Mountain Biking - Buying a new bike...

Hey, I'm new here. Anyways... my name is Stacey and I so want to buy a new bike. The bike that I have now is such a piece of ****... it's supposably a mountain bike, but how much ya wanna bet me that if I read the manual... it'll say that I should not ride this bike off-roads and such and such. Anyways, it's a Huffy bike and I absolutely hate them! Yeah, they're good for when you're younger, but not now when you're 15! They're horrible. Oh, and no offence to those people who adore Huffy bikes, but I don't. The brake pads are constantly hitting the wheel and there's ALWAYS something wrong when I come home from biking on the trails! Ugh! Anyways... I was looking around and well my friend has a Gary Fisher bike and those are sooo light weight. I was wondering if there are anymore good bikes out there... I know that there's Specialized and Gary Fisher, but do you have any suggestions? Oh and does anyone know how good K2 Bikes are?

Huffy bikes are not that bad, in fact my first bike was a huffy :D
Anyhow, I'd stick with Specalized (rockhopper or stumpjumper) or Gary Fisher (depends on your price range.) Personally I've never been a big fan of full suspension bikes, but if you like them then go for it. The biggest most important thing before you break out the cash for a new bike is to test ride every bike you can get your hands on. Find out what you like and dislike, find the right size and one that is comforatable. You can spend $3000 on a bike and it would be worthless if you didn't like how it rode or it was uncomfortable.

Anyhow visit your LBS and talk to them about what bikes they have, and like I said test ride before you make any decisions.

Good Luck :D

whats your price range?
What will you be using it for? XC/downhill/etc?

Yeah... well, I guess Huffy bikes aren't THAT bad, but once you've rode a Gary Fisher bike, you will come to think that it sucks cause it's sooo heavy. It's freaking oversized steel! I mean, yeah, I've had Huffy bikes all along, ever since my first bike, but that was when I didn't ride on trails and what not. Well... yeah, I was looking at Specialized bikes on their website and I've found some that I like, but does anyone know any good online bike dealers? Cause I know that the local bike shops around here are selling Specialized bikes for like $500+ and... yeah, that's just too much for me. I know that Gary Fisher bikes are like MAD expensive, but I'm not sure if I'll be going for that considering that I'm preeeetty broke in the money department.

Well, I ride trails mostly. I do ride the street sometimes too, but I know that I don't want like a regular street bike, with the thin tires. So I was thinking maybe an all-terrain bike? Do you think that'll be good for when I go on the trails cause the trails that I go on have huge, loose rocks all over the place so it's kinda hard to maneuver and if you lose your tracking, then you're screwed... For the most part I just don't want a heavy bike...

Ok, what's up with the suspension stuff? I have a full suspension bike... can anyone tell me what the suspension stuff actually does? Thanks!

Suspension softens the impact of bumps. Full suspension is a mixed blessing, it takes strain off your back, but bobs during climbs, unless you have the big bucks to buy something like a Specialzed FSR or Giant NRS. The only bike for under 500 I can think of is the Specialized Hardrocks, they aren't bad for first bikes. Cycling is an expensive hobby. I've been serious about cycling for almost two years now and I'm just now getting to the point where I don't really need anything, I just want stuff.

Here are soe pics of the HardRocks...

And

This one is the better of the two. The blue one is 360 and this one is 470

Your price range limits what you can get. For 500 bucks there arent alot of bikes that you can get with good components. I would suggest going to your bike shop and see if they have any bikes sitting around from last year that you could get a good deal on.

Klein has a good point.

Aaah damnation. I wish I was rich! Well... I mean, a $300+ bike is all right. As long as it's under $500. You know... if I were rich... I wouldn't be having a problem with this, but considering I'm not, I am!! Darn! Anyways... ummm... well, you can't buy bikes like directly from the Specialized company can ya? I actually have to go to a dealer and buy it there and they're usually higher than what it says on the website... hmm that's a problem. Well, hopefully I'll get something good...

Ok... I was wondering. Are the frames made outta aluminum better than steel? Cause I read somewhere that steel is a lot cheaper and it's easier to work with, but it's a lot heavier... is that right? Yeah cause that would explain why my bike is such a bear to go up hills with. Connecticut is such a hilly area!

Ok, I was thinking about just getting front suspensions... would that be sufficient on rocky trails?

