Jump to content

Faq: Is This A Good First Bike?


rupintart

Recommended Posts

done

to be honest - i don't mind righting £80 off

i've got so mucjh to learn it'll do in the mean time and give me a good flavour of the style of bike

at the end of the day, as a beginner you just got to decide if what's available is suitable and at the right price

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Guys,

I am new to the forum and looking for my first bike. i have been reading through this and i am just wondering if there is something that will tell me what to look out for when buying a bike. As i am new to this i don't have a clue what is good and what you should just avoid.

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

its only wants to be light if you start of at a young age such as 5-6 years old because of strenght and so on too practise the main balancing but as you grow you'd get a bigger bike but if your used to a light bike yeh i think you'd get a lighter bike again when you've grown but like when most people start they usally get a cheap bike thats oki like a monty 219 alp or magura, onza comps, blades or maybe something cheap as like the old onza tv but as you'd learn on something like that you'd want to upgrade it as your skills become better such as when you learn to gap and say you've got standard vee pads or hs33 pads your going ot go looking for advice and thats probs how people end up on here because of tips and wikis to just help you out as you learn.

But starting off on a light bike will give you more abillity to learn things easyier but i'd think it'd be better to learn on something a bit clumbsy/heavy and then upgrading it as parts break or to make the bike feel better after reading about topics on here such as handle bar and stem recomondations and upgrading to a stronger chain then a free wheel with more engagments not like from an acs to an echo sl just something like a tensile 60 click and just basically keep getting better parts once they break or get worse soo you can keep progressing till you end up with a full spec koxx or monty but as i said at the begining if you start off at a young age like adam morewood because his already starting comps and things he will just get a lighter bike again when he needs a bigger frame than his monty because of him always using a light weight bike and also the fact that in comps you dont want a heavy bike to lug around do you.

My mate went straht from a normal monty 219 magura to a whole new gu le with a rear chris king and i said why did you get that back hub cause its got that much more than the standard free wheel he had on his monty like if it was me i would of got a profile and also saved money if anyone gets what imean its not me just being jelous or out its just why have a ck with 72 eps from a free wheel with like 36 eps the only better thing for him now is a 108ep ffw instead of it being a 72ep ck hub from a 48ep profile, not like its really important but it makes your power get to the rear wheel quicker meh you should get the point of what i've said :giggle:

EDIT: dont know where to put any full stops sorry >_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, first off, the first thing most people will tell you is:

1. "That bike is too expensive for a beginner to learn on."

2. "Why don't you get something with more neutral geometry?"

3. "There are better bikes for you to learn on such as _____."

#1 Who the hell are they to decide what's too expensive to learn on? If you have the cash to be able to afford a higher end bike, get it. Period. Don't let anybody tell you it's too $$$ for a beginner or whatever. If you can afford to start off on the best equipment, do it.

#2 When starting out, it is ALL new and foreign. Higher BB (or whatever else) may be niche, or whatever reason they give you, but it being all new, it's all going to be the same to you learning curve wise. It won't hinder or help you one way or the other. In essence, the learning curve is the same.

#3 Are those neutral or older bikes really better for a beginner? OK, so it's burlier and cheaper. On the flip side, you have a heavier bike that has geometry more designed around stability on two wheels and/or not necessarily what's best for anything else. And in the end, it becomes a bike much harder to toss around comparatively. Again, it goes back to #1, if you can afford the light and/or better stuff, why not? Most of todays completes are built around the compromise of durability and weight anyways as most people who buy completes are usually either

A. First time riders

or

B. somebody who wants the compromise of light vs. strong guesswork done for them.

Inclined to disagree, with the all out spend if available option, even if you had unlimited budget, and everyone else had unlimited budget, there's still only so far you need to take it on the initial spend, in my eyes the following features are a bare minimum for any buy:

isis

oversize bars

proper trials freewheel/freehub (or space in your budget to allow one, tensile ffw is mindblowing value...

sealed hubs/more sealed bearings as the spend increases...

trials bikes are delightfully simple, and as far as buying parts go, they're like AK47's for compatibility, unlike mtb and road bikes where owning one brand of shifter will define your choice of mechs and you can be tied into buying things a certain way forever without spending a huge amount to make drastic changes, trials gear all fits and works nicely most of the time, and the bikes in my experience on a whole are pretty reliable/cheap to maintain. and i don't disagree with a comprehensive initial investment to make sure the bulk of the bike is good to go for a good stint of time with no surprises.

looks likes you can't buy a complete 26" from tarty thats in any way bad or unsuitable for purpose anymore, and the blade is a mad bargain :S you'd be silly to spend less than that on a 20" for new or you'll spend over the odds when upgrading it in the long run, unless you're heartfelt sure trials is the most important thing you need in your life where spending £1200 on a sturdy high end bike not a SL comp machine is a great idea/investment...

