Of mountains and bikes

Trinzler

Alrighty folks I got t-boned last week and it seems like I won't be able to drive for the near future. My plan is to grab a mountain bike and get some exercise this summer but I don't know where to start. Any suggestions for brands and types of mountain bikes I should be looking at ? My budget is anywhere from 500-1000. Thanks !

wonderpug

Do you mean you're going to be using your bike instead of your car for your daily commute? Do you know you definitely want a mountain bike or would you consider a road bike or hybrid (which may be better suited for commuting)? How far are you going to be biking? Are you interested in the single-speed craze or do you want a multi-gear bike? How important is it to you for your bike to be lightweight?

Romero Zombie

Ya a true mountain bike is a lot different than a commuter bike. The suspension, the build, the weight, etc all come into play.

If you ever had an itch to build your own bike, bikesdirect.com/ has some decent components for pretty dirt cheap of all kinds of different bikes, mountain, road, commuter, etc

BlindZenDriver

Are you new to cycling? What's the terrain at your location? What's you're take on extreme sport ie. how much mountain do you expect bike on?

I'd say look for something 2nd hand and if possible see if there is an bike club in your area or someone else that can provide independent advice. You budget should get you a nice bike but remember to also get a helmet, gloves, shoes, lights...

Trinzler

I've ridden bikes in my child hood but stopped when I got my first car. I'm considering just biking for my commute from now on to save money from owning a vehicle.

If I were to ride the normal roads to work it'd be a 7 mile commute each way (and also a little bit of highway), but there's 3 large parks, a ravine and a grassy knoll that I can cut through which saves about 4 miles.

Like I said my budget alone is for the bike ( I just really want a good long lasting one) as I have helmets and all that jazz from before. I also have a bit put away just in case I need to replace the tyres or when I need to bring the bike for a tune up. I don't plan to go hardcore but the path that I hope to cut through will have a bit of stony terrain.