Mountain Biking - Mountain bike brands to avoid?

There was quite a thread about someone's huffy yesterday.

What other brands should I avoid at a LBS, or will all the brands there typically be alright?

As long as you go to a REAL bike shop and not a big box store like Dick's, Sports Authority, Wal-mart, K-mart, et al you *should* be fine

Avoid Specialized, Trek, Giant, Ellsworth, Fisher, Turner, Iron Horse, Foes, Transition, and Schwinn.

avoid oxygen and/or water :o

avoid transition? whys that?

avoid transition? whys that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

Why the heck should you avoid all of those brands?! I know for a fact that Specialized, Giant, Trek, Schwinn, and GF make great bikes!!

Why the heck should you avoid all of those brands?! I know for a fact that Specialized, Giant, Trek, Schwinn, and GF make great bikes!!
See my earlier post.

Oh.....gotcha.

damb you internet TROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

damb you internet TROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Damb? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=damb

Damb? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=damb


Dag yo.

ish liek nee hoyy!

p.s. Also avoid crackandfail and santa crud

:eek: ... :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

crackandfail?

Dont forget Mongoose, Chumba, KHS and GT.

They suck.

Oh and iBis, Jamis, Kona, Iron Horse and Scott.

Department store bikes are by far the bet on the market.

Avoid Specialized, Trek, Giant, Ellsworth, Fisher, Turner, Iron Horse, Foes, Transition, and Schwinn.

You forgot Kona, Pete. How'd you forget Kona?

He did but i didnt

What about NEXT it's the "NEXT" best bike in the world right? LOL
Like said above any Real bike shop then ride a few and get the best one you can afford.

Avoid Specialized, Trek, Giant, Ellsworth, Fisher, Turner, Iron Horse, Foes, Transition, and Schwinn.

Avoid riding :rolleyes:

From pete's profile:
Date of Birth:
April 7th, 2002
Age:
5

The only thing he got right. BTW, you left a "g" out of your name, pete. :p

From pete's profile:
Date of Birth:
April 7th, 2002
Age:
5

The only thing he got right. BTW, you left a "g" out of your name, pete. :p

Pete is the smartest 5 year old I've ever met.

Only useful reply so far:


As long as you go to a REAL bike shop and not a big box store like Dick's, Sports Authority, Wal-mart, K-mart, et al you *should* be fine

So sad to see threads derailed like this. It's probably why so many people never come back. Nice work Pete.

Oh no!

Save the poor thread!

How can you possibly know that "so many people never come back"?

It's sounds all whiny and dramatic but in reality it's just something that you made up

I know for me when I realized I kinda just wasted my time reading this thread it makes me not want to come back. I only come here once in a blue moon but would love to come here more if I didn't think it was a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, there are some great insightful threads around here and some very nice people...this doesn't appear to be one of those threads.

I would of liked to see personal experiences with people who had bikes fail them and see if a pattern started as to which brands to stay away from, that would of been cool.

I know nobody really cares about just little ol me and my opinion, but I am sure I am not alone in thinking this, maybe just the only one dumb enough to type it out and take heat for it :)

Oh no!

Save the poor thread!

How can you possibly know that "so many people never come back"?

It's sounds all whiny and dramatic but in reality it's just something that you made up
How can you possibly take an honest question from someone who shares a common interest and genuinely wants to learn about the sport and from others mistakes, and give them completely a completely misleading and counterproductive answer.

Do you not like having this community as a resource? Do you not want to promote the sport? The more consumers, the more competition, the better the products will be that are available to you.

I know for me when I realized I kinda just wasted my time reading this thread it makes me not want to come back. I only come here once in a blue moon but would love to come here more if I didn't think it was a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, there are some great insightful threads around here and some very nice people...this doesn't appear to be one of those threads.

I would of liked to see personal experiences with people who had bikes fail them and see if a pattern started as to which brands to stay away from, that would of been cool.

I know nobody really cares about just little ol me and my opinion, but I am sure I am not alone in thinking this, maybe just the only one dumb enough to type it out and take heat for it :)

No you're right. I stopped using the fixed gear forum because nothing ever got done there with all the thread hijackings going on. Jokes are fine, but it might be a good idea to hold off on them until people at least get one or two post of real info. There is a reason BF created The Lounge- so people could actually use the forums to learn and share info.

