Budget mountain bike

Colin62 said:
Thanks. I'm tall, and have longer than usual limbs even for my height, so I suppose it's off to a bike shop. Problem is they all want to know your budget first, and "as cheap as possible" isn't usually the answer they're looking for. :)
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I see you are in the mistbelt were are you going to go for a bike shop?
 
Def set a budget but I wouldn't go for as cheap as possible. You will more than likely get something that will fall apart.

What budget are you looking at? Also are you looking for something for recreation, purely offroad use, or going to be going hell for leather down the mountains at some stage?
 
Colin62 said:
Thanks. I'm tall, and have longer than usual limbs even for my height, so I suppose it's off to a bike shop. Problem is they all want to know your budget first, and "as cheap as possible" isn't usually the answer they're looking for. :)
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Do you have a Cycle Lab nearby? They sorted me out pretty well first time I went.

And yeah, what is your budget? The advice will be the same as with the other guy. Don't go for the cheapest, go just a notch above that. R6-R7k range. Parts are much better, bike rides a lot better, won't give you problems as quickly etc.
 
Another thing - if you are not sure if you will get get into cycling it might be worth looking at second hand. There are some good bargains out there.

Have a look at http://www.thehubsa.co.za/ - some very knowledgeable people there with lots in the classifieds.You are unlikely to get ripped off.
 
web said:
I see you are in the mistbelt were are you going to go for a bike shop?
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Pietermaritzburg I guess.


gregmcc said:
Def set a budget but I wouldn't go for as cheap as possible. You will more than likely get something that will fall apart.

What budget are you looking at? Also are you looking for something for recreation, purely offroad use, or going to be going hell for leather down the mountains at some stage?
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I'm over fifty and want to get more exercise. I live on a farm, so plenty of place to ride - recreation probably covers it best. I'll probably be in the veld most of the time, or possibly on dirt roads (my dog and pedestrians would mean I'd rather ride in the veld than on the roads). Definitely not hell for leather down a mountain (unless my brakes fail, in which case I'll be screaming like a 12 year old girl).

Budget is tricky - I really don't want to spend 10s of thousands but I'm wary of going too cheap too. It's difficult to know what you need to spend when you know nothing about it.
 
gregmcc said:
Another thing - if you are not sure if you will get get into cycling it might be worth looking at second hand. There are some good bargains out there.

Have a look at http://www.thehubsa.co.za/ - some very knowledgeable people there with lots in the classifieds.You are unlikely to get ripped off.
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The thing that puts me off second hand is not knowing what I need - both size and quality.
 
Colin62 said:
Pietermaritzburg I guess.




I'm over fifty and want to get more exercise. I live on a farm, so plenty of place to ride - recreation probably covers it best. I'll probably be in the veld most of the time, or possibly on dirt roads (my dog and pedestrians would mean I'd rather ride in the veld than on the roads). Definitely not hell for leather down a mountain (unless my brakes fail, in which case I'll be screaming like a 12 year old girl).

Budget is tricky - I really don't want to spend 10s of thousands but I'm wary of going too cheap too. It's difficult to know what you need to spend when you know nothing about it.
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I don't know any of the cycle shops in PMB, if you can try get to Cycle Logic in Gillits the owner is really awesome and will give you good advice on size ETC.

http://www.cyclelogic.co.za/
 
Thanks for all the help - at least I know what I need to do, and what sort of ballpark I can aim for. I suspect that whatever I plan to spend, I'll end up going over by 20%.
 
Step 1: If you only need front suspension then that is your most important component.
Arranged from cheapest to most expensive: Cheap heavy crap shock, Coil oil shock, Air Shock
So get Air if you can.

Step 2 Wheels: firstly there's the cheap fat no name aluminum ones(usually no branding on them) then you get the lighter stronger name branded ones like Mavic for example they will have a range from least to most expensive. Believe me a good wheelset makes a huge difference.

Step 3: Get a light good quality frame from a brand name. Most known brands are decent

Step 4: Components: Shimano Deore and up is great if you can afford it, a mix of Deore and cheaper items can bring the price down.
http://www.chainreactionhub.com/mtb...ano-mountain-bike-groupsets-from-deore-to-xtr

With those 4 items go as high up in their range as your budget will allow. (Set a budget before hand!!!)
Everything else are nice to haves like disc brakes and other fancy things
 
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Would something like this http://www.vbike.co.za/silverback-sola-4-2014/ be a fair starting point?

I found a sizing tool http://www.ebicycles.com/bicycle-tools/frame-sizer

I was thinking that I should wander into a bike shop some weekend with a printout of that vbike.co.za page and let them measure me up and make a recommendation as to what to try in that sort of ball park.

