z400jt

Hello everyone, I am looking to get into mountain biking and I have a few questions.

What is the best trail bike for under $500. I dont have a ton to spend on a super nice bike.

What are the pro's and con's of clip pedals, I've never ridden with them, when i raced BMX i used regular pedals.

What do I need?

where's a good place to shop online for parts and gear?

What are the best tires for colorado type terrain, more specifically the colorado springs area.

I'm sure I'll have more soon, but thats a good start for me i guess.

Thanks

bh357

The best bike is the one that you're comfortable on; that fits you. For around $500, the Gary Fisher Marlin (I own one), Trek 4500, Specialized Rockhopper are all solid choices.

Pro: Can make power on the full pedal stroke (pulling up along with pushing down). Feet stay attached to pedals over bumpy stuff.
Con: A bit of a learning curve; you WILL fall at some point due to the clipless pedals. Difficult to ride with regular shoes.
That said, I have clipless pedals (Eggbeaters) on all my bikes, and won't go back to platforms.

Need: HELMET, spare tube and/or patch kit, pump, water bottle/cage or hydration pack, some way (pack or bag) to carry patch kit, powerbars, etc..., small first aid kit. Also, tire levers may be necessary depending on your tires.
Nice to have: proper cycling shorts, wicking tee shirts, multitool, the list goes on...

I've ordered from Pricepoint and Blue Sky Cycling. Blue Sky Cycling was a bit slower in shipping.

Can't help you here. I'm still trying to figure out the best tires for Michigan type terrain .

slowandsteady

Front suspension, hard tail. But if you want more details post this in the mountain bike forum.

Also, I love www.speedgoat.com They have a huge selection and tons of MTB gear.

Clipless are probably the best single upgrade anyone can make for their bike. As others have mentioned, you will fall, but probably only at very very slow speeds and you won't get hurt. But if you MTB you are used to falling anyway. You feel connected to your bike, your pedal stroke is more efficient, and it forces you to get cycling shoes which are much more comfortable for cycling.

cyccommute 

Pump to pump up tires and a spare tube. You may need a pump for a shock, depending on the fork.

You may want to spend a little money at your local bike shop. They are good sources of local information and, for the little bit of extra money you pay for parts, they get to keep the lights on. If you don't know how to install new parts yourself, don't buy something on-line and then ask them to install it...that's just rude

For tires you want something that will work well on hard pack and/or decomposed granite (really large grain sand). There are lots of tires to choose from. I've had good luck with Panaracer Dart/Smoke (old school), Panaracer Fire XC Pro and Kenda Sticky E. I've heard that Hutchinson Pythons work well here also. I'm not a big fan of any of the Specialized tires that have come on my bikes. They don't seem to perform that well for our conditions.

slowandsteady

I agree with you there. I have only tried two different specialized tires, and they both were the worst I have ever used. One was for the MTB, slicks, and the other was for my road bike. They both were very loud and don't corner well. I have had luck with Contis(even really cheap ones) and Vredstein.