Zephyr11

It's a cool bike and you can't beat the price. The Komodo I (which Sam linked to) actually has a fork that sets it up less as a DJ and more as an AMHT, though you could put a 100mm fork on there and make lean more towards the DJ side (that's the route the more expensive and slightly nicer spec'ed Komodo II goes). Alternately, you can slacken it out even more with a bigger fork. The fork that particular bike comes with is pretty much crap, but unfortunately, you won't find a great fork on a cheap bike. The good news is you can easily upgrade it later on down the line. It's heavy and overbuilt for fire roads, road riding, and easy trails though, so if that's your purpose, you may want to look elsewhere.

Only other thing I'll mention is that Cannondale's and Giant's entry level stuff is fine. C'dale takes a lot of heat around here for whatever reason, but really, their stuff is perfectly fine. At a given price point, barring any sales, the offerings from all four of the companies you mentioned will be roughly equal, so it comes down to which one's geometry fits you best (and one of them WILL ride better than the others for you).

Zephyr11

Start here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...place-to-start.

Then post more questions after you go through that.

skibum157

@magnotron- I just took a look at the specialized website, and I see a bunch of models of the rockhopper, but the prices are considerably different. You were refering to the basic rock hopper correct?
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...2&menuItemId=0

also if anyone wants to suggest any other decent mt bikes for trail riding and possibly downhill, I'm all ears. The rockhopper isn't too much of a stretch but is there anything decent at the 500$ mark?

Mike_30

Thanks for the reply and info. I never heard of that brand before, but i trust your opinion. I dont think I will be doing any big dirt jumping so im not sure if that is the route I should take. However I will keep it on my short list. What about the Komodo 2 on that site? Its about 200 more. Is it worth it? Can you comment on the ride on that one?

I will look into the rockhopper you mentioned also and see if I can find a deal. Another bike i was eyeballing just from hopping the manufacturer websites was the Giant Revel 0, but then again thats how I ended up on your forum. I dont know squat about gearing and MTB setups.

The last bike I had was the SE Socal Flyer 24 " Aluminum Cruiser after getting out of the 20" BMX mode.

samburger

Whoops, I linked to the Komodo I but I was looking at the Komodo II as I was typing. My mistake.

samburger

The Komodo II has a much more capable fork & slightly higher component spec all around, so it's definitely worth a look if you're considering going the Komodo route. And like Zephyr said, it has a DJ fork stock so it rides more like a DJ & less like an AMHT (all mountain hardtail, in case you didn't catch that). It's the one I would buy if I was going to buy a Komodo (& I'm still having troubles convincing myself not to if I ever get the coin). Another downside of these I forgot to mention, though, is weight. The Komodo I comes in at 35# & the II just under it at 34#. XC bikes in your price range generally hover closer to the 30# mark.

As long as you stay at the price mark you mentioned, you shouldn't really have any problems with any brands. The Revel 0 looks to be as capable as any other bikes in that price range. Nicer brakes than the Rockhopper, FWIW. Really the most important thing is to go to all of your LBS's & test ride all the bikes they have in your price range to at least get an idea of what bikes feel best to you. Then you can either get the one that feels the best, or take note of the qualities you liked about each bike & come back here to see if anyone can suggest another bike that combines all the qualities you liked (the former is obviously the easier/faster option, & generally the subtle differences from bike to bike are easy to fix with a seat adjustment, stem change, etc).

The only reason I mentioned Giant & Cannondale as having mixed reviews is because my friend bought a Giant Boulder as his first bike & destroyed it the first time he ever wrecked it, but the Boulder is a totally different & much cheaper bike than the Revel 0. And for Cannondale, I really don't know anything about their quality, but no one around here seems to ride their current models & you don't hear about them much, so it just makes me wonder. Doesn't necessarily mean there's a good reason for it though.

jjaguar

Alright, I'm getting close to pulling the trigger and looking for some advice, and maybe a sanity check.

First, a little background. I've ridden road bikes since I was in high school, and started doing tri's after college. However, I recently moved to a new house that I just discovered is about a third of a mile away from a trailhead that leads to some singletrack, and reportedly the only decent off-roading in the area.

So, I'm in the market for my first mountain bike primarily for riding the local trails on the weekend. I've done my research, and I think for the type of riding I'll be doing a hardtail would be best. My budget is around $700-800 or so, and I know that at that price point I'm looking at budget, entry-level stuff. I've tested a number of bikes and decided I prefer 26" bikes, the ones I tried all felt lighter and more nimble than roughly equivalent 29ers.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Motobecane 600HT or 700HT. The only other bike I tried that "spoke to me" was a Specialized Rockhopper. The Rockhopper had slightly better feeling brakes, while the 700HT shifted a little smoother. But based on my (admittedly short) test rides, there really wasn't much separating them and those differences could be down to a matter of tuning. The Rockhopper, at $880, is a little more than I'd like to spend (though I could swing it if it were worth it), while 700HT is actually a couple hundred under my budget. I think I prefer the 700HT over the 600HT because the components are a bit better for only $50 more.

