Please Help Me to Buy a Bike!

[gr8ideaman]

Dear buddies

I need to buy a mountain bike with this SPECs :
26" - full suspension - disc brakes - 24 speed and of course up to $350!
if possible to get such a bicycle please give me a clue!
any input appreciated:)

[merider1]

I'm the last person to guide you on a mtbike. But welcome to the forums. :)

[Scootcore]

only way you MIGHT get something like at will be either used or at target/wal mart(although thats hardly an option. what is the intended use for the bike?

[Psydotek]

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mountain_bikes.htm

You can get close to $350 from bikesdirect.

[Oleanshoebox]

Welcome idea man. Check out the FAQ thread in the mountain bike forum. It will assist you in your venture.

Enjoy your new bike!

[jsigone]

yup BD is the route to go, of go to performance and see what they have, you can get a base leve GT avalanch for about that price. Good frame to upgrade off of.

[UmneyDurak]

only way you MIGHT get something like at will be either used or at target/wal mart(although thats hardly an option. what is the intended use for the bike?

Probably commuting.

[jsigone]

Dear buddies

I need to buy a mountain bike with this SPECs :
26" - full suspension - disc brakes - 24 speed and of course up to $350!
if possible to get such a bicycle please give me a clue!
any input appreciated:)

oh yah, give up on the full suspension, it's overkill for the trails in Socal unless you live in Fontana or up at Big Bear. Plus a FS bike at that price range will do more harm to you then good.

[gr8ideaman]

only way you MIGHT get something like at will be either used or at target/wal mart(although thats hardly an option. what is the intended use for the bike?

actually i just want to do some fun cycling, or maybe sometimes go to work by that, that's it!
thanx for ur reply

[Indolent58]

oh yah, give up on the full suspension, it's overkill for the trails in Socal unless you live in Fontana or up at Big Bear. Plus a FS bike at that price range will do more harm to you then good.

+1

Bikes Direct or on-sale at Performance are the best options at that price range if you want to buy new. Otherwise start searching on craigslist. If you're going to ride on the street much it's useful to find a bike with a fork suspension lock-out so you don't waste energy bouncing up an down.

[Dunwood]

actually i just want to do some fun cycling, or maybe sometimes go to work by that, that's it!
thanx for ur reply


Why on earth do you want a full suspension MTB bike for "fun cycling" and commuting to work?
Too much weight, too many things that can break, too much maintenance. If you plan on riding trails no more difficult than a fire road, you don't need any suspension. Please don't look at the junk at Target, Walmart etc. with the wanna be MTB bikes.

[endoverendo]

What part of SoCal are you in? I can hook you up with a bike shop that will help you find exactly what you're looking for.

[tinrobot]

Probably commuting.

If that's the case, you don't need full suspension just to commute.

[tinrobot]

dupe

[curiouskid55]

My shoes cost $300.

[gr8ideaman]

What part of SoCal are you in? I can hook you up with a bike shop that will help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Actually, I'm in West Valley.
sorry for late response i was so busy.

[gr8ideaman]

If that's the case, you don't need full suspension just to commute.

Actually i know nothing much about bikes, but since i'm 220 pound(6.2") i just thought that i'd better to get a full suspension for more convenience and durablity.
by the way is there any weight limitation for bikes?
thank you all for your kind responses

[tinrobot]

Actually i know nothing much about bikes, but since i'm 220 pound(6.2") i just thought that i'd better to get a full suspension for more convenience and durablity.
by the way is there any weight limitation for bikes?
thank you all for your kind responses

For most bikes, there isn't a weight limitation. It's usually only the high end bikes with super light components that have them. Just get a bike with 32 or 36 spoke wheels and you'll be fine.

As for suspension, it's purpose is to absorb energy. It will absorb the energy of the road/trail, but it will also absorb some of your pedaling energy as well, making the bike less efficient. Suspension also adds a lot of weight to a bike, again making it less efficient. If you ride mostly on the street, then I'd suggest no suspension or just front suspension.