Actually shops are usually cheaper than what the website says. The website gives you MSRP, the shop has to be competitive. Aluminum is neither better or worse than steel, they are different materials with different perks. Some like Al, some like steel.


On a different but serious note,
At bikeforums we like to keeps the boards professional, polite, and acceptable to people of all backrounds. Some people are offended by swearing, so I must ask you to please refrain from using swear words.

Id recomend a hard-tail bike. Full suspension will ride easier over bumps, but you wont learn how to ride as well. Not so long ago, everybody used to ride off-road without any suspension.

Specialised stumpjumper is a great first bike for serious off road riding. Jamis also make some good value highly recomended models. For $4-500 you should find a bike capable of serious offroad. It may have heavier components than a $800 model, but it will ride well. The best upgrade you can make is get tyres suitable for your riding surfaces.

Steel and Al come in all grades of quality. You can get lightweight steel bikes , but they are expensive. In the mid range, most bikes are Al becasue its cheap to manufacture and works well.

The most important factor in your bike is that it fits you well. How tall are you?
You need a bike with sufficient standover height and the correct length from saddle to bars, so you are riding comfortably. Also watch out that they haven't fitted cranks for a 6'6" guy with huge legs.

looks like Fubar is taking his moderating duties a little too seriously:) Damnation isnt really a swear word!:D

Originally posted by KleinMp99
looks like Fubar is taking his moderating duties a little too seriously:) Damnation isnt really a swear word!:D


What are you talking about? He didn't say damnation.

Staceulles, if you really do not have a lot of money to spend, you might want to look into some used bikes. Buying a used bike doesn't mean you will get junk, a lot of "hard core" riders don't keep their bikes that long, (until they get news ones) if you find a used bike with a good last owner, it could be like buying new at 1/3 of the cost.

as for Steel vs Al

Steel: Pros; stronger, stiffer, not liable to crack as easily, if does crack not quite as bad as al. Cons; can rust, is heavier by a little bit.

Al: Pros; lighter, some say more repsonsive Cons: cracking but this seems to be in rare cases.

I have a Steel MTB, it's a good old GT all terra, served me well over rough terrian. there is minor rusting, and the sucker is heavy compared to an Al frame. In either case there are downsides to each metal type, but if you want a light weight bike you may want to consider Al.

oh ya one more thing, I think you can order straight from Specialized (http://www.specializedbike.com) but make sure you know what size you need before you buy... i.e. go to a LBS and find a comfortable size.


Aaah damnation. I wish I was rich!
see he did say damnation ;)

Its probably better to buy the bike from a good local bike shop. You will need them for repairs maintainace and advice. You can also test ride the bikes.

The bike will need a tune up after a few weeks. and if anything goes wrong , good ones will help you. Find one that treats you well.

well fubar, stacey is a she, and I dont find any other post by her that has a swear word other then damnation unless your talking about the first post which is **'d out

Originally posted by KleinMp99
well fubar, stacey is a she, and I dont find any other post by her that has a swear word other then damnation unless your talking about the first post which is **'d out


Maybe there are details you don't know?

Oh man, I didn't know that this whole thing was gonna cause such a commotion! Yeah, ok, sorry for cursing, I'll try to keep that on a minimum! Anyways... hahaa, I was just about to mention that I am a girl and not a guy... but thanks to Klein for mentioning that! I appreciate it. Yep, and my name is Stacey... you guys can call me that or just Staceulles would be cool too. My friends gave me that nickname... so I go by that too.

Um... ok, I'm kinda confused. The sizes on the Specialized site go up to 23... and well, ok, this is probably gonna sound so amateurly dumb, but I think that my bike is a size 24... or 26. Umm... yeah. Sooo... can anybody else help me out with the sizing of my bike and which size I should get? I'm 5'6"... and I think that I have pretty long legs, but not EXTREMELY long legs. You know?

All right, aluminum vs. steel. Ok... so far, I've gotten the fact that steel is cheaper and heavier. I guess people say not by much... but uh, I tend to differ because I tried my friend's Gary Fisher bike, which is an aluminum frame, and that sucker is light as anything! I suppose that it's good to have a steel bike and it being heavier gives you a more work out... but it's not very pleasant when you're going up a hill! All right, you guys said that aluminum tends to crack, but in rare situations? Well, what kind of situations would that be in? Cause I don't want to have it cracking on me while I'm on the trails cause these trails are pretty hardcore... There are a lot of rocks and definitely a lot of bumps and bouncin around. And there's the occassional situation where you just get launched off of your bike while your bike goes the opposite direction that you're in...

