Buying A Bike | The Complete Guide To Buying An MTB

whether you're looking to buy your very first mountain bike or simply to get something a bit better than you've already got there's never been such a good time to get one in fact with such an enormous supply of bikes available on the market now it's getting increasingly more difficult to get a bad bike and that in itself makes it a little bit tricky to narrow down what you need to get so this is the gmb and tech guide to buying a mountain bike [Music] okay so we're going to break this video down into sections to make your choice the right one and we're going to start with the trickiest thing first and that is choosing the right bike for you [Music] well surely it's just a case of finding out how much money you've got to spend and picking a cool bike that costs that much money right well no not strictly uh such now technically you can get on any mountain bike and go and have a brilliant ride and really enjoy yourself yeah granted but there are so many different styles of mountain bike out there and all suitable for different riders and different styles of terrain so you've got to identify the one that really doesn't meet your needs and you've got to be realistic about this what kind of rider are you and what sort of terrain are you really going to be riding on a daily basis let's take a look at the size of bike first [Applause] [Music] ac bikes also known as cross country bikes now these are super light and efficient and they're designed around riders or racers that want to go as fast as possible the whole time up down along over and anything in between they are lovely to ride and they glide along single track and they're ultra responsive to rider inputs but accordingly they're not too good if you're a heavy rider or if you're really heavy on the bike and they're certainly not going to thank you if you're the sole rider that wants to go at bike parks trail bikes now these are focused more around control and comfort than our turnout lightweight now they're still going to be nice and light and you're going to still get nice feedback from the trail but they typically have a little bit more suspension travel and the angles will be a little bit slacker on them that means they feel a bit more confidence inspiring when you're going into the rougher more technical terrain now you could easily dress down a trail bike and race it as a cross-country bike or you could dress one up with some heavy duty tires and you'll be fine for occasional bike pockets these bikes are really versatile they're definitely probably the best all-rounders [Music] all mountain bikes now with much more in the way of suspension the all-mountain bike quite literally laughs in the face of most terrain and also enable you to winch back up so you can laugh at it all over again on the way back down now these are the bikes favored by enduro racers to spec them with heavy-duty componentry for racing and they really do represent the do-it-all side of mountain biking with the right rider on there's almost nothing that can't be ridden down or up on an all-mountain bike however they're not all singing and dancing because of the fact they've got a lot more suspension travel on them and they're a fair bit heavier than trail bikes now even when you've got the lockout switches on they're never going to roll quite as fast because you tend to run stickier rubber tires the wheels will be heavier the components will be heavier so if rolling hills are your thing these aren't really what you want to be looking at however you're smashing out runs down the local forest hitting bike parks or maybe going on alpine trips what you're looking at well you've just found your bike downhill bikes well these really are quite nice because of the fact they're quite literally designed for smashing down a hillside they've got up to 10 inches of rock swallowing travel and they're probably the most amazing looking mountain bikes out there which i guess is why so many people still want to buy them however unless you've got the luxury of having a chair lift on your doorstep or you have a shuttle service really you're not going to get the most out of these things they're very niche bikes and if that's the sort of riding you want to be doing then perhaps you want to be doing some sort of enduro spec on an all mountain bike look at the terrain ews riders tackle it's nearly up there with what the world cup downhill races are tackling is quite crazy [Music] now of course those categories are not set in stone you could for example buy a lightweight trail bike and you could turn it into like a nearly as capable all mountain bike with some good modifications under the right rider that's all part of the upgrading process that you get a bit later down the line but don't get too carried away with that all you need to look at and consider is a bike that you could ride on a daily basis [Music] 27.5 or 29 inch wheels okay so this one can be a bit of a minor field to get your head around but let's just simplify this now 29's wheels they offer advantages for all types of riders however at an entry level price point they weigh a lot tires weigh a lot to the degree they weigh so much on the bike so they actually negate the advantages they have in the first place if you're looking at an entry level bike 27.5 inch wheels are generally much better they're lighter they're more agile they're more responsive and they're more fun really that is where you should be looking however if you're a tall rider 29s wheels definitely offer you the ability to have slightly better fit and better control on the bike so i would start by thinking about things on that basis now if you're still a little bit unsure on the wheel size one thing you could do is look at some of the brands that offer the same bike in different wheel sizes demo one with both sizes of wheels and you'll soon know which one stands out to you as the size you prefer now of course if you're on a smaller side there are some limitations because some manufacturers don't offer their smaller size frames in 29-inch wheels simply because the wheels just don't fit in the frames that well and it's quite often you're seeing the smaller sizes maybe smalls and mediums will come with 27.5 