What MTB to get with a budget of RM1,500

[turbolover]

So must make full use of it. That price includes the brain bucket and gloves, right?

Lol! This might sound insane but everything all in cost me RM 2750.

 

[vr2turbo]

ha! ha! don't think that way, Think Investment.....no need to upgrade for some time to come.....

 

[eohl79]

Lol! This might sound insane but everything all in cost me RM 2750.

Next, you need a bike tool kit, spare tubes, portable bike pump, hand or foot pump with pressure gauge + support for both presta/schradder valve, allen/torx keys. Trust me you need these stuff. I can teach you how to do basic fix, repair and tune up bikes and care for them too... Let me know so we can TT someday or ride.

 

[vr2turbo]

Next, you need a bike tool kit, spare tubes, portable bike pump, hand or foot pump with pressure gauge + support for both presta/schradder valve, allen/torx keys. Trust me you need these stuff. I can teach you how to do basic fix, repair and tune up bikes and care for them too... Let me know so we can TT someday or ride.

sifu is sifu, I do my own tuning too, like the brakes and wheel bearing tightness. Only center area and rear wheel gear area which requires special tools to remove then I go to the bike mechanic.
Staying in PJ old town helps as I have two bike shops here, and the old Unker know me so well, he will ask me what I want done....hahahaha and he always show me the Shimano stuffs.....actually surprise too as he is old school and is typical old style bike shop but have Shimano stuff, not much though....

 

[turbolover]

Ok here is a picture of my bike. After riding a couple of times this is my opinion on the bike. Ride comfort is good. I need to get a spacer for the handlebars as I feel that the handlebars should be a bit higher so it won't put pressure on my wrist. Alivio shifter sucks. The up gear shift got stuck a few times. Not sure whether that can be adjusted at the cable or not. This bike comes with Deore rear derailleurs and Alivio fron't derailleurs. And damn! I had it only for a couple of days and I got ideas of what components I want to change.

 

[turbolover]

Oh, ya. Just to add. Might need to get a water bottle holder and a bike pouch. The Spare tube and pump I will get abit later since I'm warming up to it and not riding that far yet. Allen keys I bought a set the other day together with the bike cos the shop owner said I have to assemble some parts myself as it cannot be bulky when courrier. Rode about 12kms today. I think it's peanuts for you guys. My quads feels like jelly. Hehe. Slowly then might catch up with other riders.
eohl, yes, will catch up for some yum cha session. Are you born in the year of the goat? If yes, then we are the same age la. Hehe. I'm year 79 also.

 

[vr2turbo]

Nice bike.... I see the suspension is different.
Gear shift stuck means the lever stuck or cable stuck. Probably needs some oiling?
Adjustment can be done but more for control, like less free play, more precise change, not to go over gear change area and so on.

 

[eohl79]

Ok here is a picture of my bike. After riding a couple of times this is my opinion on the bike. Ride comfort is good. I need to get a spacer for the handlebars as I feel that the handlebars should be a bit higher so it won't put pressure on my wrist. Alivio shifter sucks. The up gear shift got stuck a few times. Not sure whether that can be adjusted at the cable or not. This bike comes with Deore rear derailleurs and Alivio fron't derailleurs. And damn! I had it only for a couple of days and I got ideas of what components I want to change.

Oh, ya. Just to add. Might need to get a water bottle holder and a bike pouch. The Spare tube and pump I will get abit later since I'm warming up to it and not riding that far yet. Allen keys I bought a set the other day together with the bike cos the shop owner said I have to assemble some parts myself as it cannot be bulky when courrier. Rode about 12kms today. I think it's peanuts for you guys. My quads feels like jelly. Hehe. Slowly then might catch up with other riders.
eohl, yes, will catch up for some yum cha session. Are you born in the year of the goat? If yes, then we are the same age la. Hehe. I'm year 79 also.

First of all, lots of noobs to MTB cycling would usually want to get the handle bar higher than the seat. That is more like beach cruiser...laid back and easy. For MTBiking, the handlebar at the grips should be around the same level as the seats. Check yours. If you feel too much weight on your arms after a long ride, then adjusting the handlebar a little higher would do the trick. If your back feeling the brunt of the weight, then handlebar could be too high. Need to get the geometry right first especially for a new bike. Getting a center balance is important so that going up hills and coming down hills feels comfortable and not taxing to the body.

Gears, cheap or expensive gears should not give you a problem during shifting. It is a new bike and I think the set up of the front derailleur is not right. Where it is clamped to he seat tube and how parallel it is to the crank rings is important to prevent mis-shifts and chain suck. Go to Shimano webs site and download the appropriate manual for your gear system. The manufacturer will correctly specify how to setup and tune the gears. Another thing, most chep gear system comes with cheap cablings. The cable housing can compress under tension and cable may stretch out too. It will take some ime for it to be worn-in. There are much better pre-stretched cables out there with Teflon coat for smooth shifting. There is also a high/low screw limiter on the front/read derailleur to prevent the chain from dropping out. This must be set correctly too. Most bike shops do not do a good job setting up the gears properly as they think that they are smarter than the parts manufacturer themselves. It is just like those "pokok ceri" mechanics...

Forget the water bottle holder... if you want to go for real MTBiking since yu have already invested a lot... time to save up for a bag with a water bladder like Camelbak. Go for 3L of water storage. Rule of thumb for real mountain biking is 1L of water per hour on a hot day. So a water bottle is useless unless for a short ride or you drink really little water.

BTW, get rid of the reflectors for the front and rear. Bette get those cheap LED rear red bike lights as you will be more visible when riding at night/low light conditions. For front light, get LED type too. How bright depends on what kind of riding you do...

