Mountain Bikes

Antony,

Now is a good time to buy if you're looking for a deal. All the companies are trying to get rid of their '06-07' bikes to make way for their new stuff, plus winter time is coming up.

What kind of price range are you looking at?

 

I just got back into this too.. you sure you want a full suspension MB? Granted, most of the riding I do is up and down the coastal paths (paved with little elevation change) but I started out with the MB thing in mind as well.

Here's what I ended up with:
http://www.rei.com/product/760871

Basically just a good all-around cycle that has aspects of a MB and road bike. I'll probably get one of each down the road but for now this is a good compromise to get me back into the sport (i.e can ride it around town anytime and not feel the need to get all geared up and load it in the car, etc..). I did around 60 miles last week so it must be working.

 

Antony,

Great idea! I did the same thing over the summer. I used to love riding when I was a kid and I rekindled my love for it big-time.

I have 2 MB's. One I got at Walmart for $250 or so. It's a "mongoose" with front and rear suspension, disc brakes in front and back and twist-grip shifters as opposed to the little levers.

The other I got at a local bike shop that I paid something like $800 for. It has standard brakes front/rear and no rear suspension but supposedly its "better"

On both bikes, I break and replace several things per year. I go through 2 sets of brake pads per year, average a few tires a year, a couple chains, etc. Honestly, I FAR prefer my $250 Walmart bike. The only downside is pads for disc brakes are a PITA to find - at least you cant get them at Walmart/Target like you can regular rim brake pads. I really like having the rear suspension because I ride some pretty hard trails, and the Walmart bike is lighter by a fair bit and uses more beefy construction.

In all honesty, the higher end bikes I personally think are probably better if you are a really serious rider and dont mind throwing money at them, but I don't think they break less, just that when they are working, they are very slightly better than a consumer level bike. I beat the crap out of mine getting dirt and grit in the gears, I jump it off pretty high rocks and jumps, I run it through dirty water, etc.

I think actually what I am gonna do is get a new one every 3 years and spend around $200-250 at Walmart, instead of getting one every 5-8 years and spending $800 on it. New stuff is always coming out for bikes, so what they have in 5-7 years will be way ahead of what they have now.

So my advice is to hit Walmart and look at their upper-level mountain bikes - you won't be sorry!

 

Antony,

This is the one I have

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698935

Honestly, I have gone riding with guys who ride $2,000 "high end" full carbon bikes. I notice almost no difference, except the price. I dont break any less or more than they do, I just spend less when it does break.


They also have this one a little cheaper too:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3610588





I think either of those would be great for someone getting back into it - they are both very capable bikes!

 

Those actually aren't bad.. with a few upgrades it would probably be on par with 95% of the higher-end stuff. Must...resist...

 

Ha, ha ha... LOL

You know,

we FCchat guys can't,, resist an upgrade.

I started with a $ 100.00 GT Aluminum frame.

$ 1,700.00 later, all XTR Titamium parts,
Titanium bottom bracket,
Marzocci bomber forks,
White Bros. custom crank set. , , ,
All nuts and bolts are Titanium..... etc.

Help,
Edwardo
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Pretty sure I'll be there sooner than later, but not having the LBS feeding my habit at the moment probably works to my monetary advantage.

 

I agree!

The only downside is while they may have "Shimano" gears (for example), its not going to be the top of the line stuff, but for the money they can't be beat. Also, I tend to treat the idea that higher end parts last longer with some skepticism, based on my own experience. I have no doubt that some of the super high end stuff does hold up better, but I wonder if the pro-sumer level stuff is really *better* or just uses more buzzwords.

I know a lot of guys who ride "offroad" meaning they go on dirt trails. I ride my bike 10 miles every single day - 7 days a week - and I go on trails with huge rocks and steep ascents and descents. I beat the hell out of the bike! And on the Walmart special, I got a new chain, had to adjust the gears/derailleur a few times, went through 2 sets of pads, and had to tighten the bolts holding the handlebar on. Other than that, no problems - and I weigh 220lbs so that bike is getting some hard hits every time I land on it

 

I'm skeptical as well, but like a car there are a few areas where I demand quality and gearing is one of them. I don't really care about weight, I just want it to work everytime.

As a side note, this thread has been refreshingly devoid of bike-snobbery so far but I'm sure the jerseyed road-bike crew will chime in anytime now...

 

I have a couple of thoughts to add to the discussion.

First--full suspension. It helps if you are older, have back/neck problems, or ride very technically demanding trails. It also costs more, weighs more, and requires more maintanence. If you are new to this gig, I would consider a front suspension only rig.

Second--LBS (local bike shop) versus big box retailer. The LBS bike is likely to be assembled better, adjusted better, and of higher quality. Things like index shifting work so damn well, though, that you won't necessarily be suffering on the WalMart bike. The braking won't be as good (but may be totally adequate, especially if you upgrade the pads). And it is possible to go on and on about individual components, etc. (SRT Mike likes his Walmart bike, and it works for him. I do not want to put it down, but it might be akin to tracking a Pontiac Sunfire versus a 360--both are fun, both can be a learning experience, but one probably puts a bigger smile on your face at the end of the day.) I think the bigger considerations are assembly quality (which is a surrogate for that fact that the bike may need more adjustments or tweaks than a LBS bike--if you are mechanically inclined and have tools, no big deal. Otherwise...). The other issue is fit--a properly fit bike is more comfortable (again, you might be lucky at WalMart, but you'll be certain with bike shop bike).

