Help with first bike!

ErolGirl

Hi, I am about to buy my first adult bike LOL (I'm 29) - Want to do cycling on and off road, so a mountain bike.

Does anyone know if this bike is any good? I have someone local to me selling it for £120...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Townsend-Trend-Womens-Dual-Suspension/dp/B0087XQD4O

If not any recommended makes to go for? My boyfriend has a Scott, but think they are a bit expensive for what I am looking for!

Thank you

custardy

ErolGirl wrote: »

Hi, I am about to buy my first adult bike LOL (I'm 29) - Want to do cycling on and off road, so a mountain bike.

Does anyone know if this bike is any good? I have someone local to me selling it for £120...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Townsend-Trend-Womens-Dual-Suspension/dp/B0087XQD4O

If not any recommended makes to go for? My boyfriend has a Scott, but think they are a bit expensive for what I am looking for!

Thank you

Well do you really need a montain bike?
What sort of off road are we talking?
Hard pack trails?

Forget cheap full suspension. Front suspension at the most.
Whats the budget? Would you buy 2nd hand?

ErolGirl

custardy wrote: »

Well do you really need a montain bike?
What sort of off road are we talking?
Hard pack trails?

Forget cheap full suspension. Front suspension at the most.
Whats the budget? Would you buy 2nd hand?

Well I am in the Isle of Man, lots of paths and plantations to cycle in. But don't think I will be going crazy off road!!

Budget is about £150 would stretch to £200 and yes have been looking at second hand ones too.

I've seen the Townsend one, a Giant, and Dunlop Signature 2nd hand. All under £120 but not sure what to look for really...

Thanks

custardy

ErolGirl wrote: »

Well I am in the Isle of Man, lots of paths and plantations to cycle in. But don't think I will be going crazy off road!!

Budget is about £150 would stretch to £200 and yes have been looking at second hand ones too.

I've seen the Townsend one, a Giant, and Dunlop Signature 2nd hand. All under £120 but not sure what to look for really...

Thanks

Out of those 3. The Giant is the only brand I would even entertain.
You could also look at hybrid & CX bikes.
I sold my MTBs as my shoulder is no longer up to heavy off road.
However my CX and to a lesser degree hybrid can manage light off road stuff fine.
With a better ride on the road

StuC75

With any bike its about knowing how well its been looked after and maintained, and whether the Boyfriend is upto speed with maintaining the bike should there be problems along the way.

When I got back into biking about 6 years ago, I bought a cheap starter bike from Halfords and to be fair it almost put me off of cycling. the components were poor and it didn't stand up well to use ... bottom bracked seized, wheels buckled, gripshift just about fell apart.. so it can be a false economy buying a cheap bike. within 6 months I decided to get a specialized hardtail - which has been perfect for years)..

what would that bike have sold for new 'realistically' (granted shops can exaggerate the 'was' price)..

but be handy to gauge what kind a 'bargain' this bike could be , and factor in not having any recourse should problems develop..

I would also suggest if buying second hand that get someone to check it over for you, or take it to a Local Bike shop for a service \ check over so know that all is well...

ErolGirl

Hi, Thanks for the responses.

Someone is selling a Giant "as new" bike for £120, but like you said I wouldn't know how good the condition was!

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy a decent new one, I've seen a Scott Contessa for £330 at a local shop, and others around £300, and I could shop around. I guess I would get more enjoyment out of a decent bike and hopefully get into cycling regularly if I did!! Worth the investment??

I will look into hybrids aswell, as I will be doing a fair bit of lane/road cycling with it too....

Thank you

armyknife

Just a quick reminder to get a bike that's definitely the right size for you, one that fits.

That's were a good local bike shop comes in, in helping your to make good choices.

Mankysteve

Unless you've got a least a grand to spend dont go with a full suspension. It will be heavy and not proform very well. £120 for that bike is rip off.

Allways worth investing a bit of cash to begin with so you get something that doesnt require contant fettling to keep running(normally maintaince withstanding).

If you find some local secound hand bikes let us know make and model and we can properly advise.

fred246

Most people want a bike for road and trail use. My recommendation is always to look for:
Alloy frame
No suspension
V-brakes
Shimano gears with trigger shifters not revo
Cartridge bottom bracket
Something like Claud Butler Urban 200 ladies for £218.99

AndyBSG

As mentioned above, you really need to think about what you're going to use it for and then decide what type of bike you want.

You say in the OP that you want a MTB but follow that up by saying later on that it's mainly going to be dirt paths not true 'off road'.

This makes me think that you really don't need a bike with suspension.

The main advantage of suspension is that it makes the ride 'smoother' if you're doing lots of real off road. By off road this means rocky terrain with lots of drops and jumps where the suspension will cushion the impacts.

The two huge disadvantages of suspension are that they add a lot of weight to a bike unless you're spending several hundred pounds on a top of the range bike and they also take more effort to ride.

To me it sounds like what you are really after is a MTB with no suspension(Possibly front suspension at a push but for your budget suspension forks will be cheap, heavy, poorly made and probably more effort than benefit) or even a hybrid.

You should be able to pick up something like a Giant Escape, Dawes Discovery, Ridgeback Motion, Claude Butler Urban, Carrerra Subway etc brand new for around the 250 mark but if buying second hand you could probably pick up something a little higher spec.

ErolGirl

Thanks for all your advice I've found a Giant Rincon (£120) and a Giant Ukon (£200) for sale second hand locally. Although I may go to a couple of bike shops to see what they have on offer with what you have recommended.