Mtb Aid Pls

Probably not the "right" forum but you all seem so nice and friendly .

I'm looking at buying an MTB, with the aim of joing some mates and
riding the Hidden Vale Epic next year. Would also like the option of
sticking slicks on it for commuting. The problem is I know diddly
squat about anything MTB.

I'm happy to spend abt $3k & would prefer to get something over spec'd
than under - in the "do you want the bike you'd rather pay for or the
bike you'd rather ride?" sort of way. Also, I am the type of ******
who generally spends more on gear than my ability justifies. Could be
worse - might spend it on a big 4WD.

So people, what should I look for in terms of:

- frame (brand; soft tail or hard tail etc)
- group set, and what sprt of shifting is best
- forks - my god there seems to be a dizzying array of choice
- wheels
- etc.
All advice welcomed. Please help plug this rather large gap in my
ignorance


--
monsterman

monsterman Wrote:
Probably not the "right" forum but you all seem so nice and friendly
.

I'm looking at buying an MTB, with the aim of joing some mates and
riding the Hidden Vale Epic next year. Would also like the option of
sticking slicks on it for commuting. The problem is I know diddly
squat about anything MTB.

I'm happy to spend abt $3k & would prefer to get something over spec'd
than under - in the "do you want the bike you'd rather pay for or the
bike you'd rather ride?" sort of way. Also, I am the type of ******
who generally spends more on gear than my ability justifies. Could be
worse - might spend it on a big 4WD.

So people, what should I look for in terms of:

- frame (brand; soft tail or hard tail etc)
- group set, and what sprt of shifting is best
- forks - my god there seems to be a dizzying array of choice
- wheels
- etc.
All advice welcomed. Please help plug this rather large gap in my
ignorance


Hmm... that's one huge question, so i'll just start with some
preliminary thoughts...

If you're looking to commute, a good compromise would be a nice
high-spec hardtail rather than duallie. You can always slip a
suspension seatpost on if you feel the need for off-road venturing...

Groupset? for that price, XT should be mandatory. Disc brakes will be
assumed (but that doesn't necessarily make them 'better'), just make
sure to get hydraulics...

Forks? I'm not up to date with the latest forks, although it would
probably be wise to find something air-sprung and adjustable so that it
can be firmed up for commuting, or even locked out.

Wheels? KISS I always believe... Go with a well built set of
traditional wheels... You may be offered tubeless, so worth reading up
on the pros and cons of that system...

GT offer a nice urban-oriented MTB which I've always like the look of
which can be 'retrofitted' for dirty uses as well... Probably
overpriced, but stylish...

IMHO you probably don't need to spend anywhere near $3k to get a bike
that would suit you well. $1500 would get you a very nice hardtail with
all the components most of us will ever need...


--
eddiec

"monsterman" wrote in message ..

Probably not the "right" forum but you all seem so nice and friendly .

Why not? Despite appearances this is not aus.cm or alt.melbourne.bike ;-)

snip
I'm happy to spend abt $3k & would prefer to get something over spec'd
than under - in the "do you want the bike you'd rather pay for or the
bike you'd rather ride?" sort of way.

$3k will get you a very nice HT (hard tail) which is probably best if you're planning on commuting on it. $3k will also get you a
reasonable dually

Also, I am the type of ****** who generally spends more on gear than my ability justifies.
snip.
Most of us are.

So people, what should I look for in terms of:

- frame (brand; soft tail or hard tail etc)

HT (for commuting). Brands: Giant, Avanti, Specialized, Kona, Scott, Mongoose, Merrida, Felt, Trek, Cannondale probably lots of
others.
With 3k to throw arround you could probably build up something a bit different eg
- Surly Karate Monkey with 29" (700C) wheels - gears for the weekend,single or fixed for the week
- Salsa Ala Carte for that retro look.

I think I'm showing a bias to steel...

- group set, and what sprt of shifting is best

No shifting is best - 1 gear all the way. :-D

If you insist on having gears you'll either get SRAM (the little S) or Shimano (the big S). SRAM have traditionally been twist
grips to shifts but they to trigger shifters also now.

- forks - my god there seems to be a dizzying array of choice

Whatever comes on the bike

- wheels

Same

- etc.
All advice welcomed. Please help plug this rather large gap in my
ignorance

Parbs

eddiec Wrote:
Groupset? for that price, XT should be mandatory.

My personal preference is for SRAM X.9, or X.0 if you bling factor.
Their triggers just seem a little better designed, and grip shifts are
nice if you want to lose weight - although they have their pros and
cons.

eddiec Wrote:
IMHO you probably don't need to spend anywhere near $3k to get a bike
that would suit you well. $1500 would get you a very nice hardtail with
all the components most of us will ever need...

I strongly agree with that. I do regular MTB races, and my $1400 Giant
XTC 2 is more than competitive. Especially now I've spent $530 on
getting a better wheelset for it . I'd look at spending $1500-2000
first up, and then you can upgrade stuff later on if you want to burn
money. Every bike will have it's strong and weak points, so money left
over to upgrade the weak bits is good. Just go for a bike with a good
frame, as upgrading that can be a pain.

As for actual suggestions, I'm a fan of Giant bikes (hence why I bought
one). Basically you get a lot of bike for your dollar. Stay away from
duallies or freeride bikes if you want to use it on the road, which you
mean the XTC range - all nice bikes.

If you wanted to be exotic, you could import a motobecane using
shopthestates.com They are built with an eye for weigh savings (hence
the rim brakes) and would therefor make an ideal commuter bike should
you tread it with slicks. Check it out at
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...357_06sale.htm

Final advice: head down to your LBS and ask what they recommend. A lot
of them do know their stuff .


