I'd like to get into mountain biking, but I don't really know much. I heard it's better to start off with a hardtail over a dual suspension because it makes you a better ride and it also costs less?

anybody have any recommendations on bikes to get? new or used? I'd like to spend under $450 if that's possible...I'm thinking I'd like to ride some wood trails and road as well, nothing extreme like those crazy *** downhill races

what do you guys think about the one for sale in the norcal classified?

 

I'd get a full suspension cross country bike, preferably with a lockout rear shock (which with a flip of a switch you can make the bike into a hardtail), but you don't really need one.

 

For that price you can't go wrong with someones hard-tail that's been sitting around for a couple of years. Leave some money left over for a tune-up ($50) and you should be good to see if you want to get deeper into it.

 

you're talking about the full suspension bike thats for sale right now with upgraded rear and front shocks right? for $350? how often do i need to service the bike?

 

a full suspension that costs under 500 is a piece of crap, u can get a used hardtail with nice components off craigslist, try getting a '06+ bike, specialized and treks are nice but highly over rated, u can't go wrong with a cannondale, kona, GT, most of Scotts, watchout for K2 brand, they have good bikes and crappy bikes, same with mongoose, so watchout.. Also Marin makes great bikes too right here in marin county, super solid frames
as far as forks (front suspension) goes, u can't go wrong with fox for most part but a fox fork itself is usually $300+ used, Marzocchi is also great but with other brands it's kind of hit and miss, they have good ones but they make cheap crappy ones too (rockshox, RST.....)
when shopping for used bikes it's super important that the frame has no cracks or dents, minor scratches and cable rubs are normal, but dents and cracks are a no no..
components are a whole different story but the nice thing is changing parts and components are really easy and relatively cheap for most part for recreational purposes, they get super expensive when u go to higher end components
if u see shimano XT or XTR go for it but even shimano alivio is ok.. other good brand is SRAM with their XO XX X7 ... they are as good...
brake wise it's really nice to have disc brakes, mechanical disc brakes are cheap and not as good as hydraulic ones but they are easily maintained, they are very cheap so don't fall for " it has disc brakes!!" hydraulic brakes are the way to go but not easily maintained...
I think i'm talking too much so if u need more info let me know but I think with ur budget u can get a nice hardtail on craigslist
cheers

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/bik/2490276083.html

what do you guys think about this?

 

Not a bad deal. Go have fun.

 

that's a good bike
just looked around CL right now, here are some other good options

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2479250668.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/2489216601.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2482279337.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/2484870719.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/2489740542.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2489793667.html

good luck!

 

Mammoth mountain July 24th..anyone?

Here's my rides

For sale: HARO x2


Current cross country ride trek fuel

 

This guy knows what he's talking about!

For $450, one cannot resort to new bikes. $450 will be difficult to find a decently-tough hardtail, and as said before, a full-suspension under $500 new is a piece of ****.


And since this is an opportunity for this list, I'll post this here. Please feel free to agree or further elaborate on the following chart.


Oh, and steeze, the TREK 4300 is pretty decent (Shimano Alivio rear derailleur is pretty good). I would personally believe that is the bare minimum. Go for it if you want a hardtail.

 

For those who are into mtb, how much did you guys spend on your first bike that "got you into it"? I don't want to spend so much money only to find out down the line I don't really like it as much as I thought I would

 

The bike that got me into it was a $100 mongoose hardtail from Costco back in 1996ish... Rode the hell out of that bike, she served me well until I got hit by a car and totaled it. I def got my $100 worth out of it.

What's the worst thing that can happen? You lose out on $100? You'll still have a bike to ride around on and have fun. My original bike had crap components but they still lasted 3+ years of VERY hard riding. (downhill, cross country, stairs, you name it). I think the only thing I replaced was wheels and tires, and maybe the hand grips if I remember correctly.

 

dam i wanna get back into mtb...i used to do this with my brother's friends who pushed me hard on lake chabot route. someone wanna buy my sub setup or my car so i can buy a mtb?

 

anybody in san jose? i wanted to know if there are any good shops out there that could inspect a bike for me? i'll be looking at a $400 hardtail tomorrow

 

If you guys are looking for used bike www.pinkbike.com has a BUNCH for sale and no one is gonna rip you off because i can hunt them down. Hit me up over there. onemanarmy. o.g. triple o.g. mod.

I'm thinking about selling my azonic and buying a nice cruiser to roll around salinas on. Either that or building up a sick urban/dj/single track bike. Something small with a single crown and not many gears. lol.