Calbear627

Hello all, just want to say i love this forum and I've been lurking for a while. I am in the midst of purchasing a new bike in December and would love some input.

I am 23 6'3 210, good shape. I've been riding for about 8 years now, mostly smaller trails w around 3~6 foot drops, nothing too big yet. I just departed w my specialized 29er, sadly. I am ready for a new challenge and would like to step foot in the realm of full susp. Never had a fs bike, always front.

What I will be using it for? Well my area has some pretty difficult trails and more challenging areas which I have been too cautious to try. Didnt want to mess with my bikes max as I didn't have cash to replace it. Only had about 4" ride. My end goal is to really have a bike which can take the drops, corners, and speeds without the fear of damaging it.

My budget is around a grand. Went to my lbs and they pretty much blew me out of the water, saying i need at least 2-3 for a decent bike. I know this is all bs. I know I can buy a quality used bike for around a grand, but I just don't really know what to look for as of now.

If you guys and gals could shed some light on my current situation I'd greatly appreciate it. I don't want to buy blind and I'm not going to rush into this, especially with my limited knowledge.

So yea, 1000 roughly, full susp free ride, don't care if used. Just want a quality bike so I can challenge myself and take my riding to the next level. Need help w branding, quality, prices and what/where I should be looking. Thank you all for your help, it is greatly appreciated

3speed

Someone with a better knowledge of this stuff will chime in here I'm sure, but I'd think used on ebay might be your best bet unless you live in a major MTB area. In that case you might well find something local, and that would be nice since you can actually check the bike in person before you buy. I'd guess that it does actually take more than $1000 for something considered a DH or free-ride bike if you buy new. I could be wrong, though. I'm not hardcore enough to do more than ~4' drops myself, so I don't know a whole lot about the more hardcore bikes. I do know they aren't cheap. DH and free-ride forks/shocks alone can run $500+($1000+ if you want the best).