Hi to all on here, my name’s Adrian and i’m new to mountain biking. A friend recently lent me a bike to ride at his place in spain, and it was fantastic, one of the best things i’ve ever done! so I’ve decided to take the plunge and buy a new bike and go riding here in the Uk and hopefully abroad.

He reccomended that I search some online foriums and get advice on what to buy, as ther seems to be literally thousands of different bikes available. I am in London during the week so i can visit an Evans near my workplace sometime. This forum seems to be very popular and friendly so hopefully someone can help me out. Thanks!

First question – what is your budget?

Wow that was so quick! I don’t really have a budget as such, my friend who appears to be an experct (he has 5 bikes!) said that I should be looking at something at £2k and above for proper riding, and I trust his advice as he’s been riding for years. He also said that I should get something with Shimano XT components as these are high quality. I want a bike that is strong and will be reliable. i am ok with basic mechanics, as I have to fix my old basic bike I use for riding about here on at weekends. And I can learn how to fix stuff.

Welcome. I would seriously suggest that your friend hasn’t a clue! Spend £2K on a first bike? He’s having a larf.

Do you want full suspension or just front suspension (what did the bike you borrowed have?)

I sense a Troll….

Well you have given us a bit of a blank canvas to work on there! What sort of riding will you be wanting to do? ie on or off road? Will you be using the bike for a commute?

think you really need to tell us something about your intentions as well perhaps, as what the bike was like that you rode in Spain and what you did on it…

Where are you going to be riding…what sort of riding will you be doing?

This forum seems to be very popular and friendly

Give it time and you’ll soon see through the smoke. 😉

As above 2K is more than you need to spend first off….do what every one else does and spend a few hundred quid then spend a small fortune over the next year or two upgrading.

Where will you be mostly riding the bike?
And what sort of riding do you think you will be doing? Are you an xc jeyboy or a phat-air merchant?
And is £2K the limit or can you spend some more?

These are popular.

Spend less than half that on a second-hand bike and see how you get on. Get a hardtail, less to go wrong, cheaper.

Agreed. I’d be looking for something at well under £1000 for a first bike. I’d look at the best frame for the money rather than going for something with blingy components out of the box as you’ll probably be looking to upgrade parts as you go anyway.

I’d also recommend going to a hardtail bike initially – good tool for developing skills before deciding if you want (or need) to progress to full suspension.

What about an On One? Classic frames ripe for upgrades and a reasonable package out of the box:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOINX526/on_one_inbred_x5_26er_bike

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOO4561X5/on_one_456_evo_x5_sektor_bike

cinnamon-girl; i don’t think that’s a lot of money, do you? Sports equipment can be very expensive; I have friends who are into sailing, that is extremely expensive! I don’t want a bike that will need a lot of servicing because the parts are substandard. I don’t mind paying for better quality as it can be false economy to spend less.

The bike in Spain was an Orba I think, it’s a Spanish brand apparently. And that would cost around $4k so £2k isn’t much by comparison really. It was very light, and the gears and brakes worked perfectly. It had suspension at both front and rear, which is what I’d like. I will be riding here in the UK near my place in Northumberland, where there are lots of mountain bikers I’ve noticed, and aborad in places like Spain, France, Israel and possibly Madagascar. Anywhere really. so I want a bike for all conditions really.

I sense a Troll….

Yep
However you have to give him the benefit of doubt,

I’d recommend a £500 hardtail, if you continue to ride, sell it, buy a better bike.

Spend less than half that on a second-hand bike and see how you get on. Get a hardtail, less to go wrong, cheaper.

Get a rigid single speed – even less to go wrong.

cinnamon-girl; i don’t think that’s a lot of money, do you?

Admit it you drive an Audi dont you??

Spain, France, Israel and possibly Madagascar

I was willing to give this the benefit of the doubt but I’m sensing troll too now 😉

£2K is a lot to spend for a first bike. As others have said, start off with a decent frame that enables you to upgrade as you go along.

Unless the geometry is right, and you won’t know til you’ve ridden for a while, then you could end up wasting money.

Edit: you’re lucky to live in Northumberland, it’s a lovely area, but would suggest that a hardtail would be best.

i’m not a ‘troll;, I just want to buy a bike! I don’t drive an Audi; i tested an S3 a couple of years ago but i found it boring. I don’t think £2k is a lot of money for a good bike really, I know they can cost lots more than that. My friend in Spain has a road racing bike that cost over £6k! But he races on it so I suppose you need the best equipment you can afford. My basic bike was about £400 I think but that’s just for riding in town to a pub or cafe etc. It would be no good for mountain biking.

Best off going to a local bike shop and buying whatever brand of bike they stock at your budget. As above focusing on frame quality.

A good LBS will make sure you leave with something that fits and look after you in the future. dont forget to budget for tools and riding gear

Your friend has a point that if you want a good light weight full sus Bike £1500 might be a sensible amount to spend however as above starting on a cheaper hardtail would be a good start

I suspect anyone driving an Audi has the same mentality to spend £2k on a first bike.

Sorry my bad, your not Boris Johnson?

Troll aside – I don’t really know why people are saying don’t spend £2k. if you’ve got 2k, I can’t think of a better way to spend it than on a full sus XT equipped mountain bike.

There’s no need to spend that much but unless there’s a danger of it sitting unused, I can’t really see why a current £2k 125-140mm full sus would ever be obsolete.

You clearly have a lot of money to spend – so being “over-biked” will not be an issue and moreover, the bike you buy will be something you can grow into as your mountain biking skills develop.

If I could have had £2K to spend on my first bike when I started – I would have been less ashamed of sitting near my bike outside pubs.

