Mountain Biking - Bike Recommendation

I'm looking for a bike recommendation. I'll be riding mostly on roads and dirt/grass, sidewalks, trails, etc, so I think a mountain bike is what I'm after. My only other requirements is that the seat be as comfortable as possible, ride comfort to be good too (full suspension?) and I think I'd like 18 to 21 gears.

Here's the other thing I'd like. I would really love to build it myself. I am very accustomed to building complex machines and feel I am up to the challenge. How available are they in kit form? Do they come with build instruction/manuals?

If you have any specific brand/models to recommend, I'd appreciate it. I'm new to the bike world and am not familiar with any of the manufacturers.

My upper price limit is probably around $500 or so, but I'd like to spend less if possible.

Other plusses are easily detachable front tire for easy car transportation.

Here's the bad news, irq since I researched this when I was thinking of building a bike.

It's often more economical to buy a whole bike that's on sale than to do a custom build with frame and build kit -- even if you are getting the most entry level parts.

You'll need special tools for the inserting the bottom bracket, and you may need to cut the steerer tube off the fork so you have to know what you're doing. Also, be aware of compatibility issues. For example, a particular frame might need a particular sized seat post, or a splined bottom bracket won't take a square taper crankset, etc.

For $500, you can get a pretty good entry level hardtail bike that's already assembled. It's Winter time in many parts of the continent so there are bike shops that will probably swing a deal on slow moving items.

You can order via on-line shops if you really wanna try a frame and build kit.

If you're heck-bent on still building your own, visit Nashbar, Jenson USA, or the countless other mail order companies. There's some inexpensive frames on sale at www.bikeroom.com although I have no experience with bikes by Azonic. The prices are in Canadian so you'll get a big savings if you are paying in U.S. dollars.

I'm not hell-bent on building my own. Also, I should explain why I want to build my own. The reason isn't because I want to put lots and lots of custom things in. I'm not really interested in custom parts at this point, because I don't know enough to make an informed deceision.

I'm interested in building it myself because I get a tremendous amount of joy out of building things, especially things that work noticeibly better if you build them better. That's really my only reason.

I was told that, for some bikes anyway, they arrive at a bike dealer unassembled and someone from the bike manufacturer comes and assembles it in the store, or someone from the store builds it. That's what I'm after, a regular 'ol bike that no one's built yet. A box of parts, and a manual, etc.

Also, "hard tail" means no rear suspension, but most likely front suspension, right? How different is the comfort level?

Do such things exist?

I'm not hell-bent on building my own. Also, I should explain why I want to build my own. The reason isn't because I want to put lots and lots of custom things in. I'm not really interested in custom parts at this point, because I don't know enough to make an informed deceision.

I'm interested in building it myself because I get a tremendous amount of joy out of building things, especially things that work noticeibly better if you build them better. That's really my only reason.

I was told that, for some bikes anyway, they arrive at a bike dealer unassembled and someone from the bike manufacturer comes and assembles it in the store, or someone from the store builds it. That's what I'm after, a regular 'ol bike that no one's built yet. A box of parts, and a manual, etc.

Also, "hard tail" means no rear suspension, but most likely front suspension, right? How different is the comfort level?

Do such things exist?

Your local bike shop (in most every case) employs knowledgeable technicians that are trained for assembly. Bike technicians (at reputable dealers) are not like department store employees who are payed $5.15 an hour to assemble bikes at the Toys-R-Us down the street. An advantage of buying a bike at a bike shop is that you know it is put together well and can be tuned by the technician down the road. Unless you have experience building bikes, I wouldn't recommend trying to assemble your own. However, if you would really like to do it yourself, buy a manual and have at it.

As far as the type of bike goes, it sounds like you will be doing mostly urban riding and a little light offroad. A hardtail (you're right, front suspension only) would be appropriate for your needs. Unless you will be riding heavily on trails, a full suspension might be overkill. As far as comfort level goes, you should be fine on a hardtail. A decent full suspension bike is going to cost around $1000.

I would recommend you visit bike shops in your area and ride a few different hardtail bikes in your price range. Even if you decide you want to order a kit and build it yourself, it will give you an idea of what feels good. Specialized, Giant, Trek - nearly all companies have entry level hardtails in your price range. Check out Specialized's Hardrock series or Trek's 4100-4900 bikes.

Another thought to consider would be to buy a used bike that has a solid frame, but, "is in need of some work". In other words, you could replace the parts on the bike that you felt weren't up to par. Tinkering with an old bike should satisfy your craving for all-things-mechanical, it sure does mine.

You can find some good deals on used bikes online in various places. For $500 you could get a pretty nice one.

I agree that a good manual would be a resource, but as we all know, real mechanics don't need manuals.:)

Okay, here's another question: how common are bikes with quick detaching front wheels? I've got a '99 Acura Integra GSR hatchback, that I can fold the seats down in, but it might be close.

i dont know much about bike mechanics to put one together..

i love cars but im not going to drive one that i put together. :D

if you got the motivation and time do to it then go for it...best of luck.

I'm interested in building it myself because I get a tremendous amount of joy out of building things, especially things that work noticeibly better if you build them better. That's really my only reason.

