Getting back in to Mountain Biking

[Wildfire]

So I used to ride a lot when I was in my teens and early 20's, even when I got into cars. It was the days of Rok Shox Judy's, Manitou X-Verts and the SID's had just been released.

I then tried half heartedly to ride again in 2010 and stupidly bought a 150mm full bouncer, which saw about 3 months of use before my riding partner went up north and took the car we used with him.

I then relegated the bikes to the garage and life took over, Plus I never really had a car to take the bikes places.

Last a friend convinced me to get back out on the bike, and even round the local park (it's pretty big) I realised how much I enjoyed cycling, getting in and out of clipless pedals was second nature as was a fair amount of bike control. Despite hacking around on a heavy, bouncy bike.

These days I have a shed (the wife's car) which I can use to get out to easily and also am trying to convince the OH to come out for some gentle rides.

So if this all works out, I think I may look at a new bike, and maybe some rides out to parks or at least some good trails in Surrey and Kent.

But looking online it has all changed! There seem to be a load of different wheel sizes, bikes range from a few hundred to five figures!

I'm not sure what I should be looking at. I'm considering some sort of Specialized, as I've always wanted one, maybe a Stumpjumper Carbon or an Epic. The local bike shops says I would be good with a Trek Pro Calibre or Top Fuel and a someone else recommended a Whyte 905.

So I'm a bit lost.

I'm not totally sure what I'm going to be riding, but it will be off road and I just don't want to get back into it, then realise "getting up hills is really hard on this, or well descending is a bit sketchy".

Or am I just over thinking this?

Budget is circa £2k.

For the moment I'm ok getting fit again on my Felt Compulsion 3.

So open to the floor..


Sorry, lockdown has given me too much time to think and post...

[zasker]

Can’t really help on what bike, suppose it depends on what type of riding you do but I have a Procaliber and a Project One Fuel EX bother 29ers. Ride a mix or trails and tracks but not much downhill. I’d say I ride the Procaliber more and the little bit of flex/suspension you get from the frame does take the buzz out and can’t fault it as an all rounder. The only thing that concerned me with the Procaliber was the 1x11 chain set seeing as the bike I had before it had 30 gears but can’t say it makes a massive difference. Not sure the Procaliber is still available though unless they have old stock. Suppose you need to get out and try a few if you can.

[Sa Calobra]

Whereabouts do you live? Would be good for you to hook up with a group and have a spin on theirs etc

[Gilhooligan]

Difficult to suggest when you’re not sure what kind of trails you want to ride. A 130/140mm 29er hardtail is probably a good starting point. As it’ll be pretty efficient to ride on easy trails and with modern geometry/ wide handlebars etc, it’ll be quite confidence inspiring on steep descents/ rough trails etc.

Saying that, you’d be surprised how efficient a modern full sus bike is to pedal these days.

[blueovercream]

I was in this very position nearly 3 years ago. I was really into it as a teenager in the early 2000s but then stopped it all as exams and uni took over. I also was struck by how much it had changed since the days of sids and Marzocchi bombers.

I set myself a lower budget than you (£1000) and went second hand, on the grounds that I could sell the bike again without losing out significantly if I didn’t like it. I went for an enduro-style full-sus, 27.5 wheels and a 2x10 drivetrain. Newer bikes will be 1x11 or 1x12 and in fact I’ve recently modified mine to 1x11.

A full sus, although a bit heavier, might restore your confidence and enjoyment faster, as well as allowing you to access a wide range of trails. A hard tail might be cheaper and could teach you to ride more smoothly as you’re getting back into it. Then your choice is really between 27.5 (650b) and 29 inch wheels. I can’t really offer an opinion there as I’ve not ridden 29. I’m wondering now about getting a hard tail 29 as a second bike.

Websites like pink bike have a huge used section. You’re likely to get more bike for your budget if you can find a good one or ask a pal who knows what to look for.

[Wildfire]

Sa Calobra said:

Whereabouts do you live? Would be good for you to hook up with a group and have a spin on theirs etc

I'm in Surrey, near Dorking, hence why I can get out again.

Thanks for the advice, especially on the Pro Calibre. I think I am looking for a good all rounder. I suspect that what I considered downhill, back in the day, is pretty tame these days.

[Sa Calobra]

Whoa you've got stunning trails all-round you. Ranmore, around Leith etc etc.

Personally I'd buy a decent used bike off of pinkbike. Something like a Transition Scout etc.

