New to forum and looking to purchase a bike

[BillyBoy85]

Hi all,

My name is Bill. I am looking to purchase a new bike. I won't be using it to commute to work as I am a tradesman. I will be aiming for 3 ride a week. This will consist of bike paths and some dirt tracks. I will be mainly going to westefolds park, along the eastern freeway track and if I get the chance to lysterfield. I was looking at a Reid racer, but I am starting to think it won't be the right bike for me. Was thinking a hybrid would be the way to go. What do you people think and what sort of bike should I look at? I am thinking of spending up to $1000 but would rather spend a bit less. I was looking at Giant and Merida bikes. My brother will be buying one at the same time, so hopefully we can get a bit knocked off the price.

Any advice and ideas on what to buy will be much appreciated.

Bill

[Duck!]

Given where you suggest you'll be riding, don't get anything other than a mountain bike. Giant's Talon series will suit you really well.

[mattwilkinson]

what duck said, Get a MTB and if you find it's a bit slow put some narrower/commuter tyres on it.
You'll be able to find last years model pretty cheaply soon if any of your local bike shops stock giant.

[Duck!]

You'll be able to find last years model pretty cheaply soon if any of your local bike shops stock giant.

No you won't, they're all gone.

NOTE: The shop I work in sells Giant bikes.

[rjk]

he other option is to look at a cyclo cross bike, a road bike but with the ability to run fatter tyres and it will come with disc brakes, have a look at the merida, kona jake the snake or a specialized one

[ShogunHy]

I cycle this twice a week (more if I can get the time) and a Flat Bar Hybrid or Flat Bat Road are good options if your starting out - you don't really need suspension forks on these trails but up to your preference.

Take a look at http://www.bikeexchange.com.au and also remember to budget for clothing / gloves / accessories as you'll be able to ride further and more comfortably with the right gear...

[jacks1071]

Cargo bike so you can take some tools with you?

[rodneycc]

Hi Bill, yeah I like Duck's suggestion of the Giant Talon Series. In particular I like the Talon 29er series. I have a 2013 Talon 0 29er that I picked up secondhand for $690 and its a great bike. I'd maybe steer clear of the 2012 models or the other lower 2013 Talon models because the general concensis was the shocks weren't great on those models but the 2013 Talon 0 29er RockShox are great. Then if you find you are doing more road riding (or bike path/ashphalt) then you could stick some smoother Schwalbe Marathon tyres on it so you can roll along quicker than the knobby tyres. Anyway maybe keep an eye out on Ebay or Gumtree.

I'm not sure of your sizing or location (Lysterfield in Knox?) but something like this I think would be good for you...

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hoppers- ... 1030867885" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BillyBoy85]

rodneycc, I am in the eastern suburbs. Probs a half hour drive from Lysterfield, so I will spend more time going along the asphalt path next to the freeway and down to westerfolds park in Templestowe. I will also be try aiming to ride to the cbd and back. So I am thinking of getting two sets of rims with one set of tyres to suit off road, and another for asphalt roads. I will look in to the Giant Talon Series.

Are Tektro brakes any good? I'll buy a brand new bike as it will end up like my old one and I will hold on to it for the next ten years. Just have to make sure i buy the right bike and right size for my height.

Thanks for the advice duck, I will be looking into Giant Talon range a bit more now.

[Calvin27]

Hard to get a bike that does lysterfield and (paved) trails well. It's the typical n+1 scenario brewing. Some things to note:

- I tried the slick tyres on 29er. It works well, but eventually you get sick of changing tyres all the time and just put off certain rides. I had commuter slicks on my 29er and didn't go mountain biking for a few months mostly because I couldn't be botherered changing tyres (admittedly it was winter too).
- I also tried riding paved tracks with MTB (race kings with short blocks) not ideal and you will wear them out very fast. You have to change tyres.
- Suspension is a must (unless you are hardcore) for lysterfield type riding. It's a liability on paving. Yes, you can lock it out but at the price you are looking at, I have (unfounded) concerns the forks will explode after prolonged use. Also it means you have uneccessary weight.
- The other option is 2 wheelsets. I created a thread about swapping wheelsets on BNA and concluded you are probably better off with 2 bikes. You will need to make sure the casettes for each wear evenly (or have a chain for each) and make sure the hubs are the same model as this assists with the disc brake alignment. Expect the wheel to cost you quite a bit since you will have to buy the exact hub not just what is on sale, then add discs and casette too. Not sure how well the discs and brake pads will talk to each other if you keep switching them around either.

A huge part of this depends on what you expect to ride. By Lysterfield, I assume single track with the occasional log clearance. If you are just doing fire trails stuff hybrid will do just find. Or better yet get a cross bike. If you plan to do a combination of paved trails and singel track - sorry to say you will need 2 bikes or have patience to keep changing tyres/wheels.

[rodneycc]

Hi Bill, yeah a lot will depend on how comfortable a ride you want and how fast a ride you want. I know the bike paths around the Knox, Maroondah, Whitehorse areas are a little on the bumpy side (not sure along the freeway but I'd assume they are around the same). My Giant Talon 29er smooths those bumps out and is an enjoyable ride but it takes me a tad longer than on my Roadie which I generally feel it a lot more through my body doing the shock absorb.

