Tuco

Hi, so in april I will be purchasing my first (non crappy Walmart or Canadian Tire) mountain bike. My budget is 700 MAX, I'm located in toronto Canada take that into account, i wont be able to get foreign bikes easily, im 16, 6' 1" and 205 lbs. just incase weight or strenght are into consideration for weight of the bike or gears or something, im chubby, but extremely strong, like 290 on barbell squats. Im going to be doing street biking throughout the year, however, when im camping for afew months i will be doing both basic trail biking and harder biking on the canadian shield. Id rather avoid getting a used bike, id like my first real bike to be new, lower quality or not. Ive been considering these bikes giant revel 0, the trek 4500 disc, or the specialized hardrock sport disc 29 inch, cannondale f7 disc, Scott scale 70, gt avalanche disc, i havent really looked thoroughly at their prices though, and am far from being set on those, any good bikes for that price range and recommendations. Im also wondering if doing a custom makes sense, or if it will not be worth the extra cost, if i am not getting savings by doing so. Also if anyone knows good bike shops in toronto that would be helpful, along with websites that sell/ship bikes and bike parts in canada, or to canada for free or a cheap price. Thanks

sloar 

building a bike will be way over your budget. just get the best bike you can afford, ride the hell out of it.

Tuco

Ok, so then im wondering whats the best bike for my budget

sloar 

if i was looking for a bike at your budget i would consider the trek marlin. 29er, disc brakes, mix of shimano and sram. nice looking bike.or the giant revel 29er.
just my opinion.

Tuco

Are 29ers really worth the reduced quality of other parts than a 26er of the same price

sloar 

at your budget components on a 26'' or a 29er will be about the same.

Tuco

what about the difference between the specialized disc 29 or specialized sport disc 26

Tuco

Im also wondering, you guys think the revel 0 29er or the specialized 29er sport disc is better parts wise>?

osco53

Scott Aspect 940, a 29er, Google it.
$689 U.S.
I walked in on a sale, 15% off, wallet came out right then.

Aluminum, 300 Lb weight limit,
Front shock has lockout, travel limiter and damping control,
The gear set is the best I have ever shifted, super smooth,
Hydraulic brakes Oh My ! talk about power AND control yeah XD
My Last MTB was a Peugeot back in the 90's

I was told the 29er's are a bit slower on switchbacks and tight places,,I would think this is true.
Was also told that getting the big wheels going was a little slower but once going hard to stop.
Mine rolls easy and on the first hard power up I pulled a nice wheelie D
I got the Large, I'm 6' 185 lbs
The seat sucks, needs Immediate upgrade !

Tuco

I went to the closest bike shop, it had a small selection of bikes, I only tested the trek marlin, when i test rode them they all had brakes that kind of slid, they didnt fully stop when i slammed on the brakes, it was more it slowed down for afew feet then stopped, is this regular for bran new brakes, or is it the quality, or is it the fact that they were all mechanical disk brakes rather than hydraulic. If its the mechanical, than what good bikes in my price range have hydraulic? Ive decided im going to purchase a 29er

osco53

Any New disk needs time to seat the pads, break in.
On my long wheel base recumbent I changed out the rear rim brake to the BB7 disk.
It took careful set up to get the disk to perform close to the rim brakes power and after 50 miles the brake seems to be getting better.
I still cannot lock the rear 700X28 tire no matter how hard I pull. My Tour Easy weight bias is very much rearward btw.
The bike stops real fast when BOTH brakes are used properly and the BB7 disk does give me better feel and control during hard or normal braking.
The BB7 works great when wet. The Rim brake did not.......

My Scott MTB:
I started out on the Hydraulic disk brakes with much caution, they were way powerful from the first ride.
The front needs to be slowly squeezed just like a motorcycle with dual disk or your going right over the bars.
Unbelievable feel and control they give me, even in the sand.

I took the bike out today and made a left when I should have went straight, wound up on a Intermediate trail that was a bit over my head.

OK ALOT over my head, I topped a rise and had a serious drop to deal with. I had to bleed speed all the way down to make the hard right
at the bottom. I know for a fact I was going a bit too fast and the hydraulic brakes with the very predictable feel are the ONLY reason
I didn't wipe out at the bottom.
Any body with any real skill or time on a MTB on technical trails would be fine with rim brakes, But not this rookie.

Oh and they work perfect when wet and muddy.....

My front derailleur cable was stretching in real fast so I cut the ride short,,8 miles or so.
The bike was great and did well In the sugar sand...

I didn't plan to wind up on a single track that advanced but I can say I will go back real soon.

I was at the Balm-Boyette Nature Preserve Mountain bike Trails. The Swampclub seems to be a pretty big outfit, I'm gonna look Into it.
https://www.swampclub.org/

osco53

I Think In My Limited experience, I think I found the least expensive bike with Hydraulic brakes.
As stated above.

Scott Aspect 940, a 29'er

If I was $100 or even $200 short on cash I'd wait and save up for Hydraulic brakes, I have been spoiled.