I hope you can help me solve a problem. Two weeks ago I drove my car through a height restriction barrier with my road bike strapped to the roof. I’ve calmed down now, after much swearing. Fortunately the bike was insured and I’ve been given a large sum of money to spend with Wheelies (£3,500). Grey clouds / silver linings and all that.

I don’t want to get another road bike as I already have another one, and want to get into a bit of off-road action instead. To date, my experience of off-road has been very limited but I think my riding will consist of visiting some of the local man-made and natural trails around Glasgow, the occasional trip to other Scottish trail centres and also some longer exploration type rides, off the beaten track.

The problem is that I don’t know what type of bike to get. I’m worried that I might spend all this money on one bike and then never use it. On the counter side, I have the opportunity to buy something special, which is an opportunity that may not come around again. These are the type of bikes I’ve been considering:

A fatty like the Kona WoZo, an Ice Cream Tuck with a bluto, or the Cannondale fat CAAD1 (I do like the look of that lefty).

A short travel full sus trail bike like the Orange Four or the Merida One Twenty. As much as the fatty has been where I’ve been focusing most of my attention, there is something very appealing about a full sus bike. (For what it’s worth, if I get a full sus now, I can always get a cheap fatty like the Calibre Dune later).

A hardtail. I’ve read good things about the Orange Crush, Orange P7 and Ragley Marley but I suspect that I may not get the best out of them given their slack head tube angles, and my lack of experience coupled with an absence of bravery. The plus side of getting a hardtail is that I won’t have committed too much money, so if it doesn’t work out I won’t have lost out too much. (I can spend the insurance settlement on more than one bike if I like).

What would you recommend?

Demo days

What a lovely position to be in!

I agree with Rob though, try as many as you can. Most places have a demo fleet, have fun, ride bikes that you think won’t suit, as well as stuff you want to try.

It’s difficult to suggest something to a complete beginner, out of your list I’d be looking at full suss, but if you decide you’re not keen on off road, then you’ve just wasted your money.

Go mad, book up some demo days, have a blast.

Think about the terrain you want to ride and get a bike to match it. Chances are whatever you buy will cope with pretty much anything you can throw at it anyway.

OR just get the bike you like the look of.

Buy something second hand to see how you get on with MTB? Should be able to sell without losing too much, and you’ll have a better idea of what type of bike suits your riding.

If you are anything like me who started MTBing later in life then you’ll be rubbish at first & it’ll take years to build up skills/confidence to the point you can get the most out of a bike (or even really appreciate the difference between different bikes).

If I knew then what I did now I’d just get a nice, discount, mid travel Cannondale/Giant FS off of Pauls or similar, for 2 grand or so, ride the hell out of it for a couple of years (paying Jedi a visit of course), then re-evaluate once I know what’s what.

I certainly wouldn’t start off with anything niche like a fat bike, wouldn’t get a hardtail either as IMO FS pedal so well these days and are so much easier/comfier to ride for a beginner.

For 3.5k you can get a pretty good fatbike plus a very reasonable full susser.

I’d certainly look at 2nd hand fatbike as there’s quite a few low usage ones for sale. Check Facebook ukfatbikes selling page. You can get something pretty good for a grand leaving 2.5 for a nice trail bike.

You don’t have to spend it one bike, it’s a pot of cash to spend how you like (it was for me anyway, also with Wheelies).

Sounds like you want a 29er HT and a road bike to me 😉

the red one

Hard tail plus bike is my recommendation. 29er Carbon Trek Stache if you can get one

What you want is a Trek Farley EX 8

Stupidly difficult to name a bike without knowing what it’s going to be used for.

But I think the 4 is a good “do it” all shout 🙂

A HT and a Full suss. All bases covered.

I’m based just outside of Stirling and ride a XL (20inch), Orange Four. It’s far and away the best mountain bike I’ve owned in 25yrs of playing with the things.

Happy to let you have a bounce around on it if you’re anywhere near.

C.

Thanks guys! I’m a bit overwhelmed by the number and speed of responses! All good advice, although I prefer green to red 😆 . I’m stepping away from the fatbike. I don’t think there’s a specific time limit on the voucher from Wheelies, other than the hole it’s burning in my pocket so I’ll see if I can find a demo day or two….but that Four is sounding mighty good. Cheers!

+1 Trek Carbon Stache

+1 for demo days. Maybe also consider a few days hiring bikes at trail centers.

I started with MTB about a year ago, so maybe my experience is useful (caveat: I didn’t have 3.5k to spend, so my path has been somewhat more budget constrained :-))

I started off with a short travel FS (2006 Giant Anthem), and then later moved the parts over to a slightly newer hardtail frame (Cotic Soul).

