Newbie cyclist looking for advice regarding best buy within budget

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

GT 2023 Avalanche Sport

[Melxisdead]

Hi @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPE I really appreciate the efforts in sending me the specs. But 7.5k is quite out of my budget. I'd definitely consider a new bike if I had more to play with. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Melxisdead

[Melxisdead]

Hi @Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPE I really appreciate the efforts in sending me the specs. But I 7.5k is quite out of my budget. I'd definitely consider a new bike if I had more to play with. 

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, Melxisdead said:

@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. 

The rear derailleur looks like it could be SLX or Deore. It’s the same style as the old XT. Chances are this bike has better, but old, components.

The brakes and shifting are separate, unlike the one I have which was integrated shifting on the brake lever.

[RobynE]

As a 42 year old who came back into riding having last ridden in high school - 

 

A 1x drivetrain is a great friend as are disc brakes. 

 

I would stick to Titan, Silverback, Giant etc. 

 

Good quality tyres make a BIG difference. So if the bike is cheap but needs new tyres, it’s something of a false economy. MTB tyres are anything from 500 to 1.5k a pop depending on brand and purpose. Cheap tyres are a false economy as well. 
 

Geometry of the bike is important. I am most comfortable on a hybrid/gravel type. I get quite a sore lower back on my wife’s Signal Skye and sore knees too but I can ride my Decathlon hybrid for hours and hours with no discomfort. Incidentally both bikes are medium and professionally set up for me, so it’s not a setup issue. 
 

On that note - try do a bike fit. That takes you from a good ride to a great ride. Well worth the money! 
 

Happy bike hunting. 

[Melxisdead]

@RobynE Thank you for the advice.

I actually am considering popping in by one or two of the bike shops nearby and asking them for a fitting and some advice too. I think at this point I am torn between a Merida and the Titan range but I am open to anything in good condition that won't set me back too much. I totally understand that buying something cheap at the cost of quality parts is something to consider. I definitely don't wanna shoot myself in the foot. 

I came across a Titan racing rogue calypso sport on FB Marketplace but it is quite a bit out of my budget at 6.9k, but it seems that the seller is a bike dealer so I'm not sure if they are open to lower offers at all.  I know that this model is one of the newer ones as well. 

[Melxisdead]

50 minutes ago, Frosty said:

The brakes and shifting are separate, unlike the one I have which was integrated shifting on the brake lever.

@Frosty Is this a good or bad thing? 😅

[DieselnDust]

20 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. 

 

The GT Karakoram

[Frosty]

49 minutes ago, Melxisdead said:

@Frosty Is this a good or bad thing? 😅

Good.

From what I can see on that advert, the components are a little better than the others. However, if the bike doesn’t fit right, then it doesn’t matter.

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

[RobertWhitehead]

7 hours ago, Melxisdead said:

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. 

I am back 

let me answer your question:

1) what would something like this cost? I will make it fit your budget with some bells and whistles to welcome you into the sport. 

Here's my opinion on 26ers: 

Are they slower than 29ers on normal district road and do you work harder to keep up - yes. 

Are you going to "just roll over" anything and everything that comes in your way similar to the 29ers - no you will have to keep your witts about you on the technical stuff. Is this a bad thing? No as you will get to improve your skill set and this will be very handy later in your cycling journey. 

Are they much slower on the trails - surprisingly not that much, I read a comparison test once and it was like 13sec over 30km or something like that. 

Is a 29er more fun than a 26er - meh opinions will differ. 

I have done both a professional setup and I've used the below link. The values are pretty similar, the main difference I found was the tolerances given in the below. 

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

 

[TheoG]

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

The rear derailleur looks like it could be SLX or Deore. It’s the same style as the old XT. Chances are this bike has better, but old, components.

The brakes and shifting are separate, unlike the one I have which was integrated shifting on the brake lever.

I also had a 26" with dual control levers, I used to love them, but they completely disappeared, seems like I was the only one liking them 😒

[Melxisdead]

@Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPE thank you for sharing. I think Langebaan is a bit far for me to get to though. 

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

54 minutes ago, Melxisdead said:

@Bicycle Yard Zarras WESTERN CAPE thank you for sharing. I think Langebaan is a bit far for me to get to though. 

Ey bud, I am always keen on a road trip, if you chat to the oke and he Is willing to take R4500 then you can shoot Me R500 and we can head there together and have a look at the bike.

[Edrich1234]

Here is a 26" bike within budget.

[Theunissa]

On 3/28/2023 at 3:37 PM, 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:

-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. 

 

My option is listen to Robert. He has alot of stuff lying there by him and will definitely be able to help you build something decent. I have also looked at 26 vs 29. 26 has it downs but also you get better bikes for the same monetary value as 29er. Also I would look for best Components. A 26 er with good bearings and deore components is better than 29er with acera. But you can if you arw patient and shop everywjere incl Facebook find a decent 29er for that price. Speak to Robert and see what he can help you with price wise