I ride a ironhorse warrior disc that was 800 cdn i however a have about 800 more into it and i am getting a truvative gigapipe and a crankset, so it is good if you dont mind putting money into it later.

I know it's not going to be all that great, but what do you think is the best full suspension bike you can get for around 500?

Is it possible to get a decent used full suspension bike for around $500? Any specific models and years to look for?

Thx!

Anybody got an opinion on the Specialized Hardrock Comp Disc? I rode a Jamis Durango SX before and beat the heck out of it. Been out of MTB's for a while and wanted an opinion.

ok, after a few threads and some extra research ive decided to go in the 500 dollar range MTB. I am 6'1" tall 185lbs and ride on rocky trails that have some steep blimbs and logn downhils. I am thinking XC or all mountain, front suspension at least 100mm of travel.

Coincidentally, I took one for a test ride this morning. Loved everything about it, except the shifters and derailleurs. Slow, sloppy Acera parts. Cranks were good, brakes were adequate, frame geometry spot-on. I tried the XL frame, fit me pretty good (6'2", 210#). I also tried a Sport Disc, in L size, and preferred it a bit. Had essentially the same set-up, except for Tektro brakes instead of Hayes.

THX is next generation surround sound, developed by a George Lucas company, not a proper way of saying "Thanks".

Yes it is possible to get a decent USED FS bike for $500, beyond that you need to do some legwork as there are DOZENS of bikes and years that would fall into the catagory.
http://img217.echo.cx/img217/1002/textspeak7oe.jpg

Hello,

I am looking for a new bike for my 15 yr old son. He is planning on using it mostly for jumping around the house, and we would also like it to be dual-purpose for family trips along a hike-bike trail.

I was thinking of getting a FS MTB, and both the Fuji Discovery 1, and Trek Y-26 has mostly good reviews on the review site. But the comments here are all in favor of hardtails. If he is mostly jumping, is the extra shock absorbtion (and reduced injury to wrists/knees) worth the lower grade of other components?

All advice will be appreciated.

I guess it's my turn...

I've been riding my Trek 3900 bike pretty hard for the past few months. I've learned to like some parts (brakes were actually decent), and hate others (derailleurs, fork). Iim taking this to school with me and I want to buy a trails mtb between $500-750.

I'm mostly on trails with a few smaller (2-4ft high) jumps, lots of logs between 6"-2ft. I just want something that's quality and doesn't screw up every time you try to shift it.

Any ideas what would suit me best? Lighter would be better, but I just want something quality. Also, what size frame should I get? I'm 5'8" 155lbs (looking to bulk up to 165ish).

Thanks,
James

i have 9 bikes i am looking at now. I need a strong frame to last through heavy abuse b/c of jumping and big trails, but the conponents have to at least be decent (above Acera) because they need to last about 2 years before they get upgraded. This are the bikes so far:
1. Ironhorse Warrior Sport or Comp
2. K2 Zed
3. Giant Rainier
4. Ironhorse maverick SE
5. Kona Scrap
6. Norco Katmandu
7. Norco Wolverine
8. Gary Fisher Opie
9. Fuji Panic

I am also unable to spend more than $450-500. Does anyone have any opinions about these bikes (e.g. which is the best?) or anyothers to suggest?

OK I have another newbie question. I purchased a Trek 3900 about 7 months ago. On the second ride the chain snapped. I bought a shimano cn-hg90 chain to replace it that is supposed to be stronger. A few rides after that I managed to strip the peddle off and my bike shop replaced the crank with a "stronger" shimano one. After not riding for awhile I took the bike out for a spin and it would not shift into all the gears. My question is what should I upgrade next? Should I even bother with this bike or should I look for a new iron horse warrior type bike (disc brakes sound cool)? Any thoughts on situation or other bikes are greatly appreciated and I do mild trial riding and am kindda rough on things being that I am 6'2 230. -THANKS-

Thinking off the HARDROCK PRO DISC as well

Here is my around $500 bike.

hi guys, what bike would you sugget for a novice, 6"11, 250 pound man?
I went to my local bike shop and the prices are outrageous. Looking to find one hopefully on eBay.