Oh and do any of you know any other brand of bikes that's good besides Specialized? Cause I know that Jeep and Trek are really expensive bikes!

-Stace

Aluminum will only crack for a few reasons,

1. there is something wrong with the frame

2. You bought a cross-country(XC) bike and are doing drops and gap jumps

3. it is old


Steel can be light, but to get a ligth steel frame it is expensive.

23 referrs to the stand over height, the 26 you are thinking of is probably the wheel size. You should have a good two inches of stand over height(disance between top tube and your crotch) if you are doing off-roading, three to four would be better for tough trails.

Gary Fisher makes really nice bikes, I have one myslef. Check out the Gary Fisher Marlin, it has good specs and is real light.

In my experience, cracked aluminum frames aren't exactly rare. I'm 1 for 1 in that department. Specialized changed their warranty from lifetime to 5 years on aluminum frames for this very reason.

I am a little heavy at 220 pounds, but my bike only seriously hit the trails about a dozen times in 7 years, no excuse for cracks after that much use. I think my cracks are due to a combination of factors:
1) definitely flaws in manufacturing
2) I didn't ride it much, but when I did i hit some pretty hardcore trails
3) when I lived in Michigan I did ride it in on-road occasionally in the winter, probably didn't help
4) as I said, I'm a little on the heavy side

I'm now looking for a quality steel hardtail replacment frame. While I can see some advantages in the stiffness of Aluminum, comfort isn't one of them. I agree that it's hard to find a good inexpensive steel frame these days, just about everything entry level is Aluminum. If you're young you probably won't mind the beating.

As far as what manufacturer to go with; you get what you pay for. Most manufacturers make pretty decent high end bikes and more affordable bikes. The deciding factor should be what kind of deal you can get. Shimano makes a whole series of component groups, from cheapest to most expensive it's something like Alvio, Deore, DX,LX,XT,XTR. Compare frame materials and components to determine which is the best deal. Pay particular attention to bikes that may have, say, a nice rear derailleur and a cheaper front or other things you might not catch at first glance. DO NOT buy a bike because our friend has XX and it's supposed to be a good bike, you'll for sure pay more money that way. Shop around, compare prices, and take your time.

Hmm... well thanks for helping me on the whole steel vs. aluminum issue guys! I really appreciate it. Whoa, I knew I could count on you guys! Ha. Well, I mean... I think that I might go with an aluminum frame if I find a decent priced bike. After all, I am a teenager, without a job, and still living off of my parents so yeah. I'm sure that if REALLY wanted a new bike... my parents will agree to pay half of it for like my birthday present or something. Then I'd have to pay the other half... but yeah. It's one of those sneaky parent deals. Well... I don't know... all I know is that I want a durable, good quality, light bike. I'll try to shop around, see what I can find. I mean... all of those situations that you guys explained about the cracks in your frames... it kinda sounds like it was taking a MAJOR beating. See, I go on hard trails and stuff like that, but I don't think I'll be jumping gaps and taking on hard landings... Then again who knows what can happen in these few months! So yeah... And plus there's always a warrant! Hopefully...

All right... so where do you guys live? Do you know of any really good trails? I live in Connecticut so chances are... you guys don't live near me and the really good trails would be like MILES away.

I'm from RI, your little neighbor to the east. I guess it would be pretty far out of the way if you live in western CT but if you live in eastern CT I recommend Bluff Point. It's in Groton and has lots of smoother trails to get you started, and plenty of technical side trails. Plus you can ride down to the ocean which is kind of cool. Shoot me a PM or an email if you need directions

Me and Klein still live at home and are dependant on our parents.....Cycling is coolest hobby in the world, yeah it's expensive but it is worth it!!! There's gotta be some kind of job you can get around town to support your cycling! I do auto detailing with a buddy of mine, I only get 5 bucks an hour, but it's enough to get new bike parts or attire! I used to baby sit, and dude, there's money in baby sitting.

Staceulles,

You've just seen the tip of the iceburg if you're only looking at bikes from Specialized and Gary Fisher. There are sooooo many others out there.

