Mountain bikes -recommendations

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blackjack17

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#271910 1-Jun-2020 12:11

I have a daily commuter which I use to get to work when i can't be bothered running, however with its skinny tires and lack of front shocks it isn't really pleasant on anything not sealed. As the kids are getting older, 6 and 3 I would like to take them cycling offroad. Nothing crazy just would like to do things like the Hauraki rail trail, and cycling around campsites and dirt roads perhaps some of the trails in the Hunuas.

I have a dolittle for the commuter which I could easily transfer to the mountain bike for the 3 year old. And the 6 year old is getting better everyday (well apart from uphill)

There seems to be a massive range in bikes both in prices and types and have no idea what i am looking at. The price seems to be based on what Shimano gears they have.

I know I am looking at hardtail probably 29" and I want to spend less than $1000

Where do you start

Brand? Trek, Giant, Avanti, Voodoo, Merida

Price? I want to spend less than $1000 but is a $500 bike way worse than an $800 bike or a $1000 bike

They all kind of look the same.

Any recommendations?

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RickW

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#2496072 1-Jun-2020 12:22

Hey I was in a similar position at the start of lockdown, I’ve got a 5yo. I ended up with a 2018 year model of the merida big nine the only difference is colour and I got it for 1050. I am really happy with it.

Senecio

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#2496075 1-Jun-2020 12:33

This is just outside your price range but a very good bike for the money. I bought one last year and got it for $999 at the time.

https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/3YBMMN9AG/title/2019-x-caliber-8-27-5-mtb

mrdrifter

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#2496100 1-Jun-2020 13:48

Hardcore cycling people would likely disagree, but after taking a bunch of the 29er bikes in the same price range you outlined, for a spin from the shops while my wife was getting her new bike, I could not tell the difference between them based on price, it was primarily getting the best seated angle and frame size/shape, they all shifted gears the same, hydraulic brakes were the same (mechanical were obviously a little different). The quality of components on even the $500 bikes is so much better than it was 5-10 years ago, it's quite impressive. I'm not sure I could justify going above the ~$750 mark unless moving up to something high-end 2K+. My wife and eldest daughter both have Marin Wildcats which are great 27.5 and my ~5 old Merida big nine 300 hasn't broken down at all.

scuwp

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#2496147 1-Jun-2020 13:53

At that price point you should be able to get yourself something that would suit. Trek are often available at good prices otherwise I an a Giant fan. Merida is also popular and Avanti are probably a bit dearer (arguably not as good value), but that's just personal preference. Frames at that price are pretty similar, so it comes down to the components.

Better quality disk brakes and derailleur/gears will make your riding more enjoyable. As a general rule of thumb the fewer chain rings on the front the better components.

If you could push another $150 - $200 the components take a significant jump up, eg https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/316452/2020-trek-roscoe-6-mtb-blackgreen and the X Caliber linked above.

You should also budget some good shoes and pedals. Either clipless or flats depending on your preference.

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cldlr76

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#2496162 1-Jun-2020 15:19

As Scuwp said the derailleurs and brakes will make the biggest impact to you riding enjoyment.

This article gives you a good run down on the different levels of Shimano and SRAM components:
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/mountain-bike-groupsets-everything-you-need-to-know/

The fit of your bike will also have a huge impact on your riding enjoyment.
https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-training/how-to-fit-yourself-on-a-mountain-bike-like-a-pro/

Batman

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#2496170 1-Jun-2020 16:10

blackjack17:
I have a daily commuter which I use to get to work when i can't be bothered running, however with its skinny tires and lack of front shocks it isn't really pleasant on anything not sealed. As the kids are getting older, 6 and 3 I would like to take them cycling offroad. Nothing crazy just would like to do things like the Hauraki rail trail, and cycling around campsites and dirt roads perhaps some of the trails in the Hunuas.

I have a dolittle for the commuter which I could easily transfer to the mountain bike for the 3 year old. And the 6 year old is getting better everyday (well apart from uphill)

There seems to be a massive range in bikes both in prices and types and have no idea what i am looking at. The price seems to be based on what Shimano gears they have.

I know I am looking at hardtail probably 29" and I want to spend less than $1000

Where do you start

Brand? Trek, Giant, Avanti, Voodoo, Merida

Price? I want to spend less than $1000 but is a $500 bike way worse than an $800 bike or a $1000 bike

They all kind of look the same.

Any recommendations?

Bike componentry are scale to how decent the bike is to be tiered. The easiest way to look at the tier or the bike is look at how many chips at the back. 10 cogs or more at the back = decent bike tier. 12 cogs being the most and at that tier you are beginning to get serious about bikes. But start at 10. Though 9 could be just about decent. 8 or less I won't pay more than 200 bucks for it new. They are not decent bikes.

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davidcole

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#2496272 1-Jun-2020 17:44

I swapped a mostly unused toad hike for a 2020 Trek Marlin 6. For exactly the same reason. Son is old enough to ride with and the Lower Hutt trails are much better than a road hike, and I couldn’t justify the cost of an cyclo cross bike.

It’s got hydraulic disk brakes (supposed to be better), front shocks lock out (to stop the shocks moving on the road) and only a twin crank wheel. That said I’ve pretty much never used the smaller of the two crank wheels. The rpm is way too high for me. The bigger wheel is 36ish teeth (road bikes are up about the 50 teeth mark).

It’s ok though. I can sit on high 20s at about 90rpm. A bit quicker than I’d like rpm wise, and. It the mid 30s you’d get off a road bike.

I think it cost me about the $650 mark. Couldn’t justify full suspension either. Pretty happy with it. I’d love to change the crank wheels to at 38/48ish to get a faster riding speed.

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Handsomedan

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#2496454 2-Jun-2020 09:14

My experience of buying a new bike for the first time in 15 years was as follows:

Wanted a hardtail - relatively easy to find at all prices

Wanted for mostly just tootling around with the family, but also capable of getting offroad and doing some forest trails - minimum $700.00

No less than Altus/Acera drivetrain - minimum $700.00

Established brand such as Giant, Specialised, Trek, GT etc with the above specs - minimum $1000.00

Ended up looking at Merida and Silverback.

Got a Silverback 27.5" hardtail with mix of Acera/Deore drivetrain, Shimano Hydraulic disc brakes and Rockshox forks for $750 on sale.

This was a year ago.

What I found was that for the same kind of money as I paid, I was either getting Tourney (bottom end componentry) or at best a mix of Tourney and Altus with low-end shocks and either cheap Tektro brakes or similar from Trek, Specialised and GT. Kona had some models that just about fitted into my budget/spec list, but again only on sale. Then there was also the odd Marin in there too, but usually in clearance and odd sizes.

I'm really happy with my bike a year on, still changes gears like silk, forks have held up well and the whole thing looks/feels like new still, despite having had a fair bit of use over the last few months.

EDIT: Spelling

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