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First MTB


charles asprey's picture

By charles asprey - Posted on 09 November 2006

Hello my name is charles and i am new to mountain bike riding. I am looking at buying a first bike and am willing to spend up to around $850. Any advice or help would be much appreciated. Thank you

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foxpuppet's picture

depends on what kind of riding you want to do? my advice i s dont buy new - espescially for $850, i did that and found that the bike i got was pretty limited usage wise. do you want dual suspension or a hardtail? the new australian mountain biking mag has a best bikes for under $1000 for hardtails shootout which gives great advice.

if second hand is your thing...try farkin.net in the for sale forum. thats where i got my new bike, a killer 2003 giant ac for $600. ive been loving riding ever since (i spent $850 on a brand new avanti ridge rider (hardtail) which was ok but my mates left me behind all the time on their dual suspension xc bikes!

look around, try some mates bikes if they have any....just dont impulse buy...its bad for your wallet.

conversely i am selling my old hardtail...its a large frame hardtail...avanti ridge rider 05 model....nice bike just not for me and the riding i do! if your interested i getting something to try out...maybe demo just to get a feel. its up to you

Little-Ditty's picture

Buy new and you get new. Hey, who doesn't want a new bike?? By buying new, you would also be able to swizzle some free maintenance from wherever you bought it from. Plus that store would know you, and the bike they sold you, which does count for something.

Buy used and you get more bike for your dollars. Or you can buy a similar bike but spend more on other items, like different pedals, tyres, survival gear (e.g. pump, tubes, etc).

Don't discount the cost of that peripheral stuff, because it you are new to the game and you don't have it yet, you will need to by it. Shoes, pump, spare tubes, tyre lever, allen keys, chain repairer, almost a limitless amount of stuff really. It can be a bit like golf sometimes! Laughing out loud

For $850, you will only be able to purchase a new hardtail bike. For used, some dual suspension bikes will come into range.

Happy shopping mate!

christine's picture

Got advice from everyone - started on NobMob and took that to the bike shops with me...every bikes shop on the northern beaches i believe - ended up getting a Giant Yukon off of Ebay (I KNOW! But it had only been used twice)...
Celia would suggest, go and try bikes at the shops - being a bit dim at times and new to the whole thing I didn't know you could actually try them!!

MEEE

Jordan's picture

Gday

Im pretty new to the scene as well, be very carefull with ebay i didnt get as lucky as christine and ended
up with a awfull bike and i was out of pocket. Take your time and try to get somone who knows about bikes
to come check out your possible purchases with you. Btw im also loving my new "working" Giant AC1 might be
one to look into for yourself. Cheers & Goodluck

charles asprey's picture

well i want to do off road riding at a beginner to intermidiate level as i have done some mountain bike riding in new zealand. i think getting a hardtail to start off would be best as im unformiliar with suspension components etc. i actually was looking at the 2007 avanti ridge rider it seems like a pretty decent bike for what i want to do. also ive found that avanti provide quite a lot of support compared to other brands. i just need some advice on what particular features of a bike i need to look at.

ive considered buying second hand on ebay but i am reluctant because i dont know a whole lot about components and it would be easy for someone to put old components on a new bike and i would not know the difference. this is just my experince from buying other stuff on ebay.

id consider buying your old hardtail but im not a big guy so i dont think a large frame would be right for me. thanx for the advice anyway

Rob's picture

With regard to the old components on new bike story. I'm no expert but would think the following might give some clues:

- Look for 'shark tooth' teeth on the drive train. Particularly front middle ring (see Know When to Replace Drive Train Bits!).
- Take the bike and go for a pedal up the street or round the block. Check the gears shift smoothly. Don't take, "Ah - it just needs some adjustment" as an excuse - a decent seller will have a sorted bike.
- Try and find a hill and stand up in a high gear to check for squeaks in the frame, bottom bracket or anywhere else under load. Don't change gear here, that's not what you're looking for!
- Look for rust on exposed components... all the expensive gear won't generally rust (alu or alloy) but cheaper stuff and mountings, etc, will. Be aware if they seller says it's top of the line.
- With disk brakes, look very closely at the calipers when you pull the lever. Check both pots move in a uniform manner (unless they are cheap design that isn't meant to - stay clear of this if you can!). With rim brakes, check both sides move smoothly.
- Obvious, but spin the wheels and check they are true. Wiggle spokes and make sure they are all nice and tight.

IMHO, while looking for a sub-1K bike for the GF, Trek stuff seemed to have best components/frame for the price. Check out the First Suspension Bike thread.

foxpuppet's picture

yeah no worries on my bike....btw im not a big guy, large is 19" they go up from there, the giant ac i have now is a large but the frame sits lower when you stand over it, just because of the geometry of the bike. ac's are great, if you can find a 2nd one that suits your budget snap it up, good platform to build off, and nice all round. mine is set up for downhill(xc slighty) and riding is now more fun than ever.

charles asprey's picture

Alright i have had a look around and i am tossing up between the giant alias, avanti ridge rider and a mongoose amasa comp. The gaint and avanti were in the top 6 mtb under $1000 in the australian mountain bike magazine which is pushing me towards either one of those two. I dunno the mongoose just seems like a really solid bike for some reason

foxpuppet's picture

new? id go the giant, it just outpips the avanti but thats enough....whats the price difference? that could be the decider!

charles asprey's picture

the giant is 999, the mongoose is 998 and the avanti is 998

foxpuppet's picture

go for the giant and talk them down!

christine's picture

I was at Bike Addiction the other weekend and they had a sale on.. was looking at a Giant for a friend - it may be over but surely they will do a deal?

MEEE Smiling

Rob's picture

I also know that Cranks in North Sydney will discount Giants if you ask. Shop around, even by phone if you call and ask what the best price they can do on a specific model is you might be surprised Smiling

charles asprey's picture

alright cool well ill have a bit more of a shop around then

Little-Ditty's picture

I was in Cranks two weekends ago looking at Scott MTB's, and I found them to provide excellent service, knowledgable, but neither really cheap nor a rip-off. The cost of a bike purchase will normally come down to a case-by-case basis. You could probably talk them down a hundred bucks to get your sale. Maybe get them to throw in some free pedals.

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