# new to mtb



## joanne (10 Feb 2013)

hi just wanted some advice on which mtb to buy, ive been looking around as you do, reading all the mags and reviews but as a beginner to mtb really not sure, just wondering what real riders would recommend. i am a 5ft lady who doesnt want a ladies bike, im mainly interested in cross country trail riding rather than full on mountain biking i have a specilized road bike at the moment and a carrera subway hybrid.i do have a budget of up to £700.


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## al-fresco (10 Feb 2013)

I would look for shops selling 2012 models which should be heavily discounted around now. Last year I picked up an aluminium framed hardtail on-line from the Edinburgh Bike Co-op - it came with Rockshox air forks, Avid Juicy disc brakes and Shimano SLX gears for £500 and, as well as country tracks, towpaths and bridleways, it's handled Scottish wilderness, Welsh bogs and the red trail at Llandegla without breaking. All in the hands of a complete novice. I think it turned out to be a very good buy. The only thing I've upgraded in the first 1,000 miles were the pedals. 

Yeah, I'd love a carbon framed 29er but your budget (and mine) - I'd look for something with the best combination of hydraulic discs, decent forks and quality gearing that I could get.


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## lulubel (10 Feb 2013)

Why do you not want a ladies bike? At your height, you won't get much choice in unisex frames because most manufacturers who have a separate ladies range only go down to around 15 or 16 inches in unisex. That will probably be too big for you.

To give you an idea, my OH is 5ft6 and rides a 16 inch frame, I'm 5ft2 and ride a 13 inch ladies frame (although I would have been OK with the 15 inch version of the same bike, but I got mine in a sale and the 15 inch was sold out).


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## BimblingBee (10 Feb 2013)

As above, go for a '11 or '12 and you could get a steal with up to 60% off brand new. At your size it may be worth trying a women's specific mtb as they cater for the shorter reach etc that girls have so you can have a men's spec mtb but not have a short stem fitted which can effect handling as its unlikely you would wider bars which counteract this. In the last few years manufactures have realised the market for women's bikes and they are really good, although downside is that they are hard to come by in the sales!

If you are unsure of what you want then sticking to the big brands Boardman, specialized, marin, trek etc won't see you far wrong.


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## Kestevan (14 Feb 2013)

The current Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 looks to be a cracking bike. Not sure on sizing though; you being quite petite might struggle to get a decent fit.


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## joanne (18 Feb 2013)

ive been looking at the scott they go to extra small that may be the bike for me


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## Motozulu (18 Feb 2013)

I'd definately recommend that you try one for size, whatever you go for - as has been said with you being a small lady the sizing difference you get between bike makers could be crucial.


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## Licramite (25 Feb 2013)

have you considered clothing.
my advice is (depending on the sort of off roading you do) don't be foolied by magazines - wear long trousers !.
I ride along tracks and bridlepaths , this time of year thier muddy but ok, come summer they get very overgrown and your legs get cut to bits.
long sleeves are advisable and gloves ( of course)
Helmet is a definate, not just for coming off (as you will) but or overhanging branches, bramble bushes, I werar a closed in one as opposed to a road helmet but you can get away with a road one but bits get in your helmet.
if you go for clipless pedals I think the type that has a pedal aswell as a clip is best


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## trio25 (26 Feb 2013)

Why definetly not a women's specific bike? I am 5'3" and have rode both, shorter than me and you will struggle on a unisex bike. Women's specific bikes have got a lot better in recent years!

The biggest thing is fit, is spesh fit well for road bike might be worth looking at their mtb's.


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## BikeLiker (26 Feb 2013)

trio25 said:


> Why definetly not a women's specific bike? I am 5'3" and have rode both, shorter than me and you will struggle on a unisex bike. Women's specific bikes have got a lot better in recent years!
> 
> The biggest thing is fit, is spesh fit well for road bike might be worth looking at their mtb's.


 

I think you're right to avoid women's frames. Mrs BikeLiker bought a Women's GT avalanche and it was dreadful - like riding a shopping back with absurdly short reach. My impression of them is that they're aimed at people who like the idea of an MTB but don't want to be inconvenienced by a crossbar.


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## rudis_dad (26 Feb 2013)

BikeLiker said:


> My impression of them is that they're aimed at people who like the idea of an MTB but don't want to be inconvenienced by a crossbar.


 
Think you might be missing the point here - a WSD frame is just like the unisex version (usually) but with a shorter front centre, since women are usually proportionally shorter in the torso and longer in the leg than men. Thus a unisex frame even with a shorter stem may be too long for some ladies.

And besides which, you don't see many lady MTBers wearing skirts these days...


