Mountain Biking - MB Brands, whats recommended?

Hi,

Im new to this forum and kind of new to the Mountain biking. I was hoping some of you guys can suggest some very respectable brands of Mountain Bikes that provide good quality and you would recommend. I searched a little on the net and found many manufacturers so i was hoping you guys can narrow it down to a few really good manufactures. I have heard of manufactures such as GT, Giant, Specialized and Avanti but not sure about how good their bikes are.

Im looking for a MB that i can ride on road and off road, i would prefer disc brackes. Maybe a Hardtail but im not sure. Im happy to buy new or used. My budget is up to $800 and below.

Any suggestions to my questions would be great. I appologise in advance, as im sure you get these questions all the time.

Thanks guys/gals.

You cant go wrong with a Specialized or Kona, both excellent brands, and a few good bikes under $800... Then you have Trek, Giant and many other makes but those are the main brands i think...

$800... Hmm, it depends on how much you weigh and stuff, if your a big guy, you'll need a mroe heavy duty bike like a Kona Hoos (out of price range though i think) But if your a light rider, there is the Specialized hardrock, Rockhopper and for Kona theres the Cindercone.... All are hardtails, you wont find a decent FS rig for under $1000, but for $500 you can get a decent hardtail :)

Just a quick point - Mountain Biking is shortened to MTB.

GT, Kona and Specialized are all good makes, as is Giant and Trek. It really depends if you are looking for a specific style of bike or not (i.e. DH, FR, DJ, XC, Road) or just a bike that can be used off road.

I like Trek and Ironhorse. Trek has a large variety of bikes, with a large range of prices. I don't think I'd ever buy a trek full suspension bike tho, other companies make better full suspension bikes. A good Jirt jumping bike from Trek would be a Bruiser 2, it has disc brakes and beefy tires. I think Ironhorse bikes look pretty good too, and from what I've seen on the chain reaction movies, they hold up well. If your just up for a regular hardtail, look at the trek 4500. Its got disc brakes and is perfect for a new mtb Rider. um... I wouldn't go with a GT bike, all of the people I know with Gt bikes have A LOT of problems with them. Norco seem pretty good too. Just look around, find one that you like and that suits you, and go with it.

Stick with a hardtail, get a full later when your skills are honed and you have twice as much $.
I'd look into 5-600$ bikes and possibly have the floor-room shock switched out @ the lbs - (often the 'packaged' bikes have entry level shocks.)

Go a bit below your budget -you need a helmet, bike multi-tool...maybe some gloves.

Some companies to look into:

Kona
Specialized
Trek
Norco
Davinci
Brodie

Go for companies who specifically were mtb builders first.
Ride as many frame geometries you can.

why does nobody talks about fisher bikes? are they that bad or what? they seeem pretty good for me?

For me, they don't offer any bikes I like. And the genesis geometry feels like crap. I think GF is one of those brands that is pretty unique in how they feel so either you love them or hate them

Giant all the way.

I have had really good luck from my specialized hardrock comp, disc. It was under $500. Not the best components, but a great entry level hardtail.

I'm a huge fan of Specialized. I have always liked their bikes, then I worked in a shop that was an S dealer. I became even more impressed with their customer service. They back their product. Trek, Giant, Fisher, and Specialized all offer a lot of the price range. Right now you might still be able to find some 2004 models at a good price. Here's a few links to check out:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?model=10772

http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9590&JServSessionIdroot=gzh2cl60df.j27006

http://www.mtbr.com

Mtbr.com has a lot of product reviews written by people who own the product. If you haven't been there yet, it's worth a look. Shop around and have a good time. Ride every single bike you think you might be interested too. Every brand has a different idea about bike geometry. Keep us updated.

knoa, specailized, or again, if you have the money, Santa Cruz.

i have a specialized 04 hardrock pro and i got it on sale(20% off) because they needed room for 05 models. $485 with the discount.

Howdy,
I've put my Kona Dawg-Deelux through hell and haven't broken anything yet. I ride the mountains of northern Utah so there is plenty of rocky DH and sandy climbs. The Dawg-Deelux is a bit more than $800.00 but I'm confident that other Kona bikes are of equally good quality.

M.R.

knoa, specailized, or again, if you have the money, Santa Cruz.

I agree with him. I have both Kona and Specialized bikes, and I'm happy with both of them, but my dream bike is a Santa Cruz that I can't afford.

For MTB I love Specialized.

For MTB I love Specialized.

me too :D

I have an 05 Hardrock Pro and love it. I got lucky and mine came with BB7 discs instead of the BB5's it's supposed to come with. Great deal at under $700 with tax and all. I also like the Kona Cinder Cone quite a bit in that price range.

i <3 my fisher. i use it for dirt jumping, trail riding, and general purposes--riding to store and school.