The FS was “easier” to ride in that it beat me up less, but had a fairly steep head angle which made going down steeper hills quite scary. I switched out to the hardtail since I’d read that learning on a HT is “better” (teaches you more about line choice and the like: opinion is divided on this), and because I preferred less complexity in terms of setup and maintenance (obviously the HT doesn’t have a rear shock or suspension linkage to keep running).

If I had some cash to splash I’d probably be looking at a more modern HT with a longer fork: f/e the Sonder Transmitter looks pretty awesome as a “do it all” type bike.

Whatever you end up doing, if you’re destined to enjoy MTB you’ll probably like most any bike you buy, and you’ll probably have a completely different perspective after 6 months actual riding v.s. lots of research now. It may therefore be worth buying with an eye on resale value in case you hate it or decide in a year you bought the wrong bike. FWIW Oranges do seem to keep their value quite well…

Buy a winter road bike and a nice, mid-travel full sus bike with a sensible Rock Shox/SLX based build. That’s what I’d do in your shoes anyway.

For 3.5k you can get a pretty good fatbike plus a very reasonable full susser.

^^This^^

If I had £3.5K to spend on Bikes I would get at least two… possibly even stretch the budget/top it up to cover a third…

I’d echo the suggestion of getting a 27.5+/29″ capable HT and a FS, if your “Fat-curious” but still drawn by the idea of a bouncer…

Have you got cycling mates? What do they do? Can you try their bikes?

Have a go at different types of cycling, rent a bike and try it out. Demo days are also a good idea

Nice position to be in but if you don’t like it you’ll make an instant loss if you want to sell it

Alternatively, speak to Wheelies. They have a very impressive shop. Go and try a whole load of bikes on the basis that you’ll be dropping £3.5k at the end of it

You want an e-bike mate, we all love them on here 8)

Make sure you demo a lightweight fat bike with some good wheels. The difference between a cheap heavy fat bike with crap tyres and something like a canyon dude on jumbo his running tubeless is pretty big. The dude will be a very versatile and quick bike that has minimal maintenence. A long travel hardtail is also similar in that it will ride anywhere a full suspension will and again be cheaper and easier. Dont listen to anyone who suggests that anything other than a full sus is a beginner/less competant bike.Like others have said, ride a few. I’m in Devon with a fat bike if that helps (it should be fixed shortly!). It’s pleasing to see you have such an open mind though rather than just wanting whatever current in vogue Santa Cruz that is on the magazine covers! Lots of interesting bikes out there and The Trek Stache is another potentially awesome only bike.

John

Conveniently, this weekend Specialized are doing a demo day at Glentress. I’d say go there and try one of each type of bike you fancy and see which you enjoy the most. You’ll also learn pretty quickly if mountain biking is for you!

You need to pre-register here by the look of it, but it’s free and it’ll be very informative-

https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/trail-days

Just re read what you would potentially use it for i.e. natural local stuff, a few trail centres and some exploration. That sums up the loca riding I tend to do in Devon. Local trail centres here and there, some more natural stuff like Dartmoor and Quantocks etc and the odd exploration. That to me would be something like a hardtail, maybe 29er or better still something plus such as the Stache or a fatbike.

John

Thanks again everyone. I’m gobsmacked by the number of responses and really appreciate you taking the time to reply. It’s opened my eyes a little to not only the bike possibilities and the direction I should be looking, but also towards what to expect from the experience once I do get a bike. To be honest, I’d like to avoid too much over-thinking and just get out and have fun, and just want a bike that will encourage me to do that.

Munrobiker – thanks for the tip about the demo day – I’ve signed up and it’ll be my first time at Glentress too so a double bonus. 😀

, I’d like to avoid too much over-thinking and just get out and have fun,

That simply wont work here 😀

I tend not to do trail centres. Its local stuff (up and down) and border expeditions (some local, some round Aviemore). But I’d be loath to suggest an MTB to someone just getting in to it – even worse if they have a splurge of cash.

Ive steered away from FS as my mates’ FS bikes are often getting fixed or they have to replace stuff. May be a sign of getting used. I’m also not a serial bike swapper, still got my 3nd ever MTB… I reckon a HT, but + tyres would be manageable for what you reckon, and in some ways allow you to control speed – but would benefit from coaching even a taster session.

Difficult to suggest an mtb when you haven’t swung a leg over one at all.

Funnily a fat bike is one of the last things I’d suggest – always look at them and think they’d look alright if you were riding on sand dunes or in the snow.

Definitely so thatvtest day and see what you enjoy riding. If it were me I think I’d pick a mid range middle of the road trail bike with full suspension. Maybe something around 130mm travel with nothing too extreme / slack in the geometry. If you can get one with a good warranty and bearing life then that’d be great if you aren’t into maintenance.

The Orange only has one pivot so less to replace when they need changing. Think they’re a marmite bike choice though in how they ride. Maybe look at a Whyte t-130 if you can – believe they have a lifetime bearing warranty and are designed for mucky British weather.