newguy67

im new to mountain biking but i enjoy just need some advice about bikes whats good bad

bradtx

Do you have a bike yet?

Brad

newguy67

not yet im not sure of what to get my price range is around 500 im looking to get into the entry level of the sport ive been riding a friends bike for awhile and have decided to get my own.

arouil1

Advice: Don't Crash, it hurts, lol.

Take your time and ride a number of bikes in your price range and get the one that feels the best to you. There are a number of good compnaies to go with including Cannondale, Trek, Specalized, Giant, and Gary Fisher. I suggest that you go to local bike shops (LBS) to get a bike and not a big box store like Walmart. You will get a MUCH better quality bike as well as better service from a LBS over the big box stores. I personally ride a Cannondale becasue it was in my price range, the bike feels great to me and the store owner and employees were great. I get excelent service and they have all become good friends to me.

urbanknight

Advice: If you don't crash, you weren't riding hard enough.

BurnNotice

Urbanknight is right.............we all crash in this sport! On your budget I would say your looking toward a hardtail for sure. Here are a few points to look at:

1- Do research on the component heirarchy to know where the different models stand.

2- Look to all resources like Craigslist; FS ads here on this site; and even E-Bay (deals can be had from time to time).

3- Try to find bikes in your area you can see and test ride in person of course and check out the overall condition.

4- If you can being new go to your LBS and they are usually the best folks to get you started. You will get fitted and this time of year the 2010 models can be had for great deals if you look around. You may even find some left over 2009 models for a really great deal!

Fitting is the key for sure. You can't do that unless you have experience in fitting and know your size in key components.

Good luck.

Johnny Law

wear a helmet.

and underwear! unless your into rashes?

pablosnazzy

that is an excellent question, one that has plagued man since the dawn of time.....

i think most things in life are good bad, just depends on what angle you look at them from and your perspective, including life experiences, education, etc. for example....chemo therapy, like most medicine, is good bad. it's actually poison and kills you slowly, but it helps to get rid of cancer. much like many things in life, it's a dichotomy, a yin/yang if you will. look at caffiene free diet coke. to some it is good, to others, drinking caffiene free diet coke is actually nihilistic, as you are replacing something with "nothingness." then again, the whole concept of good vs bad is sort of interesting, from a buddhist point of view. there really is no good or bad, the words "good" and "bad" are really just arbitrary notions. things are niether good nor bad, they just are, and we assign meanings to them as if it matters. some people consider grammar good, and lack of grammar bad, but really, its just words, and as long as you get your meaning across and communication happens, then it all works out. I think, in that case, the only real need for proper grammar, especially when writing where people can't hear inflection or tone, which makes up the vast majority of communication, is you run a slight risk of being misunderstood, and you get odd answers to questions you may ask, resulting in what koreans call "east question/west answer."

as far as advice on bikes go, get one that fits.

hope this helps.

samburger

I go commando with my bike shorts. What's the purpose of a seamless liner if you wear underwear with seams underneath it?

hybridbkrdr

Yeah, there's a million things you can answer on that topic. I've worn gloves for years. I've been riding bikes for years and years even all-year round. (I've even worn a snowmobile helmet and ski pants in the winter.)

First, I know you may be thinking mountain bike, but if you haven't thought about it, there are hybrids as well like the GT Traffic 3.0. I find mountain bikes give you a more forward position that gives you a lot of control in the winter. However, I also find it puts a lot of weight on your hands/wrists. I've ridden 10-speed road bikes in the 1970's and 80's that I just did not like as far as riding position, comfort and maneuvrability goes. I think hybrid bikes are way more comfortable and give you a choice to just coast around in the streets or go through a park if you like. Right now I have a cheap mountain bike from Canadian Tire for biking in the winter, a hybrid for doing groceries etc. And I'm planning to complete my build of a touring bike with a Nashbar frameset after x-mas.

You can look at Shimano's website for information on the levels of quality. But in general, I think it goes something like Tourney, Altus, Acera, Alivio, Deore, Deore LX then XT and XTR which can be kind of expensive. Even though some people like SRAM and Campagnolo, I find if some replacement parts aren't as easy to get or more expensive, I don't bother, I'd rather stay with Shimano.

I have a small mirror on my helmet and I find it helps. If I hear a bus, usually I'll look to see where it is so I can toss myself to the side while it passes by. I also have a bell as a polite warning that I'm coming in case someone might be "surprised" by being passed by a cyclist (paths here are cyclist/pedestrian).

When I bought my last bike, I actually went around everywhere trying them out to see how they fit me. I'm almost tempted to tell you that if you've never ridden a bike, you might be better off actually to start with cheapy to see what you like. I mean you have grip shifters, indexed thumb shifters and friction thumb shifters. In reality, I think it would be cool training to start with a real cheap one with thumb friction shifters (in other words, non-indexed). I once had a job where I placed a lot of stuff on shelves and after work when my muscles were tired, I had what felt like electric shocks in my forearms when using grip shifters. I also find they break more easilly. So, the point of trying out a cheap bicycle first is to see what you really prefer in a bike. Then you could examine other bikes to see what kind of parts they have to find out what you like. That would make it way more easier later on to figure out what you'd really like.

One more thing, some people say it's easier to pedal a bike with 700c wheels than 26 inch wheels. I've gone up hills sitting on my seat with a hybrid bicycle with 700c wheels that I had a harder time climbing with a bike with 26 inch wheels. But, I believe for width, the happy medium for 700c wheels even though that's a personal choice, to me it would between 700x37, 700x38, 700x40 or 700x42. Any thinner and you'll feel railroad tracks and any bigger than that and you'll feel slow when the tires are not inflated enough (700x45 are pretty big in my opinion).

Anyway, that's what I have at the top of my head. I could think of others if you had more specific questions.

never

^ shouldn't you be in the commuting forum?

newguy67

i intend on getting a mountain bike ive been riding alot and am using some one eles bike i was simply looking for a good bike in my price range thanks for the advice but im not looking to get a hybrid or commuter bike

hybridbkrdr

No, I belong in the FAIL forum.

junkyard

Dude, what trails are you riding on? If there's a bus on the singletrack I'm on, we all have problems.

samburger

That's one epic bus driver.

pablosnazzy

it's not a bus, it's me, i'm just fat and i wear yellow

speda_junkie

Uhm, if you don't mind me asking: what is your price range?

Capecodder

In post #3 he stated $500.00

cryptid01

That's just something people who crash a lot say.

mtnbiker66

Agreed...I like the old saying " If you don't crash then you must have a little skill".