Just hoping to get some recommendations from any Ozbargain biking enthusiasts as I have no idea!
He’s around 6 foot, 70kg and budget is around $500. Will many be riding to school, work and possibly mountain biking with friends. I think second hand might be the way to go to get more bang for our buck but a little lost with the initial search parameters so any help appreciated!
Thanks for the tips!
Agree with second hand as you can check it out before parting with the $$$.
Some of the people will tell or say anything and when you get there the bike may be crap. I looked at a bike that had stuffed back wheel bearings and had buckled wheels and the seller said it was perfect and was saying there was nothing wrong with it even though I was showing her the issues. I walked away literally as she could not stop saying that it was normal and worked perfectly.
The next bike just needed the brake pads replacing and some oil on the chain otherwise a year latter it's still going strong. It was a Giant branded bike.
trek dual sport 3
That looks interesting… hybrid like Drakesy recommended. Might start the second hand search for these first as will definitely be doing the majority of riding on road/paths. Thanks!
Noting wrong with riding a mountain bike on paths. It’s a little slower, but I’d rather have a slower ride on the roads than not be able to join mates off road. Besides, if they’ve all got MTB he won’t have trouble keeping up.
Also, any image conscious teenager won’t want to be seen on a hybrid. Will want either something tough (MTB) or fast (drop bar road bike)
How serious mountain biking? How far is school and work?
You don't want to ride a mountain bike long distances around town as they are heavy and inefficient - might not be a concern for a 17yo though.
cheap mountain bikes are heavy and not pleasant to ride long distances.
Heavy and inefficient is relative depending on the type of bike. A Kmart bike will be horrible to ride while a decent ($1500ish) mountain bike will be only a little slower, especially with city buses tyres.
I’ve ridden mountain bikes on road plenty, normally to and from trails. They aren’t that bad and can be way more fun in urban environments hopping kerbs, dropping off ledges, jumping, wheelies etc. A 6km commute was only 1-2min difference for me between a road bike and mountain bike.
I used to ride 18km each way every day and changing from a light duty mountain bike to a lighter hybrid with skinnier tyres made a huge difference in fatigue. But for short distances probs not as much of an issue
Tyres make a huge difference. For a while I switched my MTB tyres to skinnier slicks for commuting daily and the bike was noticeably faster, but on plenty of occasions I kept the knobbly tyres to go play on the dirt as a commuter extension.
In terms of speed MTB < MTB with slicks < hybrid< flat bar road bike with skinny sliks < drop bar roadie.
Push pike recommendation
Use the high diving board and don't push too hard.
any decent looking bike out front of Cashconverters, only a few hundred
BUT..buy a decent bloody lock, preferably a Kryponite U-lock and lock it everywhere he goes
Oh yeah… our neck of the woods is rife with bike stealing scum. Thanks!
The annual Aldi bike sale used to be a good option.
Apart from the bike, a helmet, lock, lights etc may also need to be purchased.
Make sure the bike has disc brakes. Potentially life-saving.
I have a Giant cyclocross/hybrid bike that accepts wide-ish mountain bike tyres for extra grip on non-road surfaces.
Cheap disc brakes are no better than v-brakes. I’ve ridden a. Couple of bikes with cheap cable disc brakes and they were pretty ordinary for stopping with. Yes, you’ll lose a little stopping power if the rims are wet but good v-brakes and alloy rims are not bad enough to be dangerous.
Agreed especially as he probably won't be riding on the road in the wet…
I'd say tyres are more important than brake type.
Look for a hardtail mountain bike that was originally $1000-1500. Buy it second hand for around $500.
Probably want a large frame with 29” wheels at his height.
I find it’s worth looking for the main bike brands (as mentioned above) then if you find one, check out the RRP of that model on google.
No point getting anything other than a mountain bike if he wants to ride off-road with friends.
And this is why I love Ozbargain! Thx so much for all the comments/suggestions..
If he’s mountain biking you’ll have to get a mountain bike. At 15yo all I wanted was a sick mtb with hydraulic suspension and disk brakes, and I was only riding to school… Didn’t make the switch to a road bike till I was well into uni. Everyone’s different I guess, but definitely buy the type of bike he wants, or he will either be embarrassed or won’t ride at all
Slightly above your budget but bicycles online are having a small sale. The polygon premier 4 looks good. The entry level Marin bikes look good too. Here is a link to their hardtails
if he is very into bikes he might have something he likes already so maybe get him involved. Might ruin the surprise but better of long term?
Any Giant, Trek, Merida, Scott from the past 10 years
Marketplace or gumtree will have something good for around $250-$350 now that supply lines have caught up.
Personally i'd get a hybrid if he's doing mainly road/path riding, although he'll probably want to be like his friends with a mountain bike.