Hi guys,
How would one go about getting into this? I have been thinking about buying a bike over the past week or two mainly for casual bike rides/commute etc but looking at some of these photos has got me all excited!! Although I'm not sure I'm ready for a full face mask and extreme jumping like the spud
Bikes wise I read somewhere on here that the Specialized Rockhopper is good but at £500 I'm not sure this is overkill, I don't want a cheap bike that will continuously brake but I don't want to punch above my weight so to speak. Is the cheaper Specialized Hardrock recommended? Also, what other brands should I be looking out for? I do like the look of them Specializeds though
Also where do you find out about good places to bike? I would be interested in places near Birmingham, Peterborough and Cromer (in Norfolk) but I am not adverse to travelling as I have my own car!
There should be a sticky on this stuff...
In my experience, if you are looking to get into off-road mountain biking:
Bikes:
Hardtails - you will get better value for money with a hardtail. Stay away from cheap full suspension bikes.
~ £300- Entry level Hardtails.
Spesh rockhopper, GT avalanche are all good choices at this level.
There isn't a lot of difference between them, pick the one you like the most or that you can get a bargain with. A previous year's model is a good bet too. Go visit all your local bike shops, you probably can't go to wrong at this level and you will get some great advice.
You will probably be looking to upgrade this to either a new bike or upgrade the components within 6 - 12 months if you really get into the sport. And you will
£300~£800 will probably net you a better, lighter frame and better suspension. This is spesh rockhopper/stumpjumper territory or a better specced GT, Trek, Giant.
£1000 you are talking a very good hardtail with great components and suspension. Marin Rocky Ridge territory.
£1500+ and you are into top end hardtails.
You are also likely to spend at least £100 on a helmet, gloves, shorts, camelback and tools during the first 6 months.
What to buy first?
Hard to say really, I went entry level hardtail (spesh hardrock) rode the hell out of the bike for a year to work and on all sorts of trails, cut my teeth, learnt a lot of techniques and a bit about maintenances, but most importantly had tons of fun with relatively little expense.
I Upgraded the forks when I felt I was fit enough/fast enough/riding more technical trails and felt the current setup was limiting me a bit. A good set of forks on an entry level hard tail will give it a new lease of life. I also replaced a few other bits that broke.
Next step I went completely crazy on a very good full suspension bike
Mountain biking became an obsession and gave me a ton of benefit from a health and weight point of view (from nearly 17 stone to a plump 13.5) and I was sure I was going to stick with it. I got a few stitches too but that is besides the point
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Once you got the bug, the only right number of bikes to own is n+1; where n=the number of bikes you currently own
Full suspension bikes:
Here you are broadly talking, for new bikes:
~ £1000 entry level for a Cannondale Prophet 3, Mongoose Cannan type spec.
~ £1000~£1800 mid range full sussers
~ £1800~£2500 high end
~ £2500+ top end madness
In hindsight, if I did it all again? Probably not much different. I was not really reaching the limits of an entry level hardtail during the first 6 to 8 months. Was a good bike to ride anywhere, road and offroad, and if I hadn’t got into the sport - less money lost with a bike in the garage gathering dust.
If you are fit though, maybe consider something better to start with. Hard one to give advise as it depends highly on how regularly you will ride and how quickly you will advance.
A rough principle though (just to confuse things) :- go for the best frame and the best suspension you can buy, as these are the most expensive to replace, everything else follows.
Equipment
A helmet is essential, around £30 and you can buy something that potentially save your life. No discussion, just ride with a lid. Look at the entry level Giro, Bell and Specialized helmets for starters.
I would also highly recommend gloves, your will save your hands from being shredded on small falls. They will aslo make your riding more confortable.
Consider a spare innertube and/or puncture repair kit, pump and levers for flats.
A multi tool, camelback hydration type bag, good pair of padded shorts and shoes come next.
Trails:
If you have no level of fitness, a 13 mile, off-road, red+ graded trail is going to put you off from a physical point of view, and you are liable to get hurt too jumping in too deep. Try a couple of months riding to work on cycle paths to build up some stamina and some leisure routes on fireroads.
If you are relatively active and fit, then get right into some easy trails around you. Follow the Dog at Cannock Chase is a good example, is a great place to cut your teeth in as it's short enough to start with (6.5 miles) and not that difficult technically.
After that the UK is spoilt for choice in terms of trail centres. The sky is the limit.
Finding these will mainly depend on location and how much you want to travel. Your LBS is a good place to start to ask about local routes.
Mountain bike forums also a good option to find about local trails and meet people to show you around.
Riding with friends has got to be the best way though - to get local knowledge on trails, encouragement and to push your limits riding with better skilled/fitter people than you. And ask around at work. I’ve met many new good friends through work mountain biking. I rarely ride solo at all.
If you become a regular rider, also consider some first aid training for you and your group.
