Hawkegirl

I'm far from an expert mountain biker. A over a decade ago a friend of mine and I would take our (city schwinn type) bicycles up into the mountains and bike like mad down them (we were young and dumb). Now I'm older and not much wiser, I'm getting hooked again. I've taken my "mountain" bike out off roading (I bought it about 10 years ago and I think the "mountain" part of the bike just meant bigger tires, it's a solid old fuji that weighs a ton), I studded some tires for biking on the ice (which was way too much fun) but now that there are bikes designed for this sort of thing, I'm inclined to try a bike with -suspension-! I have available a trek VRX that I'm going to get. I know *nothing* about this sort of bike. It's got hydraulic disk breaks which I want because I love mnt biking in the rain more then anything, I've heard to cut the rubber accordian thing off the front shocks (otherwise it just collects water). The rear shock ("x" suspension?) is out of "preassure", as I understand it I need to get a special pump for it that has less preassure then a regular tire pump? My main question is there a good resource recomended for learning more about this type of bicycle, and mountain biking with this sort of bicycle, and/or is there anyone out there that has this bike (or similar) that can give me any specifics on do's/don'ts?

Sorry to spam y'all with such newbie questions... This part of biking is totally forrign to me, and I want to learn more!

apclassic9

Lenard Zinn's Mountain Bike Maintenance manual is a great, basic book

Hawkegirl

Hey thanks! I like the "Zinn" and had completely forgotten he had a mountain bike book too.

[/me puts it on the queue for the next amazon order.]

mx_599

no need to cut the accordian unless you're submarining your bike. infact, i advise against it. it will not collect water. every once in awhile pull the fork boot up and blow out any dirt residue

oh yeah...just present your questions to the forum. that's how i learned all that i now know. even Gastro will vouch for how knowledgeable i am

Hawkegirl

Ah, interesting. Yes I was told it will collect water, and I do enjoy riding in the rain in the woods a good deal. I'll put more research into it, thanks for pointing that out!

jeff williams

I'd take the bike to your LBS (local bike store) and have it inspected before buying.
Find a lbs mechanic oriented, and\or sells mtb's.
My mech would do a through check and tweak the brakes\etc for 15$.
Good thing to have inspection of a used machine if you are not to savvy on new gear (i'm not).
If you know local mtb'ers, ask what shop is the best.

pinkrobe

Trek VRX? That bike is from 1999-2000. If you're spending more than $200 on that thing, you might want to consider taking a step back. I also have to disagree with keeping the rubber boot on the fork. They don't typically hold water, but they do have a tendency to collect dirt that would normally fall off and away. Any water or mud they might collect during a ride sits right on top of the main seal and may increase wear on the fork. If you look at single-crown forks from the major manufacturers, few forks [if any] have a rubber boot on them any more. I think the boot concept was finished by 2001.

mx_599

a competent fork boot will not collect mud inside. it will only protect your dust seals and put less stress on them. you can choose to have wads of mud, gravel, and grit flung onto your stanchion and abrasively swiped clean by your dust seal....or, you can leave a functioning rubber boot in place and most of that muck will:
1) bounce off
2) fall off once the "accordian" compresses

Jason222

If this looks remotely close to what the bike you plan on purchasing looks like, I HIGHLY advise you to NOT buy this bike. Go to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) and look at NEW mountain bikes. They've changed massively over the last 5 years.

Jason222

I'd recommend you look at the newer bikes. This bike isn't far from anyone's price range.

Jason222

The majority of new Mountain bikes don't come with those crappy accordian looking things, only cheap, worthless bikes do.

dminor 

You are getting some squirrely advice from people. The VRX was a very capable mountain bike. Frame styles have changed some, but the suspension design really has not - - the high-single-pivot...and the VRX did it pretty well. It's really a pretty good first suspension bike if you're getting it for not a lot of money. Go with what MX_599 said and don't cut the boots off the fork. The seals on those forks did not hold up to excessive amounts of crud - - the boots help. Do as Jeff_Williams suggested and take it in to a shop for a 'once-over' and you should be good to go. Welcome back to MTBing!

cryptid01

yup, that 'air boy got a mind like a steel trap.

