I'm trying to take up a new hobby and was wondering what brands/models I should look for. I was looking to spend about $500-$1000 on an entry level bike. Any suggestions?
They're a bit less common, but try looking for a 29er. Basically a mountainy frame on bigger 650 or 700 wheels. Faster than a mountain bike on flat stuff and with suspension for taking trails in comfort. Good brands are specialized, fuji, cannondale, but there are so many brands out there that will fit your needs. You could even go to REI and they'll let you try out their Novara house brand in the parking lot. Wait for one of their crazy garage sales and maybe you can score one for real cheap. Looking for a used bike, maybe 2-3 years old, is a great way to get started at a big discount.
good brands: trek specialized giant gary fisher kona there are quite a few more but these are pretty solid.
I agree with the other poster that recommended 29 inch wheels. But, if you are over 30, it's more important that you get a full suspension bike than a 29er. If you are young and skinny. Go ahead and get a hardtail, but it will catch up with you eventually. Full suspension means the bikes take a lot of the beating from roots, rocks, etc. It's a lot more comfortable mountain biking for hours on a full suspension bike than a hard tail. There's a website called mtbr.com that you should check out. There is a section in their forum called beginner's corner that will have tons of useful info for you.
I love cycling, but never find much use for my MTB. I use the road bike and hybrid more often. This is my MTB, a Gary Fisher Piranha, it's hard tail but it has quality components and a frame that will last many years: Also consider the Trek 6000/6500 because it's a very similar bike.
In that price range, I bought a Rocky Mountain Soul, and love it. I bought it in Canada and shipped it home when I was done. I don't know if you can find them in the US, but if you can, I'd go for it. (Not a 29er or a full-suspension. Just a well-made, light bike.) I also have a Trek 820, and I wouldn't recommend it. It's too heavy.
i bought a kona hahanna back in 2004 that im only now looking to replace - it was a discontinued model that i got for like $250, so to get 7 years out of it is pretty good. very durable - this bike took a beating and never let me down. steel frame so it was heavy (35 lbs), but great bike. ill be looking to get another kona, but thinking aluminum frame this time. i mainly ride urban in austin, but i like a mountain bike so i have the option to go off-road if i want and im not enough of a biking enthusiast to have more than 1 good bike.
I'll definitely have to check these out. I've got a 4 door sedan and I don't think the bike would fit in the trunk. I've seen some people hook up a rack to their trunks. Would you guys also have any recommendations for a bike rack?
I use Yakima Quick Back 3 and Thule Criterium. Links: http://www.amazon.com/Yakima-QuickBack-3-Bike-Trunk-Mount/dp/B001PUX4NO http://www.amazon.com/Thule-598-Cri...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1299094237&sr=1-1
If the back seat folds down, the bike will fit in the trunk. You might have to remove the front wheel. Which is easy on most bikes. Most trunk racks are fairly cumbersome, but okay to start with if you plan on hauling more than 1 bike. If you start mountain biking regularly, you'll probably want to invest in a roof rack which is much easier and much more secure. You can get a lot more bike for your buck on craigslist or ebay if you know what you're looking for. However, if you don't, you might be better off checking a few local bike shops. You should probably go to bike shops at least to see what size you need. If you plan to use your mountain bike for mountain biking, avoid Shimano parts under the Deore level. If you buy a bike equipped with Sram parts, avoid parts under x-7 level for derailleurs and anything under x-5 for shifters. FYI, Sram shifters and derailleurs work better than Shimano in my 20 years of mountain biking experience.
I have a 2 door hatchback, and I'm able to fit mine in the back with the seats folded down. Like they said, had to remove the front wheel. It's simple, disconnect the front brake and then flip the quick-release lever on the front wheel. Since you're a kona enthusiast, I'm sure you know about their Jake line. CX bikes can take quite a bit of punishment and handle some pretty technical stuff. If anything it teaches you to take some smarter approaches on the the crazier trails. Look up "monstercross" for some cool ideas.
I vote for a hardtail 29er. i disagree with dsnow23 about hardtail only being good for young skinny punks.
A lot depends on what you’re going to be doing with it. If you’re going to be commuting to work I’d look for a reasonable quality but 10-20 year old used bike. If it’s still in reasonable shape it should still ride well, and shift well, but it’ll be worth something like $50 and no one will steal it. If you’re going to be riding exclusively on pavement I’d go with a road bike. If you’re going to be doing kamikaze downhill racing there are special bikes for that with specialized suspension systems. Another extreme would the fat/flotation/snow bikes. These have very wide tires, up to 4 inches, which are run at very low pressures, down to 5 psi. This gives them a huge footprint and allows them to ride over sand, gravel, moderately packed snow, etc. But they’re also heavier and bulkier than normal mountain bikes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJBXTiM-PA There are cargo bikes. http://surlybikes.com/bikes/big_dummy_complete/ There are also high end internal gearing systems these days, like the Rohloff Speedhub (VERY expensive) and the Shimano Alfine 11. Another thing to know is that LED technology, and therefore bike lights, has taken HUGE strides forward in recent years. You can get a compact and fairly cheap light now that’s as bright as a car headlight. And by fairly cheap I mean they’re somewhere around $150 now instead of the $1000 that a light that powerful would have cost you a few years ago. I’m a few months out of date, but Magicshine was the $/lumen leader, but they’re a no-name company out of China and had some significant reliably issues. I bought a Cygolite Expilion 250 and I love it. It does everything I need, which includes riding at night down a pitch black trail. I wouldn’t want anything less than 250 lumens, mind you, but it does everything I want in an all-in-one package. If you’re just getting into biking I would suggest looking at reasonably good quality but older used bikes, as long as they’re in reasonably good shape. You can get a good bike for much less money that way, and you can ride it for a while and figure out what you like and don’t like. If you decide you want to sell it later you won’t lose much, but it’s always nice to have a second bike too. I’ve got some good tips for winter commuting too, but I’m guessing you don’t have much need for Schwalbe Ice Spikers in Houston.
are you planning to actually go majority of the time on dirt trails/off-road? or just a daily commuter on pavement, asphalt, driveways, sidewalks, around pot holes, some dirt trails/offroad?
From what I've read, Cannondale's CAAD alloy is the most comfortable of all the other aluminum frames. You'll read buttery smooth a lot when describing them. I started out with a hybrid bike from Specialized. It's a fast bike that could be faster (of course it's all about the engine not the vehicle). I couldn't get into a faster position without drop bars, nor were the tires wide enough to handle anything worse than light gravel. It was a hybrid in that it took the lesser desired qualities of both the mountain and the road bike. I realized that I should have gone for a cyclocross bike. It has drops, and they usually come with these pulls so that you can keep your hands on the flat parts and still be able to control your brakes. Out of the box it can handle pretty much anything in an urban environment, and still keep up with any hybrid bike on flat surfaces. And the frames are built to be beaten on, not that any other isn't, but cx races can get brutal and messy. If you're not averse to turning a wrench, you can check out bikesdirect. It's so cheap to the point where debates are stirred up about whether it's doing good for the culture to be that cheap or is it killing the local bike shop businesses. Worth looking into, at least.
