hello all
new here
hope i am in the right place to post this.
i am wanting a bike to get fit, last time i had a bike was over 30 years ago!
i wont be going on roads, will only be going off roads so it will be a mountain bike.
things i want on it:
full suspension
light
thick tyres ( i think all mountain bikes have thick tyres but not sure)
quite thick frame

any help please

many thanks

thank you mod

i do like the look of the Voodoo Canzo FS Mountain Bike, something like that bike.

What do you mean by a thick frame? Plenty of options out there for good full suspension bikes. I would recommend looking at a Specialized or a nice Santa Cruz full suspension.

There are thousands of options of course, considering new and used bikes.

What type of trails will you be riding? lots of climbing?
What is your budget for the Mtn Bike? Would you consider a previously used bike?

Note that most MTBs in the last 10 years have 29" tires, where your 30 year old MTB had 26" tires.
Before you adhere to the thick frame requirement, it is really a moot point, as currently real MTBs are very rugged and durable, in both alloy and carbon fiber frames.

check out these comparisons/overviews of the changes:





They all work, of course. Get to a bike shop and see what is there, hop on and pedal!

If you plan to mostly ride fireroads, or smooth groomed trails, a.k.a rails-to-trails, a hybrid bike like a Trek Dual Sport or flat bar gravel fitness bike, such as a Giant Fastroad could be more appropriate. These are designed for both pavement and light gravel, and do not have suspension, but medium knobby tires.

apologies guys, i couldnt post till today.

thick frame as in fatter frames.

i never had a mountain bike, all i ever riden was a bmx.

the roads il be going on is what i call back roads but i cant post any pictures yet, the best explaination of the road is it is abit like a bmx course/track but flatter, i would say like a gravel roads.

there wont be any climbing, just riding on like a gravel roads sort of thing.

i am not fat or tall, i am 5 foot tall and slim so a small bike is a must.

anymore qeustions, please ask and i will answer. just want to get the right bike.

many thanks again guys

Your requirements aren't very stringent, but if you're considering a bike with wide (greater than 2.4") tires, I don't think you'll be happy trying to pedal the extra weight. Depending on where you reside, you could consider a $1,000 or so hardtail from a major OEM (Specialized, Trek etc) or a much less expensive used bike. Just make sure it fits you comfortably (probably XS or S size), pedals and brakes well and appears well maintained.

Mountain bikes got bigger and heavier, that’s just a fact. In many other ways, they are a lot better.

I would go ahead and get a mid-level bike from a major manufacturer. There are no really bad ones that way. A Fuel or a stump jumper or a Tallboy, whatever.

You want to pay enough to avoid Rockshock Silver forks, and SRAM SX drivetrain. There is sometimes a better alloy build with fox suspension and that’s the one I would prefer.

I actually prefer stuff from smaller companies, that are not locked into the yearly gimmick cycle. So my Canfield has Cane Creek suspension. But the trade-off there is availability and finding someone to work on it.

many thanks guys

i am looking to get a used one first to see if i will get into it.

once i do then i will go down the buy new route.

like i said, im completely new to mountain bikes, if you say the tyres would make it heavier then i shant get them.

i guess i really like the looks of the chunky tyres.

Standard MTB tires are not heavy, of course they are heavier than than the smaller BMX bike tires from yesteryear. Currently Pro racers ride 29 in tires as well Recreational ATB/MTBs riders ore on bikes with 29in tires. Though you stated your height at 5 feet tall. A few years ago some bike manufacturers used 27.5 in.(650B) tires on the Extra Small sized bikes. But they are rare. But since you are looking for used bikes, keep an eye out for 650B/27.5 wheel size. I never had a BMX bike, but I remember most had 20in wheels, while MTBs of the time were 26in.

Since you wrote that you are not heavy, your thick frame requirement seems odd to me....There are 300lb people riding MTBs out there. By default the frames are beefy.

With this, I feel that a hardtail MTB would be a versatile choice. There are so many entry level options from the main brands will be the most common on the used market. e.g. Trek Marlin, Giant Talon, Specialized Rockhopper, Marin Bobcat, Most newer hardtail frames have a sloping top tube which is great for shorter riders. Given your description of your planned use, a full suspension seems like overkill. After spending a good amount of time on the bike you get, you will know if you should get a full-sus MTB.

I advise you stay away from older bikes with a triple front chainrings, these are common on department/sporting good store entry level bikes. They are just not a good value compared to a used major brand bikes.

This also opens up the idea of a hybrid type bike like a 2024 Trek Dual Sport. It has 650B wheels. It is discontinued, but could be available on clearance.

* * * A quick visual reference of my two XC bikes:
1998 Kona Explosif, with 26in 2.1in tires, and a 2023 Ibis Exie, with 29in, 2.4in tires, both are Cross Country race MTBs. Just 25 years apart!








26er: Frame diameters: 33mm Top Tube, 36mm Down Tube - Steel, 26 LBS
29er: Fram Downtube 60mm wide - Carbon Fiber , 26 LBS

The Kona's steel frame tubing is not wide at all, but it held up my 200+ lbs.

Where do you live? We can search your area for some bargains. If you are staying in the flat lands I'd consider a hardtail/cross country bike.

There's a huge range of Mountain Bikes designed for various sorts of Mountain Biking and it can be a bit bewildering at first. I would suggest getting something inexpensive at first, riding around for at least a few months to figure out what's important to you and then choose the bike you REALLY want from a more informed perspective.

In any case a good idea at first is to go down to your local bike shop and get them to let you demo a variety of bikes. They may charge you a few bucks for the privilege, but it's worth it to get a feel for what's available.