Warning - Newbie Post - What to buy?

[Gavzooka]

Hi All

As the title suggests, I'm completely new to cycling and mountain bikes. I'm approaching 40 and over weight and decided that I would follow something that I had a passion for years ago when I grew up in Wales and now, after going through several 2nd hand bikes and destroying them in various ways (I'm talking old knackers off of Facebook for £20), I'm biting the bullet and buying myself and my daughter new bikes.

My budget is reasonable but the cheaper the better.....but don't want to lose quality. I've been looking at the following and would appreciate and views people have regarding these:

Boardman Team 29er - £650
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -team-29er

This is my first choice at present, simply down to the specs. I'm looking for light and as feature packed as possible without going stupid on the budget. I'm not sure how I would take to the gears though (being SRAM GX 1x11).


Voodoo Bizango 29e - £625
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

This is one of my other choices and although it saves a little, its not a lot. The specs seem lower than the Boardman though and its back to traditional gears which I'm used to. I hear Voodoo bikes are good though and are considered one of the better ready built bikes.


Carrera Fury - £600
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

This was my initial choice until I spotted the others. Seems to be a reasonable spec considering the price and reviews I've read see it in a positive light albeit not as positive as the Boardman. Considering the Boardman is just £50 more and seems a lot better spec, is it really worth getting this unless I can find it a lot cheaper in a sale?


On these, my mind is kind of set on the Boardman but looking for views on all three to see if I'm making a bad choice or not....or do others have other suggestions? I was looking at the cheaper steel framed Halford Carrera bikes but they just seem too heavy in comparison...but then, as a newbie, do I need all the fancy features of those above? Would a 27.5 bike be better than a 29?

On to my daughter, she likes pretty but wants the best. She's 7 and just got in to riding...i.e. she recently learnt. This will be her first new, proper bike as all others have been cheap 2nd hand bikes to get her riding. I'm looking at three and going from top to bottom based on her preference and my geeky nature for getting the best gadgets for her:

Voodoo Nzumbi 26 - £435
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/k ... in-bike-26

This is her preference but I'm concerned about the overall size. She's got a 21" inside leg and is about 128cm tall. This seems to be the Voodoo offering for slightly older children than my daughter. If she'll fit though, then I think this offers the best features out of the selection for her and should last her to her teens.

Voodoo Bakka - £400
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/k ... in-bike-24

This was my first preference until we saw the Nzumbi. Seems to be reasonably featured for a Junior bike although not top notch stuff. This also seems to be just about the right size for her. Just concerned that for £35 more, we'd be missing out on a lot better spec.

Carrera Luna 24" - £250
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/k ... in-bike-24

This was the recommendation from Halfords staff based on her trying the 20" version of the same. On a similar bike, she was on the balls of her foot instead of flat footed like on the 20" version. My concern with this is that its multiple gear levers and she's not even used basic gears yet whereas the other 2 above have a single gear lever. It seems a reasonable attempt otherwise by Halfords and good for the money.

So that's my list of bikes to look at with my daughter in tow. As said above, really appreciate any input or even alternative suggestions....not looking second hand though as fed up with bikes breaking on us

Thanks in advance

[hamster]

I'd have a look at your local bike shop plus Evans or the other big internet boys. Halfords can be a bit hit and miss in aftercare and setup. In the end, what matter most is a test ride. Buy what you like best.

Onto your daughter's bike: the Carrera is way too heavy. 16kgs!!! Look at Frog or Islabikes for proper kids bikes at sensible weights. A 26" wheel bike is unlikely to fit. Islabikes you will get your money back on resale - they barely depreciate at all.

[Bez]

I'm a little out of touch with mountain bikes so I'll not suggest anything specific, but do look wider than Halfords. (Though note that if you're a British Cycling member you get discount at Halfords, which I assume applies to bikes.) Of the three you list, I think the Boardman would be the best buy.

As for your daughter's bike, there are better things out there for similar money. 26" wheels are too big for a 7 year old; you're just coming into 24" range at this point and this should be fine for four years or more. My choice for my son was the Hoy Bonaly 24 (which was about £290 after 10% Cycling UK discount from Evans), but other options include the Islabikes Beinn 24, Orbea MX24 and Pinnacle Aspen. For my money the Hoy was the sweet spot: the components and overall build are as good as the more expensive options; it's versatile in that it takes mudguards and rack and a crown-mounted light; and it's the lightest option at 9kg. Very happy with it.

[JeremyB]

Rutland cycling have a few deals on Bikes at the moment.

[531colin]

A seven year old child who has just got up on 2 wheels needs a bike they can bully and boss about.
Don't get her something too complex, don't get her something where her hands are too small to work the controls.
Don't get her something where the cranks are adult sized, because her knees will come up under her chin as she tries to pedal it.
The 26" wheel bike you link has 165mm cranks, these are aimed at 5 foot tall adults. Get your daughter to stand on the hall floor, with one foot on the second stair.....this is a rough idea how far her knee will come up with 165mm cranks. Her legs are 21" long....on 165mm cranks, the top pedal is 13" higher than the bottom pedal.
The other 2 bikes don't list crank length, but if my memory serves the average 7 year old is best suited to a 20" wheel bike

[Gavzooka]

A seven year old child who has just got up on 2 wheels needs a bike they can bully and boss about.
Don't get her something too complex, don't get her something where her hands are too small to work the controls.
Don't get her something where the cranks are adult sized, because her knees will come up under her chin as she tries to pedal it.
The 26" wheel bike you link has 165mm cranks, these are aimed at 5 foot tall adults. Get your daughter to stand on the hall floor, with one foot on the second stair.....this is a rough idea how far her knee will come up with 165mm cranks. Her legs are 21" long....on 165mm cranks, the top pedal is 13" higher than the bottom pedal.
The other 2 bikes don't list crank length, but if my memory serves the average 7 year old is best suited to a 20" wheel bike

Thanks for the tips. Its hard to judge as Halfords are saying the 20" is too small for her and a 24" would be better....She's flat foot on the 20" even with the seat raised to some degree...so dont know...but I'll take your tips on board when we go out and look at some...never thought to look at crank length and knee height...always concern myself with whether she can reach the floor and if she slips off the seat it doesnt hurt her....so thank you

[hamster]

Cranks are likely to be around 130mm to work well. Otherwise the knee bends into a squat at the top of the pedal stroke. FIrstly she risks damaging her knees, secondly she can apply no power.

It's best to teach asap not to start / stop sitting on the saddle but instead to pivot and be over the top tube. It's a rare bike where the bottom bracket is so low that you sit at the right height with feet touching the ground anything more than tiptoe. A low saddle condemns the rider to a completely inefficient riding position.

[531colin]

Advice from Islabikes, generally considered to be the best kids bikes.....http://www.islabikes.co.uk/products/bikes/item/beinn-20-large