[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”]AWOL, in your opinion is the bike Headhoncho describes above adequate for the type of trails the FFTA does? I’m curious as I want to get a bike when I get back but am not sure if I will use it often off-road. Don’t want to spend tens of thousands for a river dike riding bike. On the other hand it would be nice to have a bike that was at least capable of a little off-roading should the mood strike.
In general do you agree with Sandman that around NT15000 is the minimum I can expect to pay for a bike I want to ride in the mountains?[/quote]
Those are some serious trails up there. The local ones that I’ve had experience with are Ski Lift, which is full of roots, rocks and steep downhills bits and Speed Trap, which is a very fast downhill trail. There is one in Muzha as well called backyard but I haven’t had experience with it yet.
I’d say that for these trails I wouldn’t want anything much less than a 15,000 NTD bike. I would want a rig with disc brakes to stop me on the downhills and perhaps tires a bit fatter that the normal 2.1 x-country tires to get over the rocks. 2.3 tires would be sufficiant. The main difference though is the geometry of the bike frame on a mountain bike as opposed to a Hybrid-City mountain bike. On a real mountain bike the angle will keep you further back on the bike in decents rather that more upright and perhaps over the handlebars.
I think the Giant Iguana would be capable of touring these trails, no problem. I’m pretty sure you would break before the bike did, and that’s not a shot at you just pointing out the level of these trails. For the price it’s a good bike. For another 4,000 you can step up to a Giant xtc 3 which is an even better and real entry level trail bike. With a bike like this you can upgrade your bike if you become more serious about riding trails in the future and you will have a great frame to begin with. You never know if the bug will catch you.
Your 10k bike will do fine until you get more technically adept, at which point you’ll probably want or need to replace the front forks – mine just blew out completely on a steep downhill after about 3 months, so I spent 7 or 8k on some good rockshoxs that have served well.
But the Iguana frame is not bad, I’ve heard, so there will be a lot you can upgrade when you feel the need, without paying for a new bike.
I spent 20k on my first real mtn bike in Taiwan. It just went up from there after that though.
For the trails listed on the FFTA site I agree - anything less than 15k would just be putting your safety at risk. The XTC3 would be a nice entry bike, and if the bug gets you, you upgrade over time.
Muzha Man - you arent in Taiwan when I am this time are you? If per chance you are - happy to take you shopping.
Bri - same to you mate. Happy to hook up when I am back.
It is an addictive sport and Taiwan is an addictive riding environment. There isnt as much of a community in Taiwan (compared to the US, Canada, Oz etc) so rides stay core and small, which suits me fine. I have tried riding here in Oz but riding in groups of 10+ really takes away the buddy element.
[quote=“AWOL”]I spent 20k on my first real mtn bike in Taiwan. It just went up from there after that though.
For the trails listed on the FFTA site I agree - anything less than 15k would just be putting your safety at risk. The XTC3 would be a nice entry bike, and if the bug gets you, you upgrade over time.
Muzha Man - you arent in Taiwan when I am this time are you? If per chance you are - happy to take you shopping.
Bri - same to you mate. Happy to hook up when I am back.
It is an addictive sport and Taiwan is an addictive riding environment. There isnt as much of a community in Taiwan (compared to the US, Canada, Oz etc) so rides stay core and small, which suits me fine. I have tried riding here in Oz but riding in groups of 10+ really takes away the buddy element.[/quote]
No, I won’t be back till the end of February or early March. I think you said you were making the permanent move in the spring so it’d be great to take you up on the offer then.
Thanks to all for the advice. I like the idea that I can buy a entry level bike with a good frame and upgrade. I’ve hiked on some of the FFTA trails so I have a clear idea of how rough they can be.
I guess I will try to get a good deal on the Giant Iguana Disc. I just took a look at one in a Nei Hu shop, and its a great looking bike. It was NT14,500 (disc brakes) or NT$12500 (standard brakes). Any advice on which one to get, where is the cheapest plave to buy or if a good second hand deal is likely if I look hard?
I am in Oz now but yeah I used to ride with Alan… he is the guy I speak of above. Awesome guy.
As for cheap places to buy bikes… I personally have always found Alan’s prices very competitive… he is a good friend of the Formosan Fat Tire Assoc (FFTA)… tell him the FFTA sent you and he should look after you. His wife - Yen - speaks fluent English if Mandarin is an issue.
Other than that the Giant shop on MinChuan E - between Fu Xing and Dun Hua - is another good one, as is is Seans in Tienmu.
The FFTA forums sometimes have second hand bikes for sale… worth a shot.
