First Mountain Bike Help

[NukiTheLegend]

Hi Everyone

We would like to start getting a bit more active by getting bikes. We have already bought roof racks and a trailer for our 3 year old and 1 year old, and our last item is the bicycles.

We will really just do the basic stuff, you can only do so much while dragging a trailer with kids, and we’re looking for good quality bikes that would serve us well and hopefully sell for a decent price one day.

Our local cycling shop recommended we go with the new Avalanche Reflex Pro 29er for R9.9k, they seem to be the best specced for price. I assume they can pull the trailer. I was initially hoping to get away with R6k per bike, but after I read some forums here regarding the Avalanche Reflex 2, it sounded like a terrible bike and we had to raise the budget a bit (max R10k a bike).

I have read recommendations for the Trek, Silverback and Titan bikes. Both look good but are lower specced, same with Titan, compared to the Avalanche.
I do not know enough about bikes to feel comfortable buying second hand, so looking for new with warranty.

What I am comparing is the 1x12 gear ration, air suspension, hydraulic disk brakes, aluminium frame.

The other brands each miss something in their sub-R10k bikes, like a steel frame or mechanical disk brakes or coil suspension.

I am 1.85m and my wife 1.73m tall, no weight issues.

Does anyone have some insights on guidance? We love the look of the Avalanche Reflex Pro 29er, it looks like our toddler’s little Titan Hades kids bike. Me and my wife are also like buttocks, you can’t separate us too far, so we want the same bikes.

Is the Avalanche Reflex Pro worth it, for the price? Or should we look elsewhere?

[Zebra]

“ I assume they can pull the trailer.”……

Will let others guide you, but if you are buying 2 identical bikes, AND have already bought the pull-behind Kiddies trailer(s), then suggest you DOUBLE-check they ARE compatible before making a purchase - 90%+ sure you will be ok, but i suggest you check!

Cheers

Chris

[Robbie Stewart]

For the budget you are in a very limited bracket when it comes to new bikes. Also, resale on used bikes is dismal at present due to the post COVID bike boom and subsequent implosion. The market is saturated with second hand bikes people want to offload, and no one is buying. You will get much better bang for your rand buying used than new.

[RobynE]

I would also look second hand.
 

You’ll get more bike for your money if you buy second hand and the bike will retain its value better. The Avalanche won’t we worth 4K from the moment you walk out the store with it, sadly. 
 

Have a look through the ads on here and post links to the bikes on this post and people can give you their input. 
 

In terms of frame size you’ll need a medium for your wife and a large for you, but it also depends on the bike geometry and just the feel you get from the bike. The best-specced, best-priced bike may not feel like “your” bike when you ride it. 
 

I bought a Signal Skye S920 new in 2022, for R10,500.00. 1x10, decent components for a starter bike, still within warranty. It’s done less than 200km in total, been maintained perfectly, brand new tyres with tubeless conversion, and I have no bites on even R7k trying to sell it now 😔 

 

Conversely I would get the money I spent on my (2014 model) Giant and (2020) Trek bikes that I bought second-hand in 2022 and 2023 back, with no issue. 

[ChrisF]

Sure, there are very good reasons to buy second hand .... BUT, I have seen people buy some real money pits as well.

 

Speak to @RobertWhitehead

 

He has a good reputation for building quality second hand bikes on the Hub.

 

 

If you decide to buy second hand on Bike Hub ... read up on "Bike Hub Pay".  Best protection for both buyer and seller.

 

 

 

And IF you do decide to buy new ... no need to look further than Titan Racing bikes.  Best bang for the buck.

[NukiTheLegend]

Thanks everyone for the comments so far. I am still too uncomfortable buying second hand and would like two identical bikes. So still looking at new. I see a lot of people advocating for Titan, but still no one seems to comment on the Avalanche Reflex Pro. I assume no one has experience with them, so I am still leaning towards that as it is higher specced than the Titans for R9.9k

[JayLow]

I do not have experience with the Avalanche, but since it looks like a "big box" (budget) bike, it may have some drawbacks in terms of serviceability, resale value, and eventual upgrade potential. The hydraulic discs, 12s groupset, and air fork are certainly points in its favour, despite the no-name brand nature of the rear mech and fork.

At just over R10k per bike, you can move into sub-premium, where the components are just that little bit better, whilst keeping the air fork and hydraulic disc dream alive. These will likely also have much better resale value than the Avalanche.
 

For example, this Scott  has a Shimano Deore RD and SRS fork.
This GT runs Microshift and SRS, shich would probably be better than the Avalanche.
This Silverback runs Deore and Rockshox.
This Rockrider from Decathlon runs Sram GX (!) and Rockshox.

