Originally Posted by sherpaPeak
interesting discussion. although I have a question in response to mcoine's comment.
"There was someone on here that posted that their alivio rear derailleur took like 15 seconds to shift one gear, and they thought that was normal. When you ride a bike that is, well, "entry level", you get used to things like 15 second shifts. So maybe you just don't realize the difference. Does the shift still occur in the alivio, yes, but to me that is not something I would tolerate because I have been riding bikes that shift in 1 second or less. The frustration involved with cheap bikes takes some of the fun out of the experience for me. If you like your trek 4300, good for you, keep buying them. I don't think that you would be making the same comments however if someone were to give you a $3000 bike."
My question is - what was your first mountain bike when you entered the sport? did it shift in 1 or less than one second?
when you were looking for a bike to start in the sport - would you drop $3000 for faster shifting (1 second vs 15 seconds)?
First, when I bought a mountain bike for the first time, I was not new to biking. I started bmx racing in '83, I bought a new bianchi road bike in '87 for $800. I bought a trek 830 used in '92 I think, for maybe $200. It was a piece of crap. I don't remember how it shifted, but I am a decent mechanic, so probably ok.
Second, I am not reccomending to anyone to drop $3000 on a first mtn bike, I just said:
"entry level" I would define as a bike that would allow you to enter the sport on a recreational level
the original post asked "what is an entry level bike?"
Like I said before, if you like your bike, keep riding it. I like mine and so I keep riding it, and I shouldn't have to justify the money I spent. I have been active in biking for over 20 years, why would I want an entry level bike?