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Buying a Budget Mountain Bike
[Michael]![[Michael]](https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/userpics/919/nYFI6N407YRMN.png)
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I started mountain biking using my brother's bike about two months ago, and it's really fun! Unfortunately, I don't think the bike I've been using really was meant to do strenuous mountain biking, so I'm looking to buy a bike. I don't really know anything about bikes, so I'm not sure what I should be looking for.
I do all sorts of trails. Some of them are pretty smooth-ish, kinda like this:
Some of them are a lot more rocky with some small drop-offs, kinda like this:
And lastly there's some downhill courses that involve some ramps/bumps, kinda like this:
But I'm a pansy so I really don't get too high off the ground
So what kind of bike should I be looking to get for this sort of stuff? I can only spend $500. That doesn't mean I want to spend the full $500, though. That's just the absolute maximum I can spend. So far, I've scoped out local bike shops and Craigslist. Craigslist was filled up with $50 used Wal-Mart bikes or $2000 bikes, with little in between. I'm guessing a local bike shop is going to be the best bet for someone new to bikes since they can walk me through a lot of this.
Really all I've been able to figure out from reading about this on my own is I probably want a model that is a few years old since they are cheap.
I do all sorts of trails. Some of them are pretty smooth-ish, kinda like this:
Some of them are a lot more rocky with some small drop-offs, kinda like this:
And lastly there's some downhill courses that involve some ramps/bumps, kinda like this:
But I'm a pansy so I really don't get too high off the ground
So what kind of bike should I be looking to get for this sort of stuff? I can only spend $500. That doesn't mean I want to spend the full $500, though. That's just the absolute maximum I can spend. So far, I've scoped out local bike shops and Craigslist. Craigslist was filled up with $50 used Wal-Mart bikes or $2000 bikes, with little in between. I'm guessing a local bike shop is going to be the best bet for someone new to bikes since they can walk me through a lot of this.
Really all I've been able to figure out from reading about this on my own is I probably want a model that is a few years old since they are cheap.
[Michael] on
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These will be heavy, probably have eight-speed drivetrains, and things like derailleurs, brakes, and suspension forks will work reliably but won't be especially slick and precise in operation. You're talking the likes of entry-level RST and Suntour forks, the lowest end named Shimano/SRAM component groups, and unbranded budget contact points. They'll struggle with the ramps and you may break stuff if you are a rider that relies on strength and aggression rather than finesse.
So yeah, second hand if you can find something good is the way to go. Avoid anything full-suspension at this price point. Good things to look for in a second hand bike:
Groupset (mechanical components like the derailleurs, shifters, etc) that is Shimano Deore, SRAM X5, or above. Shimano groups go (in ascending order of cost): Deore, SLX, XT, XTR. SRAM groups go X5, X7, X9, X0, XX. You may see cranks by FSA, Truvativ, or Raceface, especially on SRAM-specced bikes, all of which are good. Watch for the popular manufacturer's trick of speccing the bike with Deore and then sticking an XT rear derailleur on it. It's not a bad thing, but be aware that you're getting a Deore-specced bike with an upgraded derailleur, not an XT specced bike.
Brakes: Hydraulic discs are best. Cable discs are often fiddly, sensitive to set-up, and can be unreliable. Shimano, Avid, Hayes, Formula and Magura all make good brakes.
Suspension forks: hardly anyone makes rigid forked MTBs anymore except for a few niche products which tend to be high-end (Niner and On-One rigid carbon 29er cross-country rigs, and such). Look for Fox, Rockshox, Manitou, Marzocchi. Beware of budget Rockshox Dart forks, and anything by RST, Suntour, or Chilli - these forks do not get fitted to anything but low-end bikes. If you're buying second hand ask if they've ever been serviced, and bounce the fork up and down a couple of times - you're looking for wheezing noises, a lack of resistance to you compressing the fork, and fluid being forced past the seals between the lowers and the stanchions (the bit that slides up the other bit when the fork is compressed, you'll know it when you see it).
Mountain biking clubs are good for two reasons - there is always someone that has just bought a new rig and is looking to unload their old one, and you can generally be relatively sure that a bike that's been ridden regularly has actually seen some maintenance in its life.
I mean ideally, youd have three bikes. A XC style bike for the first image, Full suspenion (all mountain)for the second, and a dirtjump bike for the third.
theres another type of riding called downhill.. 40-50lb+ bikes and you ride a ski lift up. They usually have really slack geo, and foot long travel for the front fork. Youd also be wearing full body armor.
Agree with the other guys saying you dont need full suspension. Its not worth getting unless your getting a bike in the 5k-6k range.
Ive ridden the more"affordable" ones and they are shit, barely better than being on a hardtail, or they are so squishy all your power dissipates into bouncing around. I rented one of the nicer ones in MOAB and got to really beat the shit out of it.. huge difference.
Four things:
1. In agree with the suggestions of going for 2nd hand. Your budget is to small for a new bike with the demands you have.
2. A mountain bike is really a collection of parts shaped like a bike. Riding off road means rapid wear on parts and you will find items breaking down on a regular basis.
3. You need a helmet, gloves, shoes, a drink bottle, emergency tools, a pump... if staying close to home or riding with people bringing equipment some of the stuff can wait but helmet and gloves is a must (Hint - you will crash)!
4. Buy some MTB magazines, check out websites like mtbr.com and sheldonbrown.com
It worked great... for a couple months.
No surprise. One detail and I'm sorry this sound a bit elitist but bad bikes really bugs me. When saying the bike was great then what do you compare with?
PS. Back in the day Mongoose was one of the early BMX/MTB factories, but they died(merged) with some big company and now they are mostly a label that's put on Chinese bike. They still also make nice bikes but I suspected it's mostly a marketing ploy.
I've been riding with my brother who's just as ignorant about bikes as me. He's also using a crappy mountain bike that's probably not well suited for this sort of thing. We've been out 6 or 7 times. We've got emergency tools, first aid kit (already used multiple times), and helmets, but I don't have gloves. What do I need gloves for?
I discovered pretty quickly I need knee/shin guards for this, because my knees/shins have been getting abused pretty badly from falling or my feet slipping off the pedals and getting scraped/cut by them.
Once you start pushing you'll find yourself going over the handle bar which means grabbing the Earth with your hands so you don't end up making out with the Earth. With gloves it's something one can, usually, get away with but without gloves the skin on the palm of your hands might be replaced by gravel (which hurts, is bloody impractical and most importantly can stop you from riding while it heals). Also the right gloves will help you avoiding sore hands on extended rides.
Get bike gloves - they don't need to be expensive the main thing is the fit snug but not so much they obstruct you holding the handlebars. Personally I prefer the models without fingers for all but the coldest winter, so unless you plan for riding in below freezing you'll only need one pair.
EDIT: Group rides are a great idea. As for knee/shin guards I have never used them - it may be better to try and avoid the feet slipping thing. I hate to suggest something that's gonna cost more money but clipless* pedals and bike shoes is a great thing - not will you not have feet slipping you can also pull the pedals and so put more power in per revolution. Also the clipless pedals allow for some twisting of your feet which means a lot let stress on your knees.
*Clipless is a silly name. I t refers back to the old days where road racers would strap their feet to the pedals in clips which while it worked great for riding itself also meant that they would be stuck to the pedals when crashing. Today pedals are either platforms, which doesn't attach to your feet, and clipless which are sort of like you may know from skies only one releases by twisting the foot.