. 650b is going down the same path too unfortunately. The bike industry are kicking them to the curb in favour of 29”.  Assuming you’ll use the bike for mixed riding on trails, roads and the odd cycle tour and what not…id highly recommend a 29” bike. 

edit: also, for your height, nothing bigger than a medium.

@Titan Racing Bikes, do your thing?😅

Edited March 29, 2023 by MORNE

[Titan Racing Bikes]

21 minutes ago, MORNE said:

26” id avoid purely because you’ll be limited by the availability of decent tyres and parts. 650b is going down the same path too unfortunately. The bike industry are kicking them to the curb in favour of 29”.  Assuming you’ll use the bike for mixed riding on trails, roads and the odd cycle tour and what not…id highly recommend a 29” bike. 

edit: also, for your height, nothing bigger than a medium.

@Titan Racing Bikes, do your thing?😅

Agreed. (In broad internet terms!)

In our Rogue Calypso range a medium should fit you perfectly (size guide is 164cm - 177cm), so scratch from your list all the bikes that may be too small or too big. The second-hand Titan Racing bikes will come with a multi-user warranty if the first-time buyer registered the bike on our system. That could come in handy, although our frames have proven themselves over the last 20 years. Chances are if it's been looked after you will never have to worry about a warranty. 😎

1x drivetrains rule the roost these days although not impossible to get, you may battle to get 3x9 or 3x8 parts at short notice. Depending on where you ride (very hilly, etc) the 1x8 could be limiting, so think carefully about how and where you've ridden your bike.

Let us know if you need any other input or advice. 

[RobertWhitehead]

28 minutes ago, MORNE said:

Snip

@Titan Racing Bikes😅

@MORNE don't sell the 26ers so short 😁. My biggest issue with going with the 29ers on a tight budget: durability. In all honesty, 29ers in that price bracket either fell off the back of a truck or are just plain rubbish. @Melxisdead, I can easily slap a 26er together for you, strip it back down, box it and ship it down to @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPEand have them assemble it back up for you. 

[Melxisdead]

29 minutes ago, MORNE said:

Hi

id remove all the 26” variants from your list as a start. Also the Axis.Also anything V-brake. It’s 2023. 

titan’s are known for their good value so there are options. Out of all those and in that budget..the titan rogue SE in the link you provided seems like a nice deal for that budget…i mean its 29”, relatively modern looking and wide range 1x8 (12/46) which is a bonus.
 

26” id avoid purely because you’ll be limited by the availability of decent tyres and parts. 650b is going down the same path too unfortunately. The bike industry are kicking them to the curb in favour of 29”.  Assuming you’ll use the bike for mixed riding on trails, roads and the odd cycle tour and what not…id highly recommend a 29” bike. 

edit: also, for your height, nothing bigger than a medium.

@Titan Racing Bikes, do your thing?😅

Hi Morne,

Thanks so much for the advice. I appreciate it. I actually happened to see another bike that I thought I'd ask about, a Merida Matts TFS 500 XC. It's a 26" but I've heard good things about the brand. Not sure if you'll agree.  https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/213050991346228/?mibextid=dXMIcH

[MORNE]

1 minute ago, RobertWhitehead said:

@MORNE don't sell the 26ers so short 😁. My biggest issue with going with the 29ers on a tight budget: durability. In all honesty, 29ers in that price bracket either fell off the back of a truck or are just plain rubbish. @Melxisdead, I can easily slap a 26er together for you, strip it back down, box it and ship it down to @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPEand have them assemble it back up for you. 

Hey i owned a decent and relatively modern  26” trail bike quite recently. Tyres and parts are an issue if you dont have a warehouse full of spares lying around like you do haha

[Melxisdead]

7 minutes ago, Titan Racing Bikes said:

Agreed. (In broad internet terms!)

In our Rogue Calypso range a medium should fit you perfectly (size guide is 164cm - 177cm), so scratch from your list all the bikes that may be too small or too big. The second-hand Titan Racing bikes will come with a multi-user warranty if the first-time buyer registered the bike on our system. That could come in handy, although our frames have proven themselves over the last 20 years. Chances are if it's been looked after you will never have to worry about a warranty. 😎

1x drivetrains rule the roost these days although not impossible to get, you may battle to get 3x9 or 3x8 parts at short notice. Depending on where you ride (very hilly, etc) the 1x8 could be limiting, so think carefully about how and where you've ridden your bike.