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## Licramite (26 Feb 2013)

I would give a thought to tyres to. - if your only doing trails and bridle paths you might be better off looking at something less nobbly , nimbus sports or such like.
(I,ve got nobblys on mine and I must change them as when I'm on the road it goes like a wheelbarrow ! and I generally stick to trails and bridlepaths so I din't need full nobblys)


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## BikeLiker (26 Feb 2013)

rudis_dad said:


> Think you might be missing the point here - a WSD frame is just like the unisex version (usually) but with a shorter front centre, since women are usually proportionally shorter in the torso and longer in the leg than men. Thus a unisex frame even with a shorter stem may be too long for some ladies.
> 
> And besides which, you don't see many lady MTBers wearing skirts these days...


 
I understand the thinking but I think, on the Avalanche at least, it was taken way too far. The GTW on the left has a steeper sloping, lower crossbar and therefore, a less rigid frame.


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## joanne (26 Feb 2013)

seems quite a controversial topic to go lady or not lady being small i totally get the shorter reach thing but they do tend to be less serious bikes for girls especially when they insist on putting pink colour schemes on them


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## rudis_dad (27 Feb 2013)

> The GTW on the left has a steeper sloping, lower crossbar and therefore, a less rigid frame.


 
Sorry, but that simply isn't true. A smaller frame is going to to be stiffer than a larger frame all day long, simply because of the reduction in leverage.

It's clear that you don't know much about engineering, frame design and triangulation or material properties.


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## rudis_dad (27 Feb 2013)

> they do tend to be less serious bikes for girls


 
I disagree. Have a look at what Cannondale, Specialised, Trek and Orange have to offer.

Cannondale
Orange


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## BikeLiker (27 Feb 2013)

rudis_dad said:


> Sorry, but that simply isn't true. A smaller frame is going to to be stiffer than a larger frame all day long, simply because of the reduction in leverage.
> 
> It's clear that you don't know much about engineering, frame design and triangulation or material properties.


 
Well, sorry I can't reciprocate with sweeping generalisations on your abilities or lack of them after reading two sentences you have written, I must lack your sagacious insight into these matters. Either that or your vitriol stems from feeling slightly embarrassed because you have bought / recommended a woman's frame

Back on topic, an equilateral triangle provides the most rigid form for three tubes joined together. The more you deviate from this form the less rigid the result which is why there are 3 tubes instead of 2 on any serious bike The woman's frame has more assymetry in the length of seatpost v toptube so is less rigid_ for a comparable size_.
Setting aside engineering theory, me and my wife have owned the 2 bikes above and I maintain from that experience that women designed frames are inferior.


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## rudis_dad (28 Feb 2013)

Oh right, okay. So engineering "theory" (or "facts" as I prefer to call them) must have been wrong for centuries then...

I agree that the old "step-through" women's frames were very much inferior in their structural properties than the equivalent man's frame because the front "triangle" was actually more of a parallelogram; but to state that a smaller diamond frame will be inherently more flexible than a larger version is just utter nonsense.

By this argument, a BMX frame would be like a modelling balloon compared to the biggest road frame available, which clearly isn't the case!!

Any frame designer, fabrication design engineer (that'll be me then, although 25 years in the trade can't be called any sort of experience, can it?), structural engineer or even architect will tell you the smaller the triangulation, the stiffer the structure.

I would hazard a guess that with the two bikes given as an example, at that price point you will experience an incredible amount of flex from poor-quality machine-built wheels and spindly mass-produced suspension forks. And to be quite honest, unless your good lady is, erm, shall we say, very "big boned" (which I am sure she isn't), there's no way on this earth that you're going to be able to induce a noticable degree of flex in either frame short of putting it in a flexure test jig. A 5-foot, 7 - 9 stone woman is never going to put as much stress on a frame as a 6-foot, 14 stone bloke, whichever way you look at it.

Having said that, I don't know why I bother because you can't argue with idiots...


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## Cubist (28 Feb 2013)

Well rounded argument and a particlularly impressive last line. Gets a 7/10 from me as it's not quite sweary enough


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## BikeLiker (28 Feb 2013)

rudis_dad said:


> Having said that, I don't know why I bother because you can't argue with idiots...


 

We're discussing bikes. I've had a nice day in Llandegla doing this. 






Try it or, alternatively, one of these and lie down in a dark room for a year.


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## Tango (2 Mar 2013)

rudis_dad said:


> And besides which, you don't see many lady MTBers wearing skirts these days...



I am sure I detect a note of disappointment there


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## Tango (2 Mar 2013)

There are some great women specific mountain bikes as mentioned earlier

MrsT has a WSD Trek ex5 and loves it, specialized myka, orange diva, etc are also worth a look. 

If possible try before you buy is a good idea


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