Please help me pick out a bike!
06-02-12, 03:53 AM
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Please help me pick out a bike!
Hi BikeForums members,
I am currently looking to buy a 26" mountain bike for my son.
Budget: $250
Shortlisted bikes:
The following are all used bikes but in pretty good shape
- 2003 Schwinn Mesa GSX: https://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...+GSX&Type=bike
- 2011 Trek 820: https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/B...=820&Type=bike
- 2005 Haro V3 (not too sure about the year): https://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...l=V3&Type=bike
The following are department store bikes. I know these are discouraged but they fit my budget and are some of the best ones available from what I've read online. I realize most people here won't be familiar with these bikes but please provide any feedback you can based on the specs listed on the website.
- Hiland Tempest: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hiland-Tem...-Bike/14659084
- Mongoose Snarl Bike: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongoose-S...-Bike/15711161
Riding on mostly paved road, some cross country
My son is 19 y/o, 150 lbs, 5ft 8.5 in
All other bike suggestions are welcome!
Many thanks!
I am currently looking to buy a 26" mountain bike for my son.
Budget: $250
Shortlisted bikes:
The following are all used bikes but in pretty good shape
- 2003 Schwinn Mesa GSX: https://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...+GSX&Type=bike
- 2011 Trek 820: https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/B...=820&Type=bike
- 2005 Haro V3 (not too sure about the year): https://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...l=V3&Type=bike
The following are department store bikes. I know these are discouraged but they fit my budget and are some of the best ones available from what I've read online. I realize most people here won't be familiar with these bikes but please provide any feedback you can based on the specs listed on the website.
- Hiland Tempest: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hiland-Tem...-Bike/14659084
- Mongoose Snarl Bike: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongoose-S...-Bike/15711161
Riding on mostly paved road, some cross country
My son is 19 y/o, 150 lbs, 5ft 8.5 in
All other bike suggestions are welcome!
Many thanks!
Last edited by mbikes; 06-02-12 at 08:16 PM.
06-02-12, 06:18 PM
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Welcome to bike forums. You might want to check the links you posted because none of them work. That said, a big box store bike might be in your budget, but if you're serious about buying a bike that has the quality needed to ride a rugged trail and survive, you need to keep looking. As for the others, they are somewhat similiar which means, buy the newest of that group, the Trek 820. The 820 model has been around since the mid-90's. It's a true entry level mountain bike and is very rugged. It's frequently purchased by folks looking for a bike for the road that can also work on the trail. It fits that description perfectly. My son had a 2002 model that was used first on the road, then, when he got into mountain biking, it was his first mountain bike. It's not a high end bike and will not perform like one, but it is rugged and will come back from a single track, technical trail in one piece ready to ride again. I'd recommend you go with that option.
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06-02-12, 08:16 PM
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Thanks for pointing out the problem with the links roccobike!
Do you have any idea how the big box bikes match up against the used bikes?
Do you have any idea how the big box bikes match up against the used bikes?
06-02-12, 08:59 PM
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Depends on the used bike.
During my bike flipping days, I had several dual suspension big box bikes pass through my hands, including one of the more expensive dual suspension bikes with disc brakes. No matter, IMHO all of them were heavy and clumsy. They tended to "bob" when pedalling, which robs the cyclist of power. If you insist on buying a big box bike, at least buy one of the more expensive hard tail bikes, typically these have a Schwinn nameplate on them. As for how they compare to a new LBS bike, is not very well. The LBS bikes are tuned properly by a mechanic and typically have better components.
I can't answer your question about a used bike because I don't know the condition of the bikes you're looking at. One of the reasons I recommended the TRek is, it's only one year old.
During my bike flipping days, I had several dual suspension big box bikes pass through my hands, including one of the more expensive dual suspension bikes with disc brakes. No matter, IMHO all of them were heavy and clumsy. They tended to "bob" when pedalling, which robs the cyclist of power. If you insist on buying a big box bike, at least buy one of the more expensive hard tail bikes, typically these have a Schwinn nameplate on them. As for how they compare to a new LBS bike, is not very well. The LBS bikes are tuned properly by a mechanic and typically have better components.
I can't answer your question about a used bike because I don't know the condition of the bikes you're looking at. One of the reasons I recommended the TRek is, it's only one year old.
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Last edited by roccobike; 06-03-12 at 05:12 AM.
06-02-12, 09:31 PM
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From your list I would go with the Trek. Going used gets you more bike for your money. However, I am a big fan of local bike shops. They will usually give a free tune up, which you will need when the cables stretch out. The shop will also deal with any warranty issues, help with correct size, and give you a 10% discount on accessories. (like a helmet) Most of the major bike brands start about 300-350 dollars for their entry level mountain bikes, but if you wait till the end of summer the 2013 bikes will be out and you can get a new bike closer to your budget. You may even be able to pick up something new that has been sitting on the floor for a couple years in your price range. Hit all the local LBS, get a feel for the staff members and how they treat customers with your budget. A decent shop will treat you well if your spending 2 dollars or 2500. Good luck!