Here's just a few! TREK, CANNONDALE, KONA, GIANT, K2,(YES THEY'RE GOOD!), JAMIS, ROCKY MOUNTAIN, KLEIN, HARO, DIAMOND BACK, .....the list goes on. That only includes a few of the big companies, there is a whole host of smaller builder and custom companies, and then there are a whole bunch of companies from other countries who are hitting the US market hard. Like companies from Canada and Austrailia and of course Europe.

For you and your price range, I'd stick with an aluminum frame and just front suspension. (Although Jamis makes a sweet steel frame). If you get into riding and get serious, then you can save your pennies for a better bike or even full suspension. Most of the companies I've listed (and many I've forgotten) will have a bike in your price range.

The bike sizes will differ from company to company and will measure in either S,M, L or XL or will use the numerical equivalent of 14", 16" 18" and 20", heck to further add confusion, some companies measure their bikes in odd sizes like 13.5" or even metric like 48cm (although metric is primarily used for road bikes). This designates the measurement from the center of the bottom bracket (where the cranks are!) to the center (or top) of the top-tube (the horizontal tube attaching the seat tube to the head tube (steerer tube!).

The critical measurement is your inseam. This will put you close to the right size frame, and then you must check for standover clearance as mentioned above. Then you've got to have a comfortable reach (adjusted by changing the length of the stem (the thing the handlebars attach to)). Then you've got to go for a test ride! Might I suggest several test rides of as many different bikes and sized as you can! Some even 2 or 3 times on different days with other test rides in between. It'll take some time, but you want to make certain you get it right!

I hope this helps and good luck. Oh yeah, Welcome to the Forums!

L8R

Oh man... yeah, I really do need to get a job this summer. I am planning on getting a job, it's just thinking of a job that will hire me. See, I have no problem with working cause I want to work this summer, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to get a job. First of all, I'm only gonna be working during the summer... and for like half of the summer I'm doing softball. I know that I can handle working and playing softball and going to the games at the same time, but see the thing is, is that I can't have my job calling me at home, asking me to come in and work cause I can't do that. I also won't be able to work nights or anything like that because of my games. Put it this way, I'm not going to be able to work like anywhere past 3 PM cause I've got practices and games. It really sucks, and yeah, I know that I can get an AM job... but I don't think that jobs will accomodate to my schedule... you know? Maybe I'm wrong, but at least that's the assumption that I'm going by. So I was thinking about working at the local Dairy Queen... cause I can bike down there, but they only need like 2 people to work that... and they probably already have people. I don't know... I'll check out my job options though. Oh and dude, my town is preeeetty small. NOTHING happens here! There aren't that many places to work except like the mall... and I'm not up for that, but I suppose if I had to, I'd work there cause a job is a job... Sooo Fubar, where are you and Klein from? Age, location?

Thanks a2psyklnut! I really appreciate all of the other brands of bikes. See, I really like to ride and go on the trails and stuff like that, but I'm not really an expert on the field or anything. See, I just started biking this summer... and so yeah. I'm definitely looking into getting a new bike cause I don't really like mine. If you haven't heard already, it's a Huffy bike, and no offence to those Huffy fans out there, but I don't particulary like Huffy bikes. It's either that or Huffy bikes just don't like me. I swear, they have it in for me! I mean, EVERYTIME I come back from riding, the brake pads are ALWAYS hitting the tire. They're not supposed to do that! Or are they? Hahaa! But yeah, there's always something wrong and yeah... that just needs to stop! I don't know if bike shops around here will let me test their bikes out... but I don't know, Ct is weird. I've never really been to a bike shop. Soo... I'm thinking that buying a bike online isn't a good thing huh? Oh well, I suppose I will browse the net and then see if there are any dealers near me. Sounds good... Man, I gotta go and do my science lab report now... eh, not before I check out some more bikes! Ha, c-ya guys later!

I'm 18, from Baton Rouge, living in SC.

