Gustav

I'm a 50 year old recreational road biker (about 1500-2000 miles/season) looking to buy a good first mountain bike for riding trails for fun/training, and going out with my 15 year old son. I would like to spend between 400-800. Can I get a decent mountain bike for my purposes at this price, and what would you recommend?

-Stretch-

dude check the thread called "500$ mtb thread" or whatever its call, somethin along thos lines, theres plenty of suggestoins

mtnbiker66

You can fer sure get a good hardtail for that price. Check out the Specilized Hardrock disk.

a2psyklnut

Entry level bikes start at $300. What I like to call entry level race bikes start at $800. What I mean by entry level race are hardtails that are light enough yet strong enough to be competitive on some XC courses.

So, to answer your question, "YES" and I'll second -Stretch-'s suggestion to check out that thread.

L8R

-Stretch-

heh yay...someone has second'ed me! i feel honored...

LeviBike

Stay away from the hardrock comp disc, one of my riding partners rides the hardrock frame and abhors it basically. Rockhopper is much more preferable! Or if you are a really, really cool dad get him an FSRxc and let the fun times roll~

lt1aggie

i think he is buying it for himself so he can ride with his son

tFUnK

one thing to look out for is the frame geometry. entry level hardtails have a more upright position than "race" hardtails. depending on what you want to do, you should choose a geometry that you're comfortable with. the hardrock is a solid entry-level bike but the rockhopper is better. but if im not mistaken the rockhopper will put you in a more stretched out 'race' position than the hardrock.

a2psyklnut

The key is to test ride as many different bikes from as many different manufacturer's as you possibly can. After riding about 5 different bikes, you'll begin to learn what you like and don't like. Keep test riding, you will probably narrow down your choices to two bikes, then pick the one with the better paint color!

L8R

Gustav

Thanks for the suggestions. I read the '$550 bike' thread and learned a good bit. I also rode a few bikes this weekend by Gary Fisher, Giant, Raleigh and Specialized. We have a couple of pretty good local shops in town and they're all having their end of the season sales on in-stock bikes. I'm leaning toward a Giant Iguana. I'm trying to get a handle on all the different lines of drive train components and shocks (I've got good knowledge of all the road bike stuff, but the MTB gear is a whole other thing). The other thing I'm considering getting a bike from a shop that rents trail bikes near a nearby state forest. They sell them off at the end of the rental season. I can get a used rental bike with some miles that originally cost around 800 for 500 that has a better fork and derailleurs. Not as nice and shiny as a new one though! Any thoughts about that?

forum*rider

If the bikes in good condition then why not? You could also check out ebay for some great deals. Be careful though, lots of scammers out there.

BTW here is a quick line-up of shimano mtb groupos:

Acera
Alivio
Deore
Deore LX
Deore XT
XTR

I would recommend getting a bit with atleast Deore components.

Im going to assume that the Iguana you were looking at has the Rockshox Pilot C that it's spec'd with on the Giant site. As far as I know it's a decent fork and it would probably be fine for training/fun riding(isn't all riding fun?). When, and if, you wreck the fork you can always upgrade to a better one.

a2psyklnut

If you're going to buy a bike from a rental fleet, ask them to put a new chain and cassette on the bike for you as part of the deal. Besides that, it should be a great deal. What kind of bikes do they sell off/rent???

L8R

GreenFix

To furhter Forum rider's post The level of quality corresponds:

Deore=tiagra
Deore LX=105
Doere XT=ultegra
XTR=Dura Ace

I am sure other can give you some of the specific nuances between the groups.

I run an entirely deore drivetrain, and have a great time. I am not sure it is the slickest shifting option, but it could also be the mud and level of maintenance I choose to follow. For a comparison, I am also happy with tiagra/105 on my road bike.

Be sure to let us know what you buy.

Gustav

Well, I may have decided...but I wanted to get feedback if you have any to offer. We rode a couple of more bikes (Giant Iguana & Boulder, Trek, Raleigh M80) and think we're going to buy a Gary Fisher Hoo Koo e Koo from the end-of-season rental fleet at a local shop. It has XT rear derailleur and a Deore front, with a Rock Shox Pilot SL fork. They service and sell these bikes when they have 250-300 miles on them (computer included) with a full factory warranty. Includes new seat, pedals, tires & chain. Looks pretty good too... just a few scratches on the downtube and one on the chainstay. Price: $599. What do you think? Is this a deal? Saturday is buying day.

a2psyklnut

Not a bad price for a HKEK!

Sounds like a pretty good deal.

Just make sure they are a comfortable ride.

L8R