Let us know if you need any other input or advice. 

Thank you so much for the advice. I'll think about all this and will see what to decide. 

I think as I'm getting into cycling I'd like to try out a few different areas and paths so I'll consider the drive train aspect too. 

[Melxisdead]

10 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

@MORNE don't sell the 26ers so short 😁. My biggest issue with going with the 29ers on a tight budget: durability. In all honesty, 29ers in that price bracket either fell off the back of a truck or are just plain rubbish. @Melxisdead, I can easily slap a 26er together for you, strip it back down, box it and ship it down to @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPEand have them assemble it back up for you. 

Haha, what would something like this cost? I did a bit of reading up on whether 26ers are considered dead or not and it seems to be a mixed bag, depending on who you ask. But I totally get the concern for longevity in terms of parts. 

[Kom]

28 minutes ago, Titan Racing Bikes said:

Agreed. (In broad internet terms!)

In our Rogue Calypso range a medium should fit you perfectly (size guide is 164cm - 177cm), so scratch from your list all the bikes that may be too small or too big. The second-hand Titan Racing bikes will come with a multi-user warranty if the first-time buyer registered the bike on our system. That could come in handy, although our frames have proven themselves over the last 20 years. Chances are if it's been looked after you will never have to worry about a warranty. 😎

1x drivetrains rule the roost these days although not impossible to get, you may battle to get 3x9 or 3x8 parts at short notice. Depending on where you ride (very hilly, etc) the 1x8 could be limiting, so think carefully about how and where you've ridden your bike.

Let us know if you need any other input or advice. 

No beating the value of Titan, gets my vote too.

(you won’t see other manufacturers giving advice on their product here on bikehub either)

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

55 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

@MORNE don't sell the 26ers so short 😁. My biggest issue with going with the 29ers on a tight budget: durability. In all honesty, 29ers in that price bracket either fell off the back of a truck or are just plain rubbish. @Melxisdead, I can easily slap a 26er together for you, strip it back down, box it and ship it down to @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPEand have them assemble it back up for you. 

Anytime dude , free of charge 

[Melxisdead]

@Titan Racing Bikes  @MORNE

I came across a titan calypso alpine at 4.8k. Is this a better fit than the rogue SE? I see it has a 2x8 drive train. 

 https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/rogue-calypso-alpine/

 

 

[Frosty]

48 minutes ago, Melxisdead said:

a Merida Matts TFS 500 XC. It's a 26" but I've heard good things about the brand. Not sure if you'll agree.  https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/213050991346228/?mibextid=dXMIcH

I bought one in 2006 as my first proper MTB bike I paid with my own money, and I raced on it for 4 years before adding a dual suspension. I paid R5.5k back then, so try negotiate with the seller as R4k is on the high end (imo).

Check the size, as the saddle can’t go any lower. You want the right size as priority 1.

[Melxisdead]

@Frosty thank you! I actually happened to see one a few minutes ago going for a reduced 2.8k from 4k. This seems like a steal. I'm going to go have a look at it and decide from there. 

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

16 hours ago, Melxisdead said:

Hey everyone!

 

I'm a fairly active woman, in my mid-twenties (1.68 m tall) looking for a mtb within a budget of approximately 3.5 to 4.8k.

 

I just had my entry-level Raleigh nomad 90 26" bike stolen. So, looking to slightly upgrade from this. My aim is to find something that is budget-friendly as well as won't need replacing within a year or two at least. I would potentially like to enter races in the future, I used to run 5 and 10k races (with the intention to do longer ones) but recently stopped due to achilles injuries. I have heard that road bikes tend to be more difficult to ride for beginners. I live in Somerset West so would be riding around here and possibly to Stellenbosch.

