mountain bikes

[D3x!]

Hi guys,

so those of you who are into cycling (preferably off road) can u give a guy some advice on what to look at in a starter bike?

1.) type
2.) brand
3.) how do I gauge a size
4.) budget to consider
5.) what gear I need
6.) a bike rack that can clip onto my car without a towbar?

the gf is also interested so any woman specific advise also please.

Appreciated guys.

also I have been on a good trail before so I know what to expect, but she hasn't, is there any place that rents bikes on a trail?

thanks.

 

[nakedpeanut]

The groenkloof nature reserve in pta is a nice place to take the gf for a ride or 2
They do rent out bikes as well.

 

[WesleyR]

Well I guess it all depends on budget. For something that isn't bottom of the barrel for your/her needs, you looking around the R6 - R10k bracket for a bike. Then you need to decide if you want to go hard tail (only has front shock) or soft tail (front and rear shock). If you looking to ride trails like Joberg2C or Sani2C etc, then you may want to consider something a bit more expensive. If you just looking to get fit and ride with the gf, then a 3x10 (30 speed) bike should be fine (Scott, Giant, Merida are decent makes), but if you want to get a bit more serious, then look at bikes with 2x10 or even 1x11 group sets and better frames.

With regards to the size of the bike, your local bikes shop should be able to measure you and advise accordingly.

Gear : Cycle computer (Polar, Garmin or any other computer depending on how many functions you want, if you want heart rate etc), water bottles, proper cycling shoes (makes a huge difference compared to tekkies!), helmet, sunglasses, gloves, decent pair of cycling shorts (I promise you, all the money in the world can't help you if your @ss hurts!), cycling top. Then obviously spares for your bike like tubes, tyres levers, puncture repair kit, which depends of if you running tubeless or not.

Bike racks : You can look at Thule or Bosal, they make decent bike racks, all depends on what type of rack and what car you have.

There are plenty trails all over, will try find the website that I used to go to that has a list of all trails in SA.

 

[diabolus]

There's also this thing now with 29" vs 26" wheel size. 29" has become very popular lately, but it can affect the pricing. For example, i could choose between a 26" Soft Tail vs. 29" Hard Tail in the R10k price bracket i was shopping in. The 29" is those bikes with wheels that looks almost oversized, but they are faster , and a few other advantages. The 26" is the classic size, i prefer 26" because i'm short and it just feels easier on technical routes. Anyway a soft tail is definitely much easier on the back, but you probably need to have experienced a hard tail to really know the difference. For a starter bike and being on a budget, i'd suggest a hard tail. You don't normally get a soft tail below R10k .

I remember starting with a R5k hard tail , and i still have it and have done a ton of races with it . So if you're not 100% sure how much you're going to do it and so on, i'm sure in the R5k-R8k range you will find something that will easily be capable of doing a few race events.

As for brand? I've always felt in the entry level price range, the frame does not really matter, they're all pretty good these days if you buy at a proper cycle shop. It's the parts on the frame that drives the price up. Specifically the gears and derailleurs. They call this "group sets" to determine the quality of these items on the bike. So you might want to read up on this when determining the true worth of the bike.

There are 2 main group set brands (Shimano and SRAM) and each have their parts numbered/named in a specific way to determine how good they are. When looking at a bike you can easily check what it is by looking at the front/rear deraulleirs (i.e. Shimano Alivio , the "Alivio" would tell you it's of the "budget" group sets) You might see a Merida with the cheapest Shimano groupset going for R4k and then a Giant with a group set that is 2 steps up and the price difference is suddenly R2k . Does that mean Giant is better than Merida? No. It's probably easier to look at the group set on a bike to determine the worth than looking at the frame brand.

EDIT: And yes, when you start going hardcore THEN the frame + brand start becoming a major issue. But i can't say the frames in the 5k-10k range are mysteriously better than another frame in the same price range.

Also, i suppose , might as well get Disc Brakes. Some entry level bikes still come with V-brakes (the rubbers on the side of the wheel). Although my first MTB came out with V-brakes and i had zero issues with them, they never broke or anything.