I know a few people that run two wheelsets with cassettes and disc brakes that they change depending on the type of riding they do. They are a bit more professional than me but it sounds like a reasonable idea. Again it depends on your circumstances but I preferred to just go the one wheelset with an in-between tread tyre like the Schwalbe Marathon and the additional road bike (for my speed fix!).

Without really knowing the Tektro brake range, I think Tektro are generally down the low end of town with bikes these days that I have seen. But with saying that I saw a lot of Giant Defy road bike range have them (the dual pivot ones) so they can't be all that bad. Note that you wont get much better brakes than on the Talon 29er. The Shimano Hydraulics are the best I've ever come across on any type of bike (super in all types of weather). My old Schwinn Hybrid had Tektro brakes that were OK (but it was a pretty average bike that one that put me off Hybrids for good!).

Anyway all the best in your hunt.
Cheers, Rod.

[rodneycc]

PS - If you were thinking of the Hybrid/city bikes, then these from Cell seem pretty reasonable specs as well if you wern't doing much on trails.. Only $599 and $669 (think you would need wider tyres for the second one).

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-2013-X ... gory=12627" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.this link is broken/BEST_Fitnes ... gory=12627" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rodneycc]

Oops those links didn't work but if you go to the Cell website and have a look under the City and Fitness bikes.
I liked the Cell 2013 X2 City Bike and the Cell 2013 SS300 Fitness (but with wider tyres).

[Gordonhooker]

Duck knows best - but maybe a 2014 Giant Seek I like the sound of the 2014 Seek 1. Lots of pavement work and a some off-road without the noisy tyres when on paved tracks.

[Gordonhooker]

Hard to get a bike that does lysterfield and (paved) trails well. It's the typical n+1 scenario brewing. Some things to note:

- I tried the slick tyres on 29er. It works well, but eventually you get sick of changing tyres all the time and just put off certain rides. I had commuter slicks on my 29er and didn't go mountain biking for a few months mostly because I couldn't be botherered changing tyres (admittedly it was winter too).
- I also tried riding paved tracks with MTB (race kings with short blocks) not ideal and you will wear them out very fast. You have to change tyres.
- Suspension is a must (unless you are hardcore) for lysterfield type riding. It's a liability on paving. Yes, you can lock it out but at the price you are looking at, I have (unfounded) concerns the forks will explode after prolonged use. Also it means you have uneccessary weight.
- The other option is 2 wheelsets. I created a thread about swapping wheelsets on BNA and concluded you are probably better off with 2 bikes. You will need to make sure the casettes for each wear evenly (or have a chain for each) and make sure the hubs are the same model as this assists with the disc brake alignment. Expect the wheel to cost you quite a bit since you will have to buy the exact hub not just what is on sale, then add discs and casette too. Not sure how well the discs and brake pads will talk to each other if you keep switching them around either.

A huge part of this depends on what you expect to ride. By Lysterfield, I assume single track with the occasional log clearance. If you are just doing fire trails stuff hybrid will do just find. Or better yet get a cross bike. If you plan to do a combination of paved trails and singel track - sorry to say you will need 2 bikes or have patience to keep changing tyres/wheels.

The perfect solution to the n+1 problem is to keep buying bikes until either the shed is full or the wife threatens to kill you...

[rodneycc]

Duck knows best - but maybe a 2014 Giant Seek I like the sound of the 2014 Seek 1. Lots of pavement work and a some off-road without the noisy tyres when on paved tracks.

Might be a good bike the Seek but those gawd awful white tyres would be enough to put me off!

[Duck!]

Duck knows best - but maybe a 2014 Giant Seek I like the sound of the 2014 Seek 1. Lots of pavement work and a some off-road without the noisy tyres when on paved tracks.

Might be a good bike the Seek but those gawd awful white tyres would be enough to put me off!

Couple of runs along the Yarra Trails & they won't be white any more.

Although not exceptionally technical, Lysterfield is very "chattery", which would get very tiresome very quickly on a fully rigid bike, even one with big fat balloon tyres. Front suspension at least is highly desirable.

Now comes an unavoidable foray into the wheel size debate that's plaguing MTB circles..... The Talon series is available in both 29" and 27.5" wheel sizes. Given the OP's suggested riding, I'd lean towards the 29er. The bigger wheels give a slightly "taller" gear range and improved rolling efficiency, better suited to open road & path riding than smaller wheels, and more stability, beneficial if the rider is new to off-roading. The trade-off is that they're not as nimble through corners. Another consideration is tyre availability; 29er rims are basically the same thing as 700c hybrid rims (same diameter, wider profile than roadie rims), which really opens up tyre choice - you can run anything from 2.2" wide knobbies, down to 28mm slicks. 27.5" is a dedicated MTB size, so there really isn't anything available in smoother path/road-friendly rubber.

[Gordonhooker]

Duck knows best - but maybe a 2014 Giant Seek I like the sound of the 2014 Seek 1. Lots of pavement work and a some off-road without the noisy tyres when on paved tracks.

Might be a good bike the Seek but those gawd awful white tyres would be enough to put me off!

That was one of the things I liked about until you said that


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[rodneycc]

Na the white makes it look like a ladies bike but besides appearance, I bet the 50mm tyres would roll pretty nice and smooth. Never ridden on 50s before.

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[rodneycc]

Or how about some of these tyres on a 29er...

http://www.this link is broken/Schwalbe-Fu ... ory=386128" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

really in-betweens