help what bike for a mtb novice ?

[welshwheels]

hi i want to do some mtb riding over the winter  i have a budget of  £6/700 max !!what bike would you recomend ? i plan on riding on bridal ways greenlanes and brechfa and afan argoed trail centers .i have considered single speed what do you think ? i ride a road bike now and ride audax so im not unfit but i do understand mtbing is a different type of fitnes altogether ! any help and advice would be greatly appreciated .thanks in advance stuart.

[oncemore]

Rigid, hard tail, full sus? Tho' not the last if you are thinking new!

Giants IMO/IME always good VFM - so for starters - I'm sure more options will be along - how about:

GIANT XTC 3 2009 :: £559.95 :: Mountain Bikes :: Front Suspension :: Pauls Cycles

Second hand always my choice but that's down to you!

[Ray 6701]

Not an expert on these things but look at the 2010 models as they are pretty much all discounted at the mo.  Make sure you get a good frame & forks as the other components can & will be upgraded at a later date.  Spesh, Giant, Cannondale & scott you can't really go wrong.

[oncemore]

700 quid buys you a VERY nice hardtail on th' 'bay - might even get this for a serious offer (JUST an example):

Scandium MTB, SID, XTR, HOPE, DT, DISC on eBay (end time  13-Oct-10 23:44:30 BST)

Usual disclaimer.

[Zoidburg]

Get a hardtail.

For 600 to 700 quid look at Giant, Decathlon, Merida or the Boardman range.

The big three of Trek, Cannondale and Spesh don't offer the best spec at this price point, neither do Scott, all the mid range Scotts I have worked on have been resoundingly crap in build quality and spec for the money.

Don't buy a Trek, their mid range hardtails are not very good at all, they look awfull and they are very heavy. Kona offer poor spec at this price point as well, they are and have been over priced for a very long time.

Out of interest One-One are doing a carbon race stick for 1000 at the moment if you are prepared to put up with "quirky" customer service.

On the fitness angle.

A lot audax types struggle with MTB riding as you need upper body strength to get the most out of mountain biking, audax tends make your upper body atrophy. Upper body strength and a bit of muscle also stops you breaking things when you fall off or hit stuff.

Being skeletal is bad for you.

[welshwheels]

im far from skeletal ! 6ft and 16.5 stone    !!!! whats the general opinion on the on one inbred single speed 29er ? as i say i am new to mtb technology thanks for all your help

[Zoidburg]

The head tubes have been known to seperate on steel on-one MTBs such as the gimp or inbred, I have seen at least two that weep rust from the head tube gusset (yes, they are meant to be left open with no weld at the bottom).

For now I would stay off the single speed theme and get something with gears.

[welshwheels]

ok thanks  i will look for something with gears  internal rusting is not good on the on one 

[Chris N]

I love my rigid SS 29er Inbred but it was a big gamble having one as my first MTB for five years - though I'm not a total beginner. A more conventional bike might be a better idea, and easier to shift if you don't like it.

It'd be worth heading off to a trail centre and renting an mtb or two to see what you do and don't like.

[bikenerd]

Listen to Zoidburg - he knows his onions!

I'd also recommend Genesis bikes - look for a 2010 Altitude (steel) or Core (Aluminium) hardtail.  Should be some 2010 models available in the sales.

Most importantly - try to test ride the bikes.  I didn't get on with a Giant XTC I had as I found it a bit twitchy, but other people love them.  There are a lot of subtle geometry changes in an MTB frame which change the handling, or at least your perception of the handling - which then affects confidence and therefore your ability to ride stuff.

MTB fitness - unless you ride somewhere mountainous (Wales / Scotland / Peaks / Lakes) MTBing in Britain is a bit like sprint training - ride up a shortish hill, ride down the other side, repeat.  It's not really like the continued steady effort that an Audax is.

[starkj73]

I have been considering this:

MX5 - Ridgeback

But would either of these two be better?

Revel 0 (2011) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | UK / Ireland


Talon 3 (2011) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | UK / Ireland

[oncemore]

The specs on all those three convince me that 2nd hand is THE way to go at that money!

[Zoidburg]

It means doing business with the evil "H" but mass produced MTBs are much of a muchness.

Boardman Bikes : MTB/HT Comp

Serious dash for very little cash from the cunning Frenchies, now is the time to hit the in store sales as well for the real bargains.

Btwin - Rockrider 8.2 - BIKES / BICYCLES / CYCLES bikes VTT - Designed for regular and experienced mountain bikers looking for an all-round, high-performance MTB for cross-country riding.

[welshwheels]

i do like the boardman range  not worried about buying a bike from halfords as i do most maintenance and bike set up myself  i have a lot to think about and thanks again for all your help and advice i will probably go for a boardman 

[starkj73]

It means doing business with the evil "H" but mass produced MTBs are much of a muchness.

Boardman Bikes : MTB/HT Comp

Serious dash for very little cash from the cunning Frenchies, now is the time to hit the in store sales as well for the real bargains.

Btwin - Rockrider 8.2 - BIKES / BICYCLES / CYCLES bikes VTT - Designed for regular and experienced mountain bikers looking for an all-round, high-performance MTB for cross-country riding.

Boardman is looking very good but with 10% off this weekend could be a buy.