You probably don't need the shoes + clip-in pedals on a starter bike just yet. That can easily add R1k-R2k to the cost anyway. So i'd say starter gear:

Helmet
Gloves
Padded Cycling pants
Kit to fix tires/hold spare tubes / small pump
Waterbottle + Holder on the bike

Optional:
Camelbak/Hydration backpack for extra water and carrying all your extra stuff
Speedometer (I use my phone / GPS watch these days, but the speedometers are pretty cheap anyway (under R200), so might throw it in)
Cycling Shoes + Clip-in pedals (this becomes essential eventually, but it might be overkill to start with this)

 

[Vegeta]

the gf is also interested so any woman specific advise also please.

Sexist!

 

[D3x!]

The groenkloof nature reserve in pta is a nice place to take the gf for a ride or 2
They do rent out bikes as well.

i been there actually, saw my ass down the mini rock face by the stream, lol.

cool didnt know they rent.

how about some advice on the above nutsickle, u also ride dont u?

 

[D3x!]

thanks for the advice, 6-10k is more than i want to spend for now to be honest, especially times by two O_O, plus gear and a bike rack.

any good well know shops or online stores to start looking at?

 

[Vegeta]

Get 2 Silverback Stride 10's. You can afford that. There are no woman specifics they need to bunny hop the same tree roots and rocks as you. You're the one at a disadvantage as your bike is destroying your penis!! At least she doesn't have to deal with erectile dysfunction... oh wait

http://gizmodo.com/5816286/five-saddles-to-save-your-penis-from-your-bike

 

[D3x!]

lol

the bike shop around the corner actually recommended the stride 20, what do you think of that? (i think the only difference is hydraulic brakes?)

also what do you think of a Merida Matts Tfs 100?

or a raleigh talus 3.0 or a pacific gtr 1000

I know you said not to worry about brands but i just want to make sure I am not buying rubbish.

 

[Vegeta]

Post the specs of each... too lazy to google it for you

 

[Brawler]

Not much under R6k or so that is decent/safe i'm afraid, you might think you are saving a few bucks but trust me even for an occasional ride, anything under R6k is going to give endless schit. Nothing less than Silverback Stride. Look 2nd hand if you need to.

 

[Jehosefat]

All the MATTS TFS bikes have the same frame so no differences there. The derailleurs and shifters on the 100 are just about bottom of the range though so I would recommend going for at least the 300.

As far as the Stride 20 goes, it has essentially the same kit as the TFS 100 so again, I would not recommend it.

Personally not a fan of Raleigh bikes.

 

[D3x!]

raleigh talus 3.0 - http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2012-mountain/talus-3-0-12/
silverback stride 20 - http://www.silverbacklab.com/2011_website_SILVERBACK/stride20.htm

 

[D3x!]

the women wrote down the stride 20 at R2700 but i think it was actually the stride 10 she meant to write down...

 

[D3x!]

at least the stride 10 has discs also, the raleigh has v brakes.

can anyone tell me what are the difference in those shifters, derailers etc

 

[WaxLyrical]

Specialist cycle shops keep second hand so you might want to check some of them out.

There's a place in Park Meadows, Kensington, jhb, if you live near there.

 

[Zenbaas]

at least the stride 10 has discs also, the raleigh has v brakes.

can anyone tell me what are the difference in those shifters, derailers etc

Wife has a stride 10 and it's a nice bike. IIRC the stride 10>stride 20.

 

[D3x!]

Wife has a stride 10 and it's a nice bike. IIRC the stride 10>stride 20.

ah u are quite correct, i see the 10 has lock out shocks and better equip

 

[D3x!]

a sales guy at a bike shop today said I should look at an axis? (note they don't sell it)

so thoughts on them?

 

[shadow_man]

a sales guy at a bike shop today said I should look at an axis? (note they don't sell it)

so thoughts on them?

I just bought the GF the A80 - its got mechanical disc and cost R3500 if i I recall correctly. Its a decent starter bike - its Scotts budget brand. For her it was more than adequate - myself I have a Mongoose Tyax Comp which suits me fine!

Remember its not only the bike cost but also the helmet, camel bak, computer etc etc. That being said I was adamant i'd only buy something with discs as I don't want to upgrade immediately due to bad components.

J