losshorn

Im sorry if if this is a worn out question but I'm needing some help selecting the right size and type of mountain bike. My girlfriend and I are starting to hike and try to do more active things in place of going to the bar on the weekends. We both like to be active and want to start riding.

For sizing I am 6'3 and weigh 225 pounds and have a 34-35" inseam. I went to a couple of shops today and really like the Cannondale F5 but don't know if I'm ready to spend that much money yet. With my size and weight I'm worried about strength and durability and the shops said the F5 was the way to go. Is there anything comparable with a cheaper price tag? Or any other suggestion period?

Any and all help is very much appreciated.

eds49721

Im actually looking at new bikes too the Cannondale F7, Trek 4300 disc, Gary Fisher Wahoo disc and Fuji Nevada 1.0 in particular. Those are all in the 600-650 range at msrp.

You might wanna check out Trek (4500/6000), Gary Fisher (Marlin disc), Fuji (Tahoe) or Specialized (Rockhopper disc) too. They are going to be more in the 700-800 range and are going to be more comparable to the F5.

Some of it might depend on what kind of riding you plan on doing too. Are you gonna do serious trail riding or just occasional? If youre not doing hardcore trails, all the ones Im looking at have 80-100mm travel with lockout (nice if youre doing road riding) and disc brakes and should handle a fair amount of abuse. To go up to the F5 or comparable ones, youre gonna get better components one a similar frame. I have an older Wahoo right now that has held up well for 10 years with probably 75% road/path riding and 25% off road so Im looking for a similar setup again.

Plus if you go with one of the cheaper ones it gives you a little more for upgrades like seats, pedals and grips if you dont like the stock ones.

As far as your size and inseam the bikes all come with different frame sizes so I would say go to a bike shop and see which one fits you the best. Im guessing probably 20-21"??

Hope that helps and good luck.

stapfam

Why do you want a mountain Bike? Providing you are going to be riding offroad- or at the minimum your riding will be done on unmade trails or Fire Roads- then a mountain bike will be the ideal bike. But if you are thinking of MUP riding or mainly road then think again on the type of bike.

Quality of bike will be up to you but it also depends on how many miles you are going to be doing and how hard that riding is going to be as to how high a quality bike you will need. I started riding 20 years ago on a basic Trek 820 with rigid forks and 18 gears that were not low enough for our hills. The bike was fine and I got fitter and eventually rode all the hills instead of walking some of them- but untill I got fit I did not need a better bike. So do not worry about needing a top qualty bike for a while. Take the Shops advice with regard to sizing- but the main thing is to get a bike and start riding. Not something that I would always suggest- but go cheap and upgrade to a better bike once you are into the sport

Cheap does not mean a Wally Mart bike though- get a known make and go from there.