That said- I would be slightly wary of Mountain Cycle and KHS- they've seen management changes a lot recently and it might be hard to get replacement frame parts/a warranty. With any bike purchase, make sure its from a reputable bike shop and check the company warranty

It was not completely misleading nor was it completely counterproductive.


Right, then it was informative and productive... right...



This "community" is not a resource for me.


Almighty cycling god, what doth bring you here?



Even if I was to buy into your hypothesis (which I don't BTW) I'm quite happy with the range of products that are available right now.


Competition improving product and price is no hypothesis, it is a fact.



I don't think that one post on an obscure, low-traffic mountain bike shopping forum will have any effect on the range and/or quality of products that are available to me.

The snowball effect
The straw that broke the camel's back
Ants move plants
Smiles are contagious

You see where I'm going with this?

The snowball effect
The straw that broke the camel's back
Ants move plants
Smiles are contagious

You see where I'm going with this?

Deeper confusion?

I think we just need to realize this: some people in the world are just jackasses. Pete is one of those people. Let's get back to talking about bike brands so we can help this guy out.

Which part of "completely" are you struggling with? You were the one that used the word after all. You know that you have someone backed into a corner when they start arguing semantics





Sometimes I come here for pretty pictures. Sometimes I come here for entertainment. Sometimes I come here with pretty pictures.

So then the community is a pretty picture, entertainment and self validation resource to you.



Your hypothesis is that one post that bunched your panties is going to have an effect upon that. That's ridiculous.
So then this is the first time you've mocked an honest question in your replies. Usually you are a consistent contributor and valuable asset to this site?



Yes.

Farther and farther into fantasyland. It's more expensive to recruit one new customer, than to keep 10 happy. Good experiences and bad are viral. If you had the capacity to observe cause and effect at a more macro level, I wouldn't need to explain this to you.

I think one of the points being made here is that if you ask enough people, you will be warned by someone to stay away from most of the major brands.

I personally have seen broken cannondales, specialized, giant, ellsworth (not personally, see above), trek, mongoose.. I'm sure there are more. Does that mean they should be avoided? No.

****ing ******* *****es

You know that you have someone backed into a corner when they start arguing semantics


So then the community is a pretty picture, entertainment and self validation resource to you.

So then this is the first time you've mocked an honest question in your replies. Usually you are a consistent contributor and valuable asset to this site?

It's more expensive to recruit one new customer, than to keep 10 happy. Good experiences and bad are viral. If you had the capacity to observe cause and effect at a more macro level, I wouldn't need to explain this to you.

Don't wrestle with the pigs, son. You get dirty and the pig has all the fun. If you look at this bozo's posts they all follow the same form and end in the same place. He's one of the main reasons that the Mountain bike forum has around 150 viewers while the Road forum has 600. Ignore him. He'll go play somewhere else.

As for bikes to avoid, if it comes from a big box where they sell toilet paper, avoid it. Everything else is pretty good.

Annoyance avoidance:

1. Click on member's name in upper left corner of post
2. Click on "View Public Profile"
3. Click on "Add [member name] to Your Ignore List"

Whoever wrote this forum's software is wise indeed.

He's one of the main reasons that the Mountain bike forum has around 150 viewers while the Road forum has 600.

Posting complete speculation as fact, like this, is probably what drives him crazy.

As for bikes to avoid, if it comes from a big box where they sell toilet paper, avoid it. Everything else is pretty good.

More good advice. Made me laugh!

Another way to look at is, the more you spend on a particular type of bike, the better the bike you're going to get. Obviously. But for certain types of bikes at low price points, they all tend to suck. Don't go to your LBS looking for a full suspension mountain bike for less than $500. None are worth buying. Some might even say $1000, though I think there are a few good choices between the two. But you can find a very decent hardtail for $500. Every type of bike (hardtail, road bike, hybrid, full sus, etc) has a sweet spot pricewise.

