Any mountain bikers in here? Noob needs help!

[JGood]

I do a little bit of trail riding from time to time. I know nothing about mountain bikes, I just get on and ride. I currently have a 2000 Trek 820. It has front suspension (a whopping 2.5" of travel, my research tells me). I bought it new in 2000 and have used it occasionally since, but much more recently as I'm really starting to enjoy it more and more.

The other day, my buddy rented a $4200 GT carbon full suspension bike. Hydraulic disc brakes, light enough to lift with a finger, and it was amazing to ride. It has me wanting a bike with disc brakes, good travel front and rear suspension, etc...

So I started looking at the GT Force 3.0. It seems like a great value at $1000-$1200. 5" of travel front and rear, discs, decent components from what I can tell. Apparently the rear suspension design allows good climbing ability without a lot of 'bobbing' that makes pedaling up hills so hard.

Someone school me on bikes, please? Is this a decent deal for a good beginner all-around bike? I'm still a panzy on a bike, I don't do 30mph downhill over 3 foot drops and shit (especially on my current bike). And after a few hills I'm usually stopping for a breather. So I don't need a $4000 bike, as I am obviously the weak link.

Would it be a better investment to start with the 2.0 or 1.0? Or go with another brand?

Thanks

[Farbin Kaiber]

You might have better luck asking bike questions in the bike thread. Just sayin'.

[JGood]

You might have better luck asking bike questions in the bike thread. Just sayin'.

Well fuck me. I didn't see that thread, and I don't venture into OT much. Feel free to delete this

[shiftbmw]

For only occasional trail riding, consider a steel hardtail. They are flexier than aluminum, and you usually get nicer components on a similarly priced hardtail when compared to a full suspension. I've rode a GT i-drive for years and ended up selling it in favor of a steel hardtail.

A lot of people think they "need" full suspension, but I have way more fun on my hardtail. It's easier to climb on and makes you a better rider on the descents.

[JGood]

For only occasional trail riding, consider a steel hardtail. They are flexier than aluminum, and you usually get nicer components on a similarly priced hardtail when compared to a full suspension. I've rode a GT i-drive for years and ended up selling it in favor of a steel hardtail.

A lot of people think they "need" full suspension, but I have way more fun on my hardtail. It's easier to climb on and makes you a better rider on the descents.

Thanks. That's not the first time I've heard that opinion. I think I need to ride a GOOD hardtail on a trail before throwing cash down on anything. Maybe I'd be satisfied with that, in the same way I'm satisfied in my e30 for track use (old school feeling, raw, not the fastest but usually the most fun).

BTW, by occasional, I mean 1-2 rides/week, 1-2 hours/ride. I don't know how "occasional" that is to bikers, haha.

[quikveedb2]

let me preface this by saying i've worked as a professional bike mechanic for the last 6 years. i just got home from turning wrenches all day, including $4000 worth of repairs on a serrotta that got hit by a car. about a week ago i built a $10000 cervelo for a guy that got hit by a horse trailer. that being said;

gt makes garbage. my opinion, and that just about any other professional bike mechanic i've met or worked with and/or met. if you're spending less than $1500 on a new bike buy a hard tail. you can get a very nicely spec-d bike in that price range. spend over that and you can get into some legitimate full suspension bikes with some real engineering behind them, a good design that won't crap out on you, flex like a wet noodle, be noisy, and generally cause headaches. if you're going budget, used bikes can be a good option, but also a huge can of worms depending on the make, model, model year, maintenance history, drive train spec, suspension spec, and so on. just like a car, when buying used pay a professional mechanic to inspect the bike for you. it should not cost more than 20-30 bucks. drive-train and suspension overhauls, bad bearing sets (hubs, headset, bottom bracket, suspension pivots), haggard wheels, and so on can add up to more than the value of a used bike real quick. i see it daily. if you're committed to the sport, buy a bike that is designed to ride at an ability level above your own, so you can grow into it, and not out of it. make sure it fits right! the proper frame, saddle, stem, bars, pedals, and so on will do wonders for comfort, and thereby, your desire to ride & overall enjoyment.

if you have any questions about specific groups (sram vs. shimano), individual parts, suspension components (fox vs. rockshox, manitou), frame sets, wheel sets, or whatever, feel free to ask me. i've been doing this for a while, and i've seen a lot of good stuff, and a whole lot more crap.

