Eldest now 8 and keen to start riding some trails, so I need something more appropriate than my 30 year old Claud Butler touring bike! However, no idea where to start... Any pointers-one for Runf perhaps....!
I would think hardtail; disc brakes seem de-riguer these days. I am a reasonably accomplished cyclist; although not done much off road. I want something better than a £200 entry job, but when does the the curve start to flatten off these days? A grand? Two? Much as I would like to spend £3-4k on a top spec jobbie, that is not going to happen! £500 is more like it, I might get £750 past the accounts committee!
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This give you a benchmark -
www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-aim-sl-29-hardtail-mountain-bike-2017/rp-prod154509
Reputable manufacturer of quality bikes, well specced for the price. Not sure how tall eight year olds are and whether a small size adult bike will be ok.
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www.wiggle.co.uk/wiggle-mountain-bike/
Very good value for a beginner. They also do their own road bike (racer).
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Very much a thumbnail guide but at much less than £500 you'll not get anything all that good. However, for a hardtail, ( and I'd agree that's what you should go for ) there are loads of very good bikes at £500-£1000.
I'd go with a disc braked hardtail on 650b wheels. Have a look at reviews on the Saracen Mantra, Vitus Nucleus or Specialized Pitch. A wee bit cheaper but still good would be the Voodoo Hoodoo.
Avoid anything on 26" wheels, once the benchmark size but now becoming rapidly old tech. Some prefer 29" but I find them unwieldy. The in between size of 650b ( 27.5" ) is my favourite. Try to ensure that whatever you choose has lockable forks or you'll be pushing against the spring effect on climbs.
Good online mag is MBR magazine, loads of reviews of bikes, equipment and venues.
Above all,
Have fun !
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29" - Christ on a bike !! (so to speak)
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Ok, I'll come off the fence. With your brief Richard, this is what I'd buy...
www.evanscycles.com/specialized-pitch-comp-650b-2017-mountain-bike-EV279811
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Runfer knows a great deal more about bikes than I do. On his own he owns more than my family altogether. In fact he owns roughly twice as many bicycles as he does Mercedes wheels without scratches.
Having said that, you say your lad wants to start, which suggests he is not doing. Seems to me that the beginning of a hobby is not the time to spend stupid money. Ok, you don't want crap, but you do want him to have the freedom to simply not do it much / any more if he doesn't like it. Plenty of time to buy expensive stuff later.
So my experience would be that weight is important, much more so than technology, kids grow out of stuff before they wear it out, there's no telling which activities a particular child will take to and become enthusiastic about.
So I would buy something with a view to being able to painlessly replace it a year from now if they are very keen / grow a lot / have the time.
And for me that was exactly around the £500 mark.
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I thought the bike was for Richard , not his son/daughter?
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sat 15 Apr 17 at 17:52
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Oh yes. Oh dear.
Sigh, there's no way back from there, is there. I promise I will read more carefully in future.
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Well, I read it as being a bike for Richard, but of course I could be wrong !
Interesting though when you say something along the lines of not recommending spending too much when beginning a hobby. Yes and no in my opinion. If someone spends more than they are comfortable with and then discovers they don't really enjoy it then that's a pity, but on the other hand, I've seen a lot of people put off mountain biking because they're trying to do it on rubbish kit and won't even begin to enjoy it.
It's perfectly possible to trail ride on the most basic of bikes, but as soon as you want to climb anything more than a gentle slope, or bash it downhill, or start to get it even slightly airborne, you're not going to feel safe on something that doesn't turn, stop and stay together reliably.
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I can draw a parallel with backpacking kit. The decent, weatherproof lightweight kit isn't cheap, be it tent/ tarptent, sleeping bag, sleep mat, rucsac or stove.
Buy the cheap heavy unwaterproof kit for your first foray into the wilderness for some wild camping and you can be deterred for life.
