Good mountain bike?
 

Those of you that are into bikes... what is a good mountain bike to buy? I dont need the top of the line model, just something decent. There are so many on the market now, and its been 11 years since I last rode, that I have no clue what is considered to be a quality bike these days.

Please & Thanks :)

i have a (giant yukon) does everything i need a bike for

New Avatar rocks :)

What's your budget and what kind of riding do you want to do?

i have kona hoss 2005, but buying this around new year most likely: http://www.konaworld.com/mtb_xc_race...ent=big_kahuna

i cant afford a bike with sunglasses... :(

I have new Trek 8.3 Dual Sport (hybrid) which I'm loving so far. Cost around $700.

I've only used it as a road bike, but I'm trying it on the trails this weekend. I'm sure Trek makes a decent mountain bike also.

If you're casual like me, I would get a dual-sport because you might want to take the bike on paved roads also.

Just got a Trek myself about a week and a half ago and I love it so far. It was awkward for me to get back on a bike after not riding one for a long time but I'm starting to get used to it again. Also, once you get your bike, check out the app stores for your phone, some pretty cool biking apps out there.

That's a great price, but bikes that cheap with full suspension and disc brakes make me wonder what they cut the quality on to keep the price that low.

Not really interested in spending more than $1500, and would prefer to keep the price under $1000.

As for riding, will be a lot of street... but we have nice desert trails (hard packed, not deep sand) and some challenging mountain trails nearby. I wont be doing any of that extreme downhill stuff.

Yeah dual sport... or "urban" I think some guys call it... thats mostly what I'm interested in. I'll check out Trek, thanks.

I'll check that one out as well.

Two votes for Trek...

Found a Trek dealer just a few blocks up the street from me. I'm going to trek down there right now and check them out.

Thanks guys :)

I love my Diamondback Copperhead ...

For a bike in the $400-500 range, it is a lot of bike ... and made by RALEIGH, so you know it's not going to break at the welds if you rough it up a bit!

(mine is Red - 2 year old model)
http://www.thebikestand.com/DB_2012_Overdrive_Black.jpg

Check this: http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er-f...s_7787crx.aspx

Anything under $1k is crap. Decent bike costs at least $2000

All depends what you plan on doing with the bike. If it's just casual riding spending that much for a bike is idiotic.

I have a GT Outpost that I bought back in 2008. Paid like $585 with tax

http://www.sluts2.com/gt-outpost-disc-08.jpg

:thumbsup


That is not true. It depends on what you're going to do with it.

Congrats on owning a shitty bike.

Yeah i know someone who swears by a 20 year old Honda Civic, claiming that it's "fine" for just getting around.

http://www.darksidedata.com/rolleyes.gif

Shitty? 4 years old and still runs like brand new.. Just because it's not $1000+ it does not make it a shitty bike. If I was a hardcore mountain biker then ya, I would have gotten a much more high end bike, but I'm not so spending that kind of $ is stupid.

Exactly.


Gots meself this a few months ago http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...expertcarbon29

I'm a world class athlete so I need a carbon fiber bicycle.

Ha! Hahaha!! oh I crack me up.

Trek's are nice but he didnt have the size that really fit me without having to order it so I'm going to hit a couple more bike shops.

I had totally forgot about GT. They made the best freestyle BMX bikes when I was a teenager.

Ya they did.. Them and Dyno kicked ass

With that budget, get a hardtail (only front suspension). Trek is a pretty good brand.

A 20 year old civic probably does get around fine. They are meant to last.

An avid bike rider who rides every day is of course going to want a better bike. But someone who just rides here and there, it is a waste to spend more money than you need for something you may not use that much.

My Yamaha scooter cost $1500, and I ride it every day. Paying that for a bicycle that I only ride 2 or 3 times a week (max) isn't logical. But I can easily see how someone who rides seriously and does so often, would want the best bike he could afford.

Paid $500 for mine (urban bike) - totally awesome and so far zero problems. Bought it 2 or 3 years ago and ride it six days per week on tar and dirt road; so far, I had four tire punctures and fell really bad only once.

mapmyride is great

In Vegas there's good deals on previous year models at the Sports Authority stores. There's one on Lake Mead & Rainbow and another in Henderson on Sunset. Picked up a Fisher sugar4 a few years back for 1/2 price. Front & rear shocks and actually rode it on the trails and streets in/around Vegas. Was more than adequate.

