Norco Wolverine...Any good? 1-4 foot drops. Is it worth upgrading? Frame incredibly strong? Tell me! I want to know! I can get it for only 475 CAD. Hurry!

looks kinda like a trail bike. What you want to do with it?

Go with the Boulder SE. It has a better, lighter frame and slightly better components and fork. FWIW, the Trek's geometry and riser bar put you in a more upright position. The Boulder has a flat bar and makes you lean a little more forward. Neglectible differences if you ask me, as you can always change that with a different stem and bar which are generally low-cost items. Hope this helps.

I didn't hear a whole lot about Jamis (i.e. 04 Durango SX Sport that I have.) Do you think its an OK bike? I wanna get the owners manual for it cuz I never got one can any one lead me to somewhere I can find it.

All prices in CAD dollars. I want...
1) Frame thats worth upgrading (drop wise/weight wise)
2) good components if possible. If not, for this price range, as I can always upgrade.

400 CAD for a GT 2.0 Avalanche. 550 for a GT 2.0 Avalance with an EXR Comp fork.

450 CAD For a Hardrock sport

500 CAD for a Warrior disc (hard to get)

479 CAD for a Norco wolverine

About 300 for a Norco Scrambler.

I want something good for 1-4 foot drops even more, if possible. I also want good acceleration for good old trails.

Hi Guys,

I am thinking about buying this setup...

Shogun Prairie Breaker Expert

I can get it for about US$520ish. Anyone have any opinions on it? I have been riding mtn bikes for a while, but haven't bought one for about 7 or 8 years I'll be trading in my road bike to get this.

Ta,

Rob.

Hmm I'd keep the road bike as you can never have to many bikes. The specs seem good except for that SR Suntour fork and I'm slightly concerned that they spec'd a disc in front but not in back. Does the frame have disc mounts in the rear? They'd be useful if you wanted to go full disc

yup, the frame does have disc mounts in the rear. so the only weak point really is the fork...hmm...can you expand on why this is a weak point? does SR Suntour have a bad rep?

OK, the list prices for my two votes definitely don't fall within the $500 threshold, but thumbs up to the Raleigh M80 and used Specialized Stumpjumpers.

a previous season model of the Raleigh M80 can be found for that price. As a newbie to MTB, I found it to be a great bike for getting into the sport and doubling as commuting bike. It didn't seem so expensive-looking that it would be singled out by thieves. Well, that was before my M80 disappeared along with my Kryptonite u-lock one day.

Anyway, so to replace the M80 that had been stolen with either several thousand pounds of force or a bic pen, I found a barely-used 2000 Specialized Stumpjumper M2 Comp on eBay for between $500 and $600. Such a big difference in the ride compared to anything that lists for $500!

So my point is, if you're looking in the $500 rather than $300 range, consider buying used. There are whole a lot of people who have $ to burn, put down $1K for a bike they take to the trails once or twice before deciding biking is not for them, and then realize later they have some pristine bike rotting in their garage. Their loss can be your gain.

Soim guessing this is the kind of thing you guys hear a lot, so sorry for the inconvenience.

IM looking to spend around $500 on a bike. I've done some shopping around, heard ltos of opinions, but i want to hear from a non-biased, non-salesperson, then i found this site.

WHat do i need to look for in components? what are good brands, and bad?

is it possible to get a decentsuspension bike at this price or should i only look for a hardtail?

I'm a fairly new rider looking for a new MTB for trail riding as well as some offroad fun. I'm trying to decide amongst a Rockhopper '04, Trek 4500 '04, and a Cannondale f300 '04. I've got a great feel for how the specs compare between the Rockhopper and Trek, which it sounds like the RH definitely has the edge. I just tested the Cannondale last night though and it felt real good. How do the specs of Cannondale compare to RH? Thanks in advance for the info...this is a great thread.

I rode a Kona Blast I borrowed from my LBS for around two hours a coupla' evenings ago. Some fairly flat cross-country; mostly some loooong and fairly steeeeep hills; hardpacked dirt and a bit of loose sand and rock. The thought kept going thru my mind - 'This is an amazing amount of bike for $600!'. Climbed like I was riding a feather. Might be worth checking out.

I've had my 04 Kona Blast for a month now and I'm very happy with it. To me the ride quality felt better than the Trek 4000 bikes.

