I want a mountain bike, but I have no idea what to look for in a mountain bike. I'm pretty sure I want a full suspension bike though. I'm mostly going to be riding the local trails. They are pretty basic, but they have a few tight turns, a couple drops(4 feet and up), some small rocks, lots of roots in some spots, and some not-to-steep climbs. I'm eventually going to want to do some downhill as well.

The town I live in only has one bike shop. The carry Norco, Giant, and Specialized mountain bikes.

Could you recommend some bikes to me that would be good for the trails I described above, but won't be outgrown too fast? I'm looking for something under $2000 Canadian if possible.



Edit: Cleaned up post a bit. Looked for some bikes. please tell me if I'm looking in the right direction.

Specialized FSRxc Comp: https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22033
Norco Chaos: https://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Mount...view=1&deets=1
giant Pistol 1: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-CA/...ain/741/27868/

You may be better off going with a hardtail given your budget. Maybe something along the lines of a Specialized Rockhopper or Stumpjumper.

I don't quite agree...the 4ft or greater drops that he suggests are begging for a Norco HT like these: https://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Mount...oreFreerideHT/

Check out the Norco hardtails. They will be "fun to ride" and can handle the abuse that a Newbie-over-roots and drops will dish out.

I'd love to have a Norco!

I agree that you should steer clear of the dually in that price range. You will break it often and it will not perform well enough for you to have a "fun" ride.

Thanks for the helpful replies. I will probably end up getting a hardtail for now, but I may look into FS In the future.

Approximately how much would I be paying for a full suspension bike that will perform well enough for a "fun" ride?

$2000usd


Actually...check out the Jamis Dakar XLT on eBay...good bike for rough stuff.

A good used Specialized Enduro would suit you well too.

Would a Norco Shore Three be good then? I'm asking because I'd rather save up a bit more money and buy a FS bike now than buy two bikes.(HT now, FS later)

What about an STP series Giant? Strong, lightweight, fun to ride, and apparently available at your lbs.

check out the specialized website.

fsrxc - a light xc trailbike, basically a full suspension rockhopper.

if you want higher end components with lighter weight, try the stumpjumper hardtail, however this is for pure xc - okay for occasional 4-ft drops, not for dirt jumps and etc., the geometry is too xc. the fsrxc has slacker head angles, i think. haven't checked.

if you are sure you want to do more aggressive riding, check out last year's enduros. this year, they are only selling the enduro sl in canada and that starts at 2200 cdn. they're my favourite bikes, and are basically all-mountain bikes made to pedal as well as an xc bike but can handle drops and light stunts.

yes i'm only talking in terms of the specialized lineup.