Buying A Mountain Bike

How To Buy A Mountain Bike (MTB)

The decision to buy a Mountain Bike can trigger a bit of head scratching when confronted with different types of bikes and various options. If this is your first foray into to the MTB world, the information below should provide you with some knowledge and confidence to ask the right questions before you buy your Mountain Bike .

How much should you spend?

Before you decide on how much you can spend on your bike, you should consider what do want from owning a Mountain Bike ? You might consider how the bike will be used. Will you riding mainly on the road or will you do some off road riding? Are you interested Mountain Biking as a sport? Or is a mixture of both? It's considering your needs before deciding on budget, as there's no point buying an expensive bike which goes unused. Once you have decided on your budget, where do you go to buy? Well, that's going depend on what type of purchaser you are.

If you are an analytical type, you may opt to carry our lots of research to arrive at your ideal type of bike and budget and purchase from an online supplier or auction. Others will need to visit bike shops to ask questions and get advice and test ride different models before deciding on MTB model and budget. If you fall into this camp it's better that you find a good local knowledgeable supplier who can give a better service and help you to make the right purchase for your needs.

Which MTB style will suit you?

There are a variety of Mountai Mountain Bike a> esigned for different riding styles and surface types in mind. Each of these riding styles and surfaces present different challenges from a personal fitness and equipment prospective. It's important to decide what type of riding you will doing. Will it be:

  • Commuting and on road leisure weekend riding
  • Off road leisure riding
  • Cross country racing
  • Mountain cross
  • Downhill racing
  • Endurance

If you decide to purchase from a local bike supplier, make sure you fully discuss how you intend to use bike, now and in the future. For most, a mixture of leisure on road and off road riding will do.

Full suspension or hard tail bike?

Once you starting looking into the world of Mountain Biking you will come across terms such as full suspension mountain bike and hardtail. In short a full suspension bike provides a more comfortable ride and better control, but needs more care. Whereas a hardtail bike consists of a rigid frame without suspension and therefore picks more bumps from the surface, but requires less maintenance. You will also encounter various references to different parts of MTB anatomy such as:

  • Suspension Forks
  • Full suspension frame
  • Rear shock
  • Frame materials

In addition, you will see references to types of saddles, rims and tyre's, hubs and spokes, cranksets, gears and shifters and brakes and levers.
Don't worry, make your decision based on riding style, the type of terrain you will be riding on most and an affordable budget.

Finding a good bike shop

The importance you place on finding a good bike shop will depend on the emphasis you place on getting the right advice about the right bike for you, as opposed to getting the best possible price. Finding a good knowledgeable bike shop with committed staff and a clean workshop can save you a lot of future hassles and frustrations. When visiting a potential supplier ask them about their services and ask to see their workshop. Remember, it's about finding someone you can trust.

Its important to Test ride

You should test ride as many bikes as you can within your budget range and riding style. You will find that some bikes will feel right, whilst others won't. The more bikes you can test ride, you better you will understand what will work for your requirements.

Doing your research

Product reviews and bike reviews are some of the best ways to find out about a Mountain Bike s reliability and overall performance. You should always look at what other owners and reviews think about a bike before you make that final purchase.

If you are new to Mountain Biking and its language, this information should help you get started on how to buy a Mountain Bike .