Think Im going to get a mountain bike next week. A mate of mines just started trail riding and wants me to go with him and I could use the exercise. Going up to a used bike store in Telford next week to see what they have - hopefully find something that will take my more than ample frame!!

Anything I should look out for or be aware of?

Quote from: Rivkid

Anything I should look out for or be aware of?

Yeah man, when out on your bike and fancy something to eat, you know a quick nibble to give yourself a much needed energy boost make sure to take your feet off the peddles and hold on tight when you eat an apple, as it makes you go 3 times faster.

That may be post of the year Matt!!  

We came, we saw, we bowed down buddy, fear not  :bowdown:

The first new "classic" tek moment in a while I feel  8-)

Depending on what you want to spend, if you want good gear on a cheaper frame ive seen some good deals on Dawes XC and do not forget the Halfords bikes i.e. Carrera which seem to always be on sale but come highly recommended by many on Bike Radar because of their Gear to Cost VFM factor.

You have two choices either Shimano or SRAM now for trail riding, Shimano Deore is sort of midrange, but you wont find it much on cheaper bikes due to the recession, you might end up with Altus or Alivio if you spend a few hundred quid, alternatively you could aim for SRAM 5.0 which can be found on well priced bikes.

You should also look for forks with a decent amount of travel, the low end stuff is under 100mm, try to get some with 100-120mm of travel and look for the feature "Lockout" which basically means you can Lock them from bouncing up and down when your on the road, otherwise without that feature your just wasting energy for the sake of it.

As for disc brakes, on the cheaper (decent branded bikes) you will get either mechanical brakes (if its a cheaper brand) or maybe even V-Brakes on a premium brand because your paying for the name not the specification of the equipment setup, for a little more on the cheaper (decent branded bikes) you will get hydraulic disc brakes, much better in the long run.

Ill link a couple ive had my eye on recently:

Carrera Vulcan £329.99

Carrera Vengeance Ltd. £329.99

Carrera Kraken £429.99

The Kraken is what i would go for personally:

Alloy Frame
120mm Lockout forks
Hydraulic Disc brakes
SRAM X5.0 27 Speed

Ofc you really should be looking around for the best deals, dont forget 2011 bikes are coming in soon meaning old 2010 stock will start to be majorly discounted so its the right time to pick up a bargain. You can use the Kraken spec to compare to other brands and find something similar for less money.

PS. Do not forget to go try some bikes out, the sizes vary brand to brand 20" in one might not feel like 20" in another.

Trek, GT, Specialized you simply wont get a lot for your money unless you find a heavily discounted old stock bike, as the 2010 ranges have been toned down due to the recession. (They have to save money somewhere).

I used to sell bikes for a living.

Youll get a great frame, but lower spec componentry.  Just change things for the better when they break, as opposed to everything being mediocre on a shop brand.

Gary fishers are an acquired taste, due to the genesis geometry.

Right - better update. Ive had to literally scrap the idea of getting anything half decent due to various other bills etc.. so I decided just to get a piece of crap to get me going (I know the arguments against doing this but I need to get started for the exercise). Anyway went to a local place called the Bicycle Hub on a recommendation and picked up an Ammaco Screwdriver SE for £59 fully serviced. Here she is:



Gave it a clean, WD40d everything just in case. Most importantly - added water bottle lol!

I know compared to a good bike theres no comparison but Im enjoying riding it for now and its properly giving me the bug for going on trips with it. Seems to handle my bulky frame perfectly well too thank god! Hopefully Ill be able to save up soon and pick up something like you guys have been suggesting above

Now to get used to riding a bike again - its been YEARS!!

Doesnt really matter what bike your riding at the end of the day, its the having fun part that counts.

Went trail riding in the hammering rain on Saturday morning - absolutely awesome fun! Got home wet cold and knackered but very very satisifed

Seriously tempted to give it another go, i bought one end of last year but it was a bit premature cus all my mates didnt opt for it at the time, now everyone i know is cycling for leisure or to work, pretty shocking lol, looks like ill be buying one soon.