On/off road mountain bike

twin27

Hi all , I'm wondering if I could get any advice on which mountain bike to buy . It would be used 50/50 on road and off road trekking , ballyhoura etc. Thing is I have a bad back so was thinking full suspension with lockout for road use ?? I don't want to buy a bike and after a few months want to upgrade after gaining more knowledge about mtb. Any help would be greatly appreciated . I have a budget of between 1000 and 1400 .

davey101

twin27 wrote: »

I don't want to buy a bike and after a few months want to upgrade after gaining more knowledge about mtb.

Thats inevitable!

Spend as much as you can, but haggle for a bargain.

I would probably go for a Giant Anthem..
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p3493

No rear lockout but you could pump up shock to its max

kuro_man

bad back does not necessarily mean a road bike won't work for you, mtb will be heavy and require more effort on the road.

If you go with the 1 bike option, it might be a good idea to allow for a second set of wheels, with road-friendly tyres and cassette, for easy swap over.

C3PO

For what it's worth, in my opinion you, will never get a bike that will do both on/off road properly particularly if you are thinking about full suspension! A full suspension bike will always be horrible on the road unless you go really top end and buy something like a high end Giant Anthem X or Specialized Epic. I would suggest a decent hardtail and the 2nd set of wheels as per kuro man's post as the best compromise!

ford2600

I bought a 2nd hand Cube competition, about 900 new for 400. In excellent condition. Use it 50/50 road off road. Mainly for errands and cycling on cycle path etc with wife. Off road is Ballyhoura type and also a little downhill when feeling brave. Find it excellent.

55psi when on road, 25-35psi when off road depending, learning as I go really. My heart would be broken putting a 1500-2000 bike through the punishment this bike gets!

Saying that, keep it clean and lubed and she gives no bother

twin27 wrote: »

Hi all , I'm wondering if I could get any advice on which mountain bike to buy . It would be used 50/50 on road and off road trekking , ballyhoura etc. Thing is I have a bad back so was thinking full suspension with lockout for road use ?? I don't want to buy a bike and after a few months want to upgrade after gaining more knowledge about mtb. Any help would be greatly appreciated . I have a budget of between 1000 and 1400 .

twin27

Sounds good ford 2600 , like the cube as well . Does anyone know of any shops in cork area that have these in stock so I could have a look at the giant , cube etc

lgk

kuro_man wrote: »

bad back does not necessarily mean a road bike won't work for you

True, but a road bike would be crap for the 50% off-road use.