That Audi reminds me of this, which is pretty apt I guess 🙂

Did the bike you borrowed have front and rear suspension? If so, then including new kit (helmet, gloves, shoes, pedals, clothing), £2K is not an unreasonable amount to spend.

Since you don’t know what you want, I’d avoid used and go to a reputable shop, if only for sizing. Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with a Giant Anthem X2 or X3 (depending on budget). If you are tall then bigger wheels such as the Anthem X29 might be a better bike. That would leave you plenty for kit.

But then, what do I know… my first and only mountain bike was a used Kona Unit 29er rigid single speed. I like to be a little different 😉

I don’t understand why people think £2k is too much to spend on a bike? There is another thread about insurung a £3k bike? I thought £2k was about a mid-level mountain bike? They are more specialised than standard bikes, so will cost more, no?

Just had an email from my friend in Spain, who says I should look for a full suspension bike, with good quality components from leading manufacturers who have been making specialist bike equipment for a long time and know what they are doing. He says that in order to get a bike that can withstand regular off-road use, and be lightweight, that £2k is a good starting point. He says I should go to a few bike shops and try a few for size, and but what feels comfortable. I trust his advice, but sadly he’s not here to come with me, which is why I’m asking for more opinions on this forum. Does anyone have any examples of bikes to recomend me?

There are hundreds on Evans’ webiste, many of them a lot more than £2k! They have some models that cost £8k!

Are any of these good?

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/mountain-bikes/f#!!page=14;sort=desc

as someone who has biked extensively in Northumberland, beware, it isn’t like spain! it’s muddy, very muddy. buy a hardtail. easier to clean.

go to Halfords, buy a Boardman for a grand.

Spend what you want, it’s all relative, innit?

Depends on how much £2k is to you.

Buy a 8k bike and hear the whispering grumbles from other riders watching you struggle on a long climb on a bike they could only dream of!

Keep it simple and buy a Hardtail!

Wooooosh! You’re not getting it!

No, £2K is not a lot, I have bikes that cost more than double that, but the difference is that when you’re first starting, you really don’t know what you want until you ridden for a while.

You’ll learn more skills with a hardtail and indeed it’s worth spending money on coaching days.

I would get a trek fuel ex8

Spend your money how you like matey!
The lower and upper levels of your budget are upto you. For sure £2K will get you a decent bike.

>>Alan Sugar didn’t start on a Boardman bike when he started road riding<<

You haven’t said how you intend to ride it – which would dictate whether you’re getting an XC or all-mountain or downhill or freeride or …. also if you’re a bit of a biffer – you might want to own up now.

It’s your £2K of course but whatever your budget you’re almost certainly want to replace or exchange some parts as you get used to the bike and start to develop your riding style – tyres, bars, stem saddle etc are all down to personal preference and stuff which tends to get changed quite quickly. The other thing is that you’re probably going to be quite hard on components when you’re starting off until you develop the relevant skills. Hence the advice to start off with a mid priced bike with a good frame and upgrade when you need to. You wouldn’t jump straight into a Ferrari straight after passing your driving test would you?

A 2K full suspension bike is unlikely to be inherently more reliable than an £800 hardtail – the opposite is likely to be true in fact as it has more to go wrong and is likely to require more maintenance. Similarly mid range components like Deore are not any less reliable than XT – just heavier in most cases.

You’ve obviously convinced yourself you need to spend that sort of money so as above get yourself to a bike shop and try a few out. Evans has a lot of stock but I’ve had mixed experiences with the knowledge of their staff. I’d recommend looking at independent bike shops too. If you’re in London then Brixton Cycles are worth a visit. They stock Trek, Nicolai, Specialized, Surly and Cotic all of which are respected brands.

cinnamon_girl –
Wooooosh! You’re not getting it!
No, £2K is not a lot, I have bikes that cost more than double that, but the difference is that when you’re first starting, you really don’t know what you want until you ridden for a while.
You’ll learn more skills with a hardtail and indeed it’s worth spending money on coaching days.

Amen!

If you have the money, don’t let anyone stop you spending it. As some have said above, go to a good bike shop who will talk to you, work out what kind of riding you want to do and perhaps let you take a demo bike out. There’s a real mixture of riders on this forum, some of whom are happy to blast around on rigid single speed bikes, others are full on downhillers, so recommendations are going to vary wildly and may cause more confusion than help.

There are LOADS of good bikes on the market, so narrow your choice down to those you can get locally and support your local bike shop.

Alternatively, if you liked the Orbea you rode, try and get the same frame with cheaper components. If your first experience of mountain biking was on a €4000 bike you have been very lucky.

lol @

i’m not a ‘troll;, I just want to buy a bike! I don’t drive an Audi

I’d reserach wether you want carbon or not, there are lots of arguments for and against, then go to a good big shop and get your leg over some bikes in your price range.

Well this seems more difficult than I imagined! I just want a bike that is similar to the one i tried out. We were there fro a week and went riding every day. I had to buy some padded shorts and gloves from the local bike shop though! I really loved riding, and i’d love to do it on a regular basis, hence the need for a good bike. I accept £2k might be a lot to some people just starting out, but I don’t mind spending a bit to get a good bike. Obviously it can be an expesnive hobby!

I am going to pop into the local Evans in a little while, and have a look at their range. Maybe if I have a clear ‘budget’ then it might be easier to select a bike. Are there good or bad brands there? Specialized and Trek seem to be very popular. I will need a helmet of course, and maybe some other bits and pieces. I accept that it’s not cheap, but I don’t understand why some people think I should spend less than I want to; after all it’s my money so why do some people have a problem with that? I don’t really care if someone thinks I’m a newb with no sense, I just want to enjoy riding a bike. Thanks for some of the other recommendations, i will look into them.

Not saying Evans Cycles are bad but please consider supporting your Independent Local Bike Shop, invariably the little man will look after you better.