Mountain Biking - getting back into mountain biking, need new bike advice.

Finally dusted off the ol' hardtail with chromoly forks and abused my body this afternoon. It's been 10 years since I rode consistently and my body is feeling it. I'm looking at gradually getting back into mtn biking and my old bike is not worth upgrading. I would really like a full suspension bike, but don't want to spend over $1,000. Can anyone recommend some full susp. brands/models that can satisfy a recreational (cross-country) rider re-beginning the mountain bike journey?

For $1000 you're going to get a full suspension with cheap components, and a cheaper fork. Pound for pound you would probably be better off getting a hardtail and throwing a suspension seatpost on it (you'd be amazed how well they work these days). As far as which, hardtails are really a dime a dozen these days. I can't think of a company that makes a 'bad' hardtail. Pacific maybe, does that count?

If your heart is set on a dully (again, I really recomend a hardtail), I would probably recomend a Haro. I think theirs is the best of the worst when it comes to cheap full suspensions.

Here's a run down of FS you can get for 1k.

Specialized doesn't have any '03 FS for under 1000, so you're left with the '02 RockHopper A1 FSRxc (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=02RockhopperA1FSRxc&bl=top&my=2002) for $980
Haro offers the '03 Extreme X2 (http://www.harobikes.com/2003/ex2.html) for $930
Giant offers the '03 Warp DS1 (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?lYear=2003&bikesection=8817&range=118&model=10639) for about $1000
K2's '03 Attack 3.0 (http://www.k2bikes.com/03products/mountain/attack_3.asp) rings in at $1000
Fuji's '03 Diamond Lite-1 (http://www.fujibikes.com/mountain/bike.asp?category_short_name=mtb&myArray=24,21,22,25,23,26,27,28,29,30,31,33,35,36,37,38,40,41,42,34,32,39&myArrayID=6) tips the scale at a scant $949
Kona's '03 Kahuna (http://www.konaworld.com/2k3/2k3_kahuna.cfm) will leave a hole 899 pieces of paper thick in your wallet.

Hardly a comprehensive list, but it should give you a good idea of what you're getting for the money. Hope it helps.

Well while I always agree the 1000$ is not enough for a fully and I believe a HT is a great ride I think Ironhorse has done a great job making a very affordable good quality bike.

Good for little hits all round trail bike
http://www.supergo.com/itemdisplay.asp?parentid=21131&secid=7559&subid=7&compflag=1&company=Iron+Horse

Good for bigger hits and tonnes of fun.
http://www.supergo.com/itemdisplay.asp?parentid=21094&secid=7559&subid=7&compflag=1&company=Iron+Horse

Specialized does in fact have a cheapy in the specialized Bighit. Lifetime warranty could sway me this way if I had that budget. Oh and it is msrp at 880. The only other option of the ones DIL listed that I like are the Giant and the Kona.

Cheers.

DiL / Maelstrom, thanks for the feedback. A few more questions. A nearby LBS is offering closeout pricing on two bikes that catch my attention. The '02 Specialized Stumpjumper (HT) and '02 Trek Fuel 80 Full-Suspension. Both are priced at $899.99. Based on the components listed I can see what you guys mean. The Trek has bottom of the line Shimano and a Manitou Black Comp. The stumpy looks very inviting with a great all around package of components that will more than satisfy my needs, but I don't plan on racing, I just want to enjoy some weekends in the back country again. I am concerned about the abuse my 30' something body will endure riding the Specialized. How effective are the suspension seat posts? Are the Trek Fuel series full-suspension rigs decent frames worth upgrading in the future? Your advice / experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Do you know which stumpy it is? There were 3 that year. Stumpy M4 (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=02StumpjumperM4&bl=top&my=2002), Stumpy M4 Comp (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=02StumpjumperM4Comp&bl=top&my=2002), and the Stumpy M4 Pro (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=02StumpjumperM4Pro&bl=top&my=2002). The first two are great bikes and I'm sure you'd love them. The M4 frame is just fantastic. The Pro is a great bike too, but it comes with a SID fork, and I'm just not crazy about SIDs. You could try it and see if you like it, but they seem wobbly to me. If you didn't like it, you could probably talk them into downgrading it to a Zocchi or fork of your choice, then throwing some more fun stuff on there, like a Thudbuster (http://www.thudbuster.com/products.html). As for how well it works, it works superbly. It has almost 4" of butt-softening travel. Check out the reviews on MTBR.com (http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Suspension_Seatpost/product_23209.shtml). There are almost 300 reviews, and it still maintains over a 4.5/5 rating.

http://www.thudbuster.com/images/thudnew.jpg

As for the Fuel... eh. Not much to get excited about there. The thing you would probably find yourself wanting to upgrade is the fork. And if you have to upgrade the fork... well thats half the bike right there. I always say you should buy a bike with a fork that you want on it, because upgrading from the moment of purchase is impractical at best.

It's a '02 Stumpy M4 with Rockshox Duke XC fork. The bike seems like a great package that won't have me looking to updgrade a few months down the trail. How are the Dukes? I won't have a chance to test ride until this weekend, .... hopefully they will still have one in stock. I am going to take a look at the Trek Fuel series for comparison sake, as well as, any other models under $1K. Another store is offering a decent closeout price on there Giant inventory. Does the Warp DS1 fall into the same category as the Trek Fuel 80?Sorry about all the questions, just want as much feedback as possible before I purchase.

You might take a look at the Jamis Dakar sport. I don't remember the specs, but it is in your price range and gets good reviews, although it tends to be a little heavier than a lot of other XC FS bikes. I saw a bunch of '02 Specialized FSR's below $1000 when the 2003's came in, but those are probably all gone.
The Warp is sort of a different bike than the Fuel 80. While the Fuel is designed for aggressive XC, the Warp is more leisurely. It's single pivot rear suspension design is an older style and not very effecient (pedal-induced bob dissipates your pedaling energy) compared to the four-bar linkages many newer bikes have. The NRS 3 would be pretty similar to the Fuel.
Don't discount the abilities of a HT.

I'm running a Duke XC U-turn right now. I love it Nice and stiff with a nice plush ride and the dampening is tuned sooooo nice. :D

I don't remember actually ever hearing any complaints about the Duke. The U-Turn feature seems neat, but it looks kind of like something that would break in the middle of the ride to me. However, I've never heard someone say it did, so I have to assume that not to be the case. Duke is a nice stiff, plush fork that I'm sure you'd be happy with. My advice would be to go ahead and grab that bike. Its a great deal.

I do NOT have the U-Turn feature, but I have used a Demo bike from the shop that did. It works incredibly well. You can actually see the front of the bike go up and/or down as you adjust it. I don't see any issue with damage, it's similar to a Pre-load knob, only much smoother and easier to turn.

L8R