# MTB newb/noob/whatever



## MatthewJMcc (27 Aug 2012)

Hello fellow cyclists,
I am fully aware of the pros and cons of rigid/hardtail/fullsus (although I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to go off roading on a rigid frame ) but I would like some guidance in the right direction as to what mountain bike I should be looking at. As a beginner in the mtb world my guess would be that hardtail is the first stop and for something decent i should be looking at something in the £500 plus range. As a former employee of halfords, thanks but no thanks if you get what i mean

thank you in advance for your assistance and i do apologise if someone like this has been posted before hand.


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## lukesdad (27 Aug 2012)

Have you read the sticky in this section Matthew ? A HT is a good place to start, good components at the outset is your major concern, if you want to avoid expense later on, a good set of forks, decide what travel you need and whether you would like lockout or not. Hydraulic discs, and as good a component set as you can afford, upto XT quality if you can stretch it. Your next descision is wheel size 29 or 26. There is quite a lot of debate on which is best but to simplyfy one rolls better the other accelerates better,your choice. Tyre choice you need to get this right Tubeless or the traditional tube type if you want to avoid further expense changing later on. Hope this helps.


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## Drago (27 Aug 2012)

For £500 your choice is very limited, but there are usable bikes out there within your budget.

Forget full suss at this price as you'll only get childrens toys.

Forget 29's at this price - spec for spec 29'ers are more expensive that 26'ers.

Haver a look at Spesh and trek, both of whom make good HT's in your price range, with decent frames worthy of upgrade as your skills and itnerest grow. I know you're not a Hellfrauds fan but it is genuinely worth checking out the Carrera range as some of their betters HT's such as the Kraken are actually pretty good and reasonably priced. 

My advice is try and stick to around a grand, maybe £1200, and you're looking at the Giant Trance X4, probably the best all rounder at any price, but if you do have to stick closer to £500 then follow my tips above 

Remember - chrome don't get you home. Lots of bling componentry is wasted if it's hung on a crap frame. Concentrate on getting the best frame, then forks, then wheels, then groupset. A good frame can be upgraded and will do you years. A crap frame will always ride like crap, no matter how much XT jewelry you bolt to it.


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## MatthewJMcc (27 Aug 2012)

lukesdad said:


> Have you read the sticky in this section Matthew ? A HT is a good place to start, good components at the outset is your major concern, if you want to avoid expense later on, a good set of forks, decide what travel you need and whether you would like lockout or not. Hydraulic discs, and as good a component set as you can afford, upto XT quality if you can stretch it. Your next descision is wheel size 29 or 26. There is quite a lot of debate on which is best but to simplyfy one rolls better the other accelerates better,your choice. Tyre choice you need to get this right Tubeless or the traditional tube type if you want to avoid further expense changing later on. Hope this helps.


 
As a beginner i assume travel would not need to be any bigger than 120mm? Now the tubeless/traditional tube is something i haven't heard of. Are certain rims compatible with tublessness or can any old rim do it?


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## MatthewJMcc (27 Aug 2012)

Drago said:


> For £500 your choice is very limited, but there are usable bikes out there within your budget.
> 
> Forget full suss at this price as you'll only get childrens toys.
> 
> ...


 
Personally £1000 is a bit much, especially when im only just dipping my toes into the pool if you get me. I am willing to spend more than £500 i just used that price as a starting point, perhaps max 750-800. And yes the carrera range were good a few years back but for some reason they've taken a step back with poor shifters and mechs. However thank you for the advice


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## lukesdad (27 Aug 2012)

MatthewJMcc said:


> As a beginner i assume travel would not need to be any bigger than 120mm? Now the tubeless/traditional tube is something i haven't heard of. Are certain rims compatible with tublessness or can any old rim do it?


Rims do have to be compatible, before everybody gets carried away, what is it you intend to do with your mtb Mathew ?


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## lukesdad (27 Aug 2012)

Unless you get a deal on a trek or a spesh they are over priced for their componetry especially the spesh.


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## albion (27 Aug 2012)

MatthewJMcc said:


> although I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to go off roading on a rigid frame )


Even in that cross country world cup some rigids were used.

So if rigids are used for off-road competition what about us plodding mortals?


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## MatthewJMcc (27 Aug 2012)

lukesdad said:


> Rims do have to be compatible, before everybody gets carried away, what is it you intend to do with your mtb Mathew ?


 
really just getting to grip with the world of mtb'ing so perhaps some woodland tracks ? nothing to serious but with some degree of difficulty. Dont know how many of those around birmingham i can find though


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## lukesdad (27 Aug 2012)

how about one of these have a look at the reviews http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_comp.html


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## lukesdad (27 Aug 2012)

or this if the budget would stretch http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_team.html


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## MatthewJMcc (27 Aug 2012)

lukesdad said:


> how about one of these have a look at the reviews http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_comp.html


 
not a big fan of boardmans after working at hellfords must admit


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## nick.b (28 Aug 2012)

MatthewJMcc said:


> Hello fellow cyclists,
> I am fully aware of the pros and cons of rigid/hardtail/fullsus (although I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to go off roading on a rigid frame ) but I would like some guidance in the right direction as to what mountain bike I should be looking at. As a beginner in the mtb world my guess would be that hardtail is the first stop and for something decent i should be looking at something in the £500 plus range. As a former employee of halfords, thanks but no thanks if you get what i mean
> 
> thank you in advance for your assistance and i do apologise if someone like this has been posted before hand.


