TrailMaster14

i'm not looking for the best bike i'm just looking for a cheap mountainbiking trial bike to see if i like it.

Roasted

Actually... Majority of the time 500 dollars will do the trick as far as getting a nice bike. I see absolutely no sense in spending more than 500 dollars for a mountain bike. But, I'm not exactly a 24/7 hardcore 10 foot drop competition olympic mountain biker either.

TrailMaster14

hey,roasted, do you think the mongoose will be ok for my first mountain bike

Roasted

I'm certainly not an expert as some other folks here on the forums, but it really depends what you plan to do with it. As others have said, a few easy rides would be fine. Now if you want to get a walmart mongoose and show up at the next local competition, you'll just die.

It's your call. In my opinion, you obviously have an interest in mountain biking if you are pursuing to buy a mountain bike. Now figure this... If you get this mountain bike, I would guess 9 chances out of 10 you'll continue to have an interest in mountain biking (considering you're already looking into it now). Now then you'll be there with a walmart mongoose that is extremely light duty, and now what? Well, now you gotta break the bank and upgrade to a nicer bike to handle the harder trails you plan to do.

Bottom line: I'd much rather get a very cheap bike from your local bike shop (like 250-350ish range) and do some continuous light duty riding than get the mongoose. But that's just my opinion. It's your money, do what you want!

TrailMaster14

thanks for your input, what about a schwinn, there's a couple of schwinn dealers in my area.

Roasted

I can't comment on those because I know absolutely nothing about them, but I've seen Schwinn in wal-mart the other day so I highly doubt Schwinn is on a different level from Mongoose.

What I'd suggest is just walk into your local bike shop with a clear mind and just look around. See what's in your price range and what would be practical for your needs. I would think you could find a Raleigh, Gary Fisher, Giant, or Trek somewhere in your range.

By the way, as far as funds go for the bike, how much are you willing to pay? Are you comfortable with spending 500 dollars or are you wanting to pay much less than that?

TrailMaster14

hey, my price is below 500 dollars, it would be higher but i'm 14 and am not old enough to get a job.

zx108

i would recommend either a rockhopper, one of the hardrocks, a trek 4500, or a kona fire mountain. they are all around 500.

TrailMaster14

how am i gonnaget 500 dollars, i only make 20 dollars a month on allowances

TrailMaster14

how am i gonnaget 500 dollars, i only make 20 dollars a month on allowances

willtsmith_nwi

Does any local shop carry Iron Horse.

Yes, there is a food chain in biking.

Department Store
Wally/Target/Toys-R-Us

to ...

Sports store
Sportmart/Dick's

to ...

Local Bike Shop


Mongoose falls into the middle category. But Iron Horse is a little higher quality. I've seen these at local sport stores. But you can also find them in local bikes shops as well as online.

Before resorting to Mongoose, check out Iron Horse. www.ironhorsebikes.com

Pariel

Iron Horses just started appearing at sports stores and the like in the past year or two. I was suprised-they used to be nigh-impossible to find where I live.

Raiyn

Paper route
Do I really need to repeat myself?

TrailMaster14

i didn't mean to repeat myself, my computer wasn't loading so i hit enter again and it double posted
What is the general price range on the ironhorses

bruiser2

I understand that you don't have 500, but how much exactly do you have to spend? BTW, 14 is legal working age but I understand it can be very difficult to find work. I'm 15 and nearly every place near me requires you to be 16 to work there. I have found my work cutting lawns for now. 40-50 a week for about 2 hours of work, not bad in my opinion.

TrailMaster14

well as of today i know make $120 a month mowing peoples yards, also what is the average price on these ironhorse bikes, i was looking at them and they all have tektro brakes, are these brakes any good or should i invest in some avid bb5 brakes, but i raelly need to know the average place that sells them is

Roasted

Trailmaster, I have a 2004 Giant Boulder SE. I'm 19 years old. When I got into this sport I didn't know exactly what I was doing, so I pretty much blindly bought a bike. I went to my local bike shop and checked out some of the stuff they had. At the time my budget was kind of low, I ended up spending 265 dollars on my Boulder SE.

Now, I don't mean to be an a*s... But there are a LOT of people on these forums who believe if you spend under 500 dollars on a bike, then you have a crappy bike. Well, my 265 dollar Boulder SE I have beat, crashed, and done countless other accidents to and it has held up great. It's a strong bike for what I paid, but just because I'm happy with it for my needs doesn't mean I'd trust going over a 10 foot jump on this bike... To be honest, I don't care what kind of bike I have I'd still not be comfortable going over a 10 foot jump on two wheels anyway! And the thing is is that all of the components on the bike (shifter, crank, fork, etc etc etc) is pretty much what I need. I don't compete, I don't plan to compete, I have no reason to spend more than what I did on this bike. The only modification I'm doing to the bike is a new set of rims (roughly 100 bucks) as well as front disc brake system (70).

What I'm trying to say is, don't walk into a bike shop under the assumption that if you don't spend 500 dollars, you're getting trash. I'm 19, I don't compete but I ride my bike hard, and it's done great. All for 265 dollars. Here's the bike I got. https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030...sp?model=11041

Just because I speak highly of this bike don't plan on getting just this. There are other great models out there too made by different companies. The best thing you can do is walk into a bike shop with an open mind and see what sticks out as far as function and price. Now, if you want to spend 500 dollars or more, by all means go ahead and bust out that wallet. I'm just trying to make a point across, I didn't spend that much and got more than I wanted.

TrailMaster14

hey, thanks for the tip, i think i might go wit a k2 zed2.0

Roasted

Just ride it before you buy it. I like to check bikes over too, I have a strong fear of unknowingly buying a bike with a big fricken crack in the frame underneath it for some reason, so I make sure to check out every inch.

TrailMaster14

it's not gonna be a used, it'll be brand new from rei

Roasted

Used bikes, new bikes, regardless of whether a 540 pound man has gone over 12 foot jumps on it or whether it has been sitting in a showroom floor for its entire life without a single scratch or smudge on it, I still make it a practice to check every inch of the bike.

What is REI by the way?

MidnightKiss

Its like an outdoors store. They sell everything from backpacking stuff to camping to biking skiing everything outdoors

Roasted

Does the REI stand for something? I've never heard of a store just called "REI," unless good old Amish Country Pennsylvania doesn't have anything like that. (then again besides the amish this area has nothing to offer anyway)

MidnightKiss

Recreational Equipment Inc.
https://www.rei.com/index.jsp

Roasted

Where are you from?

Even with my recent 600 mile trip down the east coast and back I have yet to see or even hear about one.