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NEWBY'S
My family of four , 2 adults, 16 and 13 year old, would like to start mountain biking. We are not sure what bikes to buy as beginners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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are a great start. If they don't fit, then it doesn't matter much how good the rest of the componentry is, you won't enjoy yourself as you will be uncomfortable. For this reason purchasing from a proper bike shop is a worthwhile investment, even if it means paying full retail, as you will get good advice regarding fit.
A hardtail bought new for around $850 is the starting point for weekly use. Spending any less will give you a bike that is not up to the demands of regular use. K-mart or Big W bikes will fall apart and injure you on a real mountain bike trail.
If you want dual suspension bikes, $2,500 is the minimum spend. DS is not necessary to get started. Nearly all folks start on hardtails.
Bike Addiction, Manly Cycles, and Belrose Cycles are all good places to start looking in the local area. They have guys who are hard core mountain bikers who will be able ot give you sound, informed advice.
Once you have your bikes let us know - we'll organise some rides on some of the more beginner-friendly trails and show you around. My 13yo is a regular, and we have other regulars around the 16-17yo who come along as well.
I just got myself into the mtb scene (16 years old) although i have been riding since i was 3 i only recently started to ride proper trails and i couldn't be happier!
A few suggestions for bikes could be maybe a trek 3900, specialized hardrock, giant rinkon etc. All bikes are around entry level hardtails for around $800 + - for the person not looking to spend a fortune. They will give some decent service and not fall apart after your first ride.
Just some friendly suggestions but before buying really do your research as hawkeye said and if you have any questions just post on the thread and someone will be sure to help you.
Happy shopping.
Jono
Just a thought for your missus. You don't necessarily have to get a women's specific design for her, it will depend her specific measurements. Losts of women (most?) ride guys bikes.
What is important, though, is to make sure that the saddle fits her. The majority of guys saddles are too narrow for girls and cause signficant discomfort "down there". If you can find a bike shop that has a female assistant to help you with saddle suggestions it will make your job a lot easier. Be aware that saddles are a very personal thing. Most of us have gone through a couple before settling on ones that we like.
However, it is not a decision to make straight away, as your butts will take several weeks to adapt and will be sore at first no matter what saddle you use. If you can get a bike shop that will let your wife trial different saddles I think you'll have found one that is worth establishing a relationship with.
Blondie might care to chime in here... Blondie? Where are you!
Good advice from those above...
As a noob that doesn't know about MTB's, it is easy to get confused with all the bike manufacturers, models, parts and accessories, and particularly the jargon. Never mind, you will learn as you go along.
If you are only interested in the odd social ride, once a month or two, and have no interest in spending thousands on this activity, then your best bet is to get some bikes from Kmart and try your best to make do with these on the trail. Bear in mind that these kind of bikes fall apart easily, are not designed for off-road use, and can't be repaired. A real dead-end if you ask me and akin to throwing your money away.
If your intention is a more serious attempt by you and your family to go MTB riding and appreciate the sport, the entry level hardtail MTB for about $700-900 is the way to go. If you have decided this sounds good, get to a bike shop for some advice. Or better still, post here again for advice and you will get an avalanche of suggestions, including where is the best place to go to purchase your bikes. We could even tell you who to speak to... but you have not posted your suburb, so we could not make too many comments yet. The advantage of the $700-900 bike is that you can bail from the sport if you find it's not for you, and you haven't mortgaged your house to do so. And you can sell them on eBay to boot.
If you and your family finally decide this sport is good for you, then you can each look at spending $2000-3000 for a dual-suspension bike, which are excellent machines and well worth the money. Once you have a dually, you never look back. Oh, and don't worry about the really sore muscles and exhaustion thing from your first 5 to 10 rides. That is normal. After riding for a few months, you can easily ride dozens of km's and not feel too sore or tired.
Bike manufacturers do make female specific models, but most ladies use men's frames with altered (i.e. smaller) parts to suit their dimensions. No matter what bike your wife rides, she will definitely need a female specific saddle. They go for about $60-100.
I hope you have some pointers to commence your journey!! Happy trails!!
Wow, thanks for all the advice. Little Ditty you are so right, we have become more confused with each visit to a bike shop. We live in Wahroonga and the bike shops we have visited so far have been Hornsby Cycles and Turramurra Cycles. Some of the bikes suggested so far by the stores visited have been; Giant Strata, Trek 4300 and Scott Aspect 45. Hawkeye, thanks for the info on the female saddle as we have two females to have to consider ; wifey and 16 year old - I'm sure you've saved us a load of extra moans and groans here !
We will add Bike Addiction, Manly Cycles and Belrose Cycles onto our list of stores to visit. Do you have the names of who to speak to in these stores?
Jono, what is the difference between the Trek 4300 and the 3900 ?
Thanks for the offers to assist in introducing us to trails.....we look forward to joining you on these trails soon
At around the $850 mark, it doesnt matter much about the brand so much, the companies all have specific price points to meet and the components are very similar, this is across the main brands like Giant, Specialized, Trek etc.
You can try Cranks in Chatswood as well, I recently purchased my roadbike from there and found them to be very very helpfull, Dave is the manager up there and he knows his stuff. Good bunch of guys in there and pretty switched on. Turramurra are pretty good as well, but expensive I think.
