Mountain Biking - What mounatin bike should i get, Trek, Kona, specialized?

hey i'm a n00b mountain biker and i need some help deciding what bike company to buy from.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=51382

Read this and then ask.

L8R

lol, well said, i read that other thread, i go 1000 dollar price range

Gary Fisher is worth looking at. Love my Big Sur.

www.fisherbikes.com

Man, for $1,000 you open up a lot more options. Do you want full suspension or stick with a hardtail. The $1,000 mark is usually the benchmark for my recommending a full suspension bike. Under that and the quality and performance is below par. You'd be better off with a Hardtail.

What type of riding do you intend to do? XC, FR, DJ?

L8R

I still think at $1,000 a hardtail is the way to go. You are talking a higher end 24lbs hardtail vs. a bottom of the line 32lbs F/S in most product lines at the 1,000$ mark.

thanks guys, i want a full suspension bike

hey i'm a n00b mountain biker and i need some help deciding what bike company to buy from.

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I like K2 & Haro....

I paid $940 for my '04 Haro Extreme X2.... Front fork sux, but I'm fixing that w/ a air pre-load adaptor kit from Marzocchi.... I'm into DH & XC BTW

thanks guys, i want a full suspension bike

Please tell us the type of riding. Seriously it makes a big difference.

Just for pure preference I would take Kona or Specialized any day of the decade before I touch a trek.

get a kona

I love my Spec, and have to recomend them.

thanks guys, i want a full suspension bike

The fact is there are a lot of great companies out there to choose from. Most everyone is going to recommend the bike they ride. Ride as many bikes as you can and get the one that fits you best and suits the kind of riding you do.

If you are truly a “noob” at mountain biking, you may be making a mistake at ruling out hardtails. How did you come to the decision that you only wanted a full suspension bike?
Deciding on what kind of bike to get is just as important as what company to buy from.

thanks guys, i want a full suspension bike


Heres a quick pros/cons list:



Hardtail: Lighter, faster on smooth terrain, climb better, less to break, more responsive, more bang-for-buck, better acceleration, will train you in chosing the fastest line down a trail. Not forgiving of poor technique/line choice (however this will train you and make you a better rider)



Full-suspension: Faster on rough terrain, will take descents faster, allows you to be more sloppy with line choice, more forgiving of poor technique, allows more advanced riders to be more agressive on rougher terrain, no "tail-jumping" over roots. Less effecient due to pedal-bob (which is present in any full-suspension, whether or not its very noticable) and theres more to go wrong with the bike.

Hardtails are the best first bikes. They teach you what you need to do, pick lines and genral skills.

If you can do the knarliest line down a hill on a hardtail, imagine how fast you could do it on a dualie, if you get your skills up.