Moving from Road to Off Road

[tompalmer93]

Hi All,

I used to ride regularly on a specialised allez in england but now I am in Sydney I am looking to move towards MTB.

I have a budget of around $2k for the right bike and I am happy to buy a used bike to get better specs.

I should add I am 6ft4/191 cm so need a larger bike.

Does anyone have any recommendations or have a bike for sale/know of one for sale? I am in Sydney but also happy to travel a bit.

Thanks in advance!

[bychosis]

No bike particular, but for $2k new you’ll have a hard time getting a quality dual suspension bike. Hardtail is a good place to start, but if you really want to get into harder trails a dually is near essential.

Recommending a bike really depends on what sort of riding you want to do. There’s a bunch of different categories for MTB and plenty of models that slip between said categories. Cross Country, Trail, Enduro, Downhill all have different geometries, suspension travel etc. what sort of riding do you see yourself doing, or what do your mates ride? Getting a cross country bike for bombing downhill and getting air isn’t great just as trying to ride a long travel slack geometry bike around tight flat single track is a recipe for hating your steed.

Personally I rode cross country for years and could out ride most of my mates when it came to descending. Enjoyed a fast and agile bike but when I moved to a ‘trail’ bike downhill handling and cornering confidence was a revelation - at the cost outright speed and climbing ability.

[trailgumby]

No bike particular, but for $2k new you’ll have a hard time getting a quality dual suspension bike. Hardtail is a good place to start, but if you really want to get into harder trails a dually is near essential.

'
Actually, I've been noticing on FB Marketplace that this trend seems to be turning. The relentless rain we've been having over the last 3, nearly 4 months that is making nearly all trails unrideable at present is having an impact.

Now is the time to buy, if ever, with Covid-related supply chain issues cramping new purchases. The rain situation will eventually resolve, and then it's back to scarcity again.

At 6'4" Tom, you are likely to need an XL frame on most brands. Ignore anything with less than 29" wheels unless it is a "plus" bike with ultra-wide tyres (3" and over).

Where are you based? For Sydney north, 120mm travel is the practical minimum, with over 140mm being a sweet spot for most of the trail network around the Northern Beaches where I live, due to the terrain and the type of trails being built by the local trail fairies who have more of a gravity and technical riding culture.

West and south you will get away with less travel and not lose out so much on trail choice.

[tompalmer93]

Thanks for your helps guys. I’m based in Sydney CBD so northern beaches would be one of the places I go to most.

I had come to the conclusion that a hardtail seems more likely, just seen to be struggling with finding one of the right size. Most the ones on marketplace are large treks like a marlin 7 or a roscoe 6 got around $1,100 and $1.300 respectively.

[tompalmer93]

No bike particular, but for $2k new you’ll have a hard time getting a quality dual suspension bike. Hardtail is a good place to start, but if you really want to get into harder trails a dually is near essential.

Recommending a bike really depends on what sort of riding you want to do. There’s a bunch of different categories for MTB and plenty of models that slip between said categories. Cross Country, Trail, Enduro, Downhill all have different geometries, suspension travel etc. what sort of riding do you see yourself doing, or what do your mates ride? Getting a cross country bike for bombing downhill and getting air isn’t great just as trying to ride a long travel slack geometry bike around tight flat single track is a recipe for hating your steed.

Personally I rode cross country for years and could out ride most of my mates when it came to descending. Enjoyed a fast and agile bike but when I moved to a ‘trail’ bike downhill handling and cornering confidence was a revelation - at the cost outright speed and climbing ability.

Thanks! I would guess not the most hardcore trails but some eith a few downhills, mixed in with mostly cross country

[warthog1]

Just a different idea in case you haven't thought of it.



A change of tyres and you can still do road.
No good for true mtb stuff but great on open dirt.
Might be hard to find one, but pretty close to your price limit. The Revolt 2 is under it I believe.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/revolt-1-2022

I have no idea what terrain is available to to ride around Sydney however.

[blizzard]

If looking for a new bike, I would consider something like the Marin below. Geometry is somewhere between a XC and trail bike.

https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2022- ... c-hardtail

[trailgumby]

If looking for a new bike, I would consider something like the Marin below. Geometry is somewhere between a XC and trail bike.

https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2022- ... c-hardtail

Yeah, that could work. Add a dropper post, set the tyres up tubeless and it would be a fun bike. A little heavy perhaps compared to something more expensive, but it's got a good reliable spec.

[Mububban]

Hi All,

I used to ride regularly on a specialised allez in england but now I am in Sydney I am looking to move towards MTB.

I have a budget of around $2k for the right bike and I am happy to buy a used bike to get better specs.

I should add I am 6ft4/191 cm so need a larger bike.

Does anyone have any recommendations or have a bike for sale/know of one for sale? I am in Sydney but also happy to travel a bit.

Thanks in advance!

I'm a roadie who dabbles in riding MTB trails. I bought a 140mm dual sus with 27.5" wheels, built for doing more gnarly stuff than my low skill level turned out to be capable of exploiting It's my only offroad bike so riding it on longer gravel rides (40km+) can be a struggle. The easy gearing (32-46) means I can climb anything, but it spins out at quite a low speed.

In hindsight, I should have bought a lighter weight 29er XC or trail bike. Max 130mm suspension, slightly faster gearing, even better at climbing. I'm not a fast descender, I've learned that personally I'm not good at jumping but drops are okay, I'm up the front on the climbs, then let the real MTBers go in front on the way down.

So choose a bike based on your skill level, what you'd like to ride offroad, distances you plan to ride (a common group MTB ride for me is max 20km total distance). Lots of people are overbiked, which is great for confidence when descending and hitting bigger features and chunkier terrain, but may not suit if you want to stretch the legs.

And dropper posts are the best things ever.