Jeensland

May I suggest a cart licence.

No license…you get a fucken carry bag, get your shit together!

Mapping this to age to help.

“The internet” says grade 6 = 11-12yo, which for my reference is Year 7 in NZ, or the first year of intermediate (Y7 and Y8; between primary and secondary school) which is a fairly low bar.

So I checked the OECD and we are basically average; just above the US in the 2023 data. So better but not much better.

2.33:1

Honestly, $5kNZD (~£2k) will get you a really nice bike that should take you to very enthusiastic amateur; if you are doing significant jumps/drops than you will know what you need and spend accordingly.

A $5k bike is not extreme by any stretch; and the NZ tax also hits. I have seen $14k (~£6k) in my local bike shop, non-electric mtb.

Note: I mountain bike regularly and my bike cost me $5kNZD 12 years ago…I mainly ride grade 2/3 tracks these days with the occasional grade 4. Not an authority on mountain biking, but I have a bit of experience in bike costs and what you get for your money.