Ok i hope im listing this in the right part of this forums. Neways iam looking to get a mountain bike. I know nothing about them. I picked one out so i want to see what you guys think about it. First off im 5'10 250lbs im guessing that weight and height might have alittle to do when buying a bike. Most of my biking will be on road (very little off road.) The bike im considering buying is the Felt Q520. Out of all the bikes i looked at this was the only one that caught my eye in my price range. I can buy it for around 450$. If anyone else has any other bikes in mind for alittle less or little more let me know please!! For some reason i would prefer a bike with disc brakes. Im really only looking to spend around 500$ give or take. Thanks.

Why are you limiting yourself to a mountain bike, if you are going to ride on the road?

Just curious, before I post any more.

Any opinions on disc brakes for road riding? They're pretty expensive, and I can't help but think that an on-road rider on a budget would be better off spending the $$$ on a better bike with conventional brakes. They're also harder to fix.

flip, there are several reasons the OP might want a MTB for on-road riding (commuting, hauling stuff, etc) but we really need more information. Mountain bikes are easy to learn to ride and the good ones are pretty bombproof, but if OP truly is riding exclusively on the road, a road bike or hybrid might make more sense.

Joe, welcome to bikeforums. What kind of riding will you be doing? Do you live in a city/suburb/rural area? What appeals to you about mountain bikes? That will help us narrow things down.

I think a lot of people, and no where am I stating that this is the op's reason, that because of a rider's weight they need a mountain bike. I used to have this mentality long ago and is why I rode mountain bikes first starting out. Road bikes look so delicate with the skinny tires and wheels that thought is there is no way they can handle the weight. As most of us know this is far from the truth. Of course this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth.

I would probably say a commuter bike or a cyclocross bike it if is going to be a 99% road ridden bike. A hybrid would be a decent choice also. I still haven't heard from the O.P., so I will wait to offer opinions, besides my normal, go to the LBS and find a LBS you like and get decent treatment from and buy from them.

I would probably say a commuter bike or a cyclocross bike it if is going to be a 99% road ridden bike. A hybrid would be a decent choice also. I still haven't heard from the O.P., so I will wait to offer opinions, besides my normal, go to the LBS and find a LBS you like and get decent treatment from and buy from them.

Although there are some road bikes in the $500 range, they are few. Ditto with cyclocross...only more so. $500 mountain bikes are a dime a dozen. They are a very good place to start and, although the Felt is a little portly, not horrible to ride on the road. I doubt that Joeballz wants to race one...either off-road or on.

I would suggest, Joeballz, that you don't limit yourself to on-road riding. Take the bike out and play on it. I like to ride on the road but it can get extremely boring after a while. Mountain biking, on the other hand, tends to have more smiles per mile;)

For your height and weight (not that far outside the norms), it should do fine. Unless you have very short legs, a 19" would probably be better than the 17".

I think a lot of people, and no where am I stating that this is the op's reason, that because of a rider's weight they need a mountain bike. I used to have this mentality long ago and is why I rode mountain bikes first starting out. Road bikes look so delicate with the skinny tires and wheels that thought is there is no way they can handle the weight. As most of us know this is far from the truth. Of course this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth.
+1
I know I felt like that for a long time

I would get a road bike instead, since you state most of your riding will be on road. You can always pick up a nice used mountain bike on C/L for not much money. I would put your money where most of your riding is: on the road. Race bikes (road bikes) are easier to ride on the street, less effort required, than a hybrid or a mountain bike. If you don't mind a used bike, there are nice road bikes in the $450 range all the time.