Dead Roman

Been riding road a while and im getting the itch for a mtb. I wanna do
Mostly xc with some jumps and stuff mixed in. Need an affordable bike that is a jack of all trades really. I dont know anything abt components or what I should look for. What type of bike should i look for? Id like to keep the price down as this wont be my main focus, but I want as quality a bike as i can get for my money. Dont care if i have to go used.

ColinL

Do you have any local friends that ride MTBs? If so, they can tell you where the local trails are and give you some idea of what sort of bike it takes. You can do dirtjump parks on a BMX bike, so I'd consider that different than what you need for a singletrack MTB.

Alternatively, you can rent a bike or buy a very cheap one and just go out on the trails yourself.

swampboy62

For a new rider I'd suggest a hardtail 26" (unless you're like 6'-6" or taller). You should be able to find some decent used bikes on Craigslist etc. Look for well known brands - Trek, Specialized, Giant etc. DO NOT buy any department store bikes - they LOOK like a mtb but they are NOT.

A decent hardtail will give you a chance to learn the skills you need for riding XC. Then you can see if you feel like you need to invest in a better bike to explore a different niche - or not. I started on a HT 26'er and have stuck with it.

Good luck.

Steve Z

Daspydyr 

REI.com has NIB bikes that were unsold in prior years that can be good bargains. Their main brands are Marin, Scott, Raleigh and of course Novara. A hardtail with a good fork would be a solid starter option. Plus REI has stores accross the US. If you travel and need service, they are there for you.

I also read over the weekend that REI has donated 70,000 volunteer trail maintenance hours.

Pamestique 

All good suggestions about a hardtail... I prefer 26 but frankly since the fad is fading there are alot of nice 29er hardtails out there right now for sale (it would not be my preference to buy 29 but alot of folks do). A friend purchased what was new retail around $4800 (2012 Spec. Stumpjumper carbon HT with X9 componeets and Stans wheels only ridden by a little old man on Sundays) for $2000 off of CL.

I would do your own research first to determine what bike suits your riding style best. Trails here in CA are steep, rocky, sandy and rutty - in other parts of the world they made be smooth and flowy. Just know like with everything, there is no such thing as a "jack of all trades" mountain bike. There are as many styles as there are types of riders... cross-country, all-mountain, down-hill, freeride, hard tail, full suspension, rigid, 26, 29, 650B, aluminum, carbon, steel, ti... I can go on. For a newbie - a hard tail is generally best as it forces you to learn skills first - it also provides a good price point and its generally but not always cheaper than full suspension. I bought my Juliana for $2000 and then upgraded. The HT my friend brought retailed for much more than my full-suspenion cost new.

Best suggestion, find a buddy who mountain bikes and ask to borrow a bike. Continue to do research and then buy the best bike you can for the money you have to spend. Study components and what is good, not good, a deal etc. Buying a bike is as complicated, maybe more, than purchasing a car - just have fun with the search...