I was looking for suggestions or recommendations, not just models in the price range.

Yes, I have been to bike stores, several and was looking for recommendations from people that have already purchased theirs. This crazy thing called feedback I hear is astounding.

I will be using it for recreational purposes only and to ride around as a form of transportation. No 4 foot drops, nothing like that.
$400 price limit is set in stone because it is not my money. Also, anymore then that and I wouldn't feel comfortable locking it and leaving it.

I just went today to a bicycle close out show ($5 admission) and saw some good deals, unfortunately I didn't buy a bike. I was particularly drawn to an 04 Kona Blast for $600 or roughly $450 USD but the frame was too small at 14".

Another was the Trek 4900 but the derailleur and shifters didn't feel as smooth as the Kona's and it also cost $50 more even though the MSRP was $50 less. Also, I didn't like the fork (Rock Shox Pilot) although it may have been because the preload was set too high. Actually I just looked up some reviews and it looks like the Pilot's are not good shocks.

Anyways, I'll keep looking for either a sale bike or have a friend with a discount buy one for me.
Thanks for the suggestions.

I don't like comfort bikes :( But if I did...

Which would you recommend at the $400 price point?

Eh? Eh? :o

On a side note, I really like Marzocchi forks. The Norco Storm comes with one but I don't know what it's MSRP was.

Apparently the bike costs $600 and is thus, too expensive.
No racing, maybe trails and stuff that's just dirt paths but I ride my bike kind of stupidly. Like sometimes I drift (braking really hard and turning side ways) and I hop on curbs and such and sometimes I ride on grass.

I can get a Marlin for $400 USD equivalent around. An '04 but I hear bad things about the fork, aka snapping in half. Is that the '03 Manitou Six or the '04 Manitou Six and which is on the Marlin? (the 04 Marlin)

Update for those who care:

I will be buying a Kona Fire Mountain this weekend, or the Kona Blast.

I have found a deal on the Kona Fire Mountain for only $400 Canadian or $300 american

Quick question, are the Marzocchi MZ-Comp 80mm and 100mm the same shock, just with different travel settings?

Thanks!

After doing a bit of research I decided to buy the Motobecane 700HT myself. Note that I laughed at the $1000 retail price myself, but at $480 this bike is a great deal. I usually rent bikes wherever I go and from my experience with a wide variety of bikes, I just want to provide a few counterpoints:

1. At this price point you aren't going to find anything higher than a Judy TT or Marazocchi MZ. In my experience, they are equivalent.
2. You are probably right about the BB.
3. I get why people say this. When I got the bike I tried out the brakes and it was a scary thing how weak they were. I was about to scream bloody hell when I took a step back and considered this with a rational outlook. No way they would actually even sell brakes this crappy so there had to be something I wasn't considering. Well, I spent about 15minutes futzing around with the pad adjustments and now they brake as well as the Hayes and Avid mechanicals I have had experience with. They are better than V-brakes (except for some expensive setups). You have to put some time in and adjust them just right, but currently I can overpower the tires at 2/3 lever travel at 18mph on concrete roads. This is something I have never been able to do on even boosted V-brakes. They aren't hydraulics, but they are definitely strong enough.
4. I don't see any better handlebars, and seats even at near 800 dollar pricepoints. Tioga Alchemy headsets aren't the greatest, but they aren't bad. The frame is actually a strong point. True, they use it in their lowest level bikes as well, but it is a very good frame. The welds are excellent, the geometry is top notch, you aren't going to find a stronger 7005 series frame.

The warranty is as good as any in the industry (lifetime, same coverage as any other).

The way I see it I got a bike I could have gotten for 700-800 from Trek or Specialized ($650 at the very best deal). It might not have the mix you are looking for, but you get a lot for your money.

As for assembly: everything comes assembled except for the fact that the handlebar isn't attached to the body, the front brake assembly and wheel spline aren't assembled in, and the pedals aren't screwed in. It takes 15 minutes for even the most novice person to figure out how to put it together (instructions provided are laughable) and the only tool you need is a 5mm allen wrench. Absolutely nothing else.

Whats the big deal about the BB. My silly LBS owner stripped mine, so I bought a "cheap" $20 one. The thing lasted me ALL season of DH and XC....and that other one was a gigapipe team DH....this was some pos.

New here. I'm looking for a decent, TOUGH, inexpensive mtn bike to start riding some trails and some rough stuff with a friend who's big into the sport. He has some high dollar Cannondale full-suspension bike I know nothing about. My problem is: I live in Central MS, and there is absolutely no bike shop anywhere around here that I can find. So I can't go to my LBS and try out different models, be fitted for a bike, etc. I've seen in previous threads that mail-order/internet sales are not the smartest thing for people like me who don't know what they're getting, but I don't know what else to do.

I want a decent bike that I can abuse some without worrying too much about it. All the different discussions about components are really lost on me b/c I don't know anything about any of them. I'm 5'9" and weigh around 200, but I'm athletic and LIVE in the gym, so it's not fat. I'd just like to add this sport to my cardio training and have some fun. Can anybody offer me any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Raiyn,

I agree. I think a good hardtail is what I need. I don't currently have the knowledge I suspect it would take to keep a dual-suspension bike tuned properly. At least, I'm assuming they need tuning! I found some great prices on Motobecane bikes on eBay, but I'm scared that you "get what you pay for" after reading posts on this site today. But again, I'm stuck without a LBS to help me out.

Here ya go buddy:

http://64.78.59.47/merchant.mvc?Scre...gory_Code=K04R

Browse around. I personally have the Fire Mountain and it is teh roxor. (OMGWTFLOL)

But if it's too much, the Lana'I is also a good choice as the frame is high quality. Same frame on the $300 Lana'I to the $1000 Caldera.

