Mountain Biking - New to the Site, and MTB!!!

Well, i used to do the whole BMX thing for many years but now im looking towards biking again. Fortunately i have a buddy who is in it big time to guide me along the way. He is gonna help me with my first bike purchase, but thought id see what you guys thought first.... here goes one of those "which bike questionaires"......

I know I want a hardtail
I will be doing road riding
I will be doing trails with drops, but nothing outrageous like 6' or anthing..
No downhill racing stuff..
Something under $1k

And BTW,, i am not light.. meaning upwards to 230 so I want something that will not break on me. I dont care too much about weight so im willing to go with a beefy frame. I like the Kona series, but they have so many diff categories of bikes.. not sure which one i should be lookin at... also like the Specialized bikes and Haro.

THanks for your time!!

You've mentioned all the bikes I would recommend. There are others, but for under a grand, it's gonna be hard to beat (in my order of preference) the Specialized, Kona or Haro.

I wouldn't worry about your weight. The bikes you're interested in can handle some abuse from a big guy.

L8R

Those bikes you are looking at are designed with you in mind. Personally I would go with Kona because I love the bikes. If you can look at getting a 2004 Kona. The spec on them looks phenomonal. 2004's should start rolling out in sept, I have already test ridden the shred which is a lot like the Kona Stuff but built for street. Dj1 fork and a headset cap for you brake wire to go down the toptube to allow for barspins etc...

Personally I would go with Kona because I love the bikes

I concure. Go with a KONA. The "Out Of Bounds" hardtails are the ones you should be looking at.

:beer:

Giant makes some pretty beefy stuff. Dont forget Cannondale.

I'd say Kona all the way :) Also, have a look at Avanti bikes (www.avantibikes.com). They are a New Zealand manufacturer that build brilliant bikes, really strong and can take a beating. I'm quite a big fella myself (6'3" 100kg) and my bike has held up with jumping and XC thrashing. I'm not sure about their availability over your way, but I'd recommend emailing them and just asking. I'm sure they would be more than happy to cater to your request :)

Thanks Guys for the responses!!! Glad to see you guys helping a newb out. I looked at the new bikes coming from Kona, and they look great. I see they make a few bikes for us Clydesdales also such as the Hoss. I may try to get a good 2003 on clearance.

On the Konas...they seem to have a more "sloping" TT. Is there a reason for that? Some of them look like a BMX frame?

one more thing,, any particular fork i should run from since i dont weigh 130 pounds. I know i should look for something not too soft....

Thanks

Forks:

Marzocchi Z1, DJ1 or MX Comp ETA
Manitou Black or Sherman Flick
RockShox Duke or Psylo

If you want something super stiff, look into forks that have a 20mm thru-axel. Note: You might need a new hub to run that.

those are the bad forks right?

yeah, i dont want something too soft in that i may bottom them out on jumps....

Nope, those are the good ones. But regardless of fork, you're going to have to swap out the stock springs for stiffer ones. Stock springs are set as "Medium" Rate and designed for 150 lb riders. You're gonna want to X-Stiff ones.

L8R

I always believed that everyone needs there day with the BMX better when your younger maybe?:)

What?

What are you trying to say exactly?

L8R

Originally posted by amc5
On the Konas...they seem to have a more "sloping" TT. Is there a reason for that? Some of them look like a BMX frame?


Thats the idea. BMX bikes are easy to whip around and have fun on. They aren't great for distances. Many bikes are now designed around the street scene or ht freeride scene or djing (dirtjumping). The sloped top tube makes for a slack bike and can make up for a lack of suspension. It does this because you should have a smaller than normal frame. If you do a wheelie drop you have lots of room to protect your dangly bits. :) That is one example but there are many others. IF you don't think you will be doing 6 hour rides and you will be djing, urban or even hitting a street park than take a look at those style bikes.

Like I said earlier they are even starting to release bikes with the compression cap for your headset that has a cablehole in the top of it to allow for barspins etc...

Cheers