Subject:
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Re: Mountain bike advice
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Thu, 27 Dec 2001 01:59:21 GMT
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Viewed:
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227 times
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> In lugnet.off-topic.fun, Bram Lambrecht writes:
> Hey all,
> I'm looking for a new bike cause my current one is falling apart. Does anyone
> here have advice on the best mountain bike I can get for $200-$400, or any
> other advice pertaining to purchasing a bike? I would like at least front
> suspension, but I'm also looking at dual. I've never ridden a dual suspension
> bike though, so I'm not sure what to expect.
Hey Bram!
Great questions.
Let me chime in with my two cents.
1) Don't spend $200 - $400 on a bike. Spend more. Bottom line is that you
get what you pay for and bikes are no exception. We made the mistake
several years ago of spending ~ $150 on a bike for my wife. It was a
complete waste of money. Her second bike ran around $450 (but was a retro
cruiser not a mountain bike) and the money was well worth it. By paying
more, generally you get better components and thus more enjoyment out of the
bike. Of course if you only intend to ride a few times a year, then sure...
spend less. But then who only wants to ride a few times a year when you can
ride everyday? :)
2) Suspension. Tricky question. Best answered by:
a) Test riding a fully suspended bike and then one with only front end
b) What sort of terrain are you going to ride on? Trail riding may
benefit from only front end, where downhill probably deserves front and back
suspension
c) Where do you want to put your money? If you don't get rear
suspension, you can afford other, better components for the rest of the bike
Remember that with a fully suspended bike, you loose power that should be
transferred from the cranks to the frame. It disappears into the rear
suspension, never to be seen again. My personal advice? Ditch the rear
suspension and learn to ride out of the saddle, if you haven't already. :)
3) Brand names? Again, a personal preference, but my two top picks would
be either Norco or Schwinn. I'm hoping to someday pick up a Schwinn Moab.
Not today, but someday.
4) Is it possible to have your current bike repaired? This may *seem* to
cost a lot, but if you're comfortable on this bike, then maybe it's worth
it. Such is the case with my current bike, and the one I've had for 6
seasons now. It came from a Goodwill/Salvation Army sale and cost less than
$100. I've since put about that much in upgrades/repairs into it, but it
has a fit and feel I like a lot. It has absolutely no suspension and the
guys at the shop always wonder how I can ride it. Guts man... it just takes
guts. ;)
Hope some of this information is useful to you. Hopefully other folks will
add their own opinions so that you get a well-rounded response from which to
help decide.
All the best! Let us know what you eventually decide on.
Allan B.
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: Mountain bike advice
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| (...) Well, my current bike cost $100...new. It also has no suspension, the frame is rusty, the rear wheel is irrepairably bent (so that it wobbles about 1.5 inches) so the rear (sidepull) brakes hardly work, the front gear shift cable snapped, only (...) (23 years ago, 29-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | Re: Mountain bike advice
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| (...) Well, I don't want to spend a ton of money, and it's mostly for transportation with trails on the side, so I think I'm gonna buy a 2001 Schwinn Mesa marked down to $279. Warn me ASAP if I'm making a bad decision :) --Bram Bram Lambrecht (...) (23 years ago, 2-Jan-02, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | Re: Mountain bike advice
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| (...) Well, I don't want to spend a ton of money, and it's mostly for transportation with trails on the side, so I think I'm gonna buy a 2001 Schwinn Mesa marked down to $279. Warn me ASAP if I'm making a bad decision :) --Bram Bram Lambrecht (...) (23 years ago, 2-Jan-02, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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