Mountain Biking - Another Roadie joins the darkside. New Fuji (pics)

So I couldn't stand it anymore. Living in Colorado with no MTB was just too much. Also, with a child on the way I wanted something strong enough to tow a Burley kid trailer behind and hit some moderate single track here and there (no kid on the single track part though don't worry about that.)

I found a 2005 Fuji Outland pro at Bicycle Village for only $450. Since it was normally a $750 bike, It was the best value I could find, so I jumped on it. If I were single I would have gotten a Yeti in a second, but with a kid on the way, my wife would have killed me if a had even spent half as much on a MTB as I did my roadie. Considering my passion is still the road bike, I'm content with a deore MTB. Here are the pics:

P.S. I'm getting clipless pedals either SPD (with I have ridden in the past) or Eggbeaters. Any votes for either?

I'm still stuck on platforms... but Congrats on the good deal on the nice bike! also Congrats on the kid on the way.

Nice new bike. I always love to see a new bike, doesn't matter what the price is. And about the pedals, I haven't tried the Eggbeaters but i've heard really good things about them. I personally use SPD's and they've been great, no complaints at all. The great thing about SPD's is you rarely have to buy new cleats. With the eggbeaters, i've heard that they only last for about a season.

P.S. I'm getting clipless pedals either SPD (with I have ridden in the past) or Eggbeaters. Any votes for either?

Never tried Eggbeaters but I have Shimano PD-M540's on my MTB and really like them. They hold well yet are easy to pop out of. They list for $95 but I got these at JensonUSA on a price match for $54. The PD-M520's retail for around $50 and are highly rated as well. Check the user reviews at mtbr.com.

Cool bike, deore stuff works great when it's setup right. I just got some eggies myself after being a platform guy. Haven't put em on yet, so not much to contribute there. You may want to stick with what you know? (spd's?)

Your going to love mtbing. Nice bike.

Sweet bike man, I've always like the way Fuji did frames (I have an old Sunfire).

As for you pedal question. If you do go clipless, I've found that the Crankbrothers design works much better than the SPD.

Very nice looking bike..

actually I just went over to the dark side too (& bought a road bike).. in terms of simply the feel of the bikes I think the road bike feels better to ride than an MTB. Although when you take into account the terrain of MTB'ing it still beats the road (for me) - I love the road bike, but do NOT love riding on the road with cars...( I use it for track training mainly or I go early on very quiet roads)

Eggbeaters are excellent, hv used SPD's too, now have eggbeaters on 2 bikes - just simple and reliable and can buy parts for service.... & they clear mud very well..

Darkside? The real darkside is to go single.

Nice bike btw.

Darkside? The real darkside is to go single.

Nice bike btw.

They had a Bianchi S.A.S.S in there from last year at a discount, but it was too small for me. It looked nice though.


Thanks for the comments everyone. I picked up a pair of used SPD's for $20, but I might still get the Crankbrothers Smarty Off Road pedals. Anyone try those?

I like the beaters and the candys, the shop that I part time in sold a set of smartys and were returned broken the same day. Can't tell exactly what failed but looked similar to a bearing failure, CBs CS is one of the best in the industry; can't go wrong with any of them 'cause you'll be taken care real good if something happens.

Enjoy your mtb and please post pics of it dirty, i love dirty bike porn ;)