--
SomeGuy

monsterman wrote:
Would also like the option of sticking slicks on it for commuting.

Come on, admit, you're a troll with a line like that. {:-)


I'm happy to spend abt $3k & would prefer to get something

$3K, your mad. $1K max, $1K on touring gear and rest to start touring
around Australia.


spend your $3K on something that looks good on the wall, otherwise you
just wasting your money, but then I ride a 20 year old steel mtb {:-
).[1]

Frame really depends on what you are going to use it for.
Downhill, dually,
MTB 12 hours, front sus.
Anything else, hard tail, no front sus as it is lighter.


[1] highlight of my day was going up the street to a 72 year old
neighbour to see the new bike he'd brought. Oh bugger, it was a Huffy
dually and I had to resist saying "what did you buy that heap of ****
for". To top it off, he was worried about a couple of scratched and a
rub where the cable shifted. Sheesh. Turned out to be one of the
grandsons, wh now had his car liscence and he gave him $100 for it.

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 22:34:12 +1100, SomeGuy
wrote :

duallies or freeride bikes....

I'm sort of new to this group (don't have a bike yet) - is their a link I can go
for bicycling terms ? In particular, what are :

Duallies ?
Freerides ?
Hardtails ?

Apologies for appearing really dumb,
DS.

"David Springthorpe" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 22:34:12 +1100, SomeGuy
wrote :

duallies or freeride bikes....

I'm sort of new to this group (don't have a bike yet) - is their a link I
can go
for bicycling terms ? In particular, what are :

Duallies ?
Freerides ?
Hardtails ?

Apologies for appearing really dumb,
DS.

David,

Have a look at www.sheldonbrown.com he pretty well covers all things
bike!!!

Duallies - mountain bikes (mtb) with dual suspension basically go from
light-weight with short travel for Cross Country (XC) racing through to
heavy-weight with long suspension travel for downhill (DH) bikes. In the
middle there are a whole range of categories that differ from manufacturer
to manufacturer and include all-mountain, freeride (FR), enduro, trail, 4X
(basically 4 guys racing at once over a short DH course with man-made jumps
and berms). From what you are describing, if you decide to go for dual
suspension, you would probably be looking at an "all-mountain" or "enduro"
type bike that would have 4 or 5 inches of travel front and rear and in that
price range might want to look at GT Idrive 5, Specialized FSR 120, Giant
Reign, Mongoose Teocali Elite, etc.......the list is endless.

Freeride - Basically a dual suspension bike that has stacks of suspension
travel with a strong frame and components so that it can be used for big
downhills, big jumps, big dropoffs, etc. Usually a bit cheaper and lighter
than a full on downhill rig but not the sort of bike you would want to have
to ride up too many hills.

Hardtail - a mtb with a front suspension fork but no rear suspension. I
agree with previous posters that this type of bike would probably suit your
needs and have the advantage of being lighter than a dually (in weight and
on the wallet). For the money you are talking, you could get a really nice
hardtail (maybe 2005 model going cheap) and have enough left over to fork
out for some decent riding gear as this is not cheap.

I rode for years on a mtb just wearing normal shorts and runners in the
early 90s and always thought that lycra nicks and bike shoes were for
*******. This was of course until I tried them and realised what a god-send
having a pair of shorts with a chamois in it is, and how much more efficient
it was to use pedals that I could clip into. It is also amazing how much
difference to your comfort levels a decent helmet makes. If you want some
reasonable gear, you are proably looking at $150-$200 for a helmet, $150 or
so for shoes (clipless pedals will prob be provided with a bike in that
price range), $60-$120 per pair of nicks (can pay over $200 for top of the
line gear), $60-$120 per jersey, $30 or so for short fingered gloves, and
the list goes on.........(especially once you start riding in the middle of
winter).

It can get pretty expensive at the start but once you have the basics it is
not so bad to buy an item every now and then. You will probably also want
to get a mini-pump, spare tubes, tyre levers, tool bag, patch kit, water
bottles, water bottle holder(s), bike speedo (computer), chain lube.

Your best bet would be to go to one of your Local Bike Shops (LBS) and get a
package deal where you buy most if not all of the gear in one hit.....most
stores will give you some money off the whole deal so don't be afraid to
ask. If you let us know where you are located there is bound to be someone
in here who can suggest a LBS to try. Ebay is also a good spot to pick up
bargains but I would only recommend this once you were more familiar with
what various items are and what they are worth.

Good Luck in you search....

Ride On,

Gags

thanks heaps everyone who posted a reply. I'll wander in to the LBS a
lot better informed now.


--
monsterman

monsterman wrote:

thanks heaps everyone who posted a reply. I'll wander in to the LBS a
lot better informed now.

--
monsterman

If you're looking at buying soonish, I can guarantee that Tony at
Triathlete's World (Sandgate Rd, Albion) will be honest with you about
what's good and what's not. They also stock Learsport bikes. It's a long
way to travel but he's a really good bloke. (Tony's the mechanic, he
knows way more than the owner, doesn't work Saturdays I think)

Tam

There'a s lot of different bikes out there and everyone is bound to have
a different opinion:

I LOVE my Merida with XT/LX stuff on it and Ritchey wheels. It's three
years old now and still going strong, for well under $2000 (around the
$1500 mark even from memory).

That said, bikes are awesome value these days. Get something with a
nice frame with good wheels and don't worry too much about the rest
(providing the running gear is XT-ish). Wheels and frame are the most
expensive things to replace on an MTB - the rest is fairly cheap.

Cheers,
Lotte


--
LotteBum