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Mountain bike for my bro

Posted: 21 Jun 2014, 9:59am
by jtreach
Hi all, I previously asked for advice on a bike purchase on these forums and was very happy with the response (thank you!).

I want to buy my brother a decent mountain bike as he'd like to get into the sport. I know very little about mountain bikes so what should I look out for when purchasing? Also, any specific recommendations would be amazing.

Josh

Re: Mountain bike for my bro

Posted: 21 Jun 2014, 9:57pm
by Milfred Cubicle
More than anything else....a correct fit. The wrong sized bike will always be a pig, no matter how fancy. I would prioritise:
Frame-most modern frames will take a lit of hammer, don't go for something heavy duty unless he's planning big jumps.
Forks-good rigid forks are better than cheap suspension. Yes, they may be harsh, but are more predictable than pogo forks.
Wheels-the best spec. you can get for the money.
I wouldn't get too hung up on running gear, most modern groupsets ride very well, and will all wear out.
Recommendations? Boardman for value, but variable levels of Halfords service. On-one bikes for decent specs and a very good ride, but a bit heavy.

Re: Mountain bike for my bro

Posted: 22 Jun 2014, 9:13am
by Si
When you say he wants to get into the "sport" do you mean that he just wants to ride an MTB or he actually wants to race?
And what style of MTBing is he interested in - XC, enduro, DH, All-Mountain, etc etc?

If he just wants to have a go and isn't yet sure what style of MTBing he wants then probably best to go for a mid range hard-tail gentle XC type bike. Travel around 100-120mm on the fork, mech disc brakes (unless you can afford better), bars up at seat level or beyond (rather than a full on nose down XC), etc. As mentioned by MC, Boardman and OnOne both have good reps, but there are loads others that fit the bill.

Re: Mountain bike for my bro

Posted: 22 Jun 2014, 6:29pm
by jtreach
Hey thanks for the replies, he would like to get into the sport but im pretty sure he knows very little about it. A decent entry level mountain bike is a suppose what i would like to get him but something decent. Thanks for the recommendations, ill check them out.