sced

My son, 6'1" 220 lb, wants to buy a MTB and asked me to help him find one. We'd appreciate recommendations for an online purchase in the $500-$700 range. We are roadies with very good mechanical/do-it-yourself skills and have purchased road bikes from Randell Scott, BikesDirect, and Ebay with good success. Thanks!

bigm141414

Motobecane Fantom Trail from bikes direct. $595 and not a bad deal.

sced

What are the relative merits of a hardtail vs. full suspension? I have read that the HT is lighter and appears to be relatively less expensive, but the full suspension is easier on the body on longer rides.

Spawne32

easier on the body? easier on the ass yes, but harder to pedal so ive heard.

JonathanGennick 

You pretty much have it: full suspension makes for a more comfortable ride. It allows you to blast through rocky and rooty sections of trail more quickly and easily. I also find that it aids in traction, especially on climbs, by helping keep the rear wheel planted better.

Where I live there are lots of sandy trails, and full suspension isn't that huge of a deal. Drive an hour west though, and the geology changes, and you get hard-packed soil with lots of rocks and roots. Full suspension is really nice to have then.

One thing to keep in mind is that full suspension adds to maintenance costs. There are service intervals specified for shocks and forks. I spent a couple hundred dollars this year getting the shocks and forks on two of my full suspension bikes serviced for the season.

In your price range, I would lean heavily towards a hardtail. There is the Giant Yukon FX full suspension bike, which I believe sells for around $900. But otherwise, I can't think of a full suspension bike to recommend that is even close to your price range.

One online source that's not been mentioned so far is ibexbikes.com. I have never personally ridden one of their bikes -- I did see one once -- so I cannot make a recommendation either way. Some people are happy w/them though. (You can visit forums.mtbr.com, and navigate to the manufacturer-specific forum for IBEX if you want to learn more).

sced

$500 700 HT = https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...cane_700HT.htm
$600 Fantom Trail = https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...om_trail08.htm

Is the more expensive one worth the extra $100 and would it be as durable for a 220 lb rider? Thanks.

Edit> or
https://www.rscycle.com/2008-Iron-Hor...category=35695

mzeffex 

Really the cheaper one is better. Better RD, better fork.. and yes it will hold your weight.

The iron horse is comparable with the fantom, but I would go for the 700ht

td.tony

I thought the dart 3 fork was better than the dart 2? isn't it?

-_RebelRidin'_-

It... technically is.

But, either way the Dart is still looked at as a lower end fork.
its an improvement over the SR Suntour POS though.

td.tony

sorry to hijack but..
my LBS can give me an 09' rockhopper comp disc for $750 out the door. Should I get that, or the fantom trail for $600. All I know is that they are the same fork, don't know how any of the other components stack up but I know the fantom trail is a 9-spd while the rockhopper is an 8-spd.

Does the rockhopper have anything special that the fantom trail doesn't offer?

or maybe I should just shell out $50 more for the Fantom HT COMP?

95% of the riding would be on recreational trails, probably only 1-3 XC races a year.

sced

Hmmmm. This article:
https://www.mountain-bike-world.com/2...ain-bikes.html

indicates that for big guys a 29er offers some of the benefits of full suspension without the cost and complexity. BikesDirect has:

$600 Motobecane Fantom 29 = https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...antom29_08.htm

Anybody recommend a 29er?

edit: just saw that PerformanceBike is offering 10% off 2009 bikes plus (I think) another 15% off till Sunday.

kenhill3

OP-

Add this to the mix, Jamis Dakota Sport '08 from Jenson, $699 plus shipping:

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...px?sc=EM061009

ed 

I don't know man...I may be more inclined to roll on an SR Duro D than a Dart. Both are evil though.

td.tony

yeah thats a good deal too, but with $40 shipping and about $60 for tax, it's about $800. Still, I'm thinking of getting that one too since its a Jamis and I like the way the word "Jamis" sounds.

mzeffex 

Thats a nice jamis, actually. Tora, Deore xt, hydraulic brakes. If you can go that high money wise, go for it.

jimx200

The Iron Horse has a much better shock than either of the Bikesdirect...Tora vs. Dart, the IH has Shimano Hydros vs. the tektro hydros or theAvid BB5 mechinicals...I'm a fan of Avid if mechinical, but not Tektro brakes, especially their hydros. At least with RS Cycle you will be able to talk to a person who actually rides their products via 800 number and RS would seem to be much better than BD for any problems..don't think BD even has a 800 number. Fwi...there are threads here about BD bikes with paint flaking off...not sure if these were road bikes, mt bkes, or both.

ed 

IH went tits-up.

jimx200

You are correct chel...however, I would have no prob with buying a IH as the chance of a frame breaking is pretty small. Components would be covered by the various mfg's I'm thinking. Not a fan of Darts..nephew has one on his bike and it's squishy as hell (we are both over 200lbs). Have Tora on the GT...nice shock..especially for the $$ at Pricepoint.

td.tony

whoa, there's free shipping on that iron horse... I also think there might not be any tax on it, looking at my subtotal it only shows $599.95 as my total... That's a lot cheaper than the $699 jamis with tax and shipping fees totaling $800.

BUT, the Jamis from Jensonusa comes with a free pro build, while from rscycles it costs $60. What exactly do they do during a pro build?? Is it worth it? Or will I still have to take the bike to a bike shop anyhow even if I order the pro build?? I also have a friend who has all the tools and can probably help me build the bike up completely unless there is anything in particular that needs to be done by a bike shop?