and the larger sizes like large and extra large will come with 29 inch wheels that sometimes actually makes a choice for you [Music] hard tail or full suspension hmm yes this is another good choice of course you see a lot of suspension bikes out there but if you're coming in at an entry level price point something to make very clear to you is if you buy a suspension bike and a hotel bike that the same value this the suspension bike you're going to get a component tree that is base level on there basically the frame costs a lot more to manufacture it's got more intricate parts and it's got a shock absorber there's lots going on accordingly i have to down scale everything else to meet the budget whereas the hardtail because the frame is far more simplified they'll put lighter wheels better suspension better componentry you're going to get a better bike for the money so if you are on a tight budget it's definitely worth looking at hardtails and also don't fall into the trap that people think oh hotel that's a cross-country bike no no you can get hardtails in any category you can even get downhill specific hardtails for massive travel forks i mean that's a super niche and it's a very hardcore bike but the point is you can get hardtails in all categories and hotel is a really good fun bike to ride what size well this is something that can be a bit confusing if you're buying a bike for the first time but thankfully all bike manufacturers have suddenly got really clued up on this in the last few years so if you go on the website of your favorite bike manufacturer you'll see there will be a sizing chart now of course this is just recommendations it's not set in stone but what it does is it will basically loosely sit you amongst the source sizes of bikes that they offer typically there'll be five sizes of bikes ranging from extra small up to extra large now if you manage to fall between the sizes where you could fit on either you've got two options obviously if you went for the smaller bike it does mean the bike's going to feel a little bit more agile but if you're a less experienced rider this could translate as feeling a bit more nervous so you might want to size up sizing up means the bike will automatically feel a little bit more stable just because it's that bit longer and that bit bigger however you might have troubles actually getting onto the bike so you have to have enough top tube clearance on there with modern mounting bikes it's not as much of an issue though because the frame designs tend to be dipped so it does afford you more clearance but there is one last thing to just factor in many mountain bikes today come with dropper seat posts they kind of work like an office chair with a lever or a button on the handlebars that enables you to put a saddle down out the way press another button it comes back up this means you've got a great secure feeling with the saddle out of the way when you tackle demanding terrain or going down steep stuff and you can push the button get it back up again for the climbs now they're available from 100 millimeters of drop all the way up to about 180 millimeters of drop the more drop you have the more comfortable you're going to be on aggressive terrain but the amount of drop you have directly correlates to the length of the seat tube of that bike so if you were sizing up and you're on the smaller size you're more than likely going to have to go for a dropper post with a little less drop just so you can fit on with your leg at full extension try before you buy yeah that's right even trying a bike also comes with its challenges but being able to demo a bike before you buy one can really clarify your purchase there's a few different ways that you can do this the obvious one is to go to your local bike shop wherever your bike shop is they've got bikes already in there now although they might only let you ride them around the parking lot you can still get a sense of how the bike feels and if it's a bike you feel really fond off but you want to try a bit more more often than not your bioshock will be able to get hold of demo options from your like the nearest distributor of that particular bike brand so definitely speak to your local bike shop failing that there are always demo events happening now you can get two types of demo events one where multiple brands all pitch up and you'll maybe share your passport and a credit card with whoever the organizer is and then you can try all the different models and different brands or just a specific brand eg yt bikes fairly recently did one at the forest of dean and you could go along and you could try out their e-bikes and their normal bikes so if you were looking at one of their bikes online for example and you couldn't decide and you really wanted to see one in the flesh that is what you would do you would find out where they're doing one of their demos now these things do happen quite a lot in all countries around the world you'll particularly find the direct sale brands will do their own um demos basically so you can actually you know get bums on seats is what it's really about so definitely check those out it's a great opportunity to try the bikes although one thing to say if you're going to one of those demos that has lots of different bikes beware because it can be all too easy to get distracted from the job at hand and just go and ride that seven grand bike that you can't afford and will have no intention of buying because it's there um don't do that try and stick to what you actually want to buy because they can be really useful to help you make your choice now something that will definitely help you if you're demoing a bike is to narrow your choice down to maybe three or four models and when you go along to a demo take your own bike with you as well and go and ride the demo loop that way you're familiar with how your bike handles so you have a basis to compare the demo bikes if you just go along and ride them you get carried away and oh my god it feels so much nicer than my bike and it's not really going to help you finally the other thing to say about demos are there obviously huge exhibitions and major events that happen unfortunately this year a lot of them have been cancelled or postponed but we're