I'm not surprised you like it. I'm waiting on delivery of an '05 Kona Kula so I asked the shop if I could borrow a ride for a few nights (my current bike is being reincarnated as a SS ; )

I was thoroughly impressed with the Blast. It hadn't been ridden for awhile (it's an '04 that they used as a demo/rental/loaner) and so the chain and derailleur were a little stiff until I rode for a bit. Wow, could that baby climb! Stable on fast downhill single-track, too. Lotsa' fun.

Thanks for this thread! I ride 5+ days a week on the road for commuting and weekend rides but a few days a month it would be cool to hit the trials with some freinds. So I've been looking for a hardtail, but want to keep $ down since it won't see a lot of use ... but all of it will be on the trail. I'm pretty big, 6'2 200#and from reading this thread I was interested in the Rockhopper or a GF Tass on sale.

lbs carries both and was pushing the Tass saying the rockhopper fork wasn't nearly as good esp for my weight. I asked to take rides on both and when he brought out a 21" '05 Rockhopper which he said had a much upgraded fork, esp for my weight .. a Manitou Skareb Super he would definately get that over the Tass for $500. Is this a good deal for me?

I was only able to compare the 05 F300 to the 04 'Hopper based on that they're a pretty much even in terms of spec. Without the correct info on the Cannondale I can't make a proper spec judgement. Personally I like Specialized bikes and really hate Cannondales. (Kind of a Chevy vs Ford thing.) Best advice I can give in a dead heat is pick the one that feels better.
Interesting because no version of the Rockhopper for 05 comes with a Skareb. Personally i haven't found a Manitou I've liked out of all the one's I've tried. That said the Skareb is definately an upgrade from stock on either bike. I'm curious to know how it is that he's willing to sell you a bike for $500 equipped with a fork that's sold for the same price.
While the Blast is a great bike the thread is for those more in the $500 ballpark give or take a little. $600 puts it just outside the intended parameters.

yeah, thats pretty much what the saleman said. He said he didn't know how it got on there and it was almost worth the price of the bike. He even asked a few people behind the desk and they all just shrugged. So he said thats a hell of a deal for $500 and he would snap it up over the Tass. He didn't seem like he was bs'in me so thats why I asked.

2 good deals,for under 500. https://www.ibexbikes.com/Bikes/ALP-550-Details.html
https://www.ibexbikes.com/Bikes/IGN-2-Details.html
i have an apogee very well made, good ride
quickkarl

Every so often a very pleasant opportunity like that comes along. I'd check it out quickly ('If it's too good to be true it probably is' - try and determine why that particular fork would be on that particular bike, to the extent you can; maybe put a little hold money on it until the LBS can find out for you); if it checks out I'd jump on it!

Understood. I hesitated a little before mentioning it, looked at the thread title which is '$500 MTB Thread' and thought hmmmmm ...it probably doesn't literally mean '$500' (vs $522.75 or $469.49 or ... ; ) so I tossed it on. Anyway, this is a great thread!

No big deal. I Just figured I should make that a bit more clear before we start getting too far away from the core price range. No harm no foul.

Everybody is too concerned with all of the components on the bike. Your main concern should be with the frame itself. Yes, everything else is important to the bike as a whole, but a good frame is a priority. Remember that while you trade out various components, wheels, forks, etc. as the years go by, you will be on the same frame.
On that note, I am personally partial to my Giant Iguana. I do not quite like GT's. It depends on how tight of trails you are riding. They have a shallower head angle, making them stretch out a bit longer than many other bikes. I haven't ridden Specialized much, but I do find some of their cable guides to be a nuisance. Who runs their cables right over the top tube?!
The important thing is to ride the bike, see if you like the feel, and then worry about the other stuff.

I have two bikes that I bought off of e-bay for under $500. My cannondale f1000 that cost under $400. I have rebuilt it. It is a good ride now. Also my redline monocog that I got from e-bay for under $100. Only thing it needed was a tire and a few other parts. Cost was $75 at lbs. I have found great deals on e-bay. Thanks.

A good hardtail with good wheels is a starting point. I'm partial to steel frames because aluminum frames feel too dead. A good bike that cost $1000-1500 years ago can be had for under $500. Have someone look it over, like a bike mechanic, and make sure the frame isn't cracked and such. If you don't crack a smile every time you ride it, it's not the right bike for you. A good time to shop is in the spring when people are shopping for upgrades and want to dump what they have to buy the latest ride.

Good point on picking a good frame. Other components can be updated over time.

Kona runs the cables on top of the top tube, too. I like that because the cables stay cleaner and are less susceptable to damage or snagging.