[endoverendo]

Go see Howard at Athena Cycles in Studio City and tell him Ron sent you. He'll take care of you and knows what you're looking for.

[Shazaam]

I am new to riding and not sure of what to get. I will be using it on the road mainly and I want to do some light off road stuff. I went by Performance and the guy suggested Iron Horse Maverick 5.5 he said it was a good started bike and until I really got back into it and some heavier off roading I didn't need a rear suppension. I plan on buying the bike today after work. Anyone have a better bike that they can suggest?

[Psydotek]

I am new to riding and not sure of what to get. I will be using it on the road mainly and I want to do some light off road stuff. I went by Performance and the guy suggested Iron Horse Maverick 5.5 he said it was a good started bike and until I really got back into it and some heavier off roading I didn't need a rear suppension. I plan on buying the bike today after work. Anyone have a better bike that they can suggest?

Perhaps a cyclocross bike?

[Shazaam]

What is a Cyclocross bike?

[Psydotek]

What is a Cyclocross bike?
It's essentially a road bike with light offroad capability.

[Shazaam]

Ok thanks I will do a search for one

[Shazaam]

WOW I just did a quick search on those bikes and they are pretty pricy for someone just getting strated the ones I saw were $1,999.99 and up so I think I will pass on them till I can appericate a bike for that price. The Iron Horse one was selling for a bit under $500.00 and that was closer to what I wanted to spend at this point. But thanks for the advice I saw some good reviews when I went looking for them and everyone was saying they are good for what I was looking for.

[BillyB]

What is a Cyclocross bike?

Cyclocross bikes are made for a special type of racing that involves both road riding and off road riding. They are fantastic for this type of specialized racing, but IMHO: they're not very good on the road and they're not very good on the trail.

My 2 cents:

If you're only going to have 1 bike, get a Mountain bike, and then buy a set of high pressure street tires to go with it. This is what's called an "Urban Assault Vehicle". This way you will be able to do some serious commuting, or change back to your dirt tires and you're ready to go off roading. I used to commute 38 miles round trip on a Trek 4300 during the week, and then put my dirt tires on to go up to Cheesebro Canyon on the weekend.

As others suggested - you don't need full suspension. A suspension fork is good, but I'd agree with others on this thread, that you need to lock it out when riding on the road.

The most important part of deciding which bike to get is the "fit" of the bike. It doesn't matter how great of a deal you get, if it's not comfortable, you're not going to have much fun. The only way to know that is to test ride a few.

Past that, look at the components. Shimano's Alivio group of components is just within your range, and will last you for years no problem. On a bike in this price range, if the component doesn't say "Alivio", it will probably say "SIS xxx" and will need to be replaced after a while.

$350 is plenty of cash to get you started. That's about what I spent on my Trek 4300 5 years ago, and I rode the heck out of that bike. From there, set aside some money every month in your budget to start investing in tools for minor maintenance and repairs - If you're riding regularly, repairs and maintenance are going to be regular as well.

[spinerguy]

Perhaps can I interest in a 05' Giant Rainier?
It has been sitting there unused for over 2 yrs and stickers are peeling off but otherwise in perfect mechanical state.

It has a yellow/black pain scheme and disk brakes, medium frame. Would trade for 300 roses;)

[gr8ideaman]

finally after getting the recommendations I bought a MOTOBECANE 700DS from BIKESDIRECT.COM and although I was charged more then my budget, support the site. now i need some support from the site(LOL) just joking.
may somebody please tell me how i can assemble my new bike? unfortunately i'm new in biking and know nothing much about new bikes. is there any visual(pix or videos) help, tutorial or something for that?
thanx in advance

[BillyB]

I started with Bicycling Magazine's Guide to Bicycle Repair:


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71KBYH9JPAL._OU01_AA240_SH20_.gif


But now, I pretty much just look stuff up on Sheldon Brown's (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/repair/index.html) website.