Mountain Bike advice

Spie

Spie

Spie

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I'm thinking of buying a pair of mountain bikes for me and Mrs Spie. Never had one before but think it would be a great idea for keeping fit outside the ski season. Intend using them for as steep terrain as possible.

I have this burning desire to have one made of carbon. I have no idea whether carbon is used but if it's a good construction material for bikes then I'm interested.

Are they sized in the same way as racing bikes? ie - bigger frames for taller people?

What about suspension design? Any part of the specification I should insist on or avoid?

EDIT: It appears carbon is used. This looks nice - http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22220
 
Don't get gripshift if you want to use it even half seriously you'll drag yourself out of gear when your need to control your handle bars.
 
The temptation is to get a fully sorted top of the range full suspension bike, although these aren't normally carbon as it isn't strong enough/too stiff. I know you're not short of money, but I would find a good local bike shop for advice, and perhaps local community to ride with.

Bike wise, if you do not have a lot of experience. I would recommend a nicely sorted hardtail, front suspension bike and the same for the missus. This allows you to hone your skills better and learn how to pick out the smoother lines down a track. And of course, don't forget your safety gear - also very important for visiting a good bike shop for assistance.

EDIT: this thread would be better suited in the Sports section.
 
Shimmy said:
The temptation is to get a fully sorted top of the range full suspension bike, although these aren't normally carbon as it isn't strong enough/too stiff. I know you're not short of money, but I would find a good local bike shop for advice, and perhaps local community to ride with.

Bike wise, if you do not have a lot of experience. I would recommend a nicely sorted hardtail, front suspension bike and the same for the missus. This allows you to hone your skills better and learn how to pick out the smoother lines down a track. And of course, don't forget your safety gear - also very important for visiting a good bike shop for assistance.

EDIT: this thread would be better suited in the Sports section.
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Cheers. So you can have a hard tail or rear suspension. What's the disadvantage of having rear suspension?

Do all bikes have front suspension?
 
I've been out of the bike world for a couple of years now but when I used to work in it Carbon was always for people who had all the gear and no idea. It's very light but also incredibly brittle. A bolt tightened too much can snap it, or unnoticable crash damage can go noticed when the frame snaps on you going at 20mph. If you're looking at Carbon then I assume you'll be spending thousands per bike, for that money you could get a seriously nice bit of kit.
 
Spie said:
I'm a total noob here. What's gripshift?
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It's how you change gears comes in two types triggers (good) or intergrated into the grips of the handle bars 'Grip shift' (not so good)

/edit and Mrs Spie will defentaly want a girly seat ;)
 
Why bother buying two bikes Spie?... :p

germanycyclingtandem61.jpg
 
I can heartily recommend specialized, their bikes are extremly good quality. There is a good range, but for a first time serious mountain bike you can't go wrong with the rockhopper. It's a very versatile hardtail and should do well off road, but also can handle on the road for the times you need it. Think there is a ladies version, it'll be on their site.

Not sure what pricing is now, but picked up my 05 brand new on the good side of 1k at the time. The thing is light and indestructible, i've put it through a lot!

For less, there is the hardrock, but it's lacking on the nicer kit imo. Anything more would be overkill I think, unless you're riding in competitions!

EDIT: The specialized store over the road wants about £550 for the entry level, and £970 for the pro.

To answer your suspension questions:

As I see it, most bikes need front sus unless you're on the road. Absorbing shocks through the front is vital for control and steering off road. Rear suspension is only going to be an advantage when you're looking for lots of comfort (i.e. prolonged rides sitting down) or very serious downhill stuff where the energy from jumps needs to be absorbed. The price of the bike reflects which type it is. I find most dual sus comfort orientated bikes are a waste of time, since I spend most of my time off road standing anyway, especially over rough terrain, and the rear sus absorbs some of your energy when you pedal, aswell as making it heavier, so generally harder to ride.
 
