Mountain Bike Recommendation

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networkn

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#207824 15-Jan-2017 18:17

Hi There!

I am looking to replace my Monati Avanti which is about 12 Years old.

I want something lighter weight, hopefully by some margin, and with front Suspension.

I don't intend on using it more than about 15 times a year, mostly with my kids, or riding through the Redwoods in Rotorua or similar, no jumping or things like that.

Good quality but not stupid expensive. Was going to consider buying second hand but when I had a look it was fairly questionable as to how good they were.

Any tips/tricks or recommendations.

Not sure how light MTB's get.

My FIL seemed to indicate I should spend $1500, but I'd much rather stay under $1000

More than happy to consider clearance, ex demo, last years models etc, ultimately I want great bang for buck.

It's worth noting I'll spend some of my time on the road, though not much.

I see some have what look like disc brakes, is that something I should be looking for ?

Dunnersfella

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#1703649 15-Jan-2017 18:27

Second hand mountain bikes are the best way to inherit the sellers issues...

Buying a second hand road bike from a 'mammal' who tried riding a few times is different, but mountain bikes can hold a host of issues that you'll end up paying for down the track... excuse the pun.

Basically.

Look for brand name shocks, preferably lower maintenance coil springs...

Make sure the chain rings are able to be replaced individually.

Watch out for non-brand name hubs, look for double eyelet rims.

Make sure the seat / bars are comfortable, swap them with the bike store if they're not.

I sold bikes for 7 years of my life - it's a great sport but the variables in spec and technology combined with the very nature of off-road riding can cause issues. A good mechanic in-store will know more of what to buy than anyone. But not all mechanics are good...

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#1703650 15-Jan-2017 18:31

Dunnersfella:

Second hand mountain bikes are the best way to inherit the sellers issues...

Buying a second hand road bike from a 'mammal' who tried riding a few times is different, but mountain bikes can hold a host of issues that you'll end up paying for down the track... excuse the pun.

Basically.

Look for brand name shocks, preferably lower maintenance coil springs...

Make sure the chain rings are able to be replaced individually.

Watch out for non-brand name hubs, look for double eyelet rims.

Make sure the seat / bars are comfortable, swap them with the bike store if they're not.

I sold bikes for 7 years of my life - it's a great sport but the variables in spec and technology combined with the very nature of off-road riding can cause issues. A good mechanic in-store will know more of what to buy than anyone. But not all mechanics are good...

Do you have any more specific recommendations by chance? There are some mentions of things like 29.2 is that the size of the chassis? What are double eyelet rims, and what brand names should I be looking for?

Do you have a recommendation on price range to consider seriously?

nickb800

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#1703699 15-Jan-2017 19:15

I'd go for hydraulic disc brakes - lower maintenance and more stopping power. Should be standard for a sub-$1000 bike.

What's your motivation behind reducing weight? A 10yr old Avanti Montari is likely to have an aluminum frame, and most bikes today still do. There might have been some incremental weight reduction in the intervening years, but the weight won't change much between $1000 and $1500 bikes. You'd have to jump up to $4000+ to get a carbon fibre frame which will be considerably lighter

Putting aside weight, you should be able to get a decent bike with good quality components that meets your requirements for under $1000.

E.g. see Bike Barn website for 2016 Kona Blast for $999, 2016 Merida Big Nine 100 for $799

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#1703708 15-Jan-2017 19:28

nickb800:

I'd go for hydraulic disc brakes - lower maintenance and more stopping power. Should be standard for a sub-$1000 bike.

What's your motivation behind reducing weight? A 10yr old Avanti Montari is likely to have an aluminum frame, and most bikes today still do. There might have been some incremental weight reduction in the intervening years, but the weight won't change much between $1000 and $1500 bikes. You'd have to jump up to $4000+ to get a carbon fibre frame which will be considerably lighter

Putting aside weight, you should be able to get a decent bike with good quality components that meets your requirements for under $1000.

E.g. see Bike Barn website for 2016 Kona Blast for $999, 2016 Merida Big Nine 100 for $799

One of the reasons for the ideal weight reduction is that they are hung on our walls in the garage and getting them down with a bad shoulder is not much fun, as is hanging them again afterward.

scuwp

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#1703733 15-Jan-2017 20:13

I sense a need to start at the basics....

The 2 main wheel sizes now are 27.5 inches and 29 inches. The larger 29" bikes are a little less 'nimble' in the steering but tend to give a cruiser ride as the wheels tend to roll over bumps and track better. The other size you need to decide is frame size, mostly depends on your height and there are charts on the web to give you an idea. For example https://www.giant-bicycles.com/_upload_au/rider_height_frame_size.pdf

At that price point forget about full suspension (suspension on the front and rear) and stick to "hard-tail" - suspension only on the front.

You should easily be able to get something decent for your use for <$1000. Giant, Merida, Trek, Kona, Specialized, GT are common "good" brands. RockShox and Fox are good suspension brands but they range in quality and price. Get hydraulic disk brakes (fairly standard at your price point).

I have just purchased a Silverback which is a newer brand in NZ but established overseas. Have a look at the main retailers, they often have good deals going (don't believe the half-price hype).

www.torpedo7.co.nz

www.evolutioncycles.co.nz

www.bikebarn.co.nz

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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#1703740 15-Jan-2017 20:26

Sorry to be dumb, what size frame is "medium" in inches? I am 177cm tall.

scuwp

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#1703772 15-Jan-2017 21:01

Same as me. You will want about an 18" to 19" frame. Most brands class that as a medium. Frame size is the distance between the bottom bracket (where the pedals are mounted) and the top of the tube where the seat goes in.