BTW, BD has an actual LBS in town, which means I can test ride their bikes, pick up the bike fully assembled and tuned, and have a place to take it should something go wrong, eliminating those concerns when buying from them.

Here's the bikes in question:

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e_600HT_xi.htm
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e_700HT_xi.htm
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...cname=Mountain

Whatever I get, I'll end up riding stock for awhile except for the pedals (as a roadie I'm used to clipless, platforms will have to go). I figure since I don't know anything about MTB's at all, I won't know what I need until I get some experience under my belt. I'll upgrade as parts wear out and/or I outgrow them and decide they're no longer up to the task.

Thoughts?

ed 

You've definitely got your head in the right place. As much as I hate to recommend a BD bike, if they're willing to give you a warranty and service the warranty right there at the shop...I'd go with the 700HT over the other two. It's spec'd the highest for the money and at around 350-350 cheaper than the Rockhopper...it's a no brainer. I'm much more a fan of Specialized as a company.


What size are you looking at getting?

The Durango at Jenson is spec'd better than these at $550, but it's a 14".

Mike_30

So is the Rockhopper worth the extra cost? It appears I cant have one shipped to me so Id have to go to the local shop (which i plan to do to check size etc.)and here is Socal they are running at a higher price then some other sites. id even be willing to take the "not so new year" if it was on closeout etc.

My apologies, but Ive never heard of a Motobecane or Jamis till now. Are these really strong competitors or front runners? Im stuck with the old brands I grew up on/recognize.

(glad im in the new guy postings **Whew**)

jjaguar

That's another question. I happen to fall exactly in between two sizes - 17" and 19". The place where I tried the Rockhopper put me on a 17.5", while I tried the 700HT in a 19", and the salesman there felt the 19" was a better fit for me. He said that was because of differences in frame geometry, although I suspect is was at least partially due to the fact he didn't have a 17" on the floor. Either one can be made to fit, so I'm still undecided.

Edit: I'd like to add that I'm leaning towards 17", since it's easier to make a small bike larger, with different seat posts and stems and such, than to make a large bike smaller.

The shop did say they would support the warranty, but I failed to ask about the terms of their warranty.

Well, Motobecane was a pretty good French manufacturer back in the 70's, but they went bankrupt and a Taiwan-based manufacturer bought the name and produces their own bikes under the brand now.

Now, I don't have any MTB experience so I'm sure someone will correct me if things are different on their side of the fence, but I do know road bikes, and their road bikes have the reputation for being good, solid framesets, albeit not the latest tech (they seem to run maybe a couple of years behind). They are produced in the same contract factories that build many other top brand name bikes so the manufacturing technology is the same, though obviously the specific designs are the intellectual property of those companies so they're not direct clones, and each company has their own QA system in place. They are able to undercut the name brands because of their direct order business model and less marketing. They do spec pieces that riders tend to look for (such as derailleurs) pretty well, but cut corners in areas that are less obvious (like bottom brackets).

The biggest complaints are that by ordering online you're forced to buy the bike unseen, without proper sizing. The bike is also shipped to you only partially assembled, so you either have to be capable of assembling and tuning it yourself, or pay a local shop to do that for you. There's also less support since you have nobody to take the bike back to. Finally, you're not supporting local businesses. However, there are a few states where they have real, brick-and-mortar shops. Florida happens to be one of those, and I just happen to work about 10 minutes up the road from one.

rat fink

Motobecane is an old brand name (formerly a road bike company) that has been resurrected (in name only) a budget bike brand. Their target market is people who don't particularly care what bike they ride as long as it works. They use brand name components, but they aren't what you would call innovators. Jamis is a nice bike company that has a budget minded line up aimed at riders who for the most part know what they want out of a bike, but aren't willing or able to pay through the nose for every latest gadget from companies (like Specialized) who survive on their reputation and marketing as much as they do on the bikes themselves. Jamis is also into trying new things and experimenting. For companies like Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale, you typically pay about a 30% premium over the price of a Jamis or equivalent. But, that's the cost to be cutting edge.

corwin1968

I am getting back into riding after 3-4 years of inactivity. My street/pavement bike is a TREK FX series hybrid but our subdivision has a LOT of undeveloped but hard-packed areas. These areas are looking more and more fun to ride on and I've even ventured onto them for a short distance on my FX. I think I'm getting bitten by the MTB bug and I want to get my feet wet.

My idea is to pick up an old but high quality MTB from the 90's. If I enjoy the experience I will spring for a really nice mountain bike in the future as I have a feeling I'm going to quickly come to prefer it to road riding.