phoebeisis

There is nothing wrong with that bike-make sure you don't pay more than ~$100-$150; and make sure that the tires-brake pads-cables are good.You can buy a good(original cost say $1000) used MTB bike on Ebay for maybe $300-don't spend the same on an entry level bike.
You can easily spend $100 on tires,brake pads and cables(with installation), so keep that in mind when buying this one.You can buy a decent functional new MTB bike-maybe a notch below your bike-for $250-$300.Yes it might be a dept store-sporting goods store bike,but it will be fully functional with new tires,brakes,cables etc.Decent tires and good brakes are the real essentials.
I would leave the fork gaiters on.There isn't any downside(other than getting caught and torn) to leaving them on.Now most low end suspension forks don't have any fork oil in them;I'm guessing the VTX does.They-cheap ones- don't have steel springs in them either-they have these little plastic lego like tubes that compress.Good forks have steel or air springs and suspension fluid(so you need good seals which the gaiters protect).Luck,Charlie

mx_599

hehe...nothing sneaks by you on this site. how are you so all-knowing? can i ever expect to be this good??

Hawkegirl

Why? What makes it not a good bike? (It looks similar, but is slightly different)

Hawkegirl

Thanks for the info. I work for bikes not bombs, and it came into the store last week. I would like to know what the folks who say it's not a good bike actually think is wrong with it. It is an older model, but I still think (with out being able to assess the shocks and disk brakes myself as I've no experience with those - yet) it seems like a decent bike - just from sitting on it, and tooting it around. It's a bit heaver then I would of hoped for, but if the suspension and breaks work (and if they don't I'll fix them) the frame is solid, etc, seems like a good place to start. Crud is my mountain biking middle name... so I'll leave the boots on for now. I -so- love riding through the trees in the rain/mud.

Hawkegirl

Can you be more specific about what would be wrong with it (other then being 5 years old)?

[I'd just like to know specifically what you're talking about so I can either assess that directly in the bike, or considder if it's something I would really need/want in a mountain bike right now.

Flak

Some people just think that mtn bikes were invented in the 21st century, thats all.

Jason222

Because it's not much better than a department store bike. The Y Framed bikes are terrible. The rear suspension on it is only going to make pedaling difficult. A hardtail is a much better choice.

leonardotmnt

Hawkegirl just curious but do you need a FS for sure where you're going to be riding? If not you might be better off going with a hardtail even if that bike is decent.

cryptid01

You are confused yet again. That is not a Y-bike. It is a single pivot.

phoebeisis

It is a decent bike-yes it will bob when you pedal,but so what?If it really bothers you turn the preload up and make it a "nearly" hardtail.
The only reservation is price.No point in paying $400 for a 7 year old MTB.At $150 or less it is an ok deal.
The hardtail vs rear suspension argument goes on.Hardtails are ,cheaper,lighter and they bob less(almost zero if they don't have a suspension fork-)-they are also less comfortable-they beat you up.
Newer full suspension bikes can be lighter and have a rear suspension with very little bob.They also have fancier forks-shocks-components.They also cost(new-$1000-$1500) 5-10X what this bike should cost.
You haven't mentioned what you are paying for this bike?I understand-"we" might sneer"wow,you paid that for that POS?" If it works for you don't worry about it.It is a fully functional MTB bike you can sell to someone else when you move up.Luck,Charlie
PS-the best deal is to buy a good quality used MTB bike-you can buy the hot ticket from 3-4 years ago for $400-$700.It would be a bike that went for $2000+ back then.You can get the NRS bikes with XT components for maybe $600-$700-they were $1500 a while back.You can get a Y carbon bike-simple rear suspension but very light( 25 lbs)-for $300.They were $2000 in 1999.A light bike is nice because you are constantly having to lug it here and there.2 years ago a Y-50 full 24 speed XTR components and a fancy Hawaiian paint job-24lbs-went for $500 on ebay-it would sell for maybe $350 now($2500 new 1998)

Hawkegirl

I feel like my 3 year old "why, why, why?", but uh... why is that? Could I compinsate for some of that with crank length? My joints are having a hard time with all the jostling, but I really don't want to give up off roading, so I'm looking to try suspension, and the front and rear like that -seems- like a good idea. But I'm totally open to understanding why it might not be if you wouldn't mind trying to explain it.

Thanks!

Hawkegirl

I don't know for sure. I have some joint issues in the first place, and am pregnant currently which is giving me even more joint issues. I'm not wanting to give up off roading if I can help it, but the jolts to the bones on the ice and dirt/stones is getting to me. My inclination is to try [lots of] suspension, and see if that helps....