Backyard Pro

Backround, i raced motocross sense i was 4, turned pro yadda yadda, made money, got hurt end story, lol i know this does not mean I will be good on a mtb, but i used to train on them, plus i bmx'd to : ( anyways, my friend made a long trip from ohio to oklahoma where i am right now due to military, he brought his 19in jamis 29er, at the time i had no knowledge on bikes etc. So he searched craigslist for a decent bike so we could go ride, came across a trek 3700 09, paid 180 for it which seemed like a good deal. The guy said it was a 21in but it did not feel like it, I felt pretty comfortable.

My friend has been riding for a few years and the first trail we rode was a lot of climbing plus we got lost in the most technical area which had a lot of wooden trails etc. which I rode with no problems. Our ride turned into a 5 hour ride, our camal backs dry and ticks with no spray. needless to say with all the climbing and it bein my first time in years we were sore, the trek had a speedo mileage thing already and logged 21 miles, if anyone is familiar with clearbay at thunderbird lake in oklahoma then you know the elevation we dealt with. a few days later we rode at nudraper a few times, i couldnt find any other good trails online ( feel free to tell me some if you know the area) and I became addicted, my friend went back to ohio and took the trek with him sense at the time he bought it not knowing if I would stick with it.

so now i'm in the market. by the end of the week he could not stay within 15-20 seconds of me. it felt so natural and i was able to flow through the trails pretty easily once i was comfortable. i searched and even thought about buying a frame off ebay etc. but I dont know all the components to piece one together and couldnt find a good faq to do this. i know first thing is i need to go and test ride, which i have been.

I can tell once i find a bike and get comfy, i'm defiantly going to begin pushing my limits and my bike i hope, im between 5'11 and 170, i dont have a budget really for the right bike but dont plan on spending 3k. im guessing a hardtail is the best option to get the best components to begin with without spending big money? im having trouble finding what brands to be looking at besides the obvious, giant, kona, specialized, gary, trek, jamis etc? whatc brands should i look into? gearing the trek was a 21 speed? ive read 7,8,9 speeds? and all these abv. like xc, ss etc, only ones ive figured out is full and hardtail, ive read the stickies so anymore reading suggestions would be good.I guess ive typed a lot and really havent said anything useful, i hope to get any advice and maybe find some fellow oker's to ride with, so anything will help, try and be nice, i know new guys always annoy, i have been one of the vets on other forums who shake their head when reading new threads.

samburger

Well it's hard to give you any specific advice sine you aren't really sure what your price range is, but since you've taken such a quick knack to mountain biking & have a steady, decent paying job (assuming you don't have a wife or kids to support on military pay), I would look into something closer to the $1000 range, maybe even $1500 so you can get a good full suspension XC bike. There are plenty of bikes much cheaper that would be fine to begin with since you didn't have any troubles on the Trek 3700 (about about $400 new), but if you can afford it & know that mountain biking is a sport you're really getting into, it's cheaper to throw out the extra money now instead of having to upgrade later.

Now, that said, go to all your local bike shops (LBS). Think of your new bike like a new car--all the salesmen want you on their bike, & probably honestly think they're the best option for you. But only you know which bike feels right. What they can all do (since most bike shop guys are much less sharky than car dealers) is help you assess what kind of bike you really want. I went to mine I said I do mostly light to intermediate XC, & he immediately recommended the Hardrock Sport Disc as the best value in that area, even though it was one of the least expensive bikes in his shop. But just shop around & ask lots of questions, because mountain bikers in general are pretty passionate about the sport & your LBS will be more than happy to answer any & all of your questions, & get you on your first real mountain bike.

samburger

Oh, & they'll also know all the trails in about a 100 mile radius. Many that you probably can't find on any website from a google search. Very useful.

Fairmont

But don't buy from anyone that pays commission to their salespeople. That taints their view everytime. At my LBS they say, "you can talk to any of us." That's groovy.

Zan

Holy long paragraph batman!

To find out where the trails are, go to your LBS and ask them. They'll know.

In terms of what to get - this depends on your budget. You gave a range of what seemed like 200$ - 3000$. There's quite a bit of variation in there. If you come up with a specific budget, it'll be easier narrowing down what you should get.

