Mountain Bike suggestion

[SandEagle]

so i figure it times to get in shape.. thinking of getting the bike below, but im not sure how good the mongoose brand is. anyone have any experience with this specific bike? any other recommendations? looking to keep it under 300. TSA has a 10% off coupon somewhere so this one is within range

http://www.sportsauthority.com...d=2856589&clickid=cart

 

[isekii]

i hear huffy's are pretty nice

 

[SandEagle]

Originally posted by: isekii
i hear huffy's are pretty nice

i used to have a huffy vortex waaaay back in the days.. loved it til it got stolen

http://www.knt2000scustoms.com/vintage/Vortex2.jpg

 

[TridenT]

Trek 4300 or something. http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en...ardtail/4_series/4300/

 

[FleshLight]

Nope, that bike is fail.

Get this:
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1154441080.html

 

[TridenT]

Originally posted by: FleshLight
Nope, that bike is fail.

Get this:
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1154441080.html

Bike you're trying to sell?

 

[laurenlex]

Mongoose makes both good bikes, and crappy wal-mart bikes. The one in your link is crappy.

Go to a bike shop. They will set you up on the correct sized bike, and the thing will be put together correctly.

DO NOT get a rear suspension bike for less than $1200. Cheap rear suspension bikes suck, have crappy componets, and are heavy. Get a hardtail from a bike shop in the $400 dollar range. The extra hundred is well spent.

Specialized, Trek, Giant, Fisher, ect.. all make good hardtails in that price range.

Cliffs:
The bike in your link sucks.
Sports authority sucks.
Go to a real bike shop.

 

[SandEagle]

Originally posted by: laurenlex
Mongoose makes both good bikes, and crappy wal-mart bikes. The one in your link is crappy.

Go to a bike shop. They will set you up on the correct sized bike, and the thing will be put together correctly.

DO NOT get a rear suspension bike for less than $1200. Cheap rear suspension bikes suck, have crappy componets, and are heavy. Get a hardtail from a bike shop in the $400 dollar range. The extra hundred is well spent.

Specialized, Trek, Giant, Fisher, ect.. all make good hardtails in that price range.

Cliffs:
The bike in your link sucks.
Sports authority sucks.
Go to a real bike shop.

well, im just starting off and dont want to spend 1200 on a bike. but i like your suggestion and will look into local bike shops.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Trek 4500 is actually pretty nice. I rode one around for a test run and it was amazing. Almost splurged on it. I think I spent it on a monitor instead =)

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: laurenlex
Mongoose makes both good bikes, and crappy wal-mart bikes. The one in your link is crappy.

Go to a bike shop. They will set you up on the correct sized bike, and the thing will be put together correctly.

DO NOT get a rear suspension bike for less than $1200. Cheap rear suspension bikes suck, have crappy componets, and are heavy. Get a hardtail from a bike shop in the $400 dollar range. The extra hundred is well spent.

Specialized, Trek, Giant, Fisher, ect.. all make good hardtails in that price range.

Cliffs:
The bike in your link sucks.
Sports authority sucks.
Go to a real bike shop.

Just emphasizing that if you have $300, don't get a full suspension bike. You'll be much better off with a hardtail (front suspension only) or rigid (no suspension). A cheap full suspension bike has crappier parts compared to a similarly priced bike that doesn't have full suspension.

 

[thedarkwolf]

http://www.forgebikes.com/
The Sawback 5xx is suppose to be a great entry level bike for around $350. It is sold through target.com which many people on here will crap on and it is usually the correct thing to do but this one is actually good. There are a bunch of threads on it at mtbr.com and the response is mostly positive. The downside is you aren't going to get free tuneups from a bike shop with it and you will have to do a little bit of assembly. If you can work on it yourself thats not big deal. It has better specs than any other bike you are going to find for that kind of money new.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/ also has some pretty nice bikes for a good price but again you are either paying for any work it needs or doing it yourself.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: SandEagle
well, im just starting off and dont want to spend 1200 on a bike. but i like your suggestion and will look into local bike shops.

You don't need to spend over $1k to get a good bike but you won't see a new full suspension that's worth riding for less than that.

