I want a Mountain Bike - Help

[swiftb]

So now the weather has turned to shite im looking for other ways to get my adrenilin pumping. Ive always liked the look of downhill mountain biking - so I fancy a go.
My definition of 'downhill' will probably start out with some extremely slow controlled descents on pretty shallow inclines.
But eventually I want to go downhill like a bat out of hell, probably fall off lots and break things (hopefully just bike things not body things!)
So I want to start out with an extremley tight budget, less than a £100 for the bike then some cheap ass protection like shinpads elbow/knee pads and maybe a chest protector and some sort of lid/hat.
Seen a few new bikes at around £100 new which I can imagine wont last long but thats fine, - I may not end up sticking at it anyway.
Muddyfox in argos for £99 looks ok - out of stock at min tho (full susp disc brakes etc)
Though I have seen a used trek vrx400 which could be in my budget - are these considered a decent bike? (il be honest I have no idea whats good other than going on price)

Also at 5 '10 with around a 30-31" inside leg what size frame should I be going for?

[stinkwheel]

I've been doing some research on this subject, looking for one for the girlfriend although I don't do mountain biking myself.

For £100, you aren't going to get a "proper" downhill mountain bike so I'd suggest you don't even try.

On the plus side. Cyclists are terrible tarts, worse than bikers so there is a lot of stuff for sale out there with nothing more wrong with it than it is last years model.

Second hand is definately the way to go. I wouldn't take a £100 brand new pushbike along the road and expect to make it to my destination in one piece, never mind throwing it down a ludicrously steep hill (although if it's adrenaline you're looking for...).

I would suggest anything with rear suspension is a no-no too. Again, for £100 it'll either be not up to the job or totally banjaxed. Rigid would seem the way to go.

Again. Brakes. Discs are either going to be shite or knackered on a bike for that price so I'd go with decent rim brakes which are just as capable of throwing you over the handlebars but look for forks with lugs for fitting discs at a later date if you want to.

Gearing-wise. Rigid bikes will probably be set up for cross country work so check to see if you'll be able to bolt a bigger chain ring on the front and budget for this.

I'd personally look for a reasonable frame with cheaper parts on that leaves scope for upgrading. You can upgrade gears, brakes, wheelsets etc as you go if you're enjoying it and eventually move them across to a better frame if you reach that point.

So, I'd suggest bunging some of those search parameters into ebay along with your postcode and see what comes up then check online for reviews.

I did a quick search and it threw up quite a few bikes that would probably not fall apart after your first run (plus a lot of shite). I attached the search parameters I used. Always a chance of a bargain if you trawl through the auctions as well as the buy it now section.

EDIT:
Just looked up a trek vrx400. Those things sold new for well over a thousand pounds. So yes, that bike would seem to fit the bill (although they receive pretty mixed to poor reviews) HOWEVER, I'd be having a very carefull look at it, there are a lot of wearable, breakable, bendable parts on that frame and it's 10 years old now. If it's been sat in a shed doing nothing, fine and dandy but it could equally be a worn out old rattletrap.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Marcg868]

Buy a Carrera Vulcan or a Specialized Hardrock off ebay. Nothing below £100 will last 5 mins on anything more than a Canal tow path.

Something like this will do and is ideal frame for upgrading.
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/nearly-new-carrera-vulcan-XC-spec-mountain-bike-/330491494493?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4cf2d4005d

I have had one and its been thrown round Gisburn, Lee Quarry and over some dirt jumps and it still keeps going.
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JACK, MISS YOU LOADS YOU LEGEND.

[ian789]

The gadget show did a thing on cheapo bikes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ8_9aKejds&list=SL about half way through.

You won't get much or far for £100.

[dodsi]

I have a £700 specialized and to be quite honest not even that is upto the job of anything more than a slow controll decent down a city street.

[stinkwheel]

"On one" do some decent, fairly cheap frames. You can pick them up for as little as £60-70 but you're not going to get the running gear to go with it within your budget.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MinhDinh]

£100 bicycles are like Chinese motorbikes.

Some bicycles cost more than motorbikes!
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Hit the G spot.

[G]

Good advice from bwfc4eva86.
If you actually want to do off-road stuff, need a semi-reasonable bike.
Definitely want to avoid cheap stuff.

If you can up your budget a bit I got a barely used second hand Carrera Banshee for £275 which seemed a pretty decent 'cheap' full suspension (new price was £500 or something.)

[Marcg868]

The very bare minimum for a Mountain bike is £250. Raise the budget to £500 and your looking at a reasonable mountain bike.

I'd go for the Carrea Vulcan on ebay or go with G's very good offer on the Carrera Banshee.

I have the Banshee X which is the slightly pricier version of the Banshee and its an excellent bike, albeit a little heavy.

This is a little bit cheaper and brand new https://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-5-2-grey-69566845/

Gets a good review on bikeradar. But this is a budget bike, which will need upgrades eventually.
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JACK, MISS YOU LOADS YOU LEGEND.

[G]

Sorry, that wasn't an offer of one to sell unfortunately, I'm afraid (I did wonder if it would come across like that) - that was what I got one for a while ago.
Unfortunately it got nicked and the second hand Banshee X I got to replace it I never found quite as good as it was a bit abused (the spring shock and cable brakes on the bottom model are surprisingly good.)

I would try and look for cases where people haven't really ridden the bike - been got as a present or 'best intentions' and not really used.