/bike rant

[fryerfighter94]

Steel hardtails will take the edge off of some hits, but its nothing like having full suspension. And im sick of people saying, blah blah blah I need full suspension, or full suspensions better than any hardtail. I race competitively on my carbon hardtail, and at that level its all personal preference. I love my hardtail because I have a better feel for the bike, and its more pedaling efficient on most race courses, and it forces you to become a BETTER rider because you have to work the bike around to be fast rather than letting the suspension do the work. That being said, if you do feel the need for full suspension, there are many, many, many, many designs out there, and many of them are shit. Like already said, they squeak, or flex, or dont pedal worth a shit. For your price range you can get a good hardtail or a lousy or used full suspension bike.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/xtc.29er/7366/44091/

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/anthem.x2/7319/44087/

^^^ a good bike, giant maintains the same proven and efficient designs from their elite level bikes and transferes it to their lower cost bikes as well. The anthem is a great bike, a guy on our team has one and loves it. Very active and efficient, although this one has lx.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/trance.x3/7321/44097/

^^^
same compliments go to this trail bike

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52834&scid=1000&scname=Mountain

or check your local bike shop, theyll be able to help you choose based on your local trails. support local shops bro

[dlmrun2002]

I found a Santa Cruz full suspension on Craig's in NYC for $800. The bike was ridden maybe 5 times. I ride it like I stole it. Which I think I did.
dlm ny country

[5Toes]

Klein Mantra. They are amazing bikes.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/bik/1959409169.html

[briansjacobs]

I say pick the bike for the riding that you do, FS is better than hardtail in someriding, hardtail is better in others, Real hard core guys that I know only ride hardtail, I like both. Gt is kind of crap. I personally would look at a hardtail by Giant,Trek or Cannondale. Do not be as concerned with weight as much as quality of components. As a beginner you will not feel 2-3 pounds difference but you will notice a nice drivetrain!

[fryerfighter94]

Klein Mantra. They are amazing bikes.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/bik/1959409169.html

that looks like shit. because it is.

I say pick the bike for the riding that you do, FS is better than hardtail in someriding, hardtail is better in others, Real hard core guys that I know only ride hardtail, I like both. Gt is kind of crap. I personally would look at a hardtail by Giant,Trek or Cannondale. Do not be as concerned with weight as much as quality of components. As a beginner you will not feel 2-3 pounds difference but you will notice a nice drivetrain!

This, get the bike based on drivetrain. xt/r ftw

[5Toes]

The Klein Mantra is pretty good... read about it.

They were built by Klein before Klein was bought out by Trek. People have road raced them, downhilled them... they are very versatile

[quikveedb2]

i'm sorry but klien isn't in business anymore for a reason. that's pretty much the equivalent of a trek y bike or c-dale raven (cannondale also sucks ass, but don't get me started. i.e., the lefty?!?! who the fuck asked for a 1-sided fork?) it's all old, proprietary, obsolete technology. on a related note, the palomino has one of the worst back ends ever, unless you like overcooked spaghetti. yes it's pretty much the same as a maveric ml7, which my roomate rides, and also has all the stiffness of a bowl of jello. not to mention that the poor suspension design makes getting the shifting to work well takes a lot for fine tuning and frequent maintenance (read $$$.) e-type front deraileur + full suspension = teh suck.

edit; as far as big box companies go, specialized is on top of their game. we deal trek, and i HATE trek. we see more warranty work that i care to state. gary fisher is in the same boat, but seems a bit better on the quality side. giant makes some good stuff. we refer to cannondale as "crack and fail" at the shop, we see them a lot, and they do not hold up well. unless you're racing, shimano's xtr group is overkill, it wears out quick & is stupid expensive to replace. shimano xt, or sram x7 or x9 is all most trail riders need these days. sram's xx is for ballers though, and i just saw the '11 xtr kit when the shimano guys came though, and the brakes are pure sex.

[fryerfighter94]

i'm sorry but klien isn't in business anymore for a reason. that's pretty much the equivalent of a trek y bike or c-dale raven (cannondale also sucks ass, but don't get me started. i.e., the lefty?!?! who the fuck asked for a 1-sided fork?) it's all old, proprietary, obsolete technology. on a related note, the palomino has one of the worst back ends ever, unless you like overcooked spaghetti. yes it's pretty much the same as a maveric ml7, which my roomate rides, and also has all the stiffness of a bowl of jello. not to mention that the poor suspension design makes getting the shifting to work well takes a lot for fine tuning and frequent maintenance (read $$$.) e-type front deraileur + full suspension = teh suck.

thank you. and cannondale's lefty is an odd design, and while i would never want one i know people that swear by them. meh. and now that theyve been bought out by pacific one can only hope that they dont go to shit.

[Dj Buttchug]

Check out transitionbikes.com

I ride one and love it to death. Pics because I wanna feel cool