 

I found a few second-hand bikes which I will list below:

 

-Axis A70 27.5 inch tyres, medium frame. Suntour radon xc air fork with remote lockout. Wheels: Alexrims MD21/MD17, Kendra slant six tyres, formula hubs. Brakes: hydraulic disk brakes. Drivetrain: Shimano Alivio 3x8 speed. Crank: Brand new Shimano triple crankset and new BB (cost 1000). Saddle: Bontrager Montrose elite. Cockpit KCNC fly ride stem, Felt lock-on grips, Kore Seatpost. at 4.7k

 

-Silverback Stride 10. 26" wheels, medium frame 24 speed. Shimano Deore rear derailleur. Shimano altus crankset. Hydraulic brakes. lockout shox, with toolbag, pump and water bottle holder at 4.5k.

 

-Silverback Nabraska, medium frame, 26-inch wheels, hydraulic brakes. not much other info is available. for 3.6k

 

GT Karakoram 3.0 29" wheels, 3x9 groupset, medium frame. Hydraulic disc brakes. Grossmark 11 alexrims MD19 tyres. Shimano Alvio groupset. Shimano acera rear derailleur. for 5.5k (a bit out of my budget). 

 

-Titan Racing Calypso Cruz 650b medium frame 27.5-inch wheels. tubeless Vittore tyres. Hydraulic disc brakes. The bike has done less than 50km. All shimano components, Shimano tourney tx rear derailleur for 6.5k. 

 

-Titan Racing Rogue SE second hand for 5.5k. Ad did not include specs but the bike is apparently close to brand new, have added a link to the official site for specs here https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/rogue-se/

 

-Titan calypso rogue nova 26er medium frame. Shimano tourney tz jockey. L-TWOO A2 rapidfire shifters 2 x7 speed. disc brakes. Titan racing FS shock (fully serviced). Shimano front derraileur. TRC Calypso saddle. TRC Force tech crank. Nylon flat pedals with reflectors. Rubber grips and bottle cage. 3.5k

 

-Specialized pitch sport mountain bike. 27. 5-inch tyres. Medium frame. With Shimano components. Shimano Acera rear derailleur and Shimano V-brake. 8x3 speed. For 4.2k.

 

What would be the best bang for my buck out of the above? Or alternatively any other recommendations in this range? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

 

I can do you a solid for a Brand new  GT Avalanche 29' bike for R7500 l, specs  follow in 

 

 

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

Specs:

 

FRAME - GT 6061 T6 Aluminum Frame, Triple Triangle w/ Floating Seat Stays, Internal Cable Routing, Dropper Post Routing, Boost 141 Forged Drop-outs w/ Disc Brake Mounts, Zero Stack Tapered 1 1/8"- 1.5" Head Tube, 29" Wheels

 

FORK - SR Suntour XCT-DS, 100mm, Hydraulic Lockout and Preload adjust, Coil

 

CHAIN - KMC Z9, 9-speed

 

CRANK - Prowheel RAID-501-TT 36/22

 

BOTTOM BRACKET - Cartridge, Square Taper

 

PEDALS - GT Slim Line Flat Pedal

 

FRONT DERAILLEUR - microSHIFT FD-M392B

 

REAR DERAILLEUR - microSHIFT RD-M36L

 

SHIFTERS - microSHIFT TS39-29, 9-speed

 

COG SET - microSHIFT, 11-36T

 

RIMS - WTB SX19, 32h

 

TYRES - WTB Ranger Comp, 29 x 2.25", DNA Compound

 

FRONT HUB - Alloy Disc, QRx100

 

REAR HUB - Alloy Disc, QRx141

 

SPOKES - Stainless Steel, 14g

 

BRAKES - Tektro M275 Hydro Disc

 

FRONT BRAKE - Tektro M275 Hydro Disc, 160mm Rotors

 

REAR BRAKE - Tektro M275 Hydro Disc, 160mm Rotors

 

HANDLEBAR - GT All Terra Alloy Riser, 25mm Rise, 8° Sweep, 6° Rise, 720mm Width

 

STEM - GT All Terra, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 8°

 

GRIPS - GT Statement

 

HEADSET - Semi-integrated, Sealed Cartridge, Tapered

 

SADDLE - GT MTB

 

SEAT POST - GT All-Terra Micro Adjust Alloy Seat Post, 30.9mm

 

 

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

Warranty included