I think it's best to go looking and especially riding. Then, come back and let us know what you're thinking and then we can give you some informed opinions on those models.

....There's one born every minute...

5 yrs ago was the last, it appears. ;)

If you go to a LBS you'll have the best chance of getting a decent bike. Look for the best bang for the buck that's within your budget. Maybe look at left over models at a discount to get more for your money. If I found a bike I liked, in my price range from one of the major companies, I wouldn't hesitate to buy. The LBS you're working with should also play a part in the decision, IMO. A good bike from a bad shop may be less satisfactory than less bike from a better shop.

A good bike from a bad shop may be less satisfactory than less bike from a better shop.
VERY true.

He'll go play somewhere else.


Wishful thinking? :rolleyes:

I think one of the points being made here is that if you ask enough people, you will be warned by someone to stay away from most of the major brands.

I personally have seen broken cannondales, specialized, giant, ellsworth (not personally, see above), trek, mongoose.. I'm sure there are more. Does that mean they should be avoided? No.

+1
I didn't think Pete was that far off on this one......sometimes the answere you get is in like kind to the question asked.

Different bikes for different people, and everyone has differing experiences good and bad.
How do you answere a question like that.
Besides it just the opposite of the too often asked WHAT BIKE TO BUY.
Some people don't like a particular brand now because of a bad experience a long time ago.{even though the bike may be completly different design now**

However ,there were a couple of realy good posts to help the OP if it was in fact a ligit question.

+1
I didn't think Pete was that far off on this one......sometimes the answere you get is in like kind to the question asked.

Different bikes for different people, and everyone has differing experiences good and bad.
How do you answere a question like that.
Besides it just the opposite of the too often asked WHAT BIKE TO BUY.
Some people don't like a particular brand now because of a bad experience a long time ago.{even though the bike may be completly different design now**

However ,there were a couple of realy good posts to help the OP if it was in fact a ligit question.
Everyone was pretty much of the same opinion that huffy is to be avoided. I just wanted to know if there was anyother brands that clearly sucked.

It appears that the more clear version of what Pete was trying to say is "as long as you avoid an x-mart bike, you should be ok."

Don't go to your LBS looking for a full suspension mountain bike for less than $500. None are worth buying. Some might even say $1000, though I think there are a few good choices between the two.
I say $1000. Fullys under that tend to be old designs with odd ball shocks with few features.

Ah, good times, good times!

To the OP: don't worry about brands at the moment. Go to whatever bike shops you have near you. Take whatever your max budget is, and ride as many bikes as you can within that budget range. Buy what feels best to you, regardless of what a bunch of people on teh intarweb tell you. Within certain price ranges, the bikes from most companies are going to be pretty damn similar in build and spec; then it comes down more to fit.

Bonus for you if you go and research for yourself on the manufacturers websites, and search said web for reviews before buying. You can find enough anecdotal stories about bike breakage, pissy customer service, poor warrantee handling, etc. about nearly every bike company out there.

That said- I would be slightly wary of Mountain Cycle and KHS- they've seen management changes a lot recently and it might be hard to get replacement frame parts/a warranty. With any bike purchase, make sure its from a reputable bike shop and check the company warranty

I don't know about Mountain Cycle, but there hasn't been an issue for KHS. The company is still going strong and has helped us (our team) with various things in the recent past.

Nope. The "community" is simply not something that I use for support or helpReally? Then why DO you post all those patently gorgeous photos for everyone to ooh and aahh over? Aren't we possibly fishing for a bit of affirmation there?

p.s. Also avoid crackandfail and santa crud

Crackandfail
http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/3331/1354694289067097295S425x425Q85.jpg

Pete's one of the few on here that I enjoy reading his post. It's a hell of a lot better than "Hardrock or Trek 4500".

Awesome thread, I read the whole thing and laughed my ass off. Pete does make a point on the bike shopping. Every day there's two or three of them. You should get an auto response that just says "Go to LBS" when you post one.

I do come here for the support or help!

Pete's one of the few on here that I enjoy reading his post. It's a hell of a lot better than "Hardrock or Trek 4500".
ditto.

http://i2.tinypic.com/263tweb.jpg