06-02-12, 11:27 PM
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Hi there, Mbikes!
IMHO you have several options available:
1) Monitor your local Craigslist for a quality used MTB. This option will usually require patience. This is most probably your best choice!
2) You can slightly increase your budget. Go to a Schwinn dealership and get a Schwinn Frontier MTB.
3) You can slightly increase your budget. Go to Jamis dealership and get a Trail XR MTB.
4) You can buy the Nashbar AT-1 MTB online from Nashbar. The bike arrives 90% assembled already.
The Nashbar AT-1 MTB ~ $200
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172828_-1__202617
^ This is better than Walmart or a big box store! ^
If you have trouble assembling your bike, just watch the video below:
www.bikesdirect.com/instructionhelp.htm
5) You can wait until you've save enough cash to buy the Giant Boulder from a Giant bicycle dealership. The Giant Boulder is made of chromoly steel. If kept dry, it will last for an entire lifetime. You will be able to upgrade or change the components on this bike for the rest of your life. It will be your last purchase ever of a MTB. If the suspended fork should ever fail, your can get a much better fork and place it onto this quality frame. You could do the same for any of its worn components, throughout your possession of this MTB. The Boulder frame is extremely durable. More durable than most other MTB frames. It will be a worthwhile investment of both time and money, just to wait and purchase this MTB in particular.
I think this is a great idea! Especially if you belong to a co-op...
The Giant Boulder ~ $360
www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/boulder/9043/48922/
6) You can purchase a MTB frame online this summer, and your son can join a bicycle co-op. There, he can find various parts or components of bikes, that will fit his new MTB frame. Any part not present at the co-op will have to be purchased independently. It could very well take the entire summer or even longer, if you can't locate all of your needed components at the co-op or can't afford to purchase needed components elsewhere. However, in the long run, at the end of the day, your son will have learned how to service his own bike and others, as well. He would have acquired the skills of a blossoming bicycle mechanic.
Before you buy a frame online, check with the bicycle co-op first. They may have a nice frame waiting for one of their members, already.
https://store.somafab.com/mtbframes.html
The Nashbar Double-Butted Aluminum MTB Frame ~ $100
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_173009_-1_202337
The Fuji Tahoe 29 SL MTB Frame ~ $210
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_527351_-1__202337
7) Maybe you don't have the time or patience to wait for a quality MTB to appear on your local Craigslist. Maybe you don't want to visit any LBS, like Schwinn and Jamis dealerships, to find bargains on quality new or used MTN bikes. Maybe there is no interest in bicycle co-ops. Maybe the whole idea about a chromoly framed MTB sounds empty to you. Perhaps you just want a MTB within your price range right now and you don't want to bother with any online merchants. You just want your MTB and you want it right now, as long as it's within your budget. No matter what!
Well in that case, you're gonna have to possibly suffer the experience of buying a MTB from a big box store, where all of your bicycle components are practically guaranteed to be of the lowest quality. Chances are, the parts or components of the MTB will be improperly installed, and pose a risk to your son's personal safety. Therefore, if you should decide to go the route of a big box store like Walmart, you should have a professional mechanic checkout the build of the bike, in order to make certain that the build or installation of parts was done proficiently. That will cost extra, unfortunately.
For this venture, you'd best belong to a co-op too!
Popular cheap big box store hard tail MTN bikes include: The Schwinn Aluminum Comp-The Mongoose Deception- The Mongoose Snarl
Don't ever buy a dual suspension or full suspension MTB of any kind from a big box store!
IMHO you have several options available:
1) Monitor your local Craigslist for a quality used MTB. This option will usually require patience. This is most probably your best choice!
2) You can slightly increase your budget. Go to a Schwinn dealership and get a Schwinn Frontier MTB.
3) You can slightly increase your budget. Go to Jamis dealership and get a Trail XR MTB.
4) You can buy the Nashbar AT-1 MTB online from Nashbar. The bike arrives 90% assembled already.
The Nashbar AT-1 MTB ~ $200
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172828_-1__202617
^ This is better than Walmart or a big box store! ^
If you have trouble assembling your bike, just watch the video below:
www.bikesdirect.com/instructionhelp.htm
5) You can wait until you've save enough cash to buy the Giant Boulder from a Giant bicycle dealership. The Giant Boulder is made of chromoly steel. If kept dry, it will last for an entire lifetime. You will be able to upgrade or change the components on this bike for the rest of your life. It will be your last purchase ever of a MTB. If the suspended fork should ever fail, your can get a much better fork and place it onto this quality frame. You could do the same for any of its worn components, throughout your possession of this MTB. The Boulder frame is extremely durable. More durable than most other MTB frames. It will be a worthwhile investment of both time and money, just to wait and purchase this MTB in particular.