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Spie said:
Off road. Not interested at all in riding on road.
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Well my only other advice would be buy protection potholes and rocks pop up out of nowhere and bones pop very easily if hit at akward angles, if you do ever wrap try to jump off and away frome the bike if you get time you don't want to get all tangled up together, and enjoi :cool:
 
Are you looking to be going off road and hitting the trail centres? If so full suspension would seem the right direction, my personal preference is to steer clear of carbon mountain bikes as you are supposed to have them checked after any significant fall.

But you wont go far wrong with any of these;

for him - Santa Cruz Heckler
20090308-k78tgdt59a9ht282dxgc53ps4.jpg


for her - Santa Cruz Juliana
20090308-m8ty5ipcscqmr9m6x2uj4de1dn.jpg


or

for him - Orange 5
20090308-1np31nahmepa24yr5m7cdbestd.jpg


for her - Orange 5 Diva
20090308-87p8mhnfs25r9jc5t53i9u6gan.jpg


All single pivot so easy to maintain and will do most riding!
 
The Specialised is a nice bike but whether it would suit you depends on what type of riding you want to do, it is generally intended for cross-country (XC) cycling which isn't usually "as steep terrain as possible" unless you count the uphills too. It is a bike that is more suited if you are a racing whippet type and from what you've posted before that doesn't really sound like the image I've got of you.

If you really want Specialised, want carbon and want an "all-mountain" style of bike (i.e. more likely to cope with bigger riders crashing around) then the Enduro is a better bet although frankly I'd go with one of the lower models in the range as carbon isn't the best frame material for everyone.

You could go for an SX Trail or a BigHit if you were interested in mainly downhilling (DH) but it isn't the sort of thing that most people just pick up instantly and those bikes will be a bit of a nightmare for anything other than their intended purpose, you can try pedalling it uphill but don't say I didn't warn you.

My advice initially would be to go to your local bike shop and ask them for a test ride or two, even hire a bike for the weekend and see whether you like XC, all mountain riding, DH or some mixture. The local bike shop will be able to give you advice, most of the good ones can order in almost any brand and they'll frequently give you the first service or two for free.

In terms of parts I'd be looking for hydraulic discs (Hope, Hayes, Avid etc are all decent names to look for) and chainset based on a Shimano base usually, should be largely matching (although the rear mech is often upgraded to the next line up if there is one) and you should probably be looking at Deore XT/SLX level or above. The wheelset can make a massive difference to how the bike feels, the rotating mass is what you have to move each time so try to balance lighter rims with making sure they are strong enough to deal with the inevitable dings you'll give them. These aren't hard and fast rules but simply guidelines that you might want to consider in conjunction with the advice from the bike shop.
 
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alexhull24 said:
I can heartily recommend specialized, their bikes are extremly good quality. There is a good range, but for a first time serious mountain bike you can't go wrong with the rockhopper. It's a very versatile hardtail and should do well off road, but also can handle on the road for the times you need it. Think there is a ladies version, it'll be on their site.
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In my previous experience (might not be valid today), Specialized stuff has been extrememly variable quality, and feels like it's been put together by a bunch of guys on a stopwatch. Might not be true now, but personally, I'd spend the little bit extra bit and get something like an Orange. *edit* or a Santa Cruz, above. Top bikes.

I'm looking at getting the Orange P7 Pro - and I'm shunning rear suspension as it adds complexity + more maintenance + cost. For my money, I can get better value components on a hardtail than I can for an equiv price full sus. If money isn't an issue, then get the full suspension - the benefits on the trail are hard to refute.

Basically, it's difficult to offer specific advice without knowing your skill level, budget and what sort of riding you're looking at. The best thing I can recommend is to find your local decent bike shop, and build a real relationship with them. If they're good, they'll be bike nuts as well, and will be more than happy to help spec you the right sort of thing. Also, they should know the local trails well. On top of all that, the discounts + free stuff (servicing and parts) that I got from going to the same bike shop for 5 years a while back more than made up for the fact that their prices were slightly more than the large-chain-shop competition.

*edit* a word of warning about carbon frames. Ride one properly first - they're not for everyone (me included). You get a much nicer ride I feel out of a well made aluminium or steel frame.
 
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