mountain biking???

[Kevoffthetee]

just a quickie from a complete mountain novice, is it all about blasting down hills and getting airbourne?

I've have cheap mountain bikes since I was a bairn and they never done any more than riding through the woods or along bridlepaths.

I'm wondering just how much/little punishment the budget suntour forks will take without jumping as I've no intention of doing any of that, there ergots too many videos of people braking bones doing it

 

[Venod]

Its what you want it to be, ride the bike if the forks break fit some more, I punished a pair of Suntour forks they never broke but they were crap at absorbing the bumps.

 

[Drago]

Suntour XC/ XCR forks are appalling, but you'll have to try incredibly hard to actually break them.

 

[Brandane]

Suntour XC/ XCR forks are appalling, but you'll have to try incredibly hard to actually break them.

Cheap forks are only there to tempt the buyer; they don't actually do anything other than add weight to the bike IMHO.. I like to do a bit of off road on my MTB, but like the OP I am not into throwing myself down the sides of mountains. For your average trails and forest tracks, they are ok but no better than ordinary non suspension forks. I binned mine and replaced them with much lighter carbon forks from CarbonCycles. They are more than capable of absorbing the types of bumps I come across.

 

[ScotiaLass]

It's about how you want it to be!

I have always ridden MTB's. I can't do anything technical these days due to being riddled with arthritis (spine, knees etc) but I am so used to the riding position, that I have stuck with a mountain bike (although I do have a hybrid for running errands but I really don't like it much!)
I mainly use mine for the occasional blast through local woods, trails and towpaths.
I don't need fantastic forks as most of the time they are locked out anyway but when I do give them some punishment they have worked fine!

This is my 'baby'

 

[Kevoffthetee]

thanks lads and lasses. I think I'm gonna stick some Marathon Plus tyres on it for on and off road as they should cope with a bobbly footpath. I'll see where as got some deals on

 

[jack smith]

Ive got a cheap mtb i payed 60 quid at argos clearence and ive smashed it down the red routes at hamsterly forest and over a jump bike track a few times and its fine, the forks are terrible but they havent broke yet and im 100 kilo to start with and i, not careful as this is the bike i use when im bored of the expensive road bike and want to muck around

 

[Gravity Aided]

Not having any mountains near me, just some hilly woods near a reservior, I can still need a mountain bike for those routes, and front suspension is a plus, without adding as much weight as a full sus mountain bike. I don't think a road bike or its wheels would hold up in those conditions. Rocky and dirt roads are a challenge for a road bike, let alone the rest of the things in the off road environment. Hybrids not much better, which leaves the mountain bike as the best all-rounder. Cyclo-cross would be good too, but for toughness the mountain bike wins hands down. The weight factor is another matter. Thin tires for road use and broader ones for tracks are okay, but sometimes the ride is mixed, in my area. I often have to compromise with a narrower off road tire.

 

[roadrash]

As said up thread ......... it is what ever you want it to be...............

 

[Cubist]

Nah bruv, 180mm front end travel or you isn't sendin' it. Naahtmeen?

Seriously, M+ will be pretty crap of road. And Suntour XC anything are pretty dire, but unbreakable. They'll take the sting out of smooth singletrack, so if that's how you want to ride, they won't hamper you much. You could always upgrade..... http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product...JbZqO8acIRJSTN1Zt_lH8LF5UI9fvRIh-6BoCDxLw_wcB