Help A Newbie Please?
 

I am about to buy a mountain bike and could use alittle bit of help. I am considering buying a used bike from a fellow worker that has one to sell. I am asking for a little bit of advise as to the bike and its' worth. It is a year 2000 Marin "Bear Valley" mountain bike in very good condition. It has the normal set of wheels/tires and an another set of "road type" tires/wheels for it. It has the "bar ends" that stick up from the ends of the handle bars and the "lay down" type handle bar attatchments that will allow you to lean way forward when riding resting on your forearms. Not sure what they are actually called. Also has a computer on it. It has three sprockets up front and nine sprockets at the rear for 27 speeds. This may not be the correct spelling for this but it has the Shimano "Devore" set up. He is asking $400.00 for the bike but since I am new to this sport/hobby I thought I would register here and see if I could get some help....Thanks in advance for any help given to me.....Don

Hmm, mtb with aero bars, interesting.

Just Google It.

I am not trying to be rude. I just find that this is a very funny site so go ahead and click the link. (you might need to add a four letter word into the address. ;) First of all welcome to the forums and glad you interested in riding. If you Google just about anything in this world you will find a pretty accurate answer.

I'm not giving this advice to be a snob but to be helpful. And BTW, when i googled it...........here is what i got.

Marin 2000 Bear Valley

$400 seems way overpriced for a 4-year-old Bear Valley considering you can get a brand new 2004 Bear Valley for $550 retail. (And that will probably come with 1 year free maintenance at your local bike shop).

http://www.marinbikes.com/html/spec_04_bear.html

Also, you'd want to make sure this used bike is the correct size for you. A bike shop will insure you get a proper fitting bike.

In general, I think the Bear Valley is an excellent choice. Nice steel frame and very good components for the price.

Drop that deal Dude... I almost bought a Wolf Ridge before my Haro, but that bike you speak of is way lower quality.... He/she is trying to rip U a new butthole.... Sorry to be so frank, but whatever....

Thanks guys for your input....Well, I just got back from our bike shop here in town..I am such an impulse buyer I can't believe it. I went there to ask some more questions about the Marin mountain bike and ended up bringing home a new Cannondale Road Warrior 800. I rode it around in their big parking lot for awhile and it sure felt like a nice bike to me (of course I am not at all experienced at knowing a good bike from bad but it did feel like a good bike). So I better change my question a little bit but of course it's too late now 'cause I already bought it...I hope I bought a good bike. Is the Cannondale Road Warrior 800 a good one? I hope...

Well, the Cannondale Road Warrior is not a MTB, it is more of a recreational Roadbike/Touring bike. But however the marin deal is a bit shady, good move by avoiding it.

I know what you are saying about it not being a mountain bike. My original idea was to buy a road bike because I plan on riding on hard surfaces only. My problem though was that a few years ago I had a pretty nasty water ski fall (crash) that messed up my neck bad. The road bikes would cause me to hold my head up when I would lean down over the bars and that position is terrible on my neck so I thought with a mountain bike I could be in a more upright position with my head held at least close to normal positioning. When I went to the bike shop and told them my problem they took me over to the road bike section and showed me this bike that was a combination that would be more like a road bike but with mountain bike handle bar and a little bit of suspension to help my neck out. I am hoping that I made the right choice....

It should be a good bike for the purpose.

Well, the bike feels good to you and that is very important. You bought from your LBS, so you probably got the proper fit and they probably offer free maintenace on the bike. (One year seems to be the standard). Take advantage of this if it's offered. Bring it back for inspection/adjustments in a month or so. Cannondale is a reputable brand, so the bike should serve you well for many years.

Thanks guys I appreciate you sharing your knowledge on biking. They spent some time making sure it was the right size and adjusting the seat and they also thought it was important to have a new adjustable stem to raise the handlebar up just a little bit more. It cost $75.00 and they traded the one that was on it for the adjustable one for free. They did say to bring it back in for a 30 day inspection at no cost. One more question though. Well maybe two questions...What is the difference between a "Road" bike and a "Touring" bike? On this site with this bike which forum should I be using? Thanks again for all of your help....Don

If this is the case then you will not use the arow bars since they will put you in the same position. And like Raiyn said, they are usless on a mtb unless you are doing a lot of road riding.

Also, 400$ for a 4 year old bike is a high even if it is is showroom condition. You should take a look through some classifieds on mtbr.com or ebay and compare. You may find something better for the same price.

Skipped over you last post. A touring bike will be a bit heavier, have a lower gear ratio, more upwright position eyelets for racks (although some road bikes have them also) and usually flat or riser bars and not drop bars(the ones you see on road bikes).

As for which forum to use, depends on what typ of riding. If you are commuting use that one, mtb'ing(any type of dirt riding) use this one, etc., etc., etc. If you mechanical questions use the mechanics forum and you can always post in the general discussion and some one will answer you there.

:beer:

Thanks guys for the help and for putting up with the dumb questions. As I learn more about bike riding I'll try not to ask "newbie" stuff anymore..Thanks again, Don..