A lot of people like Santa Cruz. I like Santa Cruz's Chameleon. It's in the upper end of your price range, but you won't be upset with it.

junkyard

mysuggestionistonotgetanymorebadassthanyoualreadyareoryourheadmightexplodeyourockdude

Backyard Pro

HAHA, I'm not badass I'm a nub. To help I'll say up to $1,500 for right now, I have been searching Cl, Ebay for used good condition to maybe get lucky and get a FS. Lol sorry for the terrible grammer and run on paragraph, I started typing and that's what came out. I really appreciate the fast good replies. With components I don't know exactly what to look for, I like the feel of discs a lot more but I know you can usually upgrade if you have tabs? And if I spend around the 1k mark then most of the components will be more than fine? Thanks Also should i go for a 29er? I know its preference and I've read tons of threads about them.. I was looking at a Gary F 29er cobia I think, but gary's are getting discoun. so would it be a good idea? like a car that they stop making do you still buy?

BurnNotice

Gotta hand it to JY, he always has a comeback! So I have to know, if your between 5'11" and 170........what does that equate to**********?? Just being a smarta$$ myself like JY. First determine budget; then ride style; then go and parooooze over bikes at your LBS and test ride a few. Then buy! Then ride and don't spend so much time on the forum. That is all the advice I can muster up right now.

dminor 

I think with BBP/bodily secretions rules/laws being what they are now, if you ooze on it you gotta buy it.

Peruse with care, OP.

samburger

What your primary concern should be after you decide what kind of bike best fits your needs is the frame. Components can be upgraded piece by piece afterward as a sort of 'pay-as-you-go' deal, & old components can be sold off if they're still in good condition at the time of upgrading. For the $1K range, I've heard good things about the Giant Yukon FX. Solid full suspension frame & components that you would find on a $400-500 bike, for $850 new. On the higher end of the $1500 cap, you've got the Specialized FSRxc, which I've heard great things about. There are limitless options out there, you just have to determine what kind of bike you need & try them out. It sounded like you were really interested in XC, which is what both those bikes are for. If you find that you're more into downhill or dirt jumping, those categories also have very different bikes made specifically for them. (be forewarned, though--downhill will require a much higher price cap)

Daspydyr 

Try a bike off Craigs List. If you know how to haggle you can get a pretty good bike for less than a grand. Ride it for a couple of months, tinker with it and then resell it for about the same money. Learn what you like and don't like.

MTB Magazine also just published a list of 7 FS bikes for $2K and less. The Scott Spark 50 was the lightest and seemed well equipped.

BUT it has so much white on it that someone like BN will steal it.

BurnNotice

I love white on a bike! Easily shows dirt and how hard you ride!!!!!!!! I do resemble that comment!

BurnNotice

You liked that didn't you????

4evrplan

My eyes hurt.

Backyard Pro

Thats just it though, there's so much out there its hard to narrow down to 5 choices without knowing the exact parts, frame specs etc. you want and I was trying to get a general idea to start with, I was looking at a GF 29er, so basing off of that what type of things should i look for? I was trying to make a checklist with things I wanted then make an add to list.

never

At a given pricepoint, most bikes are fairly similar in terms of components. So go ride as many bikes as you can in your budget range first. You'll get a better sense of what you feel comfortable on. Then come back and ask the forum about your favorites.

Backyard Pro

Ok, I'll do that over the weekend and be back. Thanks

dminor 

Fixed.

never

What's an off-topic humous photo post?

Covalent Jello

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dminor 

Example: vid captures of scenes from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle:

never

Is humous some American word I don't know about? Because I bet you're not talking about humus...especially since you didn't know what a donair was!

BTW, the guy in the Syndicate jersey looks fast.

dminor 

Damn. Let me try this again:

Fixed.



I hate making typos!




I understand he's a pinner - - once you can wake him up.

never

Don't you like how I don't let you off easily?




He's looks pretty old so what do you expect?

Copper Clyde

Try checking https://www.mtbr.com/

You can see how ppl rate bikes and components, etc.

I cant believe nobody linked this yet.