Ooh wait, it gets shipped to your local Kona Dealer...hmm. Check the dealer locator then at www.konaworld.com to see if you there's one near you.

Good luck!

My friend moved here from Atlanta, so I don't know where he got it, but he had it when he moved here. And yeah, I agree, it's surprising to me that there's no bike shop here in Jackson. I mean, it's no NYC, but it's a fairly big place.

There is another option I was thinking about last night. My parents live near Baton Rouge, LA. I get down there at least monthly to visit them, and haven't yet checked to see if there are bike shops in BR. I'll try a search today online and see. Thanks for all your help, guys. Keep it coming. Educate me. lol.

Excellent!!! Thank you a bunch. Looks like Baton Rouge it is!!! I've been looking at various bike companies' websites all weekend, and right now I think I'm leaning toward a Hardrock. Haven't completely made up my mind yet because I haven't actually seen all these bikes up close and personal, but I like the looks, and I like the components. Now here's a question: If you were to take a box-stock Rockhopper and could change just one feature of the bike, upgrade just one component (remember, I'm on a budget!) what would it be? Or would you take it home as is and not even worry about any upgrades yet if you were in my shoes and just learning about the sport of mountain biking?

You mention that there are no bikes in this price point that will fit someone our size, 6’ 250lbs. I think the reason we are looking at these bikes it TO get back into shape. In my youth I did stupid things like jump over cars, 6 friends, off the house, etc. I know I can’t do that anymore, but I want a bike that I can get aggressive with occasionally. I am looking at bikes in this price range because I want higher quality, something that will last longer than a Wal-Mart POS, no offense to them. On the other hand, I want to get back in to riding without spend $1K+ for a bike.

OK, off the soapbox and on to the questions. I am 35, 6’ and 250lbs., and need a bike I can use for recreational riding. I will primarily ride on paved surfaces, paved trails, dirt trails and infrequently ride on some tough trails. I’ve read this entire thread before posting so hopefully my questions are totally ignorant. The two things I’ve determined from reading the posts are:

1. Feel is probably as important as anything else.
2. The bikes in this price point are going to be very similar.

Based on some of the comments, I am interested in the following four models:

Gary Fisher Tassajara
Specialized Hardrock Pro Disk
Giant Iguana
Ironhorse Warrior Expert

Given my size and riding level, the things driving my decision now are warranty, upgrade abilities and durability. From what I’ve seen, Specialized may be the best from the frame warranty/durability standpoint. I believe any of these bikes will be more than I need for my expected riding habits, but I am concerned with the warranty/durability issues because of my size. I’ll give up a few features for a more bulletproof bike. Anything I should avoid when making my purchase? Any flaws in my logic/choices? Anything that should drive me to one of these bikes over another? I’m going to be testing these models over the next few weeks. Thanks in advance for any replies.

OOPS . . .
I’ve read this entire thread before posting so hopefully my questions are totally ignorant. (How about AREN'T totally ignorant - I'm just ignorant!)

Bikewise, I give the award to the Tassajara as the best bike, frame warranty and durability wise I give it to the Hardrock.

I think the Tassajara should be able handle your weight.

I Votez tassajraasQ!!!

: I Vote for the Gary Fisher Tassajara.

Okay, I've found a more local bike shop. I don't know why I couldn't find them before, but I asked someone I work with and they led me to them. I haven't been in yet, but here's what they carry. I need someone to help me out.
Trek 3900
Trek 4300
Giant Rincon

I'm unfortunately at work today and tomorrow, so I won't get to go into the LBS 'til Wednesday. I also don't find either Trek model on their website, so I don't know anything about these bikes. Can somebody help me out with any recommendations or things to look for?

Hello everyone...great forums you have here!

I'm assuming that 500$ is in US dollars, so I thought that these bikes were close enough ~850$ or 1099CDN, and I didn't want to clutter the rest of the forum with such a generic question.
I was just wondering which you guys thought of these 2 bikes I had in mind,

a '05 Kona cinder cone

http://www.konaworld.com/2k4bikes/2k...inder_cone.cfm


or a '05 Giant Rainier, on their website they only have the 04 model, but the front susp is now a Marzzochi UTX I think,air/coil I believe (damn shoulda wrote it down, thought they'd have it on their web-site)? And instead of shimano components, they are using some german components, which the salesperson told me were on the level of the shimano deore's.


both are going for 1099 CDN.

These are pretty much my only choices here (at least that i've found) so I have to make do.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

Was just doing some looking around and found this site:

http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/news/...5/14277/617959

just FYI. You said you're looking at an '05, but with the Marzzochi fork. I'm sure this doesn't apply to '05 models, but it makes me wonder.

Thanks for the reply

Yeah, I saw that recall while I was searching around, fortunately it doesn't apply to the 05's.

I still haven't been able to find many reviews/opinions on the rainier, whereas I've seen lots of people loving the Kona cinder. Are the Giant bikes not that good? I'm only asking because there are only 2 LBS where I am and one has the rainier ready to go for me. The other deals with Kona's and doesn't have one in at the moment. NOt sure if I should wait for the kona to come in or not.

Maybe I should just post this in the regular thread to get somemore hits....

ok if this is a newbie site I found it just in time to save another stupid thread.
so the question is are micargi bikes any good? my old lady is freakin out about me spending 300 on a bike so I can't spend any more then that, but I gotta start riding again, I found this site that sells tank, micargi and other names I have never heard, was looking at theire full suspension bikes for under 300, any suggestions?