hoping there's still going to be some towards the end of the year in particular co2 europe which is as your owner in spain there's a seal to us in monterrey both of which you can demo multiple different brands bikes there of course there's euro bike again that one has been postponed but you can go along and demo bikes there's even outer bike which is i think albert held at moab or it used to be another place that's great to go and try bikes in a real trail situation now there of course there's all sorts of events happening all over the place so be sure to find out what's about especially if you're spending a lot of money demoing a bike can really justify it to you definitely want to try [Music] now setting a budget obviously you're going to need to do this especially if you're on a tight budget but something that you must do is allow for a few extras because it can feel like you're going to get stung when you go to check out and pay for the bike and you've forgotten some things you actually need so if you budget for that to start with it's definitely going to make things a bit easier for you now a few essentials that we do recommend here at gm you're definitely going to need a helmet if you've not already got one now always get the best helmet you can afford now obviously most helmets on the market will all fit safety criteria in fact if you want to see how helmets are made and basically destroyed in the name of testing there's going to be a link to that video underneath and that that basically mentions the standards that you need to look for so do a bit of research on that make sure you've got a helmet you might want to have some other riding kit if you've not got some already uh some people like gloves some people like eyewear some people like specific riding shoes although to be fair pair trainers will be alright at least in the short term but probably the most important thing if you're going to ride for extended periods in the saddle will be some kind of cycling shorts or at least a liner that you can wear with a regular pair of shorts just for a bit of padding just to help make things a bit more comfortable now you definitely need a multi-tool of some kind as well even if you're not mechanical and you're going to be looking after your bike there will be things and will be instances where you can literally tighten a few bolts and you're good to go so get yourself a multi-tool and it will get you out of trouble at some point it will pay for itself and finally get a lock even if you keep your bike at home in a safe room lock it it's better locked and safe and insurance companies will pay out if you've got your bike locked in a secure place if you've got your bike just in a room quite often there can be clauses in insurance against bikes that won't enable you to make a full claim so make sure you check on that if you want some more advice on locking your bike up there's a few links to videos underneath i made one about locking your bike in public also one about keeping your body secure at home and fitting a ground anchor so they're all going to be in the description under this video and they're all super useful [Music] asking other riders what they think now this is actually quite key because you'll always see patterns of riders on a certain brand or a style of bike and of course you might see this in your group of friends as well but just be aware whatever you ask people about things they've bought you should take this with a pinch of salt because people quite often defend their purchases now this might be by way of pride because the fact they've ended up buying something that they're not completely happy with but they're not going to let anyone else know that because they've spent a lot of money on it so they can defend that purchase but also it might be because the fact that they're not actually sure if it's better or worse than anything else they might not have the experience to understand that so take that into account the ones that you want to listen to the real opinions to listen to to form your own opinion on a bike to buy i don't want to have some positives and negatives you know i might say oh the bike rides amazing it does this it does that but i don't like the tire clearance at the back that's a bit annoying the bottom bracket creaks sometimes and it's you know it's got so-and-so going on at the front that's going to be far more useful information to you can base an opinion on that sort of stuff so listen to ones that have got some positives and negatives not the ones that are just giving you all the romance about the bike because uh they're still in a honeymoon period and they might never get out of it so where do you buy your bike then online or in a bike shop this is a really tricky one because both are great options now i've always grown up working in bike shops and being around people in bike shops i love going to bike shops i love supporting bike shops i always tell people to support bike shops if you've got one that's local to you and one that's good that's near enough to validate going there but that's not always the case people live far further and further away these days so it could become harder to have a local bike shop and that's where online shopping really comes into its own however both have their advantages and both i guess could have some disadvantages so let's take a look at them [Music] okay so let's look at online first well obviously there's a minefield there's so many brands selling online and this way it becomes difficult because you perhaps had two or three bikes narrowed down and as soon as you committed to buying online you now found that there's like 10 brands you might be interested in and across them two or three different models so it becomes a minefield so you really have to stick to your guns about the style of bike that you're looking for and if you were looking for a 27.5 inch wheel bike with 130mm travel and you go on one of those websites has got all of the bike models under the sun suddenly you're going to start changing your mind so it can be quite confusing trying to pick your bike online but the benefits are you're going to save some money so generally you'll get a better specked bike for the same amount of money or the bike would