I suppose I'm going to need those moffie shorts and fancy shoes too. And a bigger hat that fits over a helmet. :)
 
Colin62 said:
Would something like this http://www.vbike.co.za/silverback-sola-4-2014/ be a fair starting point?
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It's a 29" If you're sort or scrawny it might not be as comfortable.
If you're tall or brawny it might be more comfortable than a 26"

Suppose you can get that config for anything from R6000 upwards so you could do a little better price wise for that config.

On the moffie shorts, I was the same in the beginning until I tried them after stubbornly refusing to get them at first. What a revelation... trust me I don't wear them for the fashion but nothing will give you more comfort.
 
Colin62 said:
I suppose I'm going to need those moffie shorts and fancy shoes too.
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You get the ones that look like normal shorts with the padding in an inlay, looks much better. Fancy shoes are optional (not recommended if you haven't ridden in a while, I fell off quite a few times because of them)
 
I'm 6'3", so I was thinking that 29 makes more sense, cos if it's 26, then the frame will need to be a bit bigger to get the height back up. And I think I'm in for a XL frame anyway.
 
Colin62 said:
The thing that puts me off second hand is not knowing what I need - both size and quality.
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/in best Devil's advocate voice

Go to shop (even Game) and kick dem tyres about. Sit on some bikes and just note what frame size is the one that fits best. If it's a boutique store tell them your budget is 50k, later tell them you're off to another store.
How to fit it - stand over the bike on one leg as straight as possible and extend the other foot on the pedal so it's at dead bottom (saddle should be kinda prodding you in the backside). Your leg on the pedal should have a slight bend in it (knee must not lock!) but keep in mind you do have a few inches to play with in the saddle post. Pedal position at top of stroke, your top thigh should be sloping downwards a little, should not come up to parallel. Unfortunately handlebar fit usually is what it is and you'll only really find out what's going on there over distances. Sidebars are a must. If it helps any I'm 183cm and generally ride XL but I've ridden M in the past - not ideal for distance obviously but for short hops it's fine.

Second-hand in terms of quality any major brand will do and you can get better component quality for less cash. Especially if you go 26", and there's no reason not to. I bought an old Trek 26" last month for R1700 and it kicks ass. It's probably 10 years old, has no suspension. I'm likely selling off my disc-braked Giant ;) (never really got on with that bike)
So what brands - Scott, Trek, Giant, GT, Schwinn, the usual suspects... any one will do. I do not recommend Sram components though. I made that mistake once and will be Shimano-fitted forever after.

My opinion as a commuter. But if you just want to get fitter you don't need fancier.
 
Sorry for necro. Not starting a new thread if something similar already exists and I'm basically just starting to scratch a little itch here.

Bought the kids bikes a few weeks back and soon they will be hitting speeds faster than I can jog next to them to guide and keep a safe eye. So was thinking of getting my own little two wheeler to pedal with them.

I am two minds. Thinking about something very basic and very cheap as it will mostly used in the neighborhood. But then also thinking of something bit more serious because I might as well add some off-road cycling to my fitness regime. And sister and brother, who does the odd race, has been nagging me for a while to join them. Although I am more into the weightlifting, HIIT styles of fitness I know the bug will bite a bit for the cycling part too.

Last time I was on a bicycle of my own was probably 16yrs ago. And it was a stock standard mountain from the platteland Indian retailer.

Can anybody share some good videos, resources to start learning about the ins and outs of newer stuff.

Really just starting to get my mind around the options and pricing before I decide on anything. I've read through this and I have absolutely no issue with going 2nd hand when it comes to that point.
 
APoc184 said:
Sorry for necro. Not starting a new thread if something similar already exists and I'm basically just starting to scratch a little itch here.

Bought the kids bikes a few weeks back and soon they will be hitting speeds faster than I can jog next to them to guide and keep a safe eye. So was thinking of getting my own little two wheeler to pedal with them.

I am two minds. Thinking about something very basic and very cheap as it will mostly used in the neighborhood. But then also thinking of something bit more serious because I might as well add some off-road cycling to my fitness regime. And sister and brother, who does the odd race, has been nagging me for a while to join them. Although I am more into the weightlifting, HIIT styles of fitness I know the bug will bite a bit for the cycling part too.

Last time I was on a bicycle of my own was probably 16yrs ago. And it was a stock standard mountain from the platteland Indian retailer.

Can anybody share some good videos, resources to start learning about the ins and outs of newer stuff.

Really just starting to get my mind around the options and pricing before I decide on anything. I've read through this and I have absolutely no issue with going 2nd hand when it comes to that point.
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Best suggestion I can give you is to take a look at the bikehub.co.za forums. Plenty of threads there about new/secondhand bikes as well as skills and tips etc.
 
Jehosefat said:
Best suggestion I can give you is to take a look at the bikehub.co.za forums. Plenty of threads there about new/secondhand bikes as well as skills and tips etc.
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Thanks. I'll certainly look there as well over time.

Just know from the Weekend and Photography threads that there are quite a few cyclists on here who can share their knowledge.

Just putting my toes in the water for now.
 
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