Starting MTB

Bren10101

i was in killiney park the other day, and i saw that there were loads of bike tracks all through the park, down the hill. I'm getting my first proper mountain bike in a while (Im looking out for a good hardtail), so would these be an ideal place to practice. Obviously you wouldn't be able to use thenm on busy weekends, as too much walkers about, but during unbusy times would they be ideal.

I'm asking this as i live less than 15mins away at a cycle from them, and i don't want to have to go up ticknock, or leadmines every time i want to cycle, as I don't have a car.

Also are there any other trails around the Dun Laoghaire-Cabintealy area?

Also im currently looking on gumtree and irishDh but please post here is you are selling a bike.

dave.obrien

Bren10101 wrote: »

Also are there any other trails around the Dun Laoghaire-Cabintealy area?

Taylor's Three Rock is handy enough from there, and great trails for people of mixed ability. Can't help with elsewhere though...

Bren10101

thanks for the info, dont think ill be cycling that far though, especially on a heavyish bike. thanks anyway man.

dave.obrien

Bren10101 wrote: »

thanks for the info, dont think ill be cycling that far though, especially on a heavyish bike. thanks anyway man.

It's about as close to Cabo as you'll get, to be honest! There;s also a dirt jump style track on the road from kilternan to enniskerry, if that's at all appealling...

Bren10101

okay, cheers, have you ever being up killiney hill, have you any idea about the trails there?

dave.obrien

Yeah, but not since I was a kid. My understanding is that the trails around there aren't great, nor are they designated. A blind eye will be turned to youngsters, but anyone over the age of 16 would attract complaints, I'd say... Seriously, beg/borrow/steal a lift to 3 rock. It's worth it!

Bren10101

okay ill do that then

anyone selling a bike?

Sniipe

check out adverts.ie

Bren10101

Sniipe wrote: »

check out adverts.ie

checked that, nothing that stands out to me atm there, will keep checking back though.

Icyseanfitz

try the buy and sell section on epicmtb and madmtb as well, btw whats your budget for the bike and what kind of mtbing do you intend to do? xc or dh

Bren10101

i plan to do dh, once i have the money and skills i'll get a full suspension frame.

Icyseanfitz

if i where you id start with some xc just to build up your fitness and bike handling ability and then later on move into some DH when you enough saved to buy a decent full suspension bike (i really wouldnt want to be doing proper DH on a hardtail)

Bren10101

yeah, i was thinking of doing mainly xc to start off, to build up my fitness, and the like, then move to a more dh.

also what do you think of this bike :here:

would it be too heavy to be lugging up a hill? Any other thoughts? Any other suggested bikes instead?

Basically what i'm looking for is an allright hardtail, not too heavy, but also strong enough to take drops and a bit of dh/fr on it. also a fork with around 140mm or maybe a bit more travel on it, that norco has 160mm.

Would i be able to get a bike like that for that amount? Or am i asking too much for my skills and money?

Icyseanfitz

id say that bike weighs a nice bit just from looking at it but send him a pm anyway and find out the weight, if its below 14kg it should do the job for some xc and dh stuff (although as i said a hardtail wont be all that great for dh unless you've got savage skill)
check this maybe http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14102
or this http://www.madmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6663

the problem with getting something with say 160mm travel up front will be when your climbing you will have a lot of your weight going to the back of the bike instead of going to the front which isnt good,
what my advice is is that you should save up and get a decent xc bike (buy new would be my advice as i got burned buying a second hand full susser) and when your fitness and bike handling skills are getting good think about whether you want to get a dedicated Dh bike (could always sell your xc bike for €'s) or not

Icyseanfitz

this would be an ideal kind of bike for you as its geometry and suspension can be changed from xc mode to dh mode (i have a bike from bionicon as i was in the same position you find yourself in, not sure whether to go xc or dh) its fairly pricey but you might be able to get him to lower it a bit.
the thing about starting out with mtbing is that its an expensive sport to get into, you will find that if you buy a cheap second hand bike you will spend a ton on getting it repaired and back into good condition (at least i did, bought a bike for 900 spent another 1000 if not more on it) and also remember you will need money for the gear and equipment besides the bike.

Ricky91t

Hey Bren10101,

I recently got interested in mountain biking and was faced with the same decision as you, I nearly bought a 2004 giant DH bike for €400 but didn't.

