Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
I've come very late into this thread.
IMHO, the brand is of secondary importance, given that most MTB's come out of the same factories in Taiwan. More important is the frame style/size (does it fit you?) and the selection of components.
For a newbie who is going to buy a new bike from an LBS for all around off road use, I would sugggest a hardtail with a 24 or 27 speed drivetrain, trigger shifters (like Shimano RapidFire) and either V brakes or mechanical discs. Don't worry if the rim & hub quality isn't the greatest. You are going to beat the wheels up anyway & you can easily upgrade when replacement time comes. Same with the seat, bars, & pedals. For some reason, sellers often brag about the stock tires. Why? they'll be history in 6 months or less.
Shifters & derailleurs should be at least Shimano Acera quality. Avoid really cheap components like Shimano Tourney (I haven't taken my own advice here - my own bike has a Tourney crank & front derailleur).
Often, the salesperson at the LBS will give you good advice if you give them a hint that you want good quality and best value for your money.
If your LBS seems to carry a big selection in a common brand (Giant, Mongoose, GT, Kona, rek, or whatever), the reason could well be that their customers are well satisfied with that brand. Most LBS's can carry whatever brands they want to these days.
John Alldredge
One thing that rubs me the wrong way here John...it seems you are giving advice to a forum full of people that come here for good advice before they invest in a bike...yet it doesn't appear to me that you are all that qualified to give this advice.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
I've come very late into this thread.
There is no point in feeding a dead animal. This thread was pointless from the get-go. (2yrs ago) Your advice may have been somewhat pertinant back then.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
IMHO, the brand is of secondary importance
Yes...kinda.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
most MTB's come out of the same factories in Taiwan
Definitely not.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
For a newbie who is going to buy a new bike from an LBS for all around off road use, I would sugggest a hardtail with a 24 or 27 speed drivetrain, trigger shifters (like Shimano RapidFire) and either V brakes or mechanical discs
I suggest a noob borrow a bike for a while to see if they're interested in riding on the trails at all. They may hate it. If they do like riding trails, I suggest a Specialized Hardrock in their pricerange to allow them to discover what kind of riding they enjoy most while saving money for a mid/high level MTB. A Hardrock will do it all in some way or another. It won't hang with Kabush on the climbs, or Petey on the descents. You wouldn't wanna try to mimick Aaron Chase's every move with it. But it will give you a taste of what's to come. "What part of that ride did I like best? The exercise, the scenery, the gnarly jumping?" After this is decided, one may graduate to a bike that caters to this particular style and will hopefully last a long time.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
Shifters & derailleurs should be at least Shimano Acera quality. Avoid really cheap components like Shimano Tourney (I haven't taken my own advice here - my own bike has a Tourney crank & front derailleur).
I would never in my days recommend Shimano Acera. Why? When it craps out and starts shifting poorly...it will come back on me b/c I recommended it. For a good affordable group by Shimano...it pains me to say Deore, but it's acceptable. On the SRAM side...X.5 is the bottom-feeder of choice. The part that leads me to question your authority on the matter is that you're using a Tourney crankset and front derailleur, yet you're recommending Acera. I question whether or not you have any direct experience with other products outside of what you have read or been told.
Originally Posted by
taylorwinfield
Often, the salesperson at the LBS will give you good advice if you give them a hint that you want good quality and best value for your money.
On the other hand...if you don't know what you're doing...often the salesperson at the LBS will sell you what they ordered "too much of" in hopes to not lose money for the year.
I don't disagree with "everything" you're saying, but are you experienced enough to give this advice?