Mountain Bike Shopping

Yes and yes.

 

full suspension is great , especially if you have any back problems

If you dont you can go w a hardtail & there is a seat post w a shock built in

Dont know anything about bike disc brakes, how do you change those tiny little pads ? With a tweezer ?

 

I prefer just a front shock, not full suspension. Although F.S. can be comfortable, you lose A LOT of leg power or "pedal power" because as you pump your legs up and down the bike "flexes" and absorbs a lot of the momentum. In that price range I think a couple great bikes for the money is Specialized bikes, and Trek. They are both good bikes in that price range and should serve as great recreational bikes for both of you. Disc Brakes are nice, and cool looking, but for just biking leisurely for enjoyment, unnecessary.

 

It really depends on how much and what type of terrain you'll be riding. Full suspension is more forgiving on your body and back, but in that price range you are compromising full suspension for lower end components. Disc brakes are a bit heavier than rim brakes, but I recommend them because maintenence is much easier and stopping power is generally better.

 

Actually, what I like the most about disc brakes is the feeling. Of course, I'm talking hydraulic brakes. And they do not lose much power when wet. And you can bend your rim and still use your brakes. Maintenance is another huge plus, all you have to do is change the pads. No need for adjustment ... just amazingly convenient.
Full suspension ... it's a personal preference. I don't mind the lost power, since it allows much better control on rocky terrain. But as Yoda mentioned, in that price range, you're going towards a compromise with crap components ... and that's never good.

 

I think everyone else on here has hit most of the good points and in that price range you're much better off going with a hardtail bike. You'll get much better components & build quality for your money and there are quite a few brands worth looking at. I'd suggest looking over at www.mtbr.com for info as there are a lot of reviews of bikes & equipment there. If you're just starting out you won't really need a full suspension bike, but as others have said they do tend to be more comfy overall. And if you progress it'll be nice to have, but as I mentioned before you'd be better off getting a higher quality hardtail at that price point. Giant, Specialized, Iron Horse, Trek, and Gary Fisher all make nice quality bikes in that area and are usually readily available all over the country. As far as disc brakes go...well you don't really need them per-se, but they are nice to have. Avid's mechanical disc brakes are top-notch and won't cost and arm and a leg like hydraulic systems will, but perform great. But if you find a bike that has rim brakes don't discount it as they work just fine and they may actually be higher quality than the disc brakes in the same bike price range. Just my $.02

 

The pads are held in by the disk itself. When you pull the wheel off, the pads can fall out. You just drop new ones in and put the wheel back on.

 

Specialized Rockhoppers are good starter bikes. I started on a crappy $300 GT Aggressor till I knew what I wanted. I got a Specialized Enduro now. It's a dream. The place where I ride has lots of choppy roots. The full suspension just glides over them

You could beat yourself up with a hardtail. But why?

On another note, will you be riding on the street any? Some bkes are easier to ride on the road than others. My Aggressor is easy as cheese to ride on the street. My Enduro is a freaking tank. It's miserable to ride on the street. I can't stand it.

 

Any thought on a Bianchi Milano for an elderly type riding on pavement almost exclusively with very mild trail use occasionally?

 

I like the Fuji Tahoe. Shimano Deore components and disc brakes. Reasonable price, too. MSRP is around $1050, but I only paid $600 at a local shop.

 

It would probably be OK for street, but not trails at all. Also look at the handle bars height in relation to the seat. They are almost level. This means you would be bent over quite a bit which can get tiring for an elderly type just cruising around.

You would probably be more comfortable on something like the Bianchi Advantage or Avenue.

http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_avenue.html

Notice how the handlebars are higher than the seat on the Advantage, unlike on the Milano. This will give you a more upward siting position which is much more confortable than being slumped over, where you have to use your arms to constantly hold yourself up.

The Milano is a pure street cruiser. Not much good on any type of trails. I'd go Advantage or Avenue.

 

I've always preferred Specialized over Trek. If you like the Rock Hopper, and are willing to pay the price of the Trek, then have him fit a better shock on the RH. You're almost at the point with the Trek's price that you could look at a Stump Jumper for $1000. You don't need disc brakes, by the way.

 

Two thoughts here:
- Are you REALLY going to be riding in bad terrain at any time ? The reason I ask is because I was looking for a decent bike about 10-12 years ago, and was convinced to get a 'mountain bike', but then put 'road' tires on it. Mountain bikes were stronger and cheaper back then, and the road tires are smooth riding.

- Next thing is, go to a large COLLEGE town and price bikes. There is only 3 real bike shops in my town of about 600,000 people here, so I drove to a college town 60 miles away, where they have (had) about 8 good bike shops in a town of like 100,000, and I saved almost $200 dollars on the same exact bike there.
In fact, what we ended up doing was getting a model 3 models better than the one in this town for the same price as the lower-end model here.