In the end I spent €800 on a KTM Ultra Flite which I now use for XC and some light/mild downhill at the end of the XC course I cycle. I'm really pleased I made this decision to get a light XC hardtail. I used to have an ~18KG apollo phaze and cycling this course would kill me, but my KTM is perfect for all of it. It's a great way to build up fitness as when you start out DH you're probably gonna be very cautious and not go very quickly so probably won't be out of breath too much/build up a sweat.

The first time I tried the DH section, I fell a lot, The second time I went back with a new front tyre, I fell less but still used the breaks a lot. By the end of It though my confidence was building and I was able to take sections fast and keep a good pace, the bike probably isn't great. But try and cycle either a heavy hardtail or full suss up the uphill bits and you'll be wrecked I'd definitely recommend an XC hardtail.

Now a lot of people warned me against getting one, saying they'd be no good when I'd want to do jumps and stuff but so far I've had no issues and if you're afraid of damaging it you can avoid jumps. My bikes 13KG which I find is very light, You need to keep a lot of weight over the back tyre so make sure if you get a used bike it's got a good back tyre and a decent set of breaks.

Next join a local club, Go on spins I started by going off-roading on my own, which was fine but I'd just look at the DH section and cycle down a flat path instead. First time I went with a group I stuck to the back, watched them and then followed and made it down relatively well on my first attempt. It helps a lot. If you're new enough to off-roading/cycling don't be afraid to cycle on the road as well, I go this a lot and I think it keeps my fitness up, I cycle home up steep hills, obviously it wouldn't simulate and off road hill climb but it'll help with your fitness. Uphill is probably the worst thing about XC but it's worth it cause you know they'll be a downhill bit at the end.

Bren10101

okay, you've convinced me to get a xc style bike, thanks.

do the irishxc crowd have forums, or will i just have to look through the club forums to find a bike?

Also would i be able to get a good bike for under 400euros, second hand?

Icyseanfitz

id say you should, put up a wanted ad on madmtb, epicmtb, irishdh etc just make sure someone looks at the bike before you buy it as id say there are a lot of bad bikes in the €400 range (hopefully some good ones too)
i hope you get up and running quickly and best of luck to you

Bren10101

would a dirtjump bike be good or too heavy? I know a lad with a secret track wouldn't mind having a bike to go on it, with an xc style of bike it wouldn't be suitable.

I was thinking like a giant stp or something, but would those be too heavy for climbing with? I see loads of them in and around my budget.

Ricky91t

I think a dirt jump bike is a bit restrictive, I know they're a bit smaller than XC/DH bikes and I think that might be an issue if you want to get more into that stuff.

It sounds like you're a bit like me in wanting to get a bike as soon as possible but all I'd say is, Just chill out and wait for the right bike, You don't want to get something you'll regret.

Bren10101

okay, 3 thins

1) I have decided to chill relax and calmly buy an xc hardtail, dirtjump or bmx or dh bikes can come later, once ive mastered the basics.

2) I have realised that i need to be patient, i cant get a bike immediatly.

3) I have realised i have no clue at all about xc bikes, so i need help picking one online. :P

Ricky91t

Bren10101 wrote: »

okay, 3 thins

1) I have decided to chill relax and calmly buy an xc hardtail, dirtjump or bmx or dh bikes can come later, once ive mastered the basics.

2) I have realised that i need to be patient, i cant get a bike immediatly.

3) I have realised i have no clue at all about xc bikes, so i need help picking one online. :P

It's the best thing to do or else you might make an impulse buy and regret it. Firstly are you willing to travel far for a bike and if not want county's could you go to? Loads of clubs has for sale parts( like icyseanfizt said) and usually buying a bike from a well known member on there means it'll probably be as described.

Secondly what height are you? Frames range from 16-22 inch and usually 18,19 and 20imch bikes are the most common.

Thirdly, safety ive only done this a while and already have some bad cuts and bruises, which are all part of the fun as long as your heads ok, make sure you budget for a helmet, either a full face or non full face just get one. If you turn up to a club meeting without a helmet people could get quite angry... Just saying!

Bren10101

im 5 foot 7, and cant travel far from dublin.

Icyseanfitz

well epicmtb and madmtb are in dublin and they always have the best for sale section out of any club just put up a wanted ad with your budget height etc. and see what happens, couldnt hurt right

Bren10101

okay, i also emailed biking.ie, got a reply that he could sell me a Trek 4300 (M/L) for 390euro and also a Trek Bruiser (S) for 250euro.

would either of those be good choices?