I'm pretty particular and willing to spend some time looking for the right bike. I'm a super-clydesdale (350 lbs) and plan to stick to hard packed terrain. No rocks, boulders, crevices, jumping, etc... When I find an old MTB online I go back and research it's frame and I'm holding out for something really high quality for strength and lightness.

So far, I've developed enough knowledge about the 90's Bridgeston MB series and the early 90's Trek 800 series bikes. I feel like I know which models are the better frames and which are economy models.

What are some other old MTB brands and specific models I should be on the lookout for? I want a completely rigid bike and prefer the old horizontal top-tubes to the newer sloped tubes. My price range is $100-200. I don't mind a bike that needs a small amount of TLC to work right since learning to repair and maintain my own bikes is also a goal.

fas2c

Can't beat an old Bridgestone MB1, or an Specialized Stumpjumper/Rock Hopper. Trek 8000 are great too. One can find 80's Schwinn High Sierra/Sierra and Cimarron and they were high end at the time.

But any Marin, Gary Fisher, Kona, ect are great too but they may be out of your price range.

Great thing about the older Mtn bikes is that you can totally convert them into decent road tourer too!

I have an 95 GT that has been totally upgraded. The only original items are the frame and seatpost. I love it.

Oh yeah the early Diamondback and Mongoose (not to be confused w/ the Xmart bikes) were kicking too. I have found some great Scott rigid bikes that were screaming buys.

roflmao147

Im thinking of buying a mountain bike for winter training, and also to save my road bike when i want to meet with friends or nip to the shops. so heres my situation, there isnt many mountains, but there are forests, so this will be were I will be riding, mainly to shelter from the wind, rain, snow, and ice. Riding a road bike last year, and getting absolutely froze with windchill has put me off the idea of doing it again this year, so im going to buy a mountain bike, to train in the forests that are 2 miles from me. my problem is, I have no clue what I'm looking for, if someone could give me advice on what to buy, it would be great, my price range is around £400

cristimilan7

Hello. I am looking forward to buy a MTB Hardtail. And I found this. What do you think about it? It`s a good bike?

jjaguar

Okay, I'm still shopping around. I think I've decided against the Motobecane because even though I have that one shop near work, I think in the long run I'll have an easier time getting support for a name brand.

Anyway, I'm looking for thoughts on how the Giant Revel 0 compares with the Rockhopper, my current frontrunner:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...cname=Mountain
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...el/9042/48917/

The key differences seem to be (Revel 0 vs. Rockhopper) -

Fork: RockShox XC28 vs. Suntour XCR. I couldn't find any information about the XC28 fork, other than it replaces the Dart line.
Brakes: Avid BB5 vs. Tektro Draco hydraulic. Are low-end hydraulics better than BB5s?
Drivetrain: SRAM X5 vs. Shimano Acera/Alivio. From what I've read, it seems this one goes to the Giant, but I'm not familiar with mountain bike component hierarchy.

The Giant is about $180 less, also. Of course I still need to try one first (the shop didn't have one in my size).

aeathb

Hello, first post here because I am just getting into mountain biking and I found a new in box Fuji Nevada 4.0 for $300 on craigslist. My dad has a specialized hardrock (no frills, just basics) which i used to love, and I'm wondering if these compare or is even a good deal?

TheYoungBikeGuy

idk if this is the right place to post this question... but what would be the list of bike brands in descending order from highest top brand to lowest brand? maybe like a list of 6 or 10. and where would K2 be in that line?

ed 

In order from top to bottom being best to crap:

Jamis
Next
Huffy
Schwinn
Whale Poo
Yeti

HiImSean

i've been looking at getting into MTBing for a while now. i've been looking at different LBS and craigslist. i'm looking for a 29er and trying to keep it sub$800. i road a specialized hardrock and liked it a lot. i havent had much tome to look at anything else. i want to check out some felt and jamis bikes as well. last night an 09 GF paragon 29er popped up on CL for 800 in my size i may go check out. any recommendations for a 1st time mtb 29er?

TheYoungBikeGuy

ok so wait... there's a whole bunch in between Jamis and Next because Fuji is better than Next (right?) and Specialized is better than Huffy.... am i right? maybe my question is what are the top 5 bike brands?

samburger

You needn't look any further than whale poo.

dminor 

Yeti
Foes
Intense
Santa Cruz
Transition

Second-tier is:

Specialized
Giant
Trek
Rocky Mountain
Kona


Bottom-feeders of the bike-shop-grade:

Diamondback
Haro
Mongoose (bike-shop Mongoose)
Fuji
Torker
Jamis

Then:

Motobecane
Mongoose (box-store Mongoose)
Next
Schwinn
Huffy
Vertical


(that oughta stir things up )

TheYoungBikeGuy

ok thanks. that answered my question. the reason i was asking was because when i look at craigslist or ebay sometimes i dont know the company.... thanks dminor

samburger

Super facepalm!