My current stead is a Boardman FS Comp which I got for £600 - brand new on the day it was purchased new for £850!
Bloke got it on the bike-to-work scheme to sell on. He did want more, but waving a wad of cash under his nose helped .

[dodsi]

Actually, come to think of it.

For £150 I will sell you a GT Agressor XC3 - the thing is hardly used and retailed when I got it for £380.

Just as I have the specialized aswell I simply don't need it.

[JonB]

Basic specialized hardrock will serve you well as the frame is very strong. Picked mine up brand new for just under £300.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[swiftb]

Cheers for the responses. I appreciate £100 wont get me a great deal - but thats all im budgeting for at the min - To be fair, even if I get a few months from it it will serve its purpose, im hardly going to be putting it through its paces as im a total noob so will no doubt spend most my time on the floor or carrying it rather than carreering down mountainsides and landing phat jumps lol!
If in those few months I get a taste for it then il happily spend £300-£600 on someting half decent next yr - but dont want to spend that immediately for the possiblity of it sat in the garage doing sweet fa.
So am I better off going for a rigid frame? theres a specialized hardrock which looks about 15yr old very nearby. Are we saying this is a better bet than something sub £100 with full susp??
Or this trek vrx400, worth a shout if can get it cheap enough?

Any opinion on these:

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Scott-mountain-bike-/280583343750?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4154120e86

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hardrock-Specialized-Ultra-Mountain-Bike-/300487462357?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item45f672cdd5

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Black-CARRERA-SUBWAY-1-HYBRID-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-09-20-/220690996328?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3362355c68

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mountain-Bike-Kona-Hahanna-/160501552032?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item255ea353a0

[G]

[swiftb]

[G]

An ok-specced second hand bike in good condition will be fine.
An ok-specced second hand bike that's well used can be a complete money pit - a lot of the cost of the bike is made up of items that are consumable (ie gears, brake bits, all cables, wheels can go out, bearings etc). Throw suspension in and it can be a serious money pit to buy blindly.

I like disc brakes because you can still keep going with quite knackered rims .
Cheap cable disc brakes are cack, but more expensive ones are ok.

[dodsi]

G, mine is an 09' model too. a year old (just about) and hardly used because I also have the specialized.

The only use it has really had is about 100 miles or so road use.

[Marcg868]

Can you afford £80 extra for that vulcan i posted? i started off with this to see if i was still in to mountain biking and it was a brilliant bike.

I'd go with the carrera rather than the ones you posted as some are Hybrids and some are just shite.

The carrera will handle canal paths and also red routes at trail centres.

An example of a red route https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4WT40n_Lb0&feature=related
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JACK, MISS YOU LOADS YOU LEGEND.

[bikertomm]

Lol. Always amazes me the amount of people who go Disk brakes!! Full suspension!!

Like anything, you get what you pay for!

Some good advice up there, have a browse on ebay, a reputable make would help and Carrera's are pretty good quality for the money.


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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[stinkwheel]

Both Scott and Kona always did make good frames. The ones you put up are both very basic model bikes though.

An early 90's steel Specialized frame ought to survive armageddon. I wouldn't pay a lot for it though (like £40 or so) and you could sex it up significantly.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[EuropeanNC30R...]

[colin1]

People with loadsa wedge will always tell you things cant be done without spending loadsa wedge.

Maybe it might be worth you increasing your budget, maybe not, but there is fun to be had by going downhill on a £10 bike off ebay, as long as the brakes work. Obviously the more you spend, the more capable a machine you could get.

I'm not in a position to advise you on what's best to get with £100, but I bought an old mountain bike for £180, that was worth £1800 when new. It needed new fork inserts, which I didnt realise when I bought it, but only set me back £25. I've no idea how it compares to modern bikes. I do know that I bought the wrong spring inserts, so the forks are a bit hard and dont use the full travel, but the bike is fine for me. It looks a bit pretty as anything that was once a premium product will do, and it hasnt let me down yet.

But then again my cheap £30 mountain bike never let me down either even if I did hate grip shift gears.

My current one is just a bit nicer and more bling.

Personally I would never want a full suspension bike, fork suspension only, as its extra weight, and if you are out of the saddle going up hill, you lose energy as the bike bounces up and down, and if you are going down hill, most of the weight is over the front wheel anyway.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[G]

[swiftb]

Im now considering another option - have a credit card with 0% till april so could afford to get something for upto £250 on that - or as said around £100-maybe £120-£130 cash for something used.

Can I get something new which is going to be reasonably upto the job for upto £250?

Ive seen these on offer - worth a punt over a £100 used bike or shite??

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_518215_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/diamondback-db-stealth-dd-26in-p103600

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=22568&categoryID=675

https://www.bikeoutlet.co.uk/products/Claud_Butler_Trailridge_Gents_2010-1086-38.html

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Claud%20Butler-Pinelake-Mountain-Bike-2010-Hardtail-MTB_34242.htm

(Im sticking all these here for my own reference but feel free to have a scan at each and comments suggestions plz )

[cagiva gezzer]

They're all pretty basic / shit.

Keep your eyes open for a second hand decent one. I picked up a Specialized for £140 a few years ago and it's only just need a re-vamp.

I got given a Diamond Back the other month and after spending £60 on cables / chain / cassette / saddle my GF now has a perfectly serviceable mountain bike.

Can you not get one on the "cycle to work scheme"?
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"