Help on 1st bike

fasterkayote

Hi to everyone
I need help on my 1st purchase of bike, been enjoying bike lately as for fitness. Presently using an apollo mountain bike no sus at all, size 21 (im only 5'4)heheheh. Since on grade school ive been into bmx bikes and enduro motorbike on college so extreme sport is not new to me.
Application for the new bike is basically for road use (fitness)-but id really prefer the mountain bike format as it gives me the option to go trail or xc riding with my mates.
Full sus or hardtail realy doesnt matter as to be honest i have no experience with sus-bikes.
color preference-white or silver-
budget 1.5-2k
shock preference fox or rockshox
drivetrain-shimano xt,deore
must be light 10-12kg
my first choice was the cube race rx ltd in cyclesuperstore sad to say most or nearly all cube are out of stock
2nd id the lappiere pro 300 1.6k cyclesuperstore
3rd is the specialized fsr xc pro 2k cycleways
needs to be purchased in ireland-to support our economy and bike to work scheme-ahem.

all inputs appreciated......

uberpixie

What distance will you be cycling on the road?

Ideally for long distance on the road you use a road bike and keep the moutain bike for trails only.

Long distance on a mtb on the road is not a pleasant experience.

For short hops a xc hardtail is fine but doing 30 to 40km on a hardtail is not something I would be in a hurry to do again. Very slow and not very comfortable on flat roads.

Recently move to a road bike with drop bars for commuiting and I won't be going back.

serendip

With the budget you have you could get two pretty decent bikes: a road bike for everyday use and a MTB for occasional off-road use. Road bikes really are light years ahead for all but the shortest trips on the road.

Lumen

For €2k you could get a nice road bike and a nice mountain bike.

edit: what serendip said

fasterkayote

thanks for the heads up boys. im only doin 25ks 3x a day, what road bike would you guys have in mind then?

uberpixie

fasterkayote wrote: »

thanks for the heads up boys. im only doin 25ks 3x a day, what road bike would you guys have in mind then?

What ever fits you the best tbh...
You have a load of choices.

Just in specialized alone:

1) Specialized Tri Cross: cyclecross bike, relaxed geometry, will do long range on the road and will do cycling on dirt tracks off road.
http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/46537/2010-Specialized-Tricross-52cm/

2) Specalized Allez: entry level racing bkie for road racing
http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/45804/2010-Specialized-Allez-16-52cm/

3) Specailized Langster: single speed/fixed speed racing bike, good for commuting (use this myself for my city commute 8km+ either way)
http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/45846/2010-Specialized-Langster-51cm/

4) Secalized Secteur: relaxed geometry, meant for long rides on the road in comfort (Dad has one, bought it this year and loves it for his work commute)
http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/47259/2010-Specialized-Secteur-52cm/

Thats just in specalized.... Other brands will have bikes that will fall into the 4 rough categories above. Have a look around and through your leg over a few bikes and see what takes your fancy.

You still have the option of getting essentially a road bike but with a flat bar instead of drops such as a giant Rapid...
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/model/rapid.advanced/4866/38969/

You get used to drops pretty quick though, and the choice of different hand positions means less cramps on long cycles. I have had very few issues converting to drops and I wouldn't rule them out until you have tried them.

I am only 5ft 5" myself and take a 51/52cm frame: this would be a good starting point for size for yourself.

fasterkayote

many thanks uberpixie,
will have a trip down at cycleways mane.