5 Awesome Tips for Mountain Biking on a Budget

Let’s face it, this sport that we know and love is by no means cheap. We’ve already covered the cost of mountain biking in a previous post (found here) but now we want to show you five things that will help to save you money when mountain biking on a budget.

#1   Spend More Money

We know, that doesn’t make much sense but it does actually work. Think about it like this – buy cheap, buy twice. That’s pretty much the motto we live by here at Grinding Gears, although we’re always pushing the limits of cheap to find awesome things at a low cost.

By buying cheap things you often tend to get things that break or wear out quickly, something that you’ll find the more expensive things won’t do. You’re also more likely to get products that don’t perform as well, meaning that you’ll be looking for an upgrade in no time – more ££s.

#2 Build Your Own Bike

Again, this doesn’t actually save you any money straight away – in fact building your own often works out more expensive. BUT when you are putting all the things on your bike, it’s quality parts that you actually want – cutting down on the cost of upgrades a month or two down the line. There’s also the added bonus of learning more about how bikes work and go together, so when things do break you’re able to fix them yourself – saving more money going to the bike shop and having them fix it for you.

#3 Shop Around

Like almost everywhere these days you’ll find different prices for the same things in shops and online. By just taking a bit of time you could save yourself a small fortune by finding out who has the cheapest products. If you are really keen on supporting your local bike shop then take the best prices you’ve found to them and see if they’ll match it – most shops will try to compete as even small profit business is better than no business at all!

#4 Buy Second Hand

If you don’t mind that your latest love has been used and abused by someone else then buying a second hand bike can knock a hell of a lot off the RRP. There are things you need to look out for so don’t buy without viewing check for: any cracks or dents on the frame and components, find out if it has been serviced lately, what condition is the suspension in, when was the last time they replaced the drive chain?

Second hand parts are another great way to cut down on the cost of mountain biking. You may even find people happy to swap their parts for your parts – a great way to change bits and pieces off your bike if you bought straight off the shelf! Have a look in your local bike shops, on PinkBike or even Chain Reaction Cycles recycled sections for some great bargains!

#5 Do You Need It?

These four little words can save you thousands of quid and many not so wise decisions. One of the biggest examples the MTB world has seen lately is the introduction of the 29er and 27.5 wheel sizes, which caused thousands of riders to throw down their 26s in favour of the new – but do you NEED it? No. Does it carry many benefits? The jury is still out on this one, but frankly they are all wheels and they all roll – that’s all you need.

Next time you think, “Hmmm, I really fancy those RockShox Pikes!” Think do I really need it? The answer will probably be no and you’ll have saved yourself nearly £700 just by thinking it through. This increases even more when you start thinking that you must have this year’s brand new model of your existing bike.

Do you know any more tips to keep the cost of mountain biking as low as possible? Share them with us in the comments!