New to the NS

Hi Everyone,

I just moved to the North Van a few weeks ago and have wanted to get into mountain biking ever since moving here. I don't really know to much about the sport and I was wondering if I could get some help. First things first I am in desperate need of advise on which bike to purchase, and what I should be looking for. I was looking at "all mountain" type bikes because I feel it will suit the type of riding I want to do. I recently looked at a 2015 and 2016 Specialized Enduro Elite and thought they where both pretty good. They are pretty much the same build except for Dropper Seat post and the Rear Suspension.

On the 2016 it has:

Custom RockShox Monarch Plus, AUTOSAG, 3-position compression adjust, rebound adjust, 215.9x57.2mm

Command Post IRcc, cruiser control technology, micro-adjust height adjustable, alien head design, bottom mount cable routing, remote adjust SRL lever

On the 2015

Cane Creek DBInline Air, High/Low-Speed Compression and Rebound Adjust, with Climb Switch, 8.5"x2.25"

Command Post IR, 3-Position Height Adjustable, Alien Head Design, Bottom Mount Cable Routing, with Remote Adjust SRL

What do you guys think, are there any other brands of bikes I should be looking at which are around this price range?

Thanks your help is appreciated!

Welcome, I just moved here too (from Toronto).

You're right to want to mountain bike here. While many other places in Canada and the rest of the world have terrific off road riding, this is where it started and the area is full of some of the richest riding anywhere.

You're on the right track with that Enduro. I moved here with an XC race bike and felt that I needed an all mountain bike too. I ended up with an Enduro also.

Basics are start riding on Froome and Seymour. At first stick to the easy stuff while you figure it out.

Don't scrimp on gear. It'll make the most difference to your comfort when you're out.

Also, join a club - NS rides?

That there is one fancy bike to start on. Personally I really like the 'enduro' style bikes in the 150mm range. For me, they pedal very well and let me rail trail as hard as I can. I am riding a Kona Process 153 and I love it. It is a very aggressive bike and rewards me for being so.

There are a pile of bikes out there now in that endure/trail range. It's awesome. But many of them have biases towards different styles of riders. And most riders have biases towards particular bikes.

I would go read some long term testing reviews on a bunch of different bikes you are interested in. Maybe head over to MTBR and read some of the user feedback. "Official' reviews combined with user feedback can give you a good idea of what the different bikes offer. I would also go check out some shops, take the bikes for a spin around the block. It's not a trail, but it allows you to put an actual bike to a brand name.

Or.. Just buy a Kona Process 153 :P

thats a really high end bike for a first ride

the enduro is nice i just bought one .

In all honesty I'd suggest starting off on a cheaper used bike like a hardtail and learn some good bike skills before moving on to a higher end bike. Take those leftover dollars and invest in some coaching with Endless Biking or someone similar and you will be way further ahead in terms of riding ability with more smiles on your face to boot.

In all honesty I'd suggest starting off on a cheaper used bike like a hardtail and learn some good bike skills before moving on to a higher end bike. Take those leftover dollars and invest in some coaching with Endless Biking or someone similar and you will be way further ahead in terms of riding ability with more smiles on your face to boot.

this, plus while you learn those high end parts are going to get mashed up.

In all honesty I'd suggest starting off on a cheaper used bike like a hardtail and learn some good bike skills before moving on to a higher end bike. Take those leftover dollars and invest in some coaching with Endless Biking or someone similar and you will be way further ahead in terms of riding ability with more smiles on your face to boot.

Hello and welcome, thank you for coming to the North Shore I certainly hope you enjoy your time here! It can be mountain bike heaven. There are a great bunch of people and a great community here on the North Shore to get involved with if thats your thing. I would like to second the good advice above. Many of the trails here are literally trying to kill you and have high consequences for getting in too deep too quickly. I started our with a 120mm steel hardtail that I brought over from England and am now three years later on a Norco Range. The hardtail was great at moderating my bravado back down to the reality of my still poor (but improving) skill level.

