Which MTB

mattock

Going to start into the mtb and doing some trails over the Cooleys, have a budget of €600-€800 can anyone recommend me a good enough bike for this sport.

Icyseanfitz

i was in the same boat as you a week ago and i ended up buying a savage full suspension mtb second hand from a fella over at MADmtb.com for 900, check epicmtb.com as well for some good second hand bikes, most people will tell you to start off with a hard tail so if you want to do that you will get a decent new hard tail for 600-800 (i like this website but chainreactions is meant to be a very good site as well)

C3PO

I wouldn't be thinking about a full suspension bike with your budget but you should be able to get a good second hand hardtail. I would stick with the mainstream brands and a decent front fork is the most important thing. A Giant XTC or Specialized Rockhopper would be a good starting point.

Icyseanfitz

well for 800-1000 you can get decent second hand full suspension bikes (saw a nice lapierre 410 2008 going for 900 i got a bionicon edison ltd 3 for 900 ) if your only beginning a nice hard tail would be good, i suppose it all depends on what your ambitions are in mtbing

mattock

Hardtail is what I am after I dont particularly like full sus bikes.

I was offered a Giant Terrago and a Giant Yukon both excellent and both for €350 or so both 2nd hand of course.

What do ye think of either of these.

C3PO

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

....if your only beginning a nice hard tail would be good, i suppose it all depends on what your ambitions are in mtbing

WTF? I have no idea what your experience or ambitions are Sean but there are plenty of really good riders who wouldn't be seen dead on anything other than a "nice hard tail"!

The problem with both the Yukon and the Terrago is that they both have pretty poor forks on them - I would try to get something with better front suspension - everything else is replaceable over time. This might be a good buy if you good negotiate a bit on the price!
http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12550

mattock

RPL1 wrote: »

WTF? I have no idea what your experience or ambitions are Sean but there are plenty of really good riders who wouldn't be seen dead on anything other than a "nice hard tail"!

The problem with both the Yukon and the Terrago is that they both have pretty poor forks on them - I would try to get something with better front suspension - everything else is replaceable over time. This might be a good buy if you good negotiate a bit on the price!
http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12550

Cannot seem to open the link, any other link to it or what should I be thinking of buying this will only be for winter riding as its road biking I am really into.

Icyseanfitz

RPL1 wrote: »

WTF? I have no idea what your experience or ambitions are Sean but there are plenty of really good riders who wouldn't be seen dead on anything other than a "nice hard tail"!

The problem with both the Yukon and the Terrago is that they both have pretty poor forks on them - I would try to get something with better front suspension - everything else is replaceable over time. This might be a good buy if you good negotiate a bit on the price!
http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12550

sorry if i cam across as ignorant probably should have said it depends on which discipline of mountain biking your looking to get into (as you really couldnt do downhill on a hardtail.....well you could but it would get messy ) my own ambitions are to start off with some xc and gradually get into some DH and im not very experienced so take all my opinions with a grain of salt

C3PO

mattock wrote: »

Cannot seem to open the link, any other link to it or what should I be thinking of buying this will only be for winter riding as its road biking I am really into.

Yeh, the Epic site seems to be down at the moment - I'm sure it will be back up soon!
Mountain bikes are a bit different to road bikes in that you need a certain basic level of spec. I have an old Giant OCR road bike which I happily take out on our winter road training spins and while it is not quite as good as my Pinerello it does the job just fine. On the other hand a €300 mountain bike would be a nightmare on anything other than fire-roads and flat trails. A frame from any of the top manufacturers will probably be fine but a decent set of forks and hydraulic disk brakes are really essential. Personally I wouldn't buy a bike with anything other than Fox or RockShox (Recon or better) forks! Keep an eye on the Epic, MAD and MTBIreland sites and something decent will come up!

mattock

RPL1 wrote: »

Yeh, the Epic site seems to be down at the moment - I'm sure it will be back up soon!
Mountain bikes are a bit different to road bikes in that you need a certain basic level of spec. I have an old Giant OCR road bike which I happily take out on our winter road training spins and while it is not quite as good as my Pinerello it does the job just fine. On the other hand a €300 mountain bike would be a nightmare on anything other than fire-roads and flat trails. A frame from any of the top manufacturers will probably be fine but a decent set of forks and hydraulic disk brakes are really essential. Personally I wouldn't buy a bike with anything other than Fox or RockShox (Recon or better) forks! Keep an eye on the Epic, MAD and MTBIreland sites and something decent will come up!

