Mountain Biking - Buying XC Bike... Which one to Buy?

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The_Arsenal
08-13-07, 10:07 PM
Recently i have been looking to buy a decent Cross Country bike and would like to get some advice.

Here is what I am looking for in a bike:
Affordable - around the $1000 range, plus/minus a couple hundred
Durable - I want a bike that can take a beating and is not purely used for racing (which means i dont need a super light bike).
Reputable name - so I don't need to go searching for a bike shop that will service my bike
I am 5'10" and 135 lbs. - So no monster bikes that are available in only large sizes.

The bikes that interest me most so far are:
Kona Kula (2006 preferred)
Norco EXC Two HT (even though the price is a little high)

Now, I would like to know what you think... Give me comments on anything I've said, throw some advice at me, or even better would be to post some pictures of your bike and tell me a little about it.

Any questions you have in terms of what i'm looking for specifically I would be glad to answer.

Many thanks, in advance.

croscoe
08-13-07, 10:11 PM
Have you ever considered going with a 29er? I did, and haven't looked back.
The_Arsenal
08-13-07, 10:59 PM
Haven't really looked into that... Can you tell me a little more about the 29er's?

croscoe
08-13-07, 11:18 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29%22er

Basically, they use 700c road size wheels, with a big knobby tire. Check out MTBR.com as well. There's a forum dedicated to 29ers, faqs, and other bits of information. I really enjoy the ride quality of the bigger wheels. The larger wheels do not accelerate as quickly as the 26" wheels, but that's an acceptable tradeoff IMO (I don't race). No matter what you end up with, enjoy the piss out of it! :)
Ricardo
08-13-07, 11:29 PM
Dude,
go to the local bike shops and test ride them all. Whatever you feel most comfortable is the one to buy.

Ricardo
The_Arsenal
08-14-07, 12:17 AM
Yeah I think I'll go check out some local bike shops. Also, i agree with you Zumba about getting older models because they are often the same besides the price.

Any more comments would be appreciated.