TLDR:

if going second hand

ISIS

oversize bars

sealed hubs (rear at minimum)

proper trials freehub/freewheel

if new, £650 for a mod with a decent enough spec to not give you any nasty suprises. (actually a pretty respectable achievement if you consider what a good mtb costs nowadays...)#

and 26"s don't exist for just shy of £999, (is this purely cause onza don't have anything out other than a high end 26" where is the 26" BLADE? or any reasonably decent 26" frame for under £200?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

done

to be honest - i don't mind righting £80 off

i've got so mucjh to learn it'll do in the mean time and give me a good flavour of the style of bike

at the end of the day, as a beginner you just got to decide if what's available is suitable and at the right price

dont get the rip, it has a 20 inch back wheel and therefore a shite choice of tyres. go for a t pro, much better choice, also has a 19" back wheel, so you can fit creepy crawlers/tryalls. if i was buying a secondhand bike, i would budget for a set of tyres and new brake pads unless they happen to be in outstandingly good nick. good choices on a budget are creepy crawler rear, wide LBS bmx tyre on front, and a set of onza limes/citrus pads. you`d pick all those up for £40 quid if you know where to look. just my own friendly opinion, from a cheapskate single dad of 1

dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
  • 3 months later...

Right where to start...

Essentially when buying anything theses days

the 'you get what you pay for' phrase springs to mind.

You spend £80 on a bike your most probably going to get a sagged out old grave digger that is about to fall apart.

When buying trials bikes/parts there is a little saying.

Strenght

lightweight

cheap

pick two of the above.

A good trials bike should include..

Riser handlebars

good set of brakes

Isis cranks and bb

19" rear wheels if it's a 20" bike

front freewheel nothing less than 60click

trials specific wheels

sealed hubs and bb and headset

As you can probably guess all this comes at a price

your best off buying second hand with a budget of around £300 but by all means spend as much over that price as you wish

lasty, if your not sure if your going to like the sport find someone local who you can have a go on their bike.

And also find places where you can ride and try get some friends onto the sport too to make it more enjoyable.

Hope this helps.

Edited by BradJohnson
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Now interested in a stock trials bike. Already have the street trials.

This came up locally for sale.

Any opinions on the build, the asking price, overall good or bad machine?

Pretty certain the fork is installed backwards, but maybe just the photo.

My experience level is totally beginner. Reading a lot of information, I often see mention that a lower BB may be better.

Not opposed to something else, maybe newer generation if funds and fit allow. Overall, the asking price of this used bike is comparable to a new Echo or Zoo here in the US.

PK

A copy and paste from the sales info by the seller, same with the photos.

Echo Pure Trials Bike - $1100

This is an Echo Pure Stock Trials bike with all the best parts any rider could want! The bike has been used a few times but to be honest, I suck at trials. I purchased this in the Fall of 2008 and have not had a whole lot of time to get back into it. The frame is Echo's large size which will work for riders 5' 6" and above. If it weren't for some very minor scuffs from poorly calculated maneuvers this could be considered in new condition. The build goes as follows:

Frame: Echo Pure (large) polished
Fork: Zoo Pit Bull (non disc) black
Stem: Thomson X4 100 x 10 degree black
Headset: Chris King black
Head Lock: Azonic
Cranks: Echo Urban with Echo Bash Guard black
Bottom Bracket: Truvativ Holzafeler ISIS
Freewheel: White Industries
Trials Bar: Echo Low rise Trials bar black
Grips: ODI Ruffian flair
Brakes: Echo Trials hydro Rim brakes with Plasmatic pads and Echo brake booster (rear)
Pedals: Crank Bros 50/50 XX black/silver
Bar Plugs: ODI
Aluminum Hubs: Echo disc front and Echo Fixed/ disc rear hub both are black
Spokes: DT Swiss Competition Black with brass nipples
Rims: Echo Trials front and rear specific black
Rim Strips: Moe Rubber-lite black
Chain: KMC Stainless
Tires: Michelin XCR Dry 2 .0 (front) XCR Mountain Extreme 2.2 (rear)

Total weight with pedals: 25.48 lbs

This bike is perfect for the beginner or for the aspiring pro trials rider. Building this bike up from scratch would cost you over $2400! This is your chance to get is at a fraction of that price. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

post-37566-0-61913700-1424006243_thumb.j

post-37566-0-39233000-1424006261_thumb.j

post-37566-0-50752000-1424006282_thumb.j

post-37566-0-46594600-1424006305_thumb.j

Edited by PMK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

PMK, if i were you I would be careful about that bike. It's a bit old, quite expensive, and they clearly didn't know what they were doing if they put the fork on backwards. Just to give you an idea, I bought a 2011/2012 echo pure in wonderful condition for $550 last year. It wasn't this high spec, but I upgraded the brakes, fork, stem, cranks, handlebars, rear wheel, and more, and still haven't put as much into it as that costs. That's just my 2 cents, given that I'm a pretty inexperienced rider you might want to ask others first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The backwards fork is not a concern. I did FaceBook message a person (not the seller) I thought may know the bike and ridden with the guy. It is in my opinion a bit steep on price. Not ready to pull the trigger yet until I see it and speak with the seller face to face. May not even go further since I do enjoy the Inspired quite a bit currently.