Third--Cost. There are alot of bikes gathering dust in garages. The argument for a big box retailer bike is that it allows you to try it for a low entry cost, and if you love the riding but not the bike you haven't lost much if you upgrade. The downside is that the quality of the riding experience may be slightly better on a more expensive bike, and it is possible that this difference could make or break the decision about continuing to ride.

Among reasonable brands at the LBS are Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale.

I own two expensive mountain bike (4K+) and love them. When I travel and rent significantly cheaper bikes--I still have a great time with the ride. The last point is that you don't have to spend alot of money to have fun--good luck.

 

buy something to get started, then you'll figure out what you want. A couple more thoughts to add;

Fit is the most important - if the bike's too big or too small, forget it. Try it out, is it comfortable? If not - doesn't matter what the components or name is. Your LBS will let you try it out first.

If you're riding in any sort of muck, mud, or rain - the disc brakes will be a life-safer. I mucked up my v-brakes in mud last week and it was downright scary on one of the descents for a few seconds.

Just like cars - tires make a big difference. Do you want off-road bullet-proof jump off the house tires, or lower rolling resistance for mostly hard-packed tires? You'll probably figure this out pretty quick once you start riding and can change later.

Hard Tail (suspension only on the front) is a reasonable compromise if you're NOT into stunts and jumps. If you are - full suspension is mandatory. The less moving parts, the less stuff to break.

I bought a low-end Kona from my LBS to get started, and no regrets. Now migrating to full road bike snobbery

 

My response may only be slightly relevant..

I used to race BMX when i was younger, and I still try to ride my bike on occasion. I always found there to be a big difference between the WalMart bikes, and those of a more dedicated company.

You may want to look into buying a used higher end bike, and then upgrading as you go. The more into bike riding you get, the more knowledgeable you will become, and you will know exactly what you want and need. There is no need to spend a ton of money right off the bat. As your skill increases so will your need for better parts.

One of the main reasons that people spend a ton of money on bikes is to get the lightest parts possible. I have never really understood this. I have always felt slightly more stable and comfortable on a little bit heavier of a bike. Back when I was racing I started buying every part in aluminum and titanium that I could, I slowly transitioned back to chromoloy. Again this might not be relevant, due to the type of riding.

Man, this is making me want to ride my bike, too bad it is 40 degrees with 40mph winds...

 

Cheap, Strong, Light--pick two...

 

I would've bought used but finding something that would fit (I'm 6'3") was going to take forever. Having endured a lifetime of bikes that were too small for me I wasn't about to go down that path again.

 

Here are some of my suggestions from my personal experience.

-If you can get Disc brakes
-Marzocchi Forks are probably some of the best I have ever used
-Full suspension bikes are good but they are quite heavy
-A Hardtail bike is what I would go with unless you are jumping from big vertical drops
-Get wide tires if you can
-Don't buy a cheap Crank, when the cheap ones break they are usually garbage or a big pain in the a** to repair.

 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11246975&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|111|195|58218&N=4018135&Mo=8&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=58218&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=111*195*58218*&topnav=

This looked relevant by name association......

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11096969&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|111|195|58218&N=4018135&Mo=8&No=6&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=58218&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=111*195*58218*&topnav=

My friend just bought one of these fezzari bikes from costco and is impressed so fat, now uses his Specialized as a back up.

http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?cat=58218&eCat=BC|111|195|58218&whse=BC&topnav=&hierPath=111*195*58218*&lang=en-US

Here is their full line, any opinionson the fezzari? They seem pretty cool since they are all custom made according to your size.

 

If you want to take some shorter trails around Agoura/Calabasas I'd be game as I could grab a bike off a family member.. if you want to venture down to the South Bay we could take the (easy but long) coastal paths around here because my I don't have a 'real' MB yet- but drinks are on me.

 

nice to star MB i like this sport, good idea to open this thread


some pics of your bikes guys!

 

If want something decent look into Specialized. Their price point is not that bad & well worth the money, most all bike come with a fairly simple Shimano drive train to operate. LX now is about the equivalent of XTR from years ago. I'm still riding a 98 Santa Cruz Heckler but I custom built its & like a tank, so far no broken parts. I'm also in the process of adding Hayes disk brakes to it to stay with the current times. I'm just getting back into it myself after a long hiatus.

 

Yes and no- I work out because I like to enjoy myself in other aspects of life. Balance, grasshopper.

 

i preffer "norco" bikes they have a high standard of equipment for a low price ive owned a sasquatch, manik and rampage and they where all excelllent bikes .......they do also make a alot of excellent dual suspension bikes .......so does "specialized"

 

I went through this process last year and ended up getting a Gary Fisher 29" X-Caliber. I tried out a lot of bikes and found that the 29" bikes felt the best to me. Best of luck in your search.