The Bossnut will be Abit cheaper and knew but it's graded high due to 'great bike for the money'.

I'd personally get a Canyon new..

You'll be upgrading soon enough of you buy cheap ..

[Tall_Paul]

Living there, you've got some of the best trails in the south on your doorstep, being surrey hills. I'm not fat from there in Maidstone, Kent.

I too came back to MTB's after a big gap, of 15 years or so - stopped in my early twenties and started again in late 2017.

I demo'd a few bikes and decided that being a) very unfit and b) the wrong side of 35, that a full suspension bike was the way to go. Bought a Vitus Escarpe for around £1500 which did me extremely well for a year and a bit, and over 1000 miles.



Things have changed a lot - full suspension is now incredibly good. Bikes are much longer, and far more capable than you'll ever be. 26 is dead. 27.5 or 29 is the way now. Dropper posts. 1x is king, the front mech is dead.


Can I suggest you sign up to the Singletrackworld forum - it's basically the pistonheads of cycling. Start a thread there and you'll get a lot of good suggestions and it's a great dedicated MTB place to hang out. https://singletrackworld.com/forum/

If you have 2k to spend, 100% go for a FS bike, there's plenty around at that price point. As above, FS designs are VERY efficient now and climbing on one is very easy, and the level of trails that are being ridden is above and beyond what was being done by regular MTB'ers 15 years ago.Travel has increased too, 100mm is now a full on XC bike, 120mm is short travel trail/long travel XC, 130-150mm is trail bike (basically an all rounder, also called all mountain - this is where you will want to be aiming for), and then enduro with 160-180mm travel.

You'll also get the best value by going for a direct sale brand, one which sells bikes direct to you rather than through a shop. At £2k, a specialized is going to be poor value. Look for any of the following: Vitus, YT industries, Canyon, Commencal, Orbea, Radon, Nukeproof. There's probably others but they are a good starting point.

Edited by Tall_Paul on Tuesday 19th May 22:40

[Bathroom_Security]

Trail bike for Surrey hills and swinley, there are plenty to choose from. Best way to do it is to test them, but that's not possible atm.

Dont get an enduro.

[Tall_Paul]

Bathroom_Security said:

Trail bike for Surrey hills and swinley, there are plenty to choose from. Best way to do it is to test them, but that's not possible atm.

Dont get an enduro.

Yep. Also, don't get an XC race bike like the pro calibre. For some reason, I also got recommended that bike when I walked into a bike show a few years ago...

My bike in the pic about is a 27.5 wheel, with 140 rear and 150mm front travel. If you're tall it may be worth looking at a 29er. 29er's will tend to have 10mm less travel than an equivalent 27.5 bike.

So, stick with something between 130-150mm in 27.6 and 120-140mm in 29, that's rear travel.

[Wildfire]

Thanks everyone! Really helpful!

I’m definitely going to check out pink bike and the other makes people mentioned.

I got out on my Felt today and I did rally enjoy it. The only thing that put me off was the weight.

Fitness wise I managed 30k or so on and off rad and am a bit sore but not too bad.

[Tall_Paul]

You don't need an ebike. For 2k it'll be poorly specced.

Here's some FS bikes for under/around £2k that will handle anything up to and including the fort william top chief trail. Don't know what that is? Enjoy: https://youtu.be/OROna0NI8iQ

Vitus Escarpe VR - £2300 (but on sale ALL the time)


Canyon Spectral AL 5.0 - £2050


YT Jeffsy AL Base - £2000


Sonder Cortex £2050

[Bathroom_Security]

Spectral would be my choice. I went with a carbon stumpjumper but nearly pulled the trigger on a canyon

[Wildfire]

Tall_Paul said:

You don't need an ebike. For 2k it'll be poorly specced.

Here's some FS bikes for under/around £2k that will handle anything up to and including the fort william top chief trail. Don't know what that is? Enjoy: https://youtu.be/OROna0NI8iQ

Thanks Paul, really helpful, I was actually looking at the YT and Vitus!

As for eBikes, I'd prefer non-e. I used to do a lot of technical XC climbing when I did ride. I love the feeling of getting to the top of a climb! But mainly so I can go down.

[Wonderman]

Wildfire said:

So I used to ride a lot when I was in my teens and early 20's, even when I got into cars. It was the days of Rok Shox Judy's, Manitou X-Verts and the SID's had just been released.