Hmm...are all those bikes even within ur price range? I think the ironhorses might be above ur limit...but that could jsut be cause i think ind CDN. I'm no expert but i think looking at the components wil lhelp you decide, it's easy to tell which bike is better...e.g. deore vs acera. So look at all the bikes in your price range in all ur LBS, and compare the componentry. If ur gonna be hard on the bike u'll want double butted rims for strength. Frame wise...i think that's the last thing to possibly go on any bike? correct me if i'm wrong...of course unless it's a walmart bike...

p.s. raiyn what's wrong with factory discs, e.g. hayes mx-2. I admit it was a ***** and a half to adjust for no rub, involving sanding of the mounting block...but isn't it still worth it for the extra stopping power and weather resistance?

I have no clue what bike to get. I'm 16 years old, 5'10", 165 lbs. I want a bike that I can ride over pretty rugged terrian, do a few dirt jumps and still be able to ride on paved a little bit so I can get to a lot of the trails I ride. I was looking at the trek Bruiser but how good would it be on rough trails. What other bikes are good on rough trails and can take some abuse from jumping, and still be able to be ridden a little bit on roads(I dont really care about road riding just as long as it isn't unbearable to ride on roads). What bike shuld I get, I'm lost????

I noticed the new 2006 Hardrock's changed the cassette and front and rear derailers from Shimano Aceras (2005) to SRAM 3.0 and SX-4. Does this make this much of a difference and is the Hardrock still recommended for its price range? Are the SRAM's superior to the Aceras? Thanks for any input.

They're still comparable in quality and dirt cheap to replace or even upgrade. Heck you could go to a set of X-7 triggers and rear derailieur for $80
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/128...leur-COMBO.htm

hi, i don't really know much about bikes but i'm really interested in starting. My price range is generally around $400-$500 to get an entry level bike, and after going from one bike shop to another these are the bikes which my local bike stores have :

GT Avalanche 3.0 2005 ->http://www.gtbicycles.com/mountain/c...usa&brand=moun
Giant Yukon 2005 -> http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030...sp?model=11039
and the Scott USA Montana -> http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=6101

As far as the feel of the bike goes, I can't really differentiate one from the other, however it seems to me that the scott montana is the lightest among them. But after going through the whole thread I've only seen it mentioned once and nobody seemed to ellaborate on it. Is it any good? Which of the 3 would you guys recommend

EDIT : oh and also, I was thinking of maybe upgrading the bike as time passes by changing the parts on it. Would doing something like that be worth it? And if so, which bike would you recommend?

Thanks in advance

depends on which hardrock model you're talking about. the pro comes with deore for 2005 and the comp comes wiht alivio. i guess a total drivetrain change from shimano to sram... is pretty smart

The Giant is by far the best if you're getting them around the same price. You get much better components such as a rear Deore derailleur and some Hayes mechs as apposed to the Acera crap and the Tektros.. The giant has a better appeal but that's just my opinion. Take all 3 for a test ride and check out which geometry fits you best.

Hello everyone! I'm just getting into biking and want to buy an entry-level rig for trail riding and the occassional jaunt across town. I'm 6'0'' tall and weigh 225 lbs. The bikes I'm currently looking at are the top four on the following link:

Bikes from my local bike shop...

The top three all have Deore components but I'm not sure about the forks... Rock Shox Judy SL U-Turn, Manitou Splice Comp w/ Air Assist 120mm Travel, and Manitou Axel Comp 100mm. Anybody who has riden or is currenlty riding any of these have an opinion (yay or nay)? Originally, I was looking for a hard tail but the FS caught my eye due to the discount!

Is there anything else I'm overlooking?

I plan on heading in this weekend to talk to them in person, but I want to make sure I have covered all my bases.

Thanks in advance everyone!

:cool: