Any mountain bikers in here? Noob needs help!

[quikveedb2]

Why not post this in the Bicycle thread?

people looking for info on bikes get drowned out by people posting pics of their rides, at least that seems to be the trend. it's like members rides vs general discussion or the tech section...

[freeride53]

^ yeah can't lie, that's pretty much what it has become [admitting guilt] :D

[scabzzzz]

Also, I did:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...postcount=4886

I saw that post. I didnt know how to help you.



And the bicycle thread isnt really a fixie thread. Just lots of chatter about it for a while. I have a plethora of different bikes I've posted in there.

It'd be nice to get the bike thread crankin back up though! Its dead!

[Rodoni]

Santa Cruz mak solid bikes. They are expensive but can be had on CL for great prices.

My buddy just scored a fully built 09 jeckle (hardtail) for 900$. It's a sweet ride, lighter than my Bmx that weighs about 25-26lbs.

[ACMF74]

This weekend I want to buy a mountain bike for myself. 75% street and 25% easy trail. The local shop has Trek, GT and Giant. My budget is around 500 dollars. The shop showed me the Trek 3 series, Giant Revel (sp?) and GT (forgot the name)

Can anyone recommend me a brand/model?

[Hellabad]

This weekend I want to buy a mountain bike for myself. 75% street and 25% easy trail. The local shop has Trek, GT and Giant. My budget is around 500 dollars. The shop showed me the Trek 3 series, Giant Revel (sp?) and GT (forgot the name)

Can anyone recommend me a brand/model?

Nashbar is having a 20% off sale right now. You wont have to pay NY sales tax. The Diamondbacks are a very good value. If you insist on walking into a store and walking out with a bike, Giant is definitely on the rise in terms of quality and value, Trek is blah, and GT is medium.

Here is a great place to learn:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=7243166

[bmws50b30]

This weekend I want to buy a mountain bike for myself. 75% street and 25% easy trail. The local shop has Trek, GT and Giant. My budget is around 500 dollars. The shop showed me the Trek 3 series, Giant Revel (sp?) and GT (forgot the name)

Can anyone recommend me a brand/model?

i have the trek 4 series disc and just suitable for street riding and the trail at cunningham park

this may be a good source
http://www.nycmtb.com/

[unrlmth]

herp derp, my frame was the last year that they were handbuilt in the US...for the CAAD. IIRC, other higher-end models are still built in the you esse.

My taurine and flash were both built overseas.

BTW if anyone is interested in an XL (brand new) flash frame, I have one.

[ACMF74]

I did go to a shop and found a Specialized Hard Rock that's on sale from 419 to 369. I felt that the Specialized had better components and it felt better to me than the Trek. The dealer only had it a 17.5 inch frame in stock. He asked me to ride around on it and said the 19 would fit me better. he said that he didn't want to sell me a bike that wasn't for me. he ordered the 19" for next week and if I like it I could buy it.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...cname=Mountain

I like the one in blue/white =)

[ACMF74]

i have the trek 4 series disc and just suitable for street riding and the trail at cunningham park

this may be a good source
http://www.nycmtb.com/

thanks george & hellabad!

[gearheadE30]

For what it's worth, I'm a huge fan of Specialized bikes, and I do quite a bit of trail riding. Mostly singletrack, but some downhill where I can. I rode a Gary Fisher for a good 3500 miles until I blew the crank bearing.

Next up was a Specialized Hardrock Pro Comp. I think it was an 07 or an 08. I forget what teh frame size is off the top of my head, but I'm 6'4" and the frame was labeled "XL". I would recommend one of these, used or new, to just about anyone getting into riding, particularly for singletrack/XC type stuff. Short frame makes it really maneuverable, but its still a stable bike. Not terribly light, but it is a really quick bike nonetheless. Eventually, with enough speed, you'll overwhelm the forks, but otherwise it took 2000 miles of abuse in stride. Mechanical disks were good, but modulation could be iffy when they got hot, and they don't cool well.

Currently riding a Specialized XC FSR Pro, 2009. The bike is incredible. Avid hydraulic brakes, Rock Shox Reba fork and Fox rear, with a ProPedal active damping mode. Its all adjustable, and the cockpit is nice and long if you're tall. The Pro gets a bigger front brake rotor, which makes more of a difference than I could have imagined. You can pick these up for maybe $1200 now, and I couldn't be happier. It even does DH stuff with relative aplomb for an XC/multipurpose bike.

cliffnotes: Specialized ftw. FSR XC if you do a lot of multipurpose riding. Hardrock Pro Comp (the others have some iffy components) and maybe a nicer fork if you don't have the funds or don't ride as much.

[CarsSuck]

If youre not doing crazy shit, get a hard tail. Money will be better spent on components. There is no substitute for having a rigid rear-end in terms of power transfer and rear suspension is overkill for most trails. I like marin bikes.

[Dj Buttchug]

dont forget that full suspension bikes are harder to pedal up hills and what not. might want to go the hardy route.

Specialized= great quality fairly cheap.

[ACMF74]

great info... thanks again

[JGood]

There is no substitute for having a rigid rear-end in terms of power transfer and rear suspension is overkill for most trails.

What if you have a lockout on the rear shock?