I then tried half heartedly to ride again in 2010 and stupidly bought a 150mm full bouncer, which saw about 3 months of use before my riding partner went up north and took the car we used with him.

I then relegated the bikes to the garage and life took over, Plus I never really had a car to take the bikes places.

Last a friend convinced me to get back out on the bike, and even round the local park (it's pretty big) I realised how much I enjoyed cycling, getting in and out of clipless pedals was second nature as was a fair amount of bike control. Despite hacking around on a heavy, bouncy bike.

These days I have a shed (the wife's car) which I can use to get out to easily and also am trying to convince the OH to come out for some gentle rides.

So if this all works out, I think I may look at a new bike, and maybe some rides out to parks or at least some good trails in Surrey and Kent.

But looking online it has all changed! There seem to be a load of different wheel sizes, bikes range from a few hundred to five figures!

I'm not sure what I should be looking at. I'm considering some sort of Specialized, as I've always wanted one, maybe a Stumpjumper Carbon or an Epic. The local bike shops says I would be good with a Trek Pro Calibre or Top Fuel and a someone else recommended a Whyte 905.

So I'm a bit lost.

I'm not totally sure what I'm going to be riding, but it will be off road and I just don't want to get back into it, then realise "getting up hills is really hard on this, or well descending is a bit sketchy".

Or am I just over thinking this?

Budget is circa £2k.

For the moment I'm ok getting fit again on my Felt Compulsion 3.

So open to the floor..


Sorry, lockdown has given me too much time to think and post...

Once open again why don't you try a hire/demo from here: https://www.swinleybikehub.com/hire#bikerange or Bird bikes is near there and can pick up a demo too https://www.bird.bike/, at least give you a feel for what would suit you?

[Kermit power]

Especially given that you're down here, take a look at Bird!

You might well end up spending more than £2k, but they do wonderful bikes!

[Gilhooligan]

Kermit power said:

Especially given that you're down here, take a look at Bird!

You might well end up spending more than £2k, but they do wonderful bikes!

A mate of mine has an Aeris with the raw aluminium frame. Looks proper good and it was considerably lighter than my similar sized enduro bike.
They are definitely not as cheap as the base prices suggest. I couldn’t spec mine below 3k even when trying to be sensible ha.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Sambucket said:

Wildfire said:

Thanks Paul, really helpful, I was actually looking at the YT and Vitus!

As for eBikes, I'd prefer non-e. I used to do a lot of technical XC climbing when I did ride. I love the feeling of getting to the top of a climb! But mainly so I can go down.

Fair enough. If you enjoy the climbing aspect, E is definitely not the way to go. For some reasons I got the impression you were mostly riding mildly undulating XC.

Depends massively on what riding you like, but re spec I find the motor smooths over quite a few issues relating to cheaper components.

Probably would be burnt at the stake at STW

Sorry but that's just not true... One of the joys of an emtb IS the climbing. It makes super technical climbs, once out of reach, now possible. I've cleaned stuff I couldn't get up 20 years ago when I was doing at least 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week and racing. You find yourself looking for the steepest rootiest DH runs to see if you can ride up them. I can't wait to take mine to my local trials club for a play whilst my Son is on his osset...Still shut unfortunately.

OP if you like climbing, don't rule out an E. But with your current budget I wouldn't.

[Wildfire]

Gilhooligan said:

A mate of mine has an Aeris with the raw aluminium frame. Looks proper good and it was considerably lighter than my similar sized enduro bike.
They are definitely not as cheap as the base prices suggest. I couldn’t spec mine below 3k even when trying to be sensible ha.

I've just had a look and the Aether 7 looks great. Pushing my budget a bit. I can probably get a 2nd hand YT or Vitus for a fair bit less. But then will I want to upgrade....... Kermitpower, you're a bad person...

[Tall_Paul]

Wildfire said:

Tall_Paul said:

You don't need an ebike. For 2k it'll be poorly specced.

Here's some FS bikes for under/around £2k that will handle anything up to and including the fort william top chief trail. Don't know what that is? Enjoy: https://youtu.be/OROna0NI8iQ

Thanks Paul, really helpful, I was actually looking at the YT and Vitus!

As for eBikes, I'd prefer non-e. I used to do a lot of technical XC climbing when I did ride. I love the feeling of getting to the top of a climb! But mainly so I can go down.

I've upgraded from the Vitus Escarpe to a YT jeffsy, mine may be the top of the range model but the geometry is identical on the alloy base model.