Mountain Bike Help

[hockeysew 0]

I need to go shopping for another Mountain Bike to work the legs out a bit more.

My current bike is about 7 years old (Gary Fisher Mamba) that the brother in law gave to me after it got hit by a car. The chainstay on one side has a slight bend to it but it does ride fairly well, however a buddy at work is a balls out Mtn Biker and says he would not trust it.

My question to all of you is I would like to get a better bike to replace it. I am not Joe Bicyclist so I am going into this kinda blind.

I figure that my budget is at $500 max.

Mostly ride around on the local bike paths with an occasional excursion off road.

What direction do the bike guys here think I should look? New vs Used? Brands?

What to be wary of on a used bike

Pawn shops worth looking in?

Suspension vs hardtail?

HELP!!

Any suggestions would be great and thanks

[CHIEF22 0]

I am not a Mt. Bike specialist either, BUT, I did stay at a Holiday Inn. LOL!!!

I have an old Iron Horse that I beat around on from time to time. A guy I work with just bought one of these: http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1019600&f=19. The MSRP is in your price range but one of the local bike shops has it listed on their website for less than that, so I'm guessing it could be bought for less. He absolutely loves it and says the disc brakes are the way to go, he will never go back to any other. The only issue he has had with the bike is the bottom bearing went south on him. The threaded retainers were cross threaded and when they set up the bike they didnt catch it. He ended up with a new frame.

Hope this helps you out some. I myself am happy with my Iron Horse. If I were to get another one I would probally look at a Specialized. Can't tell you why really, I just would.

[Cheesehead 0]

i have a diamond mountain bike. it has shocks, and disc brakes.24 speed. its really nice, you should get a diamondback.

[hip check 0]

Things change in the mountain bike industry as fast or faster than in the hockey industry. If you can find a good bike that's a couple of years old you will save a ton of money and get better stuff (for less money) than you could buying new now. A couple of years on most bikes won't matter a lot, unless the owner raced it or rode off-road and was hard on gear. Most of the well-known manufacturers have decent stuff available in the mid-range prices. Specialized, Fisher, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, etc. all should have something for you.

Check to see if the local bike shops have any bike swaps, or a bulletin board up with stuff for sale. Lots of riders want the latest and greatest and you can find some good deals. (Sounds like the MSH Buy/Sell forum...)

[Hobbes_86 0]

Best bet is to go to a local bike shop and talk to the people in there. Find out what style riding they do and what bikes they like. Unlike a lot of LHS most bike shop guys are very knowledgeable and will not talk you into something that’s not right for your style or price. If you can, go to a few different shops since most places will stock only a few different brands.

IMHO do not get a full suspension bike if you can only afford $500. It will not have many of the nicer components that you can find on a hard-tail for the same price. In addition, they weigh quite a bit more.

[Cheesehead 0]

i got mine at cycle recycle in Virginia. i might go back up there this weekend actually.

[Prhockey2607 0]

Mongoose are great bikes as well. I love mine.

[shute 4]

i ride a lot myself and i can tell you the brand of the bike itself means almost nothing.. it's like saying that dell would be a good computer to buy. it's all about the parts that make up the bike. just make sure you get decent parts, shimano is a good name to look for when buying a bike. looking for a bike with disk breaks doesn't mean your getting a good bike. there are a lot of bikes that suck big time that come with disk breaks to make it look nice. a lot of people like me use disk breaks only in the front to save weight. play around with the shifters and breaks, if they feel cheap then you have a cheap bike. also most "decent" bikes will come with a shimano shifter so that is a good way to see right off the bat if your not good with parts.

[Netminder32 32]

area code is 519...

Call here and ask for Tony. He's a fellow hockey player and will set you up right.

Tell him Mike and Michelle sent ya :)

aka Netminder32 and MissConduct

[Fonya 0]

I have a trek 4300 that I use and its just fine for mountain biking. It doesnt have disc brakes though. I agree about finding a better model but older instead of a newer worse model if that makes sense. Sometimes all they change on a bike from one year to the next is a paintjob.

[jumanjaq143 0]

dont get a cheap 500$ bike with discs because you think you will look cool

well you wont be because you bike will always be in the shop

[sc37 0]

Check on some cycling forums for suggestions...there are threads for bikes under some $ amount. I found a ton like that when I was getting a road bike. Once you find the model you want, check eBay of course, and also the local shop, might find some good deals.

I currently ride a Mongoose, good bike for a low cost-- cept they started selling them at WalMart and stuff, beware of some of those. And I personally like a hardtail, the full suspension makes pedaling a bit squishy to me.

Check bikesdirect.com...some off brands that are quality bikes are sold there. But there's one name on there that is reputable, Fuji, and I'd take a look at their bikes. I know they make a solid road bike but haven't tried a MTB from them.

[hockeysew 0]

I slid myself and the bike by a local bike shop and I had the mechanic check it out.

He said all of the components are in great shape and of decent quality for what I want to do-(apparently the brother in law didnt ride it much before it got hit by the car) and he brought up the suggestion of finding a frame to transfer it to.

He said he would not hesitate to do it if he could find a frame that is my size and would only charge me about $75 to do the swap over.

What do you guys think?

I would stay with a hard tail frame

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REPLIES SO FAR!!!!!

You all have helped alot

[jcp2 2]

Go with the new frame option (or even maybe a good used frame). I like chromoly myself, but there are a whole bunch of options available to you, especially if you still have that $500 budget.