I'm not far from Lake Mead & Rainbow so I'll go check it out. Thanks.

This is pure garbage, never buy such a bike! All (dual) suspension bikes under $1000-$1200 are crap. :2 cents:

I agree, that is a piece of shit.

I didn't see that Trek has no frames that matches your need, that's a first I've heard but hey. If you can, get a Specialized, they are usually top of the line. It also depends on the range of equipment you can but on, but with a very limited budget like that, you won't get much high end stuff.

I have 3 bikes that I could recommend, I think the first bike I bought was a bargain at around $1000 it was a Giant Terrago Trail model, don't think they make en anymore. It's heavy as a horse but you can't break it. The second is a Ghost RT-7500 Full suspension bike for XT racing. The third is a Giant AC2 that's only got the frame left from the original bike, everything else has been replaced to make it handle Dowhill better.

If you are new and can't find any Trek bikes that fit, I'd go with Specialized, Scott, Giant or Ghost bikes (in that priority). And do get a hardtail, if you get a new full suspension for anything below $3K it's gonna be crap (I think, I'm in Europe shit is expensive here).

Nice bike! I have been riding Specialized bikes for 5 years.

I am going to pick up one of these http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...xpertcarbonevo as soon as the 2013s are out.

You must be a serious rider. $5,800 for a bicycle is a lot of money.

great Bike, not cheap

You don't have to be a serious rider to enjoy a good quality bike.

Like i said, you can buy a 20 y/o Honda shitbox or you can go for a sporty BMW.

Same difference.

I ride Trek Nice bikes its light enough for me to carry with one hand with no problems

I think it's important to ride a high quality expensive bike as well as a $500 bike to see the difference for yourself. It definitely comes down to how much you're actually going to use it. When I was a teenager my best friend lived next door and was a semi pro mountain biker. He always had two of everything (mountain climbing belts, kayaks, bikes, etc) and so I always got to ride his backup.

What I remember about good bikes was how light they were (huuuge difference) which lets you sort of put the bike where you want it to go much better. Using bike shoes that attach to the pedals made a massive difference too, because you can get power on your upstroke. Totally different experience and worth it imo. Gears were the other thing, and I think the most expensive. If you get a set of great gears and derailleurs, it really makes a world of difference. Smooth, fast, powerful..

The only other thing I'd say is really necessary is a wicker basket and rainbow streamers. Must haves.

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/images/...id_Comp_xl.jpg

Bought a Boardman Hybrid last month after riding a Boardman HT for the last couple of years. It's a great bike. Very light, very very fast, strong, handles light trails (bumpy not rocky) fine, on the road it's a dream and stops like you hit a brick wall. Only thing I changed was swapping the seat off my HT as the one the Hybrid comes with is a nut crusher. Excellent bike for the money. :thumbsup

I'm going to tape a baseball card to my frame so it hits the spokes and makes that motorcycle sound.

:2 cents::thumbsup

I ride a Raleigh Matterhorn on the trails around Niagara - under $500. Good solid frame, front suspension has good travel and absorbs most of the washboards, comfortable (although I replaced the stock seat with a nice cushie one).

http://netconvert.net/raleigh.jpg

I ride this Raleigh now, the frame is from 1976, made in Japan, size 62 [!].
Nothing special or 'of-great-value' on this bike, except for a Shimano Redline 8 gear hub, but I LOVE it and it... I am going to buy another one because of this frame is Huge and its uncomfortable to use for me [6 feet ~ 180 cm].

Here's the next one I plan - finally I can afford it :pimp :
http://apro.bikemag.hu/browse/orszag...ss-l92054.html
This is a ~1400 usd barely used bike.

Probably stick with a nice hard tail at that price. Hydrolic rather than cable discs are very nice to have.

That being said I love my old Trek 7000 and ride it off in the mountains of BC every week... You don't need anything too fancy to have fun.

I got a Marin Muirwoods 29ER

http://2012-bike-images.s3.amazonaws...WOODS_29ER.jpg

http://www.marinbikes.com/2012/bike_...Muirwoods_29er

I think its going to be just fine for the 8+ miles of bike trails where I live in Desert Shores, and I've discovered a lot of other bike trails in nearby communities.

This bike has been fun for a couple of weeks and now I'm doing 11+ miles per day.

Going to upgrade to a road bike. I'm thinking Cannondale CAAD10 3-Ultegra.

http://cdn.cannondale.com/catalog/pr...ax3c_wht_9.png