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#1703774 15-Jan-2017 21:06

I can understand the desire for lightness as my wife loves my old carbon fibre bike because she can carry it so easily. It really does make a difference to her but not to me and probably not to you given most of your riding will probably be relatively flat.

Don't discount second-hand just because there are risks but if you find trustworthy and honest traders then you are usually OK. I've just bought a couple of mountain bikes second-hand at Christmas without any problems found so far. If I removed the additional equipment that was included in each price, we effectively paid $500 each for the bikes which were a very good price because of the time of year. Before Christmas people are keen to sell to get cash. After Christmas many people are keen to sell because they got something better or something that they don't want. Either way you can get good buys on Trade Me. So many of these bikes have hardly been used. Quite often they've sat around doing nothing for years because a lot of people try cycling but find that they don't have the time or the motivation to keep it up.

Having said that it will soon be the best time of year to buy new bikes that are old models on special. I haven't looked in recent years but we used to be able to get half-price clearance bikes from February.

Dunnersfella

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#1703776 15-Jan-2017 21:13

Well I haven't look in a long time, but it appears that a $1500 bike still gets you a broad mix of components.

You'll see a high spec'd rear mech (as that's what people look at first)... probably Deore, with Alivio and Acera components elsewhere. Shimano hubs are the best at this price-point, but the cheapies (not Deore) often have more issues than you'd expect. Shimano discs are still viewed by most to be the most trouble free + they perform well.

Kona hardtails have always ridden well and I deemed them to be more 'flickable' than a Merida / Marin / Avanti etc. Go for a spin on one, then you'll know if you like it.

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#1703777 15-Jan-2017 21:20

scuwp: Same as me. You will want about an 18" to 19" frame. Most brands class that as a medium. Frame size is the distance between the bottom bracket (where the pedals are mounted) and the top of the tube where the seat goes in.

Thanks, at least now I can narrow it down!

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#1703782 15-Jan-2017 21:28

How much does your Monati weigh?

A review I saw put the Blast at 13.7kg. That's good for the price range if the spec is reasonable.

There are full suspension bikes around the same weight and they get down to 12kg but huge money these days.

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#1703808 15-Jan-2017 21:38

gzt: How much does your Monati weigh?

A review I saw put the Blast at 13.7kg. That's good for the price range if the spec is reasonable.

There are full suspension bikes around the same weight and they get down to 12kg but huge money these days.

I don't have a reliable way to measure that, but I'd guess upward of 15KG

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#1703831 15-Jan-2017 22:02

Yikes a can of worms, in the end, most bikes under $1000 are about the same. I prefer to get second hand for half the price of new but I know what I'm looking for.

I buy bikes all the time ($200-$6000), not sure why, must have a fetish.

The average weight of a sub $1000 bike is around 14kg. For every $1000 extra it gets lighter by about 500g. Roughly.

For someone who rides it a few times a year these are the things to look for

1. Disc brakes. I prefer Shimano hydraulic - zero maintenance.

2. 27.5" or 29" wheels - doesn't matter. I prefer 27.5 because it looks better on the average height person, smaller things don't need as much strength and has less matter so is lighter, and theoretically the wheels of the 29er doesn't last as long but ... splitting hairs really.

3. How to know if a bike in 2017 is good? The fewer the front chain rings the better the quality of everything else on the bike. 3 cogs = lousy and heavy, 2 = take the bike seriously it is a good bike if pre 2017, 1 cog = as good as the components get on the rest of the bike.

* The other way to tell is how many cogs at the back. 8 cogs = crap. 9 cogs = ok. 10 cogs is what you want if you are serious about mountain biking. 11 cogs if you are crazy about mountain biking.

4. What do good components do?

a - once tuned they don't go out of tune for an eternity if you don't abuse it

b - light

5. What if the only bike I can find has 3 front cogs?

a - it is fine, as long as you know you're not paying a lot of money

b - if it has Shimano Alivio as a rear derailleur it means you are knocking on the door of something good. The rear derailleur is the one that gives the most headaches. So Shimano Alivio should need very little adjustment if any.

I wouldn't worry about what fork or rims it comes with. That's too much headache. If you want a good fork at $1000 and you live in NZ it should have the word Rockshox be an air fork. But that will set you back more than $1000.

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#1703836 15-Jan-2017 22:14

Other things

Size - 177cm = 17" -18" seattube for the average 177 cm person. 17 if you like the bike smaller, 18 if you like the bike bigger. note bigger bike is slightly heavier, slightly more clumsy / harder to control but slightly more stable going straight. * exactly the same points in 27.5 vs 29 er

Where to buy - a good LBS (local bike shop) will tune it up properly. MAke sure they tension the spokes of the wheels properly - a lazy mechanic won't do it and congratulations your wheels are on the way of the warp from day one. Properly tensioned if you don't abuse it should never need another serious tensioning for a long time. It needs to be ridden in (like proper serious riding) for 20 hours and readjusted and you're set for life. If not, it should still be fine.

An online shop does not have this service. Most things are out of adjustment when you receive it - probably lazy warehouse mechanics. And free adjusting after being run in. Won't worry about warranty these things rarely break. Almost unheard of.

Happy to be PM'ed and link me to bikes you're looking at.