Which bike to buy for someone starting out

[JustinR]

Hi there, looking to buy a MTB of which I have R8K to spend. More so I don't want to waste my money and buy something rubbish that won't last.

 

Furthermore as there are riders on here that have much more experienced than me with MTB, I would like to ask the following:

 

1. Which bikes should I consider? Looked at the GT Avalanche 1.0 and 2.0, Merida and Jamie.

2. Should I consider used bikes or stick to buying a new bike?

3. Should I consider upgrading to tubeless tyres?

4. Do I need kleeted pedals or are the normal pedals sufficient?

5. Any dealers that I should consider? I have been to Linden Cycles in Linden and Fitz Pienaar Cycles in Paulshof.

 

Any other advice would be great!

 

Thanks so much.

 

Justin

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

First off... WELCOME!

 

In answer to your questions, there are a lot of bikes to consider. I'd also have a look a the Silverback range, as well as Scott's offerings. At the end of the day, it comes down to how the bikes fit you, as well as the spec it comes with. Rather go for a bike that fits you better, but has a slightly lesser spec-list than one that has better specs but fits you like a tutu on an elephant.

 

New vs 2nd hand... there's a lot to be said for both. 2nd hand - you get a lot more for your buck, but the problem is that you never know what the bike's been through. New has none of those problems, but suffers from that all-too-important post-showroom price-drop. If the right bike comes up 2nd hand, I'd go for it.

 

Tubeless - hell yes. It is like a breath of fresh air, and you can only truly see (and feel) the difference that tubeless makes after you've upgraded. It truly is an epiphany.

 

Cleats - definitely. Not only does it increase pedalling efficiency, but it also means that you have more control. Yes, it will take a few rides to get used to them, and you will probably fall the first time you try to stop whilst clipped in. We have all done that at some point, and looked back on the experience with no small amount of mirth.

 

Dealers - I cannot help you there, as I am in CT. Have heard good things about both of those stores, as well as Solomons as well.

 

 

In the end though, just remember that whatever you buy, it's about how much you enjoy the experience at the end of the day. Get yourself a pair of glasses (mud in the eye is NEVER a good thing - personal experience) and a pair of full-finger gloves for the off chance that you do come off at some point. Those half-finger gloves are useless off-road.

 

And - WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE!!!

[scotty]

Also have a look at Silverback, you should be able to pick up a new 2011Ventura for that price.

 

http://www.silverback.co.za/2011/ventura.jpg

 

Going tubeles seems the general way to go, but i've found for the trails and routes around Jhb slime tubes works well and only cost about R60. Cleat's are superior to flat pedals, i have only ridden with shimano but there are also Look and eggbeaters as options and as far as MTB shoes go, i've found Olympic to be the best value for price. Other dealers you can try are Cyclelab in Fourways and Complete Cyclist in Peter Place.

[JustinR]

Wow thanks so much for the useful information. I generally find that as I am new to the "Dark Side", and there seems to be an overwhelming amount of choices from bikes to the component setup and to be honest all the terms are so confusing in trying to make the right choice. Also Im about 1.8m tall, which bike size should I be looking at?

 

Again thanks for all the info!!!

[scotty]

MTB sizes are mostly sized in inches as opposed to road bikes in cm

 

Bicycling have a guide line

 

http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/MTB_sizing.htm