General Cycling Discussion - Buying my first Bike

Hi there,

I'm just starting out in cycling and recently watched a mountain bike video which got me hooked on the idea of getting a mtb. The question is, which do I get....?

I have about $2000 dollars to spend and want something decent, but not full suspension.

I've looked at Ti bikes and Carbon Fibre bikes, and can't seem to decide between them. I don't know very much about Steel and Aluminum, but have heard that Ti and Carbon are the way to go.

Any advice out there?

Thanks muchly

**Bling Bling**

Hi Bling Bling and welcome to the forums! :)

$2000 should get you something fairly decent, but I'm not too sure what's out in the US market that would fit your requirements.

What sort of riding do you plan on doing? Cross Country, Trials, Commuting? If you could give us a little bit more info, you should be able to get some good advice here!

Cheers

Rich

Thanks for the quick reply Rich,

I think I'd be interested in Cross Country....I like the idea of racing against people...what a buzz!!!

I would probably also use it to commute to work aswel, making sure to lock it up in my office.

So what's the deal with Ti and Carbon?

**Bling Bling**

There are so many options for frame material nowadays, not to mention suspension designs and the combination of the two.

Why do you want to avoid full suspension? Weight isn't much of an issue anymore with the new generation of lightweight full suspension bikes! Ride quality? Can only be improved with full suspension. You can ride longer with less fatigue and can ride faster through rough terrain! Maintainence? O.k. I'll give you that one! There is a little more involved but not enough to forego the other benefits! Looks? That's personal, but I think full suspn looks great!

O.k. enough rambling! Frame material choice depends on the type of riding you are planning on doing, and the ride quality you prefer. As a newbie to the mountain biking community, I'd save your money and stick with aluminum until you get more experience as to what you like! I'd spend more on better components and then upgrade your frame in a few years!

As a review of my (limited) knowledge on the subject;
Steel: Smooth Ride, easy to work with, can be heavy, repairable!
Aluminum: Stiffer ride, easy to manipulate, lighter weight, limited life span if abused, lower cost
Carbon Fiber: High Strength to weight ratio, thus lighter frame, flexible (good or bad depending on where the flex is), once damaged it's trash, non-corrosive
Titanium: High Modulus of elasticity so very smooth ride, costly to manipulate and properly weld, beautiful natural finish, will last forvever!

If you're planning on racing, then carbon or titanium will provide very light bikes. If you're going to do all around riding they don't take abuse well, and are very costly to repair! Many companies that do aluminum frames well, such as Cannondale have been able to manipulate the tubes to cut weight and provide favorable ride characterists that make it a great choice! Suspension frames are mainly aluminum due to the ability to manipulate this material. There are also frames utilizing carbon in the seat stays to provide flex in the frame to give a smoother ride!

There are just soooooo many option available to you for $2,000.00. I suggest getting a decent aluminum frame with XT or XTR components and a good fork and riding the heck out of the thing. Try riding your buddies bikes and find out what you like in a frame. I've been riding for over 10 years and I still don't know!

Good Luck
L8R:beer:

The best bike for XC racing is probably not the best model for commuting. Most of us regular riders have a nice bike for play and a cheap, reliable practical bike for work. Commuting can be very hard on bikes and its better if you are not too precious about your mount. Also, you dont have problems with people stealing nice components.

There are loads of great bikes within your pice range, but get one that fits you well. If you pick up a cheap 2nd hand MTB, something like a Specialized Stumpjumper, you can commute on it, and ride it off-road, and get the feel for what you want out of a good bike. You will then know what a good fitting bike feels like.

Dont spend more than $600 on a first bike. You never know what your dream bike will be until you have ridden some miles. Save the $1400 till you can be sure that you are not spending it on the wrong bike for your type of riding.

God....dont make it so hard to buy a new bike everybody!!:mad:

Thanks everyone for the great advice...I think I'm going to fit right in here :)

I've thought about the comments here, and figured that if I've got $2000 to spend, I might aswel get something decent, than start off small.

I've seen the Specialized range that Michael was talking about, and they're pretty cool...but they're a little limited on frame materials...Metal Matrix is what they use I think.

I still really want to try Ti or Carbon Fibre, and saw a Trek in the shop up from me that stocks them....I might give the Trek and Specialized a head-to-head and let you know how I get on.

Once again, thanks for the advice

**Bling Bling**:D

Hi Bling Bling,

I can vouch for Trek...they make great bikes (maybe with a little help from people like Gary Fisher, Keith Bontrager etc :)), but out of the two, the Specialized might be the more durable choice.

Let us know how you get on!

Rich :D

Respec' Bling Bling

I have had both Trek and Specialized, both are good, I think when it comes down to it go for the better bike and not the cheaper option as they both try and undercut each other

Also buy the biggest ******* lock you can, otherwise you wont have a new bike for long

Also I assume form your 'name' you have £1,400 to spend rather than $2,000 ?. Either way, far to much for a first time bike, half that amount wil get you something pretty good

Big up the bike massiv !

Brains

I'd pay close attention to Andrew's suggestion. When I returned to cycling, bikes and euipment had changed so much that I was confused on what to buy. I settled on a Cannondale hybrid. Check out Trek hybrids as well. This got me through the first year and gave me time to trial ride several road bikes. I kept the hybrid for very bad weather and commuting and now enjoy my carbon road frame. Take your time before expending all of your cash. Good luck.

John