Newbie Question

[reyalp]

Hi

 

I am about to go out and buy my first Mountain Bike. I used to do alot of distance running so I am hoping that the endorphins get rolling again and I get hooked

 

Anyways, I need some advice on a starter bike and have found this http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/16823439/Avalanche_Reflex_Mountain_Bike_Front_suspension_and_disk_brakes.html

 

on bidorbuy. Is this a good price at R1500? I am 1.82m tall and am also a little concerned that the 18" frame may not be suitable. I have also not been able to find anything on the net about this particular model.

 

I don't want to spend more than R2000 hence my search for a used bike. I do plan to join two of my brother in laws in a couple of racers within a few weeks so I need something that is a little better than "recreational".

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tks

ReYaLp

[Tieffels]

Welcome to thehub and to MTBing in general. First up I'd say that frame would be to small.

 

But taking a step back, and I've been through this process, ask yourself what you want from the sport. If you just want to try it out for now, dont spend any money just yet, borrow an older bike of someone (get in contact through a local club/bike shop) and try at least on a half decent bike. That Avalanche is frustrations waiting to happen and could kill your enthusiasm before the get go. And should you not like it, just return the bike with a sixpack of beer, no harm done.

 

But if you liked running, chance are you'll be hooked on MTB, and  then get used to the idea of spending big bucks. Again, I went the route of a cheap <R3k bike and with 3 months I was pushing the limits of the bike and then the fun sort of stops.

 

There are a lot of baby steps you can take getting into the sport but it ends up costing more in the long run when you have to keep on upgrading cheap parts etc. and eventually you just commit to a bike that will sound expensive now. So get a good second hand bike that will at least hold up in races. You should get away with below R8K for a hardtail. Gear will easily go up to another R2K, but that you can do over time.

 

My favourite advise to new buyers: get the absolute max figure that you are prepared to spend in your head and get used to the fact that you'll be spending double that, but it is well worth it.

[Tieffels]

Like this as an example:

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=62100