From memory the difference is not really that much, just small things like various components like the suspension, but nothing worth spending the extra money i.e. the drivetrain , brakes, frame are still the same.
And for the record i started out with a trek 4100 and had it for about five years until i outgrew it, was great as a beginners bike nothing to fault, although i gave it hell it kept soldiering on.
Jono.
I'd definitely recommend the Giant Rincon... Liz got that as her first off-road bike and it's still running, she upgraded to a dual suspension a couple of years later, and has just got another, more uber hardtail for canberras off-road / road mix of riding
When comparing the bikes, it seems one of the main differences is inclusion of lockout. How important is lockout ?
Hi Housey.
If you live close to Hornsby, then try either Hornsby cycles or Kuringai cycles. I know Dave at Hornsby cycles (he is riding in my Mont team in March) so he should be fine with sorting you out for some bikes. Any basic Giant, Trek, Scott or Avanti entry level hard tail bike for around $800 would do. Unless you were prepared to spend $2500+ I would not be looking at dual suspension bikes. I don't know anyone at Turramurra cycles, so someone here may chime in with some info.
Lockout is where a suspension can be locked out, to prevent bumps from making the travel move. It ensures maximum riding efficiency when you are locked out on a relatively flat or smooth trail. By keeping the Lockout off and letting it move, you will lose a bit through inefficiency but save your body through riding comfort - saving your arms and arse from hurting on long rides. Having the ability to lock out your suspension, either front or back (or both) can be a real advantage.
I think Dave is not working at Hornsby cycles anymore.
I started on a Giant Alias and it served me well for a few years. It cost me around $1000.
i'm on an alias atm, but with upgraded front forks (to carry my fat ass down the drops
)
it is a very solid bike for $1000
Most of the stuff has been said, but I think a little more comfort makes the world of difference to enjoyment when your new.
I suggest getting some nice big 2.35 inch tyres. These also inspire confidence in a new rider. The bigger tyres can be run softer.
I also suggest, once you have ridden 5 or 6 times and you know you are going to keep doing it..investing in some decent padded bike pants of some kind.
No padding and skinny tyres vs. Padding and big tyres..feels like you have 1"inch of rear suspension on your hardtail !
If your up near Hornsby and looked at Turrumurra and Hornsby, also check out Kuringai Cycles (just on the S side of the train line at Hornsby and Cyclesport on Pennant Hills Rd at Thornleigh. You will find each shop sells a couple of brands. You can also go 2nd hand.
I'll recommend you get Giant Hard Tails. New about $800-$1000.
Maybe something like these each:
Yukon: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/model/...
Alias: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/model/...
Strata has cable/mechanical disc brakes so should be cheaper and will be fine: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/model/...
At the lower end of price range (around $1000 each) it's better IMHO to stay with a Hardtail.
2nd hand Hardtails if you want to go cheaper (say $350 or so), friends and I have available:
Size SMALL 2nd hand 2007 Giant Yukon, all NEW drivetrain
Size LARGE 2nd Hand 2007 Trek 3400
Size LARGE 2nd hand 2007 Specialized Rockhopper
Size SMALL 2nd hand 2007 Specialized Rockhopper
Hey don't forget to join www.hsmba.info, and message if you live around Thornleigh and want a hand.
not trying to talk you out of it but ...
as a newbie myself i was quite surprised at how cheap the bike was after all the accessories ... roof rack plus three bike carriers and all of the bits and pieces like helmet, gel gloves, glasses, floor pump, spare tubes, gas cyclinders and heads, tyre levers, saddle bags, lights (ay-up for me and planet bike for the girls), gps, etc ...
i found the following two sites informative ...
www.bikeexchange.com.au
www.ebay.com.au
but like most of the people said, just get what you are happy with ... i've a friend of a friend that buys $200 kmart bikes ... they are crappy, heavy and the thing that scares me is that one of them has fallen apart in the short time i have known him which is just a couple of months, but hey, that's his thing and he goes everywhere i go on my $2000+ bike and he thinks it's great ...
btw ...
i purchased a 2010 giant anthem x3 $2400 for myself and two [end of season] 2009 giant yukon $900 each for my best friend and her daughter and a $150 supercheap auto special for guests (i let a friend ride my bike and rode this down the oaks trail and definately noticed the difference especially with respect to after ride ulnar neuropathy / handlebar palsy and arm pump) ...
bottom line ...
we all absolutely love our bikes, go riding all the time and my only regret is sometimes i wish i bought my friend one like mine ... the most important thing however is that you found this site ... i find the organised rides a blast ... great rides and great people ...
@byron: So which one was Mark riding when he nearly expired on that morning ride at terrey hills?
he was riding the supercheap auto bike
he got bitten by the bike bug after that and now rides more often than i do ... you wouldn't recognise him as the same rider ...
ps: every day without a bike is a day without a bike [*how sad - who could live like that*]
- I thought we'd never see him again!
I notice the tech specs for the monari mention a "zero stack" headset. Does that come with a guarantee? Does he know something about bikes we don't? Tell you what, with my recent history, I could do with one of those.