Hi all. Looking for some help on choosing a budget entry level bike for commuting to the train station/work as well as light dirt trails. Nothing serious like woodhills.

Basically the budget is $500 or less (have to keep money in the bank for a house deposit...) so far I have found these:

Giant 2015 ATX 1 27.5 MTB at $475 https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/APBM7N5A1/title/giant-2015-atx-1-27-5-mtb

2015 FUJI NEVADA 27.5 1.9 at $549 http://www.evolutioncycles.co.nz/27-HAR ... t_id=39065

2015 GT Aggressor Comp at $499 http://www.evolutioncycles.co.nz/27-HAR ... t_id=36730

2015 MERIDA MATTS 6 10-V ANTHRACITE at $499 http://www.bikebarn.co.nz/2015-merida-m ... acite.html

What do you think? What brand should I aim for and what are some things that I should be looking for (shock brand, gears, wheels, etc). Bikebarn seems to have good deals on Merida in-store aswell.

Even better if you can link me to any decent secondhand bikes in my price range that trump these options.

Many thanks,

They're all good bikes for the money.

I'd personally give the Merida a miss due to the rim brakes, buckled wheels happen a lot of cheaper bikes and you'll be forever paying to get your wheels trued (straightened) with rim brakes on the Merida.

The Giant has 24 vs. 21 speed on the others.
Tektro brakes are probably the pick of the cheapies in that price range.
I just like the look of the Giant.

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(remember folks, play nice with the newbie)

In the <$500 range you might be better off second hand - more bike, less dosh, especially since mainly you'll be commuting.

Neoverse wrote:Even better if you can link me to any decent secondhand bikes in my price range that trump these options.

What size? And region?

I would get the giant out of that bunch, gt in second and dodge the other two

I do want strong wheels. I think I saw a merida in-store that had disk brakes for $499. I think it was a Big 7/9 2015.

I had a look at the Giant today and tbh I'm not much of a fan of the blue colour haha..

jo wrote:In the <$500 range you might be better off second hand - more bike, less dosh, especially since mainly you'll be commuting.

Neoverse wrote:Even better if you can link me to any decent secondhand bikes in my price range that trump these options.

What size? And region?

In Giant, I'm a large. I'm 6 foot.

In Auckland.

Like this:
This ones small
http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/cycling ... 389534.htm
or
This ones medium
http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/cycling ... 761055.htm
or
This one says its large but doesnt look it - ask the question of the rider, how tall
http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/cycling ... 169738.htm

for a commuter the giant will be good, if you wanted something to have a bit of fun out at woodhill on and you can stretch your budget a bit more something like a http://www.konaworld.com/explosif.cfm will get you a better bike for off road use.

for a $500 budget i would be looking at the second hand 120mm+ travel hard tail market.

Only thing I can add to the above is to go and ride them first if possible. See if the shop will let you take one for a bit of a skid outside. If you're commuting on it, you're gonna be spending a bit of time sitting on it, so it's gotta feel comfortable.

In regards to the Giant, are the rims on it fairly good and will stay true over say a medium 1 metre jump? Alloy double-wall rims laced to alloy hubs with stainless spokes, wrapped in Giant Sport tyres.

I would like having the option to go to Woodhill on it... will the Giant hold up fairly decently? If I don't get the Giant then I will be looking for a secondhand bike.

Not a fan of the paintjob on it though..

It would be all good for general trail riding, however if you're getting airborne on it frequently I don't think those rims would hold up long (same goes with any new bike in that price bracket).

If you see yourself hitting jumps on a trail as well as commuting you'd be better off looking at the secondhand market for something along the lines of what philstar posted above

In that price bracket go second hand. In a few years time a good second hand bike is still a good second hand bike, unlike the new cheap bike you get today which is a second hand cheap bike on a years time. You miss out on the shiny new bit, and start out with a bike that needs more maintenance - but and in a short time time cheap bikes need more maintenance and perform worse than the better quality bike.

You should be able to pick up a $1000 - $1500 retail bike that did a couple of ride and been a garage ornament for the last 3 or 5 years. You will also find good bikes that have been ridden but well maintained so the running gear is only a few hundred k's old - The hard bit is sorting the good ones out from the crap, which can take a lot time even if you know what you are looking at. Its much easier and safer, especially for a novice, to got to a shop.

A good balance of both, second hand savings and convenience and advise of a shop, is to visit a shop that sells second hand bikes - Adventure cycles comes to mind - could be worth a visit, or an ex rental bike from a rental outlet (they are usually cycling stock (pun intended) ) will get you a well used but serviced bike that you can ride before you buy. Although not usually as cheap as buying privately, a better value for money than new (Do check retail prices of the bike new to make sure your not being ripped off - some of these guys try to sell worn out rentals for 10% less than retail.)

Thank you all for the great advice. Atleast now I have a rough idea of what to look for in a bike.

I may hold off on the Giant for a bit and see what comes up in the secondhand area. The 2016 ATX 1 isnt that badly priced at $629 and in a much better colour so I can always jump on that as a last resort if the 2015 special disappears. The weather is pretty bad atm so it gives me some time to decide.

Edit: I just noticed this https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/APB ... ntain-bike but its only in Extra-large >.< Would have bought it if in large!

Actually, I seem to recall woodhill had a couple of their ex-rental hardtails up for sale recently, not sure if they still are, but might pay to check?
Probably a little battle-worm, but they'll be in reasonable nick, and you know they'll handle woodhill if you decide to

Here's something, it's in vegas but at least you can go for a skid on it while you're down there

http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/cycling/mountain-bikes/front-suspension/auction-927355772.htm