 

in honesty, HTs are probably harder to ride then a full sus in many situations, although i pref them they tend to be a touch on the twitchy side if your doing anything 2*- 3* - which is certainly a challange for a beginer but not out of reach.

all depends on what you plan to do, your later post of £750ish would get you a very nice full sus, used but great condition, that will absorb many of your mistakes and make the learning curve much more enjoyable.

if you want to go to Bike parks as a noob, then go full sus, speaking as someone who learn the hard way on a hardtail, and has the scars to prove it, hardtails also knacker you out quicker as your taking all the shock.

if you just want to ride around woody areas then go HT imo.

have a look at this, it will hep you decide on what style of biking youd like to get into, (note, i wouldnt suggest Freeride unless you have balls of steel)
http://www.chicksandsbikepark.co.uk/trail_guide/


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## nick.b (28 Aug 2012)

also, consider that getting a good frame is the priority, as for gears etc, i wouldnt worry about getting all the best conponents as the 1st time you come a cropper youll probably smash your rear mech to bits or twist it through the wheel, youll be amazed how hard it can be to try and get the mech out of a wheel.....


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## billflat12 (28 Aug 2012)

Buy the best hardtail you can afford and you will never regret it,
In my honest opinion a good hardtail can be more fun and is definitely the best way to go for any serious beginner, It just gives you a more positive feel for what,s going on underneath you over rough ground, this in turn will enable you to develop better skills to tackle more technical terrain later on.,
I must admit a ht. can be more tiring on longer rides & suspension defiantly keeps you out of trouble as your more in touch with the ground for better grip + helps encourage us to ride harder. which of course could end in disaster without good handling skills.


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## Tui (29 Aug 2012)

Have you had a look at the Evans site? There overpriced but they have loads of choice, might give you some ideas?


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## MatthewJMcc (29 Aug 2012)

Tui said:


> Have you had a look at the Evans site? There overpriced but they have loads of choice, might give you some ideas?


 
i think they're reasonably priced but yes i have, the rockhopper catches my eye quite a fair bit


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## MatthewJMcc (29 Aug 2012)

nick.b said:


> in honesty, HTs are probably harder to ride then a full sus in many situations, although i pref them they tend to be a touch on the twitchy side if your doing anything 2*- 3* - which is certainly a challange for a beginer but not out of reach.
> 
> all depends on what you plan to do, your later post of £750ish would get you a very nice full sus, used but great condition, that will absorb many of your mistakes and make the learning curve much more enjoyable.
> 
> ...


 
that website is fantastic, shame im 19 and car insurance is around 7000 for me  but i do like a challenge so HT it is and quicker knackering means more fitness if you ask me


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## MatthewJMcc (29 Aug 2012)

was thinking of this one http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/rockhopper-expert-2012-mountain-bike-ec030688


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## nick.b (30 Aug 2012)

MatthewJMcc said:


> was thinking of this one http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/rockhopper-expert-2012-mountain-bike-ec030688


 

i had a go on one of those and they are a nice bike, although i would pref 120 travel, i think this frame is ok with that but i cant see a spec sheet for it, 100mm would be fine for xc though, its a nice bike, but for £800 id want a better fork.


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## nick.b (30 Aug 2012)

Important to note that the 2013 bikes will be out soon and the 2012 frames will drop in price, 9 of 10 times its just a colour change and you can save £150, but if thats the one the you can get it with a free £75 voucher here, personally, id ring rutlands up and haggle a discount, they will normally move a bit (my local bike shop so have some experiance), id aim for 10% off, which they can easily do, and see if theyll do it.

http://www.rutlandcycling.com/42764...Expert-2012-with-free--75-Online-Voucher.html

Important also, its a 29" wheel, make sure you want that and not a standerd 26".


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## MatthewJMcc (30 Aug 2012)

nick.b said:


> Important to note that the 2013 bikes will be out soon and the 2012 frames will drop in price, 9 of 10 times its just a colour change and you can save £150, but if thats the one the you can get it with a free £75 voucher here, personally, id ring rutlands up and haggle a discount, they will normally move a bit (my local bike shop so have some experiance), id aim for 10% off, which they can easily do, and see if theyll do it.
> 
> http://www.rutlandcycling.com/42764...Expert-2012-with-free--75-Online-Voucher.html
> 
> Important also, its a 29" wheel, make sure you want that and not a standerd 26".


 
yeh i was thinking about waiting till the new year as they usually knock at least 100 quid off and as for your last post i was thinking the same about the fork travel, bit disappointed with that


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## Cubist (30 Aug 2012)

MatthewJMcc said:


> yeh i was thinking about waiting till the new year as they usually knock at least 100 quid off and as for your last post i was thinking the same about the fork travel, bit disappointed with that


Why disappointed re fork travel? A 100mm fork on a 29er is plenty for many trails, don't forget the effect that the bigger wheels have. Plus, long travel 29ers will have very difficult geometry in "normal" sizes.


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## nick.b (30 Aug 2012)

Cubist said:


> Why disappointed re fork travel? A 100mm fork on a 29er is plenty for many trails, don't forget the effect that the bigger wheels have. Plus, long travel 29ers will have very difficult geometry in "normal" sizes.


 
well, personally, i wouldnt want a 29er, thats why i pointed it out incase the OP hadnt noticed, but 100mm travel doesnt give a bike as much flexability generally speaking.


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## Cubist (31 Aug 2012)

nick.b said:


> well, personally, i wouldnt want a 29er, thats why i pointed it out incase the OP hadnt noticed, but 100mm travel doesnt give a bike as much flexability generally speaking.


In 26 inch I'd agree, but the geometry of a 29er means that the stack height is already long with 100mm forks. The wagon wheel effect smoothing out the bumps (allegedly) means that 100mm is perfectly adequate, even for pretty extreme trails. 120s and 140s are out there, but the stack heights make them awkward and needing flat if not backswept bars to keep the front end at sensible heights.


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