Living within the YDNP I see several groups of D of E most weekends at this time of year. The poor souls are weighed down with heavy kit that I wouldn't even consider putting on my back. Once finished the endurance test, in all probability they won't ever try it again. A few years ago I had a dalliance with a lass who was in charge of D of E at a large school... we went away backpacking for two weeks and on day 3 I diverted off route to post 2/3 of her stuff home as the load was taking all the enjoyment out of what was supposed to be fun. If she couldn't get it right what chance had the kids.
Best spending a little more at the initial stage... decent gear always has a residual value.
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>> I can draw a parallel with backpacking kit. The decent, weatherproof lightweight kit isn't cheap,
>> be it tent/ tarptent, sleeping bag, sleep mat, rucsac or stove.
>>
>> Buy the cheap heavy unwaterproof kit for your first foray into the wilderness for some
>> wild camping and you can be deterred for life.
I am deterred for life, good kit or bad kit. Thats why god invented hotels.
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Some of my kit... lightweight tents especially, cost as much as a weeks B & B in a half decent hotel.
Some of my female friends held the same view as yourself. I fully understand. Its a marmite thing.
Not everyone wants to carry out ablution duties in a hole in the ground. In the rain. And wind.
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Don't be too hard on him LL. He has difficulty even managing stairs these days. Falls and so on. Bit unsteady on his feet. He'd not really be able to relate to anything y'know, "active" anymore.
Shame really, but I suppose some age quicker than others.
;-)
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>> Don't be too hard on him LL. He has difficulty even managing stairs these days.
>> Falls and so on. Bit unsteady on his feet. He'd not really be able to
>> relate to anything y'know, "active" anymore.
>>
>> Shame really, but I suppose some age quicker than others.
>>
>> ;-)
>>
And when was the last time you loaded up a tent to spend a night in the wilderness and crap in a hole?
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...the night he told his other half that he knew what was happening to the door mirrors......
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Maybe the night his wife found out he had 6 bikes stuffed away in his man cave, and was planning to buy another?
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....aw, cut him some slack. For someone who gets through wheels and tyres like he does, a spare bike or two five isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.
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Richard - can you get in on any bike to work schemes? I bought my last bike through one - a Whyte Malvern - no idea if its any good in the eyes of the more experienced but it was around £750, but through bike 2 work the tax benefits made it more like sub £500 spread over 12 or 18 months - it might allow you to up the budget a bit
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Very nice bike Mikey. But being a "hybrid" I tend to compare them to 2 wheel drive SUVs. If you wanted a sports car it won't do that, and if you wanted an off roader it won't do that either. However, if you just wanted a comfortable, general purpose car it'll do that very well.
With bikes its kind of the same deal. There's a huge difference in the capabilities of a true mountain bike over a hybrid and a completely different set up on a road bike. A road bike on a mountainside single-track descent would be destroyed in one run, and indeed almost impossible to control, whereas a mountain bike on a road trip would be slow and unwieldy. Hybrids are fine if you're not in a hurry on the road and don't attempt to tackle anything too rough off it. Forest trails etc are their natural environment. That bike path from Bath to Bristol would be a nice place to use one for example.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Mon 17 Apr 17 at 10:51
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>> A road bike on a mountainside single-track descent would be destroyed in
>> one run, and indeed almost impossible to control,
>>
Ha!
www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-cross-race-pro-cyclo-x-bike-2017/rp-prod154531
Banned from MTB races because they're too fast.
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Yeah, all very well, but quite apart from the handlebars being the wrong shape, it looks just a bit too much like you'd be tempted to wear Lycra while riding it.
Non-starter really...
;-)
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Yes, 'tis for me. Some good thoughts thanks... till we got off topic on wing mirrors and tyres!
The 8 year old is a Son, and rides a Isla bike. Other son is only 5 and just started on a Frog (handed down) - he's only just big enough, but an early start on balance bike, and chasing after big brother and even bigger cousin means he is capable on a bike with gears; even if most for his age are single speed with stabilisers! He'll have to wait a bit for harder stuff - not enough staying power for going uphill!
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Mountain bike - Robin O'Reliant