just cost a bit less anyway so it's a great way of buying a bike and you've got the convenience of the fact that you can do your shopping online and it turns up at the front door the downsides are it turns up in your front door which means you've got to assemble the bike granted there's not that much to assemble but you still have to be responsible for safety checking your own bike is that something you're comfortable with make sure about that because i've seen people assemble their bikes completely wrong in the past and it's a safety hazard and you're on your own as well because you've started doing it it's your mistake now you obviously don't get the support of your local bike shop if you do that if you take an online bike to a local bike shop they will of course always help you but you might pay a premium for that so just be aware of that [Music] okay now for bike shops all right so your local buy shop well the advantages are is local which means you can go there straight away at the beginning of this whole process you can go in and browse some bikes and get some information from the people that work there and the best thing about bike shops they're full of people that love bikes they love bikes as much if not more than you and they want you to love bikes as much as them that is probably the best reason to go to a workshop there will always be a social element at bike shops as well because they will ride bikes there will be local group rides sometimes the shop organized rice you can join on you can find out where the locals ride you can get advice from them in the shop now you might be paying a little bit more but the good sides are all the help and support and you get and you might meet some of your best friends there i have over the years from bike shops that i've worked at and bike shops i've bought things from i think it's one of the coolest things and of course you can get hands-on with the stuff online you might get nice images you can do 3d and stuff it's not the same though as going in the shop and playing with them and you can smell the rubber on the tires and you can spin the pedals around and you can even ride the bikes in the parking lot and they can arrange demo bikes for you so point a bike shop is a great thing to do but of course we're not all lucky enough to have a good local bike shop to do that so you kind of have to make a choice between the two and the other one to look out for are police auctions now you might see these at your local council they're sometimes government-run depending on where you're from um and what essentially happens is bikes that have been stolen reported stolen they're recovered by the police and they're impounded the insurance companies take care of the payout so whoever's biker was hopefully they've got some money for it and after a certain amount of time the police basically sell them on and they sell them at a ridiculously cheap price i've got friends that bought like old cannondales and stuff and it's costing about 700 quid but the bike has been about four or five grands worth so um they're quite rare but you can get them and it is worth looking to see if there are police auctions and there's also loads of other weird stuff that comes up you'll end up on speed boats and jet skis and turntables and all sorts of stuff that's been um knocked off basically so definitely check those out [Music] now something to be aware of though when buying used on second-hand bikes are the standards now if it's a bike you're planning on keeping long term just beware if it's if it's a little bit old for example if it's a 26 inch wheel bike and it's got a 135 mil rear axle in time it's going to be harder to get components for that beware of legacy standards you know we've moved on to boosts now so rather than having a 100mm axle at the front we've got 110 rather than having a 135 at the back we're up to 148 and sometimes 157 so you don't necessarily need to have the latest thing out there but make sure if you're going to keep the bike for a long time and upgrade it that it's not like legacy old stuff make sure there's something in the middle that you can upgrade with time now the last thing to mention is in the uk we have a scheme called cycle to work now i know that a lot of european countries do have similar schemes they're government-backed and essentially you get a tax-free bike or you get some sort of tax break on it and you pay for it via your employer these are really good schemes you get up to 40 percent off the prices of bikes depending on where you are and what the level of scheme is and it comes out your monthly pay this is a great way of buying a bike especially if you're not doing too well in terms of your budget and it actually enables you to get something a bit more expensive because of the discount you get or you can pick the same bike and it will cost you a lot less either way it's a win-win so if there is some sort of local scheme to you you are in luck and you can save a lot of money it's definitely worth checking those out well there we go that was a bunch of information about how to buy a mountain bike of course it is a minefield of information out there but these are the fundamentals of where you start narrow yourself down as a rider and be realistic about it you know if you're not an enduro racer you don't necessarily need that bike a trail bike might be your best friend um let us know we think in the comments underneath there's going to be links to all the videos that i've referenced in this video underneath this one so check them out and they'll hopefully be helpful for you as well

Channel: GMBN Tech

Views: 332,271

Keywords: what bike, what mountain bike, how to buy, xc, cross country, downhill, dh, trail, enduro, suspension, hardtail, what size, helmet, what's the best bike?, best bike, mtb, gmbn tech, mtb tech, bike tech, mountain bike, Bicycle (Product Category), MTB, bicycle, gmbntech, GMBN, Global Mountain Bike Network, mountain biking, Downhill, XC, Cross Country, Enduro, MTB skills, bike skills, mountain bike skills, bike, bike riding, cycling, gmvn, Қ, 4003, scany15, ᐶ, scbpgmbn15, ର, 1k, 1o, 1v, 1w, Ꮖ, ヱ, ፕ15, ҩ, Ҩ

Id: EX1Kb6TEyn8

Length: 21min 59sec (1319 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 21 2020