Newby needs advice on buying a bike

K

Keyroo

Likes Bikes
Hey guys, i'm new to the forums, sorry if this is in the wrong section etc this just seemed the right place to post it, now i'm sure there is a noob on here every second day asking this exact question so sorry if your repeating yourselves, but here is my story!

i used to ride competitive motorbike trials, did pretty well back before i was 18 and found girls and cars and everything went downhill from there, i've been living and working at the falls creek ski resort here in victoria for the past 4 seasons and worked a season in whistler canada,

anyway long story short i was supposed to be working in japan this summer but things stuffed up and i'm now stuck in melbourne for summer, the upside is i got back on a bike and i'm riding with a good mate mike who is also on these forums, he's got a kona stinky and a giant stp2, we did a trip to beechworth last weekend and did a bit of riding on the downhill and cross country tracks, my love for bikes was instantly renewed and i've decided to stop myself committing suicide from my 9-5 job and want to get hold of my own bike and do a load of riding this summer (will also be good to take to falls as i'm up there for a month before winter starts and afew weeks after) mike is cool with me using the STP but i'd rather wreck my own bike and also i'd like something with dual suspension, as over the roughter stuff i was having a tought time sticking with mike

so concidering i won't be doing any big drops and my wheels with most likely be on the ground the majority of the time, what can you guys recomend i should be looking for in a good (Budget) bike or a decent second handy, the only things i really know i'm after is definetly disc breaks, not fussed if they are cable, and at least some rear suspension travel, doesn't have be 6 inches or anything big just enough to soak up the rough stuff

any advice would be greatly appreciated, and hopefully i'll see you guys out on a track one day, i hear you can be a lot friendlier than the snowboard community!

thanks

Matty
 
Nick53

Nick53

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Hey,
Welcome to the forums. I'm fairly sure this should be in "Parts N Stuff" but who cares. Ok before we give you suggestions how much is "budget" because some peoples budget is very different to others. What type of riding will you be doing? Would you like something like your friends Kona Stinky but cheaper? Does your friends Kona Stinky suit your riding? I would go second hand unless "budget" means over $2000 because you won't get a descent brand new duel suspension bike for under that. Anyway reply back and I will help you out more:D
 
thecat

thecat

NSWMTB, Central Tableland MBC
Depends if you want the emphasis on light or strong.

A couple of options would be (Depending on your budget)

lightish:
Norco Fluid
GT Marathon

Strongish
Norco Six
GT Force

Have a look around Giant, Kona, specialized... pretty much all the big companies do a budget bike in those ranges
 
K

Keyroo

Likes Bikes
yeh sorry guys should have been more specific, i'll be doing a big of everything but probably leaning more towards downhill with a bit of cross country in there,

budget for me, and i know ur gonna cringe at this but is under 1300 if possible, i just bought a new car so ,, ya gotta pay that puppy off

i've been keeping an eye on the sale forum, couple there that caught my eye
 
BM Epic

BM Epic

Eats Squid
Welcome to farkin,
I sugest you get a 07 model clearance sale bike,for 1300 you could get something substantial.
Giant is a good brand that specs there bikes very well,as has already been said,most companies do a budget style bike that would suit your needs!
Good luck!
 
axertes

axertes

Likes Dirt
BM Epic said:
Welcome to farkin,
I sugest you get a 07 model clearance sale bike,for 1300 you could get something substantial.
Giant is a good brand that specs there bikes very well,as has already been said,most companies do a budget style bike that would suit your needs!
Good luck!
Click to expand...
If you want light and not-so-strong (XC) I just bought a new '08 XTC2 for about $1300 from my LBS. They're a bit of a vanilla entry-level XC bike, and so far I'm very happy with it.

Edit: ignore post above, I didn't read the initial post properly. Sorry. I thought you were totally unsure what style of bike you wanted, which you're not.
 
Last edited:
Viv92

Viv92

Eats Squid
An XTC is an XC hardtail though, hardly fits the kind of style he said he would be doing. I have a Giant Reign which is a pretty reputable 'do it all' bike but they would be way out of your price range. I think a second hand hardtail like an STP might be your best bet or a Norco Rampage (or whatever the model is that would cost around $1300 second hand). You might be able to get a Stinky for that much, just 'cause they are so common, but you won't be able to ride XC too fast on one.
 
K

Keyroo

Likes Bikes
hey thats something i was gonna ask you guys, i found an older model fuji outland in my local bike shop, brand new but a season old so they are flogging it off for 950, seems like a fairly nice buy, got lockout frontand rear shocks which would be cool,

bearing in mind i know nothing about these bikes whats your thoughts on this bike for an intermediate rider??

i read reviews and for an intermediate to beginer bike it reviewed really well, brakes are crash hot but i can always upgrade them later on
 
K

Keyroo

Likes Bikes
hmm, i just looked at that bike on the fuji site and it's a hard tail,, maybe hardtail is new for that bike this year,, the one in the shop definetly said outland on the frame and was definetly dual,,,

random
 
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