Newbie looking for advice on a new bike

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dmc66k

Squid
Looking for a new bike to do the general commute and cross country work. I have done the shop around and have got it down to the following three interested in the community’s thoughts. The budget is $1,200 I am happy to listen to other options others may want to suggest.

GT Avalance 1.0 Disc $1,199
Giant Yukon $1,199
Diamondback Zetec deore $999

I did not consider a trail duel in this price range until I looked at the sale bikes at TBSM in particular the Norco 2007 Fluid 4. Is the low quality running gear and less gears really a big issue?

Happy to buy second hand from the Farkin membership if someone wants to let me know how I can limit the results in the for sale threads to the price point I am after.

Cheers and thanks in advance.:)

dmc66k
 
Ride.Dirt.Wake.

Ride.Dirt.Wake.

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Do you think a dually is necessary for commuting?
The Avalanche Disc 1.0 is a great bike for getting into the sport, as is the Giant Yukon hardtail.

Can you be more specific in what sort of riding you will be doing? will the commuting be only between trails, are you doing rougher xc/am type trails?
 
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holdenutes_93

Likes Dirt
Mate if you mean commute to different places in the city a Yukon and Avalanche 1.0 is a bit much for your needs, try the Giant Boulder Disc or GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc if you want features such as 24spd gearing and cable disc brakes. The Avalanche 1.0 and Yukon are for riders wanting an introduction to the sport of XC mountain bike riding. But personally go for a specific commuting sort of bike instead of a mountain bike, they will be lighter and much better on road with thinner tires as opposed to the mtbs fat knobby tires.
 
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dmc66k

Squid
Yeah looking for a bike that can double as a commute around the city and then get out into the hills and ride xc mainly with a little am work. Oh yeah I intend changing the tyres for my commute week to road tyres.
 
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niftydog

niftydog

Likes Dirt
I was after the same sort of thing late last year. I considered buying two sets of tyres but I haven't as yet - I'm not sure if I'd just end up being lazy with it. Although, looking at how fast knobby tyres (even with small knobs) wear down on the tar I'm thinking it might be necessary. In fact, I'm thinking of a second wheel set instead of just tyres.

In the end I took all of my short-listed bikes for a spin and decided based on which one rode the best - which turned out to be the one ranked 4th on my short list! A couple on my list felt like they'd be great for tight singletrack stuff, but seemed a bit twitchy to be comfortable on a commute. Guess it depends on distance and terrain in your commute, but mine is long bike paths with the odd bit of mild off-road.

Another factor to consider is warranty - I've heard some of the lower end models are not intended/designed for off-roading and have exclusions in the warranty. I considered a dualie, but decided that most of my miles would be on commutes, so a hard tail made more sense.

The three things you're gonna notice the most are steering/handling, gear changes and brake performance - don't skimp too much on those and you'll be sorted.
 
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nathan7

Likes Bikes
If your looking for a bike to comute but also to do a little xc a specialized hardrock would be a great bike and it is a little cheaper than the bike you were sugesting.
 
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possums

Squid
get the yukon i recken its used for all sorts of things even 1 of my mates used it 4 free riding once but the bike needs a bit of care. check it after u ride it because the disk breaks speauk a bit
 
Red Peekay

Red Peekay

Likes Dirt
dmc66k said:
Yeah looking for a bike that can double as a commute around the city and then get out into the hills and ride xc mainly with a little am work. Oh yeah I intend changing the tyres for my commute week to road tyres.
Click to expand...
I have an old Giant Yukon which was my first mtb, no front suspension, caliper brakes etc. I also used to change rubber from commute to xc. Worked well, however in the end was a bit of a pain. Now use the yukon as a commute bike, bought a dedicated XC bike (GT Zaskar) and then later a dually for FR and DH. However the Yukon was a good introduction to the sport and really got me in. Giant are a good brand and well supported.
 
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tatunka

Squid
giant yukon/alias/talon frame are a good strong frame.
i have an alias, and it handled xc and trails well
ended up changing the cranks, forks, grips, tyres, learnt a lot from it, you get what you pay for. but the frame is second to none for a xcish hard tail if you are not a weight winnie
 
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