I think this is a great idea! Especially if you belong to a co-op...
The Giant Boulder ~ $360
www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/boulder/9043/48922/
6) You can purchase a MTB frame online this summer, and your son can join a bicycle co-op. There, he can find various parts or components of bikes, that will fit his new MTB frame. Any part not present at the co-op will have to be purchased independently. It could very well take the entire summer or even longer, if you can't locate all of your needed components at the co-op or can't afford to purchase needed components elsewhere. However, in the long run, at the end of the day, your son will have learned how to service his own bike and others, as well. He would have acquired the skills of a blossoming bicycle mechanic.
Before you buy a frame online, check with the bicycle co-op first. They may have a nice frame waiting for one of their members, already.
https://store.somafab.com/mtbframes.html
The Nashbar Double-Butted Aluminum MTB Frame ~ $100
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_173009_-1_202337
The Fuji Tahoe 29 SL MTB Frame ~ $210
www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_527351_-1__202337
7) Maybe you don't have the time or patience to wait for a quality MTB to appear on your local Craigslist. Maybe you don't want to visit any LBS, like Schwinn and Jamis dealerships, to find bargains on quality new or used MTN bikes. Maybe there is no interest in bicycle co-ops. Maybe the whole idea about a chromoly framed MTB sounds empty to you. Perhaps you just want a MTB within your price range right now and you don't want to bother with any online merchants. You just want your MTB and you want it right now, as long as it's within your budget. No matter what!
Well in that case, you're gonna have to possibly suffer the experience of buying a MTB from a big box store, where all of your bicycle components are practically guaranteed to be of the lowest quality. Chances are, the parts or components of the MTB will be improperly installed, and pose a risk to your son's personal safety. Therefore, if you should decide to go the route of a big box store like Walmart, you should have a professional mechanic checkout the build of the bike, in order to make certain that the build or installation of parts was done proficiently. That will cost extra, unfortunately.
For this venture, you'd best belong to a co-op too!
Popular cheap big box store hard tail MTN bikes include: The Schwinn Aluminum Comp-The Mongoose Deception- The Mongoose Snarl
Don't ever buy a dual suspension or full suspension MTB of any kind from a big box store!
Last edited by SlimRider; 06-04-12 at 12:51 AM.
06-03-12, 07:40 AM
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5) You can wait until you've save enough cash to buy the Giant Boulder from a Giant bicycle dealership. The Giant Boulder is made of chromoly steel. If kept dry, it will last for an entire lifetime. You will be able to upgrade or change the components on this bike for the rest of your life. It will be your last purchase ever of a MTB. If the suspended fork should ever fail, your can get a much better fork and place it onto this quality frame. You could do the same for any of its worn components, throughout your possession of this MTB. The Boulder frame is extremely strong. Stronger than most other MTB frames. It will be a worthwhile investment of both time and money, just to wait and purchase this MTB in particular.
Assuming all three of those bikes you listed fit properly, I'd probably go Haro over Trek. Trek's frame is hi-ten. I know I just got done saying that construction counts more than frame material, but construction on the bikes will be similar and hi-ten is at the bottom of the hierarchy anyway.
06-03-12, 09:24 AM
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Zephyr says:
Sorry, the intended was "more durable", NOT "stronger"....
Thanks!
Since when is a Boulder stronger than most other frames? Construction counts as much more than material.
Thanks!
Last edited by SlimRider; 06-04-12 at 12:45 AM.
06-03-12, 10:35 PM
#10
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Hi, I've posted a blog on buying a quality cheap mountain bike. This sort of question gets asked a lot so instead of replying with the same advice I just blogged it. Feel free to check it out. It may give you some ideas or a better insight https://www.theworkingclasscyclist.co...mountain-bike/
06-09-12, 07:30 PM
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+1 on your original list for the Trek 820. Also, if available, Fuji has a Nevada 6.0 which might be available for around the same price as the 820.
06-10-12, 12:34 AM
#12
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I would also vote Haro over the Trek. I think it would be just as good stock(maybe a bit better) and is more upgrade-able with the 90mm fork vs. the 63mm on the Trek. He can upgrade to a decent, very available 100mm fork with disk brake mount in the next year or two if he gets more into MTBing. Not nearly as easy with a 63mm fork. The Haro has a Deore rear derailer with 8sp. The Trek is 7sp with a Shimano "TX31." The Haro frame will be plenty durable for a newbie but will weigh a lot less. Truvativ cranks vs. Hawk DX(whatever that is...). Basically everything I'm looking at here puts the Haro above the Trek in terms of specs. If they're both in good shape and fit the rider, I'd take the Haro every time, no question.
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