This shows that by just adjusting the budget slightly upwards, you can enter another world. Use the fact that you are buying two bikes at the same time to negotiate on the price!

[RobynE]

10 hours ago, NukiTheLegend said:

Thanks everyone for the comments so far. I am still too uncomfortable buying second hand and would like two identical bikes. So still looking at new. I see a lot of people advocating for Titan, but still no one seems to comment on the Avalanche Reflex Pro. I assume no one has experience with them, so I am still leaning towards that as it is higher specced than the Titans for R9.9k

Avalanche is a budget brand. 
 

You will be in and out the shop often tweaking gears, brakes, etc. 

 

Had a Reflex for a very short time. While it was better than a Makro bike, it wasn’t by much. It didn’t like bumps and the brakes were iffy which is the last thing my wife needed on downhills. It was heavy. It was hard to ride. It’s now owned by a local gardener and he loves it for commuting. 
 

You will lose 75% of the value of the bike if you want to sell. You are unfortunately very likely to shoot yourself in the foot wanting a new bike with entry-level components and expecting it is the safer bet. Companies like SRAM, Shimano, Rockshox and Fox will always win second-hand over “nameless” new and LTwoo (which is the only branded component on the Reflex Pro). 
 

I entered the bike scene much like you. Family wanted to ride. Ironically my first post on the Hub was about buying the Avalanche and the advice given to me was the same as the advice given to you. I didn’t want to listen though. My Avalanche is now school fees.

 

But my two second-hand bikes (Trek and Giant) bought from Robert Whitehead who is mentioned above are absolutely bulletproof and have not needed any tweaks or repairs since I bought them and they were R11k and R14k respectively in 2023. 
 

In terms of matching bikes - they really don’t ride the same for every person and I would really suggest that you try bikes out before buying them. One man’s Rolls Royce is another’s golf cart. 

Your choice at the end of the day. 
 

If you really want new, consider the Rockrider range at Decathlon. The XC100 is 1x11 Shimano Deore with Tektro hydraulic brakes and Manitou Markhor fork, with tubeless-ready Hutchinson tyres at a retail price of R14,999. These parts are all considered “serviceable” at bike shops. Their frames have a lifetime warranty and moving parts 2 years (vs Avalanche 3 for frame and 1 for moving parts). It’s a “proper” bike compared to the Avalanche. You’ll still sit with an awful resale value but you won’t have nearly the amount of niggles and tweaks and creaks while you own it. Decathlon has good bikes. Their R8k bike (the Explore 500) is still better than the Avalanche with Microshift and Suntour components. The red bike with SRAM GX mentioned in a post above is a Small and the last one they have of the range, plus it has some scuffs from being a shop demo for so long, hence the very low price. I have been considering it for my daughter for quite some time. The red bike will be too small for your wife but it’s a great bike. 

[Mook]

11 hours ago, NukiTheLegend said:

Thanks everyone for the comments so far. I am still too uncomfortable buying second hand and would like two identical bikes. So still looking at new. I see a lot of people advocating for Titan, but still no one seems to comment on the Avalanche Reflex Pro. I assume no one has experience with them, so I am still leaning towards that as it is higher specced than the Titans for R9.9k

I am no expert, but the university of life have taught me a few valuable lessons. You could go for the Avalanche Reflex now at 10k a piece. If you sell it in 12 months, you might just get 5k for it. You buy a reputable brand secondhand for 10k now, and you would probably still get 7k for it in 12 months time.

Then there is the issue of component/groupset quality on the Avalanche. The 1x12 group on this bike would be absolute bottom spec. The problem you face with bottom spec'ced components is the matter of maintenance of such components. Quite often these "low cost" components are disposable - meaning that should it break, you toss it and replace with new components. Your mid-range components on a 2nd hand bike are most probable "repairable" - meaning you could fix or upgrade them when they give the ghost. They will also give you better longevity than the cheaper ones. I still see 29'ers sold brand new with 3x7 or 3x8 groups. The market is driven by profit margins, point.

There a very knowledgeable hubbers on this topic, but this is my 2 cents' worth.

[RobynE]

NB in the links posted by Jay, the GT Avalanche is NOT the same as the Avalanche brand. The GT he has posted is really good bang for small buck, too and as he said, adjusting your budget by R500-R5000 really puts you in another world in terms of new bikes at this price point. 

[Ashaz]

your best bet is to look around on the used market for a bike.

there are quite a few good hard tails  such as a Scott scale with hydraulic brakes,air fork and a decent drive train for about R12,000