Originally Posted by
TenSpeedV2
If I had to choose between only those two, I would go with the Diamonback. That Mongoose from Walmart is junk. The Diamondback at least has some recognizable parts. It does have a low end drivetrain, but that low end drivetrain is miles above the Mongoose. As for the brakes, the Mongoose is disc front, linear pull rear. WUT? The Diamondback should have better stopping power with the dual disc brakes.
For the $500 range, have you checked your local Craigslist? You may be able to get something a little older, but better than both of these. For this price range, I would stay away from anything full suspension that is new.
I have been looking on Craigslist. I cannot find anything that is a 29er. There is a really nice 26er though.. Why should I stay away from anything full suspension that is new? Just because of my price range meaning that things that are full suspension in that price range are cheaply built?
Originally Posted by
alcjphil
+1 The idea of upgrading that mongoose falls into the lipstick on a pig category. In fact I question the viability of using any dual suspension mountain bike for your intended purpose. Adding an air fork can easily cost hundreds of dollars that would be far better spent on buying a better bike in the first place if you can even find one that would work on either of these bikes. A rear air shock would again cost a considerable amount of money better spent on an initial purchase. Remember, when you upgrade a brand new component, you will have bought it twice, and your second purchase will not have the advantage of the huge purchasing power that the initial manufacturer enjoys, they can buy parts at a small fraction of the retail price
Well, for the Diamondback, I found a fork suspension (air) for 200.. and a rear suspension for 250. So another 450 on an already 500 dollar bike. I can't afford that. So I guess I would just keep it stock until I could afford the upgrades.
I was gonna get the mongoose cause that would allow upgrades.
In the end, is there ever a such thing as a good MTB with full suspension for less than 700? There were A LOT of 800 to 1500 dollar bikes that I found that, from reviews, were excellent.
Thanks everyone for the replies!!