Complete Beginner Mountain Biking - MTB

Nodferatu

I'm interested in getting myself a decent MTB, however as regards MTB's themselves I have no clue, I've owned basic road worthy bikes in the past but nothing of the likes of the modern MTB's as in Hardtail's or full suspensions. I dont know anything about the actual technical end on how to adjust or use the various parts and how to set them such as front fork suspension etc. Would appreciate help or link to a website on this and guides and lessons on beginners etc.

saccades

I'd strongly advise buying a trail Mtb (not an enduro or xc machine) and joining a club.

After a year to eighteen months the bike will be shagged and you'll know what type of riding you like.

Then buy the bike you want for the type of riding you like.

Your original bike can then be used in the winter months as it will be worth peanuts.

Things to look out for:

Make sure the fork has a tapered steerer.
It doesn't have a quill stem
It fits, look up size guides

Nodferatu

saccades wrote: »

I'd strongly advise buying a trail Mtb (not an enduro or xc machine) and joining a club.

After a year to eighteen months the bike will be shagged and you'll know what type of riding you like.

Then buy the bike you want for the type of riding you like.

Your original bike can then be used in the winter months as it will be worth peanuts.

Things to look out for:

Make sure the fork has a tapered steerer.
It doesn't have a quill stem
It fits, look up size guides

I'll try find a local shop to get some info. I'm based in Athy so the only close area to go to would be Stradbally woods. apart from that I have no clue. I need info on Irish trails etc.
I dont know what a "enduro or xc machine" are or the difference between them? As I said I'm completely dumb and uneducated in the world of MTB.
I'm gonna have to google what "tapered steerer" "quill stem"

saccades

Nodferatu wrote: »

I'll try find a local shop to get some info. I'm based in Athy so the only close area to go to would be Stradbally woods. apart from that I have no clue. I need info on Irish trails etc.
I dont know what a "enduro or xc machine" are or the difference between them? As I said I'm completely dumb and uneducated in the world of MTB.
I'm gonna have to google what "tapered steerer" "quill stem"

I don't know that neck of the woods but I bet there are some cheeky bits floating around, if not Wicklow or Mt Leinster.

http://forum.epicmtb.com/archive/index.php/t-8338.html

Enduro events are a bit like staged rally events, good speed to the top in certain time then timed descents. Gives you a bike that is ok at climbing but great going down. Downhill is a bike purely for max speed downwards. Xc/marathon is a much better climber and generally a speed machine until it gets nadgery when it'll get rapidly out of it's depth. Look for bikes with around 120 to 140 front travel as a rough guess for an all rounder "trail" bike.

A bike shop would be handy for info, try imbrc Mtb club too, they are over your neck of the woods (kinda) and a sound bunch.

nordicb

There is no do it all bike, first I would suggest to decide what type of riding you would like to do or start with. For fitness distance go cx/xc. For skills and adrenaline - enduro/dh. If possible, rent, borrow bikes, hit trails, it will help to decide.

xxyyzz

XC and enduro are various disciplines in mtb. XC, short for cross-country, is kind of similar to cyclocross, a mass start where riders do a number of loops of a circuit. Generally it's not super-technical but very physically demanding. The bikes are built for pedalling and climbing efficiency, i.e. light hardtails, steep geometry more similar to a roadbike than a mountainbike, minimal suspension (100mm fork, no rear suspension) and not much fun to ride on.

Enduro is the other end of the spectrum, There are a number of top to bottom timed stages where you are timed against the clock. You then have to make your way to the top of the next stage under your own steam. The stages can be extremely technical and require a full suspension bike usually with 160mm of travel.

For starting out I would recommend buying a relaxed trail hardtail, not an xc bike. Something like the Nukeproof scout or Vitus Sentier offers superb bang for your buck, plenty of travel in the fork and great for all-round trail riding. You can do a bit of everything on it.

QueenMTBee

saccades wrote: »

I'd strongly advise buying a trail Mtb and joining a club.
After a year to eighteen months the bike will be shagged and you'll know what type of riding you like.
Then buy the bike you want for the type of riding you like.

I would second this advice. I bought a decent entry level trail bike and joined a club. Crashed/bashed myself and the bike around for 9 months and tried out every kind of spin/trail I could. I had every intention of going into XC (cross country) but turns out I hate XC. I love enduro and DH (downhill) so I've recently splashed out on really good bike specific for that kind of riding.

Lemming

xxyyzz wrote: »

For starting out I would recommend buying a relaxed trail hardtail, not an xc bike. Something like the Nukeproof scout or Vitus Sentier offers superb bang for your buck, plenty of travel in the fork and great for all-round trail riding. You can do a bit of everything on it.

Both fine hard-tails; CRC had the Sentier on sale for 999 there the other week, and I've seen more than a few locals here in Sheffield using the scout for dirt jump and free ride abuse. To add to those names, Marin have just released a new hard tail that made me look twice. And then a third time . The San Quentin. The cheapest version of it comes in around £600, with the most expensive at £1400.

Nodferatu

Would this be a good one? Can't really stretch this far money is an issue, but is I scrounged up enough eventually, is this a recommended one?

Link: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-sentier-vr-hardtail-bike-sram-nx-1x11-2018/rp-prod159770

xxyyzz

Nodferatu wrote: »

Would this be a good one? Can't really stretch this far money is an issue, but is I scrounged up enough eventually, is this a recommended one?

Link: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-sentier-vr-hardtail-bike-sram-nx-1x11-2018/rp-prod159770

It's a great bike for the price, hardtail of the year in fact https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/vitus-sentier-vrs-2015-review

It looks like they only have size XL in stock though.

Nodferatu

xxyyzz wrote: »

It's a great bike for the price, hardtail of the year in fact https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/vitus-sentier-vrs-2015-review

It looks like they only have size XL in stock though.

I could wait until they get back in different sizes. I need to go to a bike shop and sit on some vitus to see what size the frames suit etc.

magicbastarder

couple of lads i know each got a voodoo bizango recently and love them.
cueing lots of the big bang theory, and scrubs jokes.