So you felt beaten up after riding that distance. It will take a while to tone up the muscles. However, first rule when you get a new suspension bike is to tune the sag and rebound settings. I would assume that you fork and rear shocks is of the air type. Usually most bike fork or rear shocks manufacturer would go with a 20-25% sag level. This is to ensure you have sufficient travel for the big bumps and descent ride comfort. Next is the rebound settings, the slower the less vibration felt to your wrists which is nice but that would make you fork bottom out fast and sloppy. Faster rebound makes it snappier but may give you numbness or pain to your wrist. I would suggest you adjust it half way first. Read up on the fork/shock manual on how to set it up correctly. The reason why I am saying this is that you want your bike to be as efficient as possible without sacrificing ride comfort. Minimizing pedal bob is important - induced by you pushing on the pedal and letting your fork/shock absorb the energy instead of it going to the wheels. That's why I prefer a hard tail - take the abuse at the back but there is a direct feel and no pedal bob at the back. Go read up on pedal bob...

Yes, am a 79er... another goat here. Yum cha not this week, cause would be driving up North this weekend and be back by mid week. Maybe next. Can't help you set up or tune up your bike yet. I would suggest you to print out the manuals from the respective part manufacturers and read it first before going back to the bike shop for a tune-up. Enjoy.

---------- Post added at 06:45 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 06:43 PM ----------

Forgot... that you need a special suspension air pump for the fork/shock pressure. You can't use a normal tire pump.

 

[turbolover]

Yes, my seat is at the same height with my handlebar. Hmm yeah might need to read up on the manuals in the shimano website. Hope it's not too complicated for a noob like me to understand.
Oh, didn't know that there is a backpack with water storage compartment. Is there a straw tube from the backpack to the mouth area?
I'm currently riding during the day only. I did thought of getting those LED lights. Was just surfing checking out the price just now. My rear sus uses air but the front uses coil springs. I lock the rear if I'm riding on road or smooth surface. Haven't gone offroad yet. The seller did tell me that I need to get a special pump for the rear but he says that won't be soon.
Yeah, no prob about the yum cha. I need to go KL tomorrow then back to penang on Thursday. Won't have time also.

 

[eohl79]

Yes, bag with a water bladder. Comes witha tube. Just like:
http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs.aspx

Local pricing a little expensive though. If you can get one from US, elsewhere probably cheaper. Rear LED lights, cheap one running on two AAA battery ok already. Ok, coil springs should be preety durable but heavy. Should be an open oil bath type. Yes, hardly use my shock pump... only once in a blue moon. Once you get your pressure, setting right, then hardly need to use it again.

 

[turbolover]

Yeah I guess these backpacks are expensive considering the insulation they provide. Even a normal BP cost about rm100. These should be rm300 and above. I find the front shocks a bit on the soft side. Will go hydraulics in future and lighter ones.

 

[vr2turbo]

Your poisoning seems pretty fast.......already geared for extra purchases and upgrading....

 

[turbolover]

Your poisoning seems pretty fast.......already geared for extra purchases and upgrading....

The poison is very strong. Must be high end paraquat. lol!

 

[vr2turbo]

bro. eohl79 spraying can after can woh!......kakakakakakkaka

 

[jeheyr]

hurm... found bike thread... but im just selling my specialized...
now im selling thule roof rack for proton.. with 2 thule 530 bike rack..
also can pm me for limar helmet... crank brothers pedal with clip... deuter 2.5L backpack..

 

[TitanRev]

Haha. Just an update. Was telling you guys that I was going to Senawang for a few days. Anyway I visited Bike Station and was greeted by this Jefferee. Hope i got his name right. He was very acommodating and helpful. Never once thought I asked to much noob questions. He told me the need to get a hard tail or full suspension bike. Pros and cons and advantages and disadvantages. He recommended me a few hard tail that he thinks is worth buying and within my budget. I also did ask about a Mongoose full sus that I saw someone sell online. He said he has one. So I ask him whether I will be able to try the hard tail, full sus and the hybrid bike before i made my decision.
He got the mongoose full sus from his other shop and on the 2nd day went to try it out. The full sus is cimfortable but on the heavy side when cycled. The hard tail, well it's a bit hard to my liking. Ride comfort I mean and furthermore it's a specialized brand. I did not try the Focus bike which was made in Germany as it was heavier than the specialized. Suprisingly the hybrid bike feels so comfortable and fast. I might get one in the future.Hehe. Ended up I purchased the Mongoose Salvo Comp.
Will post up some pictures when I get the bike as I ask him to courrier it up to me. Bought a brain bucket and glooves too.

Aiks, you are so near to my factory...next time come down can PM me for drinks....That shop you went was the one I recommended you on the 1st page. Hahahahaha...glad that you are happy...Jeffery is a really nice guy....and willing to share his knowledge with new bikers....thumbs up for him...

 

[turbolover]

Aiks, you are so near to my factory...next time come down can PM me for drinks....That shop you went was the one I recommended you on the 1st page. Hahahahaha...glad that you are happy...Jeffery is a really nice guy....and willing to share his knowledge with new bikers....thumbs up for him...

Yeah, you told me earlier about your bro patronizing that shop but i said too far. So happen was there for some business for a few days. He is indeed a nice guy. Yeah, will give you a call when im there again. Lol. The massage there very cheap la.

 

[vr2turbo]

You went there for business, the bike or massage......kakakakakaka

 

[TitanRev]

Hahaha...Sban small town la....massage sure cheap...

 

[vr2turbo]

Bro, Titan is taikor there?.....