I was told that, for some bikes anyway, they arrive at a bike dealer unassembled and someone from the bike manufacturer comes and assembles it in the store, or someone from the store builds it. That's what I'm after, a regular 'ol bike that no one's built yet. A box of parts, and a manual, etc.

Also, "hard tail" means no rear suspension, but most likely front suspension, right? How different is the comfort level?

Do such things exist?

It is a novel idea to learn how to put a bike together. It's a lot of fun too. I built up a BMX when I was about 14, and rebuilt an old, Made in Nottingham, England, Raleigh 10-speed by the time I was 17 -- damn cranks had cotter pins!

I don't doubt your potential mechanical intuition and enthusiam. My only concern is that with the complexity of today's bikes, one often has to invest in specialty tools which is really going to escalate costs.

You should just be aware of the potential pitfalls.

I would take the advice of Mtn Mike and consider starting by refurbishing an old bike. Besides, you'll learn a lot just by fixing and troubleshooting as things go wrong with your bike.

You could always let the the bike shop do the portion of the build which requires special equipment (like wheel building, chain assembly), and do the rest yourself.

As for full-suspension vs. hardtail (with front suspension), I'm not going to lie. A good full-suspension XC (cross country) bike is more comfortable than its counterpart hardtail obviously. This is all relative. It would be much more noticeable if you test rode a full suspension right after a hardtail. If you're only riding a hardtail, and reasonably fit, you won't miss what you don't know.

I rode my hardtail all weekend (since my full suspension bike was in for repairs) and didn't miss my full suspension.

The real purpose of a full-suspension, however, is not comfort. It is traction, since the rear suspension will allow more constant contact with the ground. This is more of a concern if you're going to be riding in rough terrain.

For the type of riding you describe, a hardtail with front suspension fork, and an aftermarket suspension seatpost will work just as well. More importantly, at $500, you can get a pretty good entry-level hardtail with pretty good components. Compare this to $500 getting you a crappy full-suspension with crappy components.

To answer you last question. Yes, a typical XC mountain bike will fit inside an Acura hatchback with the rear seats folded down. You can pop off the front wheel if it has a quick release skewer (which are very common now).

Hey irq.

Would you describe your riding style as agressive or leisure? IOW, you stated you'll be riding on roads and dirt/grass, sidewalks, trails, etc. When riding off-road, will it be an agressive ride?

The reason I'm asking is if your off-road rides are more leisure oriented. (Like riding through the park) Then a "Comfort" bike may be more suited to your style.

A "Comfort" bike is a modified mtn bike. It puts the rider in a more upright position, usually has front suspension, AND a suspension seat post. The seat is bigger and more cushiony (is that a word?) and the stem is adjustable to vary the angle and verticle postion of the handlebar. Tires are still 26" diameter, but the Tire has a solid tread down the center and knobbies on the sides. This produces less rolling resistance on smooth ground, yet traction for cornering and when you ride "Off" the sidewalk.

Comfort bikes from most manufacturers start at just under $300. You can get them for about $250 w/o the front suspension. (Worth the extra $50 in my opinion).

A mountain bike (even entry level) will put the rider in a more forward and bent over position. It will most likely have front suspension, but NO suspension seatpost. The saddle (seat) is smaller (more narrow) and the stem is fixed. Tires are more of a FULL KNOBBY tire.

Almost any decent bike shop bike these days comes with linear pull brakes (significantly more powerful then older style brakes) with a quick release feature. Also, the front (and maybe rear) will come with a quick release for quickly removing the wheel.

As far as doing it yourself you will need some special tools. There is a tool kit with "average" quality tools available from www.nashbar.com There are all the tools you need for home repair, the quality is "not bad" and the cost is only like $40. As far as books. If you go to the "Bicycle Mechanics" forum here, there are chapters of Barnett's Manuals available to download. Or you can go to www.parktool.com and there is a "how to" section.

Good Luck.
L8R

My riding will almost completely be leisure. This "comfort bike" you describe sounds interesting. Any recommendations on a comfort bike brand/model with a quick release?

I bought a comfort bike, a Gary Fisher Nirvana, for my dad for fathers day for around $500 complete. It's a pretty nice ride for the price. It has 700c wheels (like a road bike) but has cyclocross style tires which are a little wider than road racing tires. It also has a front shock, and seatpost shock. The frame geometry is more toward the mountain bike end of the spectrum than roadbike end. It's a very versitile bike because it's lightweight, comfortable, 27 speeds, and can handle just about any reasonable terrain. (if you're into riding reasonable terrain). Still, IRQ, I think you might be happier on a used mountain bike than a comfort bike. OR, look into a cyclocross bike, which is a beefed up road bike, capable of going just about anywhere. Hmmm, so many choices, so little money and time.

P.S.: with few exceptions, all bikes sold today have quick releases hubs.

The quick release can be put on the wheels if you buy somehow a bike without- front is easy enough to do yourself- rear -I'd get LBS to do it-

There's only 1 brand IMO:

Another option that sounds similar to what someone else said earlier, is to get the nice bike already assembled (only from a bike shop-no dept. stores!!!) and perhaps pick up an "old ten speed" from a garage sale or thrift store, tear it down, clean it, regrease it, new cable it, and put it back together. Then maybe if you're lucky like me, you could get some money for it again. It would be a way to start without screwing anything detrimental up. (Not that I'm assuming you'd screw up.....sorry!)

Have fun!