Enquired about the Lapierre 300 fantastic bike but too big, need max 19"

mattock

Any opinions on a GT aggressor XC1 Versus Giant terrago

Daniel S

Guys in Ballyhoura are selling a new 2010 Cube acid for €800 and they'll give you €80 worth of free stuff afaik.

mattock

mtb_kng wrote: »

Guys in Ballyhoura are selling a new 2010 Cube acid for €800 and they'll give you €80 worth of free stuff afaik.

Bit too far as I am in County Louth area, thanks anyway.

guym

this is a very nice bike for the money, not sure what size person the small frame would suit.

http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12341

Morgan

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

it depends on which discipline of mountain biking your looking to get into (as you really couldnt do downhill on a hardtail.....well you could but it would get messy )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv7TyakE8qw

To the OP - get in touch with the lads at Cuchulainn CC - they're near you and could provide a bit of local advice.

http://www.dundalkcycling.com/message_board.htm

seamus

guym wrote: »

this is a very nice bike for the money, not sure what size person the small frame would suit.

http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12341

It's effectively a girl's bike at that size. You're looking at 5'2" to 5'5", very small. Even for downhill it would probably be too short for your average male.

Gavin

I don't think that's necessarily true. I am 5'8 and have a 16" frame. I'd certainly test ride it before rejecting it as an option

Biopace

Gavin wrote: »

I don't think that's necessarily true. I am 5'8 and have a 16" frame. I'd certainly test ride it before rejecting it as an option

Ditto, I'm 5'10 and ride a 16" frame, (it has a long top tube though, so plenty of room)

guym

seamus wrote: »

It's effectively a girl's bike at that size. You're looking at 5'2" to 5'5", very small. Even for downhill it would probably be too short for your average male.

Pure tosh!!!! Different manufacturers bikes come up different sizes. I'm 5'10 and used to have a medium giant xtc and that felt a smidge too big. I now have a medium Stevens and it's a perfect fit. If I ever go back to a giant I would almost probably go for a small frame. Better to have a smaller frame and raise the seatpost more than having a frame that is too large.

djfattony2000

This is a well speced bike with an adjustable, long travel fork, for when you want to venture into DH.

Might be out of your price range though.

http://www.realcycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s2p1814

mattock

Had to go to Halfords today for de-icer, the GT agressor range look well spec'd anyone an opinion on the xcr or the xc1.

seamus

guym wrote: »

Pure tosh!!!! Different manufacturers bikes come up different sizes. I'm 5'10 and used to have a medium giant xtc and that felt a smidge too big. I now have a medium Stevens and it's a perfect fit. If I ever go back to a giant I would almost probably go for a small frame. Better to have a smaller frame and raise the seatpost more than having a frame that is too large.

I stand corrected. Must be my old school sizing guidelines so. There were none of these sloped top tubes and downhill bikes in my day. Everything under £2k was hardtail with a straight top tube.

guym

mattock wrote: »

Had to go to Halfords today for de-icer, the GT agressor range look well spec'd anyone an opinion on the xcr or the xc1.

If I were you I would put a 'wanted' post upon the epic mtb site. Include your height, budget, what type of riding you expect to be doing etc. There are plenty of lads on there that know their stuff, I'm sure one or two of them may be able to help you out. For the money you'd be spending on an xcr you should be able to pick up a MUCH higher specced very good condition second hand bike.