Mountain Biking - junk the mongoose junk or upgrade

hey can anybody help out a newbie. i raced bmx when i was younger and now after many years of drinking brews im getting into mountain biking. i have a mongoose sx 4.3. i know this bikes no good but right now i dont have money for a good bike on acount of kids. im into jumping, trails, and long distance runs, and im just starting out so in the future ill probably get into more hardcore stuff. id like a good bike with full suspension. should i trash the mongoose and wait until i can afford a good bike, or do you think the mongoose parts are worthy of a new frame and suspension and just keep upgrading the parts as i go along, this would be easier for me, but is it worth it. either way any and all suggestions will be apriciated. Thanks

and if it helps im not a little guy 6'1" 240lbs i'll need a bike that i wont brake in the rough stuff but isnt to heavy for long distance. thanks

I would either:

A)Scrap the mongoose now and get a nice bike.

or

B)Wait until you have more money and can afford a nicer bike.

Kona makes a line of bikes for larger riders, the Hoss and Hoss deelux I believe they are called. A member here (PWRDbyTRD) has one and he seems very pleased with it.

Edit: links

Hoss --> http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=101&parentid=182

Hoss deelux --> http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=102&parentid=182

BTW I know you asked for a FS bike but FS bikes don't start to get good until you get into the $1000+ range. I figured that since you kind of implied that a cheaper bike would be nice I would just suggest the hardtail.

i will check out the konas. i guess it wouldnt make sense to dump money into the mongoose, i'll try to set aside money, look for the right bike, and when i break the mongoose i'll make the purchace. Thanks

Those konas are definetly a good option. What sort of price range were you looking at? Because you can get some really nice hardtails for a cheaper price and as forum*rider said, you do need to spend that bit extra to get a decent fs.

i dont have much of a price range right now, but when work picks up i should be able to get around 1200.00 together. i would like to go with fs. if i cant get a good fs bike new i would consider used.
what about getting a fs frame and put my cheapy componants on it and slowly upgrade.

why do you only want full suspension?

You can get a better equipped hartail at the price you're looking at. Wspecially if you're "just starting out" starting out with full suspension creates large holes in the development of riding skill. You become dependant on the suspension to bail you out instead of learning how to ride the obstacle.

I'm still of the school of thought that you should start on a hardtail and build your skills, then move to FS. You can get a really nice HT for $1200 or an average FS for the same price. I'd go with the nice HT with nice components over the middle-of-the-pack FS with average components.

i hear you that a hard tail is better to start out with but if i get money together for a new bike i dont want to upgrade again in a year. i figured if i get the right bike now i would be happy with it for a while. maybe im wrong enlighten me.

That's our point... a hardtail is the "right bike now". It teaches you to develop riding skills as opposed to learning to use the suspension to bail you out. Plus, at that price range, you're going to get a lot higher-end components on a HT plus you're going to be losing a few lbs as well. You won't necessarily be upgrading in a year, either. You may decide that you love your hardtail and have no reason to upgrade to FS. There are quite a few members here that are that way.

cryo-my thought was i have to be careful with my purchaces i have 2 kids and mortgage and all that good stuff, but my wife is cool with me buying a decent bike so i can get into shape, she wont be cool with me buying a more epensive bike a year later. but if i buy an average fs i might end up upgrading anyway. so i see your point if i buy a hard tail i will learn more, and have a better bike for the money.thanks

i hear you that a hard tail is better to start out with but if i get money together for a new bike i dont want to upgrade again in a year. i figured if i get the right bike now i would be happy with it for a while. maybe im wrong enlighten me.
That's the beauty of it. With the better equipped bike you won't need to upgrade. Plus it takes more than a year to get the skills needed together. One other advantage is the fact that if you get a good enough bike you can simply get a FS frame and transfer the parts.

thanks alot im glad i posted here. didnt take long for you guys to change my mind.

Here's a good comparison of a $1200 HT vs a $1200 FS... I'm a Specialized fan myself, so I'll use their product line.
The Specialized Stumpjumper can be had for about $1200 retail (says $1300 MSRP).
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9709&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010

The Rockhopper Pro Disc is actually just over $1000 and has a nice component set, too. The frame isn't as nice as the Stumpjumper, though.
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9591&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010

Here's the FSR-XC, which is a decent full suspension XC bike.. $1100 MSRP. Same as the Rockhopper Pro Disc.
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9675&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010

Here's a good comparison of a $1200 HT vs a $1200 FS... I'm a Specialized fan myself, so I'll use their product line.
The Specialized Stumpjumper can be had for about $1200 retail (says $1300 MSRP).
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9709&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010

The Rockhopper Pro Disc is actually just over $1000 and has a nice component set, too. The frame isn't as nice as the Stumpjumper, though.
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9591&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010

Here's the FSR-XC, which is a decent full suspension XC bike.. $1100 MSRP. Same as the Rockhopper Pro Disc.
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9675&JServSessionIdroot=g6x5aiwgda.j27010


So the way this is ranked is the Stumper jumper first, then the rockhopper, followed by the FSR XC in this order?

I would say yes the stumper jumper should be your buy. IT has higher end components for close to the same price as the fsr-xc. It makes no sence to hvea a really nice high end full suspension frame matched with POS components

I would use the Mongoose for now until my skill level or severely broken bike demanded a better ride, all the while stashing dough away for the new bike.
Ride this season on the Goose and if you still have the BUG for this awesome sport purchase a healthy new ride, and if you ride alot this season your fitness/skill level will let you really take advantage of your new bike.