Staceulles, dont be afraid to dis huffy bikes here, I'm sure that nobody likes them:D

Staceulles,

We recently bought new bikes for about $400. I can say with all the research I did, I liked the Giant Yukon the best. That is what my husband got, but the frame was too big for me (the smallest one) so I got the Trek 4500 which is a better fit. I also liked this bike. There are Gary Fisher's, Treks, Giants, Specialized and Fuji all in that price range and even under that price range. Some were on sale or had different brand components. You need to go to a bike store and get fitted to your proper size (you can't tell unless you sit over it) and then test ride it. Go to a few stores and do this before making your decision. It sounds like coming from a Huffy, you would be happy with some of the lower models of these brands even around $250. They would be a definite upgrade to what you are riding. Decide how much you want to spend and go test riding!

http://home.cfl.rr.com/xta/gifs/mybikesm.jpg
http://home.cfl.rr.com/xta/gifs/bobbikesm.jpg


Good luck!

-xta

Oh man! I'm so jealous of your bikes! They look so awesome and I bet that they ride awesome too! Oh man, I'm just gonna have to get a job this summer. I'm planning on it, but hopefully I do!! I so have to take a picture of my bike! Ok, I have like 3 pictures left in my camera so I'll take a picture of it and then upload it to the site. It's gonna be absolutely hilarious because oh man, my bike is like sooo bad. It's soo crappy! If anyone stole that thing... umm... they wouldn't be getting too far cause every once in awhile, my bike likes to revolt and the brakes will just lock up. I swear, Huffy has it in for me! My bike doesn't look beat up or anything... but then again, it doesn't look as "pretty" as the Specialized or the Giants. It's great... can't wait to show you guys!

May I make a suggestion to check out your LBS (local bike shop), from the sound of the condition of your Huffy and your inexperience in the repair of said hunk o' junk, I would get your next bike at a shop and get to know the repair guys so they can keep your bike in tip top condition.

Heck, you might see if they need help around the shop for the summer. You could clean bikes, clean the store, put tags on the bikes, learn how to repair flats, and other minor repairs....etc. You might be able to work out a deal where you work for credit at the store! Ah, the best of both worlds!

Good Luck and L8R

Ha, yeah, I'll try to see what my local bike shop is doing. I don't know if they're hiring or not, but I'm going for an interview at Dairy Queen this Saturday! Woo!!

Look for a deal on a Fisher Tassajara. They normally retail for $600 but you may be able to find one for $500. Good frame, fork and components. Great bike for getting into a serious off roader.

hehe I worked at a dairy queen... was my first job in fact :D

My first job was at Twistee Treat (a rival)... the big ice cream cone buildings you see (at leat in FL). Anyway they went out of business but there are still some CONES left around that are owned by individuals. That was a great first job (good thing I was skinny though because I ate ALOT of icecream everyday) Some of the other girls I worked with would have been better off not working there ;-)

-xta

Hahaa oh man! Never knew that bringing up working at Dairy Queen would arouse so much discussion! Ha, that's awesome that you guys worked at ice cream places too. Well, ok here's the deal! It won't matter if I eat icecream all the time, while I work, because I'll be biking to and from work all the time. That's about 12 miles just because of going to work, not including biking on the trails in my sparetime... eh! Hahaa, I suppose that even biking won't keep all of the weight off, but the rest is for metabolism, right? Hahaa! Well, I think I'm gonna go for like an interview tomorrow. Or at least I'm going to see the guy tomorrow because tomorrow is like the opening day. Wish me luck! It's either that or the videostore across the street from it. Hey still good!

Look at the Diamonback Topanga ($400.00)

Ha, thanks Duffy. Yeah... to let ya guys know, I failed tremendously. I was too lazy to get my butt up and go to Dairy Queen, but I will sometime!

I mowed yards for a year....Man that was tough work. I was in Mississippi when I was mowing, and everyday it was stinkin hot and stinkin humid.

Aw jeez, humidity! That's horrible. I hate the humidity. It's a pain in the butt! Aaah, well I'll get a job. You just wait and see! Right now... I'm kind of crippled because I had softball tryouts all week and... my legs hurt. Yeah... that's about it. Well... hmmm I think I'm gonna go to bed now. I'm tired. C-ya later! GET TO CLASS!

Why can't people swear here ? like just saying damn bike is not a bad thing.
I'm 12 so I guess I won't be doing alot of it but sometimes there is no choice and you have to...

Kids at school swear way worse than saying damnation. That's pretty mild.

But I understand that people shouldn't be rude to each other here. It's not too cool to swear at people or insult them just for what they say.

Reece