warreng1980

Ok...I just registered to this site, because I figured what a better way to find out real information about real moutain bikes than by asking real people.

I just returned about 8 weeks ago from a 1 year deployment to Iraq. I got into mountain biking about two years ago when I bought a TREK at a local dealer in Columbus, GA. I returned from my deployment to find my mountain bike stolen which was locked inside of my apartment parking garage, also locked to a bike rack. To make a long story short, I am in desperate need of a new bike and am looking everywhere at this time for a good bike, possibly even slightly used between $400-$700. I currently live in Germany, which luckily has many bike shops available in the area, however, the brands which most stores sell are unusual to me, and I am not sure which brands to trust. I would appreciate any information that anyone could give me as to where I may find a bike or what brands to look for in Germany or throughout the EU. Also, I have debated using ebay as a good source to find a bike or a similar online "shopping" service...However, I just saw a guy who bought a bike and it wasn't at all what he had expected! In advance, thanks very much for your responses!

Warren G

lala

Lots of good info here: Around $500 MTB

warreng1980

Hey thanks...I'm already looking at that post now...I'll see what kind of information it will give me...Just wanted more suggestions if they are possible.

Drunken Chicken

Hi, welcome to the forums!
One thing we need to know is what kind of riding you'll do (eg: Cross Country, Freeride, DH)
As for some of the major brands:
Specialized, Kona, Norco, Giant... probably forgotten a few really big ones off.

warreng1980

OK cool, good question...well the large majority of my riding will be cross country I imagine...I'm not really too sure what DH and Freeride mean...I was reading the mountain bikers magazine today and came across those terms, but really had no idea what they meant. The TREK I owned I rode really hard and basically needed alot of tune ups....I was about to buy new components for it and just keep my frame because it liked it so much, but unfortunately my bike was stolen. Now, I am back to square one! So, to answer your question I love getting muddy and dirty and enjoy great views, so I'll pretty much do whatever it takes to get to those great views. Also, I am debating on getting into some off-road triathlons, because I love biking so much. I will ride it occassionally to commute, but any kind of bike will work for that...I'm looking mainly for something I can ride hard and put up wet

warreng1980

also what do you think about cannondale??

alcahueteria

Well the tassajara I just got is the envy of my friends and it's near the top end of that price range. What are some of the brands you are seeing over there?

a2psyklnut

Cross Country (XC) consists of riding trails, climbing, descending, small jumps, just having a lot of fun. This also corresponds to lightweight race bikes. Bikes designed to do a bit of everything, yet remain lightweight to race with. Many XC bikes have just front suspension (hardtails) and again the focus is on keeping the weight down.

DH is Downhill, meaning you JUST go downhill. Usually done at a ski resort with a chair/gondola lift and you cruise down all day or a lot of times this is done with a pick-up truck shuttling bikes all day long. Either way, bikes are expensive ($3000 is a budget DH bike) and have huge gobs of suspension travel 8 to 10 inches front and rear. DH specific bikes average about 40 to 50 lbs. and are built to be abused!

FR is Freeriding and is similar to DH, but the bikes can also be pedaled up hills. Lots of travel, made for abusive riding, expensive and heavy bikes. Hitting jumps, drops, skinnies...etc. Usually NOT for a beginner/novice rider.

AM is a new term to describe Aggressive Trailriding. Bikes have 4 to 6 inches of travel and usually have disc brakes, weight is about 30 to 35 lbs and the bikes are super smooth and light enough to be ridden all day, yet strong enough to be ridden aggressively.