Newbie looking for advice regarding best buy within budget

[Mel_5]

Good day everyone.

 

I hope all is well!

 

I’m a woman in her late 20’s looking to get into cycling and was hoping I could ask for some advice on which mountain bike would be the best for me? 
I’m 160cm tall, and my budget is around R3,5k to R5k. I’m also happy (would probably prefer it) to go the 2nd hand route and have been browsing Facebook marketplace, but unfortunately with no knowledge in this area, I have no idea what to look for nor what is a good/bad fit for me. All the different wheel and bike sizes, and different brands have me totally flabbergasted. 😅

I would truly be grateful for any advice you guys could give an ignorant newb. 😁

 

Thanks so much in advance!

 

Melissa

[Sandro]

Welcome! You've come to the right place, I'm sure you will get all the help you need here, I would stay away from marketplace personally. I'm sure you will find what you're looking for here in the classifieds. In terms of budget used is your only real option, you first want to make sure you know what size to look for based on your inseam and height, I think small but you don't want to make a mistake here. 29inch MTBs are arguably the best and most common now but you will get better bang for your buck with a 26" @RobertWhitehead is very helpful and builds a lot of bikes. He may have something that can work for you on hand, Good luck! Once you find a bike make sure you get a proper bike fit also.

Edited 2 hours ago by Sandro

[Mook]

1 hour ago, Mel_5 said:

Good day everyone.

 

I hope all is well!

 

I’m a woman in her late 20’s looking to get into cycling and was hoping I could ask for some advice on which mountain bike would be the best for me? 
I’m 160cm tall, and my budget is around R3,5k to R5k. I’m also happy (would probably prefer it) to go the 2nd hand route and have been browsing Facebook marketplace, but unfortunately with no knowledge in this area, I have no idea what to look for nor what is a good/bad fit for me. All the different wheel and bike sizes, and different brands have me totally flabbergasted. 😅

I would truly be grateful for any advice you guys could give an ignorant newb. 😁

 

Thanks so much in advance!

 

Melissa

No worries @Mel_5

 

Only thing worse than "an ignorant newb" is 1 000 cyclists with PhD's in biking ........ 🤣

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Sandro said:

Welcome! You've come to the right place, I'm sure you will get all the help you need here, I would stay away from marketplace personally. I'm sure you will find what you're looking for here in the classifieds. In terms of budget used is your only real option, you first want to make sure you know what size to look for based on your inseam and height, I think small but you don't want to make a mistake here. 29inch MTBs are arguably the best and most common now but you will get better bang for your buck with a 26" @RobertWhitehead is very helpful and builds a lot of bikes. He may have something that can work for you on hand, Good luck! Once you find a bike make sure you get a proper bike fit also.

 

Another vote for @RobertWhitehead

[gerriemtb]

Welcome!
 

I third @RobertWhitehead

Have a chat with him!
Hope you get the bike you need and want!