First mountain bike

kingshankly

Hi all I'm sure this topic has been flogged to death but ill go on.
About to purchase my first mountain bike I live in south armagh a few miles from slieve gullion ravensdsle which gave some good tracks plus kilbroney park have new ones opening soon do I have decided I'm gonna start.
Going to purchase it on the bike to work so will spend the full amount .
Was in halfords yesterday and seen the Careara banshee x for 1k is this any good or is there better options out there.
I realise 1k is probably not going to buy much of a full suspension bike but I haven't a clue which represents value or not.

muckwarrior

Do you need full suspension? You'd probably get a much better quality hard tail for your cash.

.red.

I bought my first bike last year and was told that for a beginner a hard tail would be a better buy. Something to do with it making you a better rider and honing your skills a bit more than a full suspension.
I ended up buying a 2nd hand cube attention for €450 which was in good mechanical condition but had a few scratches that i wasnt bothered about.
Dont forget the price of other bits like a helmet, water bottle, cycling shorts, bag, mini tool kit and a spare tube just incase you get caught out. These will come to another €100-200 depending on what you buy and can be used on the bike to work with the bike.
Another thing to remember is when you fall it hurts. As i found out and ended up out of work for a month and ended up spending more on physio than i did on the bike. This was down to going out in very bad conditions and trying to keep up with lads who were a lot more skilled and quicker than me so it was my own stupidity.
Its one hell of a sport/hobby tho and i love it. Its a great way to pass away a few hours

kingshankly

Cheers have all the equipment shoes helmet etc which I got when I bought my road bike a few years ago(which has been on the turbo trainer now for 2 years)
I thought full suspension would be a must going up and down rough trails?

C3PO

You won't buy a decent new full suspension bike for €1000 end of story! All of the mainstream manufacturers have decent hardtail offerings at the €1000 price point and there's probably not a lot to choose between them. Avoid Suntour forks like the plague - Fox or Rockshox only! If you're keen on using Halfords I would buy a Boardman - this one looks well specced and good value for money.

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_777799_langId_-1_categoryId_212589

mcgratheoin

kingshankly wrote: »

I thought full suspension would be a must going up and down rough trails?

Full suspension is like a spoiler on a car. It has a clear and definite function at a specific level, but slapping one on a Nissan Micra will only increase fuel consumption and inhibit performance. It may look good to someone who doesn't know better, but you'll be left standing at the lights by a Renault Clio. Full sus does exactly the same thing. For the terrain you will be cycling over, a hard tail will fully accommodate all the drops and roughness of the ground, but will allow you to transfer all of your energy to the wheels when you're pedalling and will be lighter when going up hills. A full sus will waste your energy by bouncing up and down every time you pedal and will give you several kilos extra to carry uphill.

If you're still in doubt then have a look at the Olympic mountain bike race from London last year and decide if that's the sort of terrain you're talking about - all of those competitors were riding hard tails.

.red.

you will get a much higher quality bike if you go for a hardtail.
better to have a good quality front suspension than a poor quality full suspension.
just make sure you can lock out the forks from the handle bars, this will be on most bikes but but not all and will make going up fire roads a lot easier and use less energy. dont forget to turn it off tho once you go onto a trail.
most of the trails ive been on are'nt exactly smooth but not too rough and the front shocks are plenty.
if you do insist on full then you are probably better off going 2nd hand. some shops will have them and you will still be able to use the bike to work.

ford2600

If in the north this might work if it fitted. Decent spec. One or two others in their clearance section. Try wiggle also
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=93946

C3PO

mcgratheoin wrote: »

If you're still in doubt then have a look at the Olympic mountain bike race from London last year and decide if that's the sort of terrain you're talking about - all of those competitors were riding hard tails.

At the risk of being a smart arse! Here's Kulhavy, the winner, at the London Olympics! That's not a hard tail!

.red.

just had a quick look at the banshee and while im a newbie and dont know a whole lot about them, i was told by a few lads to stay clear of Suntour shocks. i was told get Rockshox if possible as their the best of the lower-mid end price scale.

mcgratheoin

C3PO wrote: »

At the risk of being a smart arse! Here's Kulhavy, the winner, at the London Olympics! That's not a hard tail!

Whoops

I wonder what the split was so?

C3PO

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Whoops

I wonder what the split was so?

I think there might have been 2 out if the top 10 on full suss bikes! At the end of the day the pro's will ride what they are told and Specialized would insist on Kulhavy being on an Epic!

rab!dmonkey

Not all Suntour forks are terrible. Their Epicon and Raidon models would not put me off a budget bike. XCR and XCM are a different story though - avoid like the plague.

kingshankly

Ok folks thanks very much hard tail it is with lock out front suspension any suggestions 800-1200 range or anything to avoid

ford2600

Some other lads here can recommend a mtb.
Just a warning, if you do ride off road, particularly in wet, you need to give attention to cleaning drivetrain after every ride. Low pressure water only.

Chains in wet mucky conditions wear quickly, as do cassettes etc if you don't check chain regularly.

Buy brake pads with bike and keep them in stock, they cn wear quicly too. I find online much cheaper, but you need to know which one first off.

If your reasonably fit from road bike and don't mind the dirt it's a blast.

Enjoy

fenris

Keep an eye out for introductory spins run by local MTB clubs.

Book some training, preferably before you get your bike, rent either a bike go for a spin/lesson and hand it back, it will get you started on the right footing and help avoid bad habits that you will end up trying to unlearn later. It also means that you could give a full sus a go without having to buy one first.

As regards hardtail V full sus., if you have the cash go full sus on a last years model, I know everyone says go hardtail first but a lot of people who do end up trying to flog their hardtail fairly soon to fund a full sus. The tech is out there let it work for you, on the other hand there are always a good few nearly new hardtails to be found second hand from people selling them on!

Go and have a look at what people are riding on your local trails, MTB'ers are usually quite happy to talk about their bikes, if you want to really start a discussion mention 29'ers!