PK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any thoughts on this? Quoted from the add.

So everyone with an old bike posts up "feeler" and crap like that. I'm doing the same but different. I love this bike but don't ride it like I should. So I'm not "looking" for the right price, here it is $600 plus shipping. That's a little less than I have into it and I can't let it go for less than that, pride is to strong. I'd like to free up the coin for other projects and that's all there is to it. This thread can sit open and the bike will remain in great shape.

Bike is solid. Crescent frame in great condition (got it from Perkins who's a total thrasher, or not, and he got it from a girl so yeah, not abused). Quicksilver brakes, King rear hub with funbolts, XTR short cage der that's mint, El Gatos that still have the fuzzies on them, Thompson stem, Roox bar, FSA Power Pros plus a Threshold bash, rims are lightly ground and Maggie Red pads.

I know the price is close to what you can get a new echo with shit brakes for, but this isn't that bike in any way.

post-37566-0-74652500-1424270359_thumb.j

post-37566-0-70406100-1424270371_thumb.j

post-37566-0-34817800-1424270390_thumb.j

post-37566-0-79490400-1424270410_thumb.j

post-37566-0-64406700-1424270429_thumb.j

post-37566-0-11624600-1424270446_thumb.j

post-37566-0-95200800-1424270464_thumb.j

post-37566-0-47591800-1424270480_thumb.j

post-37566-0-71009700-1424270496_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any thoughts on this? Quoted from the add.

So everyone with an old bike posts up "feeler" and crap like that. I'm doing the same but different. I love this bike but don't ride it like I should. So I'm not "looking" for the right price, here it is $600 plus shipping. That's a little less than I have into it and I can't let it go for less than that, pride is to strong. I'd like to free up the coin for other projects and that's all there is to it. This thread can sit open and the bike will remain in great shape.

Bike is solid. Crescent frame in great condition (got it from Perkins who's a total thrasher, or not, and he got it from a girl so yeah, not abused). Quicksilver brakes, King rear hub with funbolts, XTR short cage der that's mint, El Gatos that still have the fuzzies on them, Thompson stem, Roox bar, FSA Power Pros plus a Threshold bash, rims are lightly ground and Maggie Red pads.

I know the price is close to what you can get a new echo with shit brakes for, but this isn't that bike in any way.

That's old, but it's a beauty! Very old geometry, very nice looking bike. Also, I've purchased a frame from that seller, and done a swap with him, really great guy.

The backwards fork is not a concern. I did FaceBook message a person (not the seller) I thought may know the bike and ridden with the guy. It is in my opinion a bit steep on price. Not ready to pull the trigger yet until I see it and speak with the seller face to face. May not even go further since I do enjoy the Inspired quite a bit currently.

PK

Fair enough. Even though the price is a little steep, it is a really nice bike, and would be great to learn on. If you test ride it, make sure you turn the fork around first so you see what it will actually feel like. And yes, the inspired is great, you could just learn on that if you like it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a look at PB Buy/Sell every few days.

I posted about the Echo primarily to gain opinions from those that may have experience with that year / model. As for his asking price...The other cool thing was the bike is 20 minutes away.

The older Crescent seems pretty cool and I know nothing more about it.

PK

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

any one of the ones on pinkbike i linked are better than anything i've seen mentioned so far

From the list you posted, the street trials is out since I don't need one, the mods are not what I am really wanting, one bike is local sale only in Canada, the two left are the Norco or Handbuilt bike. Was more after a more typical current style stock trials bike, so the Norco may not be a great choice and the idea of the homebuilt frame did not excite me. Sorry for being boring about it, just not what I am looking for. Thanks though. Probably easier to just buy a new bike and be done with it.

PK

Edited by PMK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's either an Echo or a Rockman from the looks of it, not actually a custom frame

The local echo/zoo is dual maggie and nearly costs more than retail, I'd certainly choose new over it

but there are indeed better options used

If you haven't ridden a modern trials bike a Koxx-esque bike could just be painful and easily damaged

What riding background do you come from and what sort of riding do you want to do

So looks like you've already got a street bike, what do/don't you like about it

And why are you opposed to a mod? If you're under the impression they're for shorter people that's simply wrong

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...