 

I have two "mountain bikes". One is a Giant Faith 3. Its full suspension, all the bells and whistles need for down hill. It was about 1500 bucks during winter so anyway.

My commuter bike is a Trek 4500 Alpha. Disc brakes, front suspension. I think this is what you want. its aluminium so its light, disc brakes, front Judy TT Rock Shocks. That should be fine, and in your price range.

Dont forget that there are bikes specialised for women.

 

It's hard to say what components are better without knowing what they are. Usually you get what you pay for. Don't sweat getting "last years model". It's probably a better deal cause people don't want the "old" model.

Keep in mind just because the are components are "better" does not mean they are better for you. On my road bike I have a Shimano 105 derailleur which is "bottom of the line". But I like them. Simple, low maintenance and easy to adjust. "Better" usually just means lighter and more complex.

Also keep in mind these bikes come in different size frames. So make sure the bike you buy fits you. I would buy whatever bike fit me better and I was more comfortable on reguardless of what kind of components came on it. You can always buy better components if you want. But if you buy an uncomfortable bike, you're stuck. Neither bikes you mentioned will come with "bad" compnents on it. "Bad" components come on a bike you buy at Wal-Mart and Target.

 

Get matching bikes. You'll look really cute riding together.

 

Better yet get a tandem bike.

 

Test drive the bike in the parking lot before you buy it.

 

I wasn't going to post when I last visited a couple of days ago, but now there is some less than correct information on here.

First of all, most disc brake pads are help in by clips or springs (if you remove the wheel/rotor they will not fall out). This is at least true on my Hayes and Avid Juicy's, and was true on a pair of Hopes that I use to ride. They are still very easy to change.

Second, I'm not sure that bikes were "lighter and cheaper" ten years ago. Bikes today have higher content at the same price point (9 vs 7 or 8 rear gears, disc versus rim brakes, suspension versus not). The comparable components have usually gotten lighter at the same price point.

My thoughts are:

1) Bike companies used to (and maybe still do) upgrade the rear derailleur because it is a selling point and an obvious part. Don't select the bike just on that basis. You want a well rounded component group.

2) You didn't mention whether these bikes would get wet. If so, look for better sealed headsets and bottom brackets--cheap ones of these can be toasted by one muddy wet ride or washing with a pressure nozzle on the hose.

3) Air shocks are more maintenance intensive (more seals) and can require more fiddling to keep set correctly. This is great if you are a "tuner" but bad if you are a "set it and forget it" kind of guy.

4) If you aren't doing hard core off road riding, it is highly unlikely that disc brakes will be an advantage over rim brakes. And, if you really get hooked on the off road thing, I would imagine that you'll likely upgrade your bike anyway. Same thing for dual suspension--it is absolutely a back saver on the trails, but if trails to you means smooth dirt roads, a more padded seat or suspension seatpost would serve you just as well (in addition to being cheaper and less maintenance).

5) Fit on a given bike is crucial. It is important for comfort, stability, etc. on or off road. Saving money is good, but having a shop that is willing to swap out components (stem, seatpost, bars, cranks) etc. to get a good fit will pay huge dividends. The shop should at least put you on the bike and take some basic measurements.

6) I have a Bianchi Milano--fun to tear around the neighborhood on, but not all the comfortable for much time in the saddle, and not widely enough geared for the hills where I live.

7) Remember that bikes are like cars--get hooked and you can drop some big change--both of my mountain bikes and my primary road bike were over 4K each.

Good luck and enjoy your search.

Scott

'02 Titus Switchblade
'05 Titus Motolite
'04 Seven Odonata
'05 Bianchi Milano
And four or five other bikes with various amounts of collected dust

 

I went briefly to the Ibex website. Their dual suspension designs are dated (inefficient)--the pivot at the back of the rear triangle is on the seat stay, not the chain stay--this creates bad ju-ju movement unless you pair it with a very sophisticated platform shock--which they don't offer. I didn't see weights--but that is often the issue with these types of offerings--frames are usually strong (but heavy) or lighter (but weak).

As was once said, "You can have light, cheap, and strong in mountain bike components--pick any two".

Plus, fit is really important and this on line thing doesn't help you out there.

Cheers--Scott

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Kona. They are a top-notch bike company. I had test ridden a lot of bikes before I settled on my Kona a couple years ago.

As for full vs front suspension, at the price point you mentioned it would be best to get a front suspension bike because of the better components mix. Also, regarding the disc vs normal brakes, the difference is not too substantial if you are doing recreational mountain biking. Just my $.02.

Check out Kona bikes here: www.konaworld.com

Hope this helps!

-Tom