I agree that you should go by a local independent bike shop. You'll get better advice and they tend to focus on stocking quality components rather than the ones that look impressive. Also, every single real bike shop I've ever walked in to will include a period of tune ups for free. After you use it for a while the chain and cables will stretch a bit and need to be adjusted. It's completely normal but big sporting goods stores either won't service bikes or they'll charge you.

Trek, Gary Fisher, Haro, Giant and Specialized all make decent hardtails in the sub $400 range. In that price range most of the components will be very similar. For $400 I would prefer to get nicer gearing, a lighter frames, or better wheels than disc brakes. Cheap disc brakes are more trouble than they are worth and you can add them later if you buy a bike that is set up for them.

 

[alkemyst]

most people overspend on bikes...esp those running XTR+ gear on a puddlejumper.

department store bikes have come a long way.

I still miss my Marin Bear Valley SE from back in 92-93

 

[ggnl]

I would go used if you're just starting out. You can constantly find nice bikes in CL/ebay for very reasonable prices and if you end up never using it you'll be able to sell it for roughly what you paid for it.

 

[scott916]

Don't bother with a full suspension. Since you're just starting out, you'll lose out on component quality and weight with no noticeable benefit. Since the shock will be cheap, you'll lose all kinds of pedaling power to the squish. Just get a rigid or a hard tail. For that price, go with something like this.

 

[alkemyst]

Personally I prefer a hardtail for any non-off road work and even then it's got to be a major trail.

My Marin rode nice enough that I didn't even upgrade to a front suspension.

 

[scott916]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
Personally I prefer a hardtail for any non-off road work and even then it's got to be a major trail.

My Marin rode nice enough that I didn't even upgrade to a front suspension.

Yeah, I've got a 97 Indian Fire Trail that I've slowly upgraded most of the components on, and it's an AMAZING frame. They just don't make em like they used to, especially in America.

 

[soulcougher73]

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/...ilx/09_trailxr_bk.html

$310 MSRP. Just a tad over.

 

[scott916]

Originally posted by: soulcougher73
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/...ilx/09_trailxr_bk.html

$310 MSRP. Just a tad over.

Excellent suggestion.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: scott916

Originally posted by: alkemyst
Personally I prefer a hardtail for any non-off road work and even then it's got to be a major trail.

My Marin rode nice enough that I didn't even upgrade to a front suspension.

Yeah, I've got a 97 Indian Fire Trail that I've slowly upgraded most of the components on, and it's an AMAZING frame. They just don't make em like they used to, especially in America.

You have any experience with their newer bikes? I heard they aren't the same as 'yesteryears'

My BVSE was about $970 out the door with helmet, lock, and I think a couple accessories. I wish I didn't sell it, but at the time I had nowhere to put it except my living room or outside.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: scott916

Originally posted by: soulcougher73
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/...ilx/09_trailxr_bk.html

$310 MSRP. Just a tad over.

Excellent suggestion.

Looks like a lot of bike for that price. You can always add a fork in the future as well. If you can find that X1 you pick up aluminum for a lighter frame and some other benefits which seem a steal for an extra $60 ... not sure if these are discounted anywhere.

Jamis would be much better than that mongoose IMHO

rear suspension on a bike really works against most people's true needs.

 

[TridenT]

Get the Trek 4300/4500 or that Jamis... They both are good and cheap.

 

[Tiamat]

what are your goals? I'm thinking about getting a bike and depending on what you have available to you in terms of trails etc. perhaps getting a road bike is better. Again, depends on what you want to do.

 

[scott916]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

I actually don't. I've seen them at REI, and they just seem to be very cookie-cutter and plain. My frame has squared chainstays and a CNC machined yoke, and it looks damn near bomb-proof. It just screams hand-made. Once I get it all tuned up and fixed, I'll go to a LBS and compare them. Mine's actually a 96, I just checked bikepedia.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
Get the Trek 4300/4500 or that Jamis... They both are good and cheap.

The 3700 is probably more in his price range...looks like they made a lot of improvements to it recently to be compatible with more upgrades.

I always heard get the best frame you can afford even if you sacrifice some on the components. Not too familiar with all the Trek bikes but they come well recommended by many.

The thing I am having a hard time with (I have been looking at bikes), my Marin weighed in at 23lbs.