Icyseanfitz

any idea what the spec is on the Trek 4300 ? if biking.ie is selling it to you it will probably be decent

Bren10101

he said it was 2 month old, so id assume its the 2011 model?

what would you say about those two bikes.

is the trek bruiser a worse bike? is that why its cheapish, or is it simply because its older?

Icyseanfitz

ive no idea tbh, id have to see what components each has (brakes,fork,frame,chainset etc.) but id say the 4300 is better if its dearer (pretty much how it goes with mtb's)

Bren10101

okay, thanks, ill email him back saying im interested and asking for the spec, be back soon, thanks for the help so far man

Icyseanfitz

no problem, one important thing to have on a mtb is hydraulic disk brakes, make sure to ask if they are on it, and if you get the full spec throw it up here and il have a look at it for you

travist

Icysean

I was also looking for some advice and posted below in case you can help.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056255172

Icyseanfitz

seems like a very good bike travis, but if your willing to spend €1000 id look very seriously at this, you wont find a better speced hardtail for that money (was going to buy myself but its hard to get this bike through the bike4work scheme), nice weight as well

travist

thanks for that. yes, that looks a great bike and I'd imagine great spec. As a bonus it looks great. Going to try the biketowork so could be unavailable as you mentioned. I'll see if Canyon are available anywhere within the scheme.
I was also looking at Felt if they are any good?

Icyseanfitz

the thing with canyon is that they are their own supplier and some companies/work place only use certain suppliers, i know Lemag got that bike through the b4w so get in touch with him to find out how he did it, felts are alright but they are a little bit heavy tbh (a friend of mine has one)

Bren10101

heres what i got back from Niall form Biking.ie:

4300 - 24 speed Shinamo Alivio gearing, Deore mechanical brakes and suntour forks with 100mm travel.

Bruiser - 27 speed shinamo deore gearing, avid mechanical brakes and a RST fork.

not the most detailed, but are either of these bikes worth it? I'm looking up reviews for the bikes online as well.

Bren10101

After looking at reviews the bruiser seems a nice bike, it should be solid enough for dirtjumping a bit.

But would it be too heavy an too small for uphills and xc? It would seem to be better on downhills than other hardtails though.

Icyseanfitz

i dont know tbh i personally wouldnt go with either, il probably be shot for suggesting what im about to suggest but hey what the hell i think you should go to halfords........ haha in all seriousness they do great deals at that price range, theres this, this and a little bit more for this
just make sure everything was put properly on the bike if you do decide to go with them

SuiteCheex

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

the thing with canyon is that they are their own supplier and some companies/work place only use certain suppliers, i know Lemag got that bike through the b4w so get in touch with him to find out how he did it, felts are alright but they are a little bit heavy tbh (a friend of mine has one)

I asked Lemag the same question, here was his response....

Lemag wrote: »

There really isn't much administration required for the scheme. It is a little more complicated when buy from abroad, however.

If you are to get a Canyon bike they'll have to sell it to your employer without the VAT (19% in Germany). Your employer will then have to add VAT at the Irish rate of 21% on to what they've paid Canyon and subtract this gross figure from you wages before deductions in whatever number of installments they've agreed with you. Your employer will ultimately have to pay this VAT to the revenue. If the total amount exceeds 1000e then the excess is to be given to you as a BIK. This was the case for me. What I agreed with my employer was that I'd lodge an amount into their account which was equal to the BIK.

Hope it works out for you.

I'm still waiting to hear from work if this is viable for me or not. Really hope so as the Canyon is a class bike for that price!

Icyseanfitz

yeah its a lot of bike for that money

sweetthing

bumping this tred cos I'm thinking of getting the trek 4300disc for hitting some single track trails. Anyone know if this will do the job? Full specs are here http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/sport/4_series/4300_disc/#

Seems to have everything a good entry level mtb should have...100mm of travel, hydraul disc brakes. What does everyone think? I'm based in Korea and can acquire this model for about 400 euro online here. Reviews online are very positive overall too. One magazine site even said that its frame was the best thing about the bike, which would be ideal for upgrading

Outkast_IRE

They are a nice bike no doubt and would be suitable for cross country , it was between one of these and a cube for me , the cube won here because i could get it at better price

sweetthing

Great thanks, that's reassuring. Think I'll prob get that model so. Seems to be the best bang for my buck!