Not directly related to your query about bike selection but possibly more rewarding that the latest carbon whizz bang machine, would be a suggestion to come out to a few NSMBA public trail days. You'll discover trails you didn't know about, meet a ton of great people, potentially making some new riding buddies and get to hang with living legends like Digger and Old Man Pete. It will also deepen your appreciation of the trails we have here and help to build your trail karma, which has saved my ass many times.

Lots of great used bikes in the buy and sell. Half the price or less for something you won't dispair about crashing a couple times.

http://buysell.nsmb.com/showcat.php?cat=13[HTML_REMOVED]page=3

Basics are start riding on Froome and Seymour.

Your roadie is showing :). Its Fromme.

Buy yeah, North Shore is a great place to get into MTB. Get connected with regulars and/or a group/shop ride and you will gain riding and local knowledge much faster.

The funny thing about bikes is that, unless you're sponsored, the sole criteria to being able to ride the bike you want is if you have the cash to buy it.

Im sure that the OP knows that bikes get banged up in crashes. Im sure the OP also knows that he/she is paying a high price for parts that wont get used anywhere close to their limit for awhile.

Yes, a lower end bike would also work well for a couple years. But who knows, maybe fnf takes to the sport well and would want to upgrade to the higher end bike by spring time. In my experience, guide people to the style of bike that would be best for them but let them choose the caliber.

Maybe fnf will buy the high end bike and still have tons of cash for lessons, gear and joining a club.

I think that youre looking at the right type of bike fnf. You could go a little less DH and a little more XC if you wanted by looking at a Stumpy or a Camber, but a Spec Enduro is a solid AM bike. I went with it because I also have an EPIC (pure XC bike) and I wanted to swing more towards the DH side of an All Mountain bike. You cant go wrong with any of the above.

Dont get hung up on the specific technical aspects of any bike. Find a bike that will do the things you want, turns you on when you look at it, fits you well and has the .features that you need (you will need a dropper post, do you want 1x11? climbing switch is necessary, one with wheel size you want, etc…).

But the above used bike suggestion is a good one - you can probably find some mint bike that was bought by someone who thought that they would love riding offroad and learned otherwise after their first nasty crash. You can also find new 2014 bikes at shops for huge discounts.

The enduro is an excellent bike and you will not out-grow it for a very long time. If I were choosing between the two model years I would go for the 2015, mostly due to the cane creek shock. I would never recommend starting off with a hard tail, even though that's what I learned on way back before Suspension was invented. The hard tail would be far less enjoyable to ride, and if you like the sport you would soon be buying a full-Suspension bike anyway. I always recommend buying the best bike you can afford and then learning how to ride it. If budget is a concern then buying used is a good option. You have come to the right place if you are seriously interested in mountain biking. Nsmb is a great resource. I would recommend spending some time getting to know the trails around squamish. They tend to be easier than the shore but no less fun. Good luck!

You're potentially going to break lots of stuff when first starting out - scratched stanchions, frame dents and scrapes, bent wheels, etc. I'd cry if I did some of those things to a $4000+ bike. I'd look for something secondhand in the $1500-$2000 range for your first season or 2, then get something else when your consistency improves. If you're going with a new bike, go with the base model with a mid-range build. The parts are cheaper to replace when (not if) you break them. Performance of the midrange stuff is pretty close to the top-end components. It's just cheaper and a bit heavier.

I disagree about getting a hardtail. Hardtails are pretty unforgiving, and you're more likely to learn fast if you are feeling confident and not getting schooled all the time. Go with a dual suspension bike in the 140-160 mm travel range.

If you're dead set on getting a brand new bike I would wait less than 3 weeks and pick up either of the two bikes you listed for 20% or more off when the 2016's come out and those models go on sale. Buying a 2015 bike at the veeeerrrry end of the season is kinda crazy and the shop employees are likely rubbing their hands with glee because they'll be unloading a bike for full MSRP to someone who doesn't know anything about bikes (sorry) that they might not be able to sell in a month. Things change fast in the bike world.

I think, like everyone else said, you're best off buying a used bike - the learning curve is steep and you're going to wreck that brand new bike in no time. unless you're made of money you're probably going to get really tired of paying the shop to service your bike every week and be paying through the nose for top-end components every time you break something, which is going to nearly every ride.