WTB: Mountain bike, what do I look for?

[drivesideways46]

I figured there might be a few of you guys in here who ride bikes, so I hope I might get your opinions on a good starter bike for a guy who wants to get started riding again.

The problem is, I have NO idea what to look for in a used bike. I've been reading cycling forums for the past couple hours and it's like they're speaking another language!

To be clear, I'm looking for a bike that'll fit a 5'10" 230 lb. guy. Weight loss & fun are the two main goals with this bike, I'm not looking at competing or racing anytime soon so uber-trick carbon fiber stuff isn't really necessary at this point. Most of my riding will be either on pavement, or fairly simple trails.

That being said, what's a good used bike for my money? I'd like to cap my budget at $300, but I could probably spring for a little more if it was a screaming deal. If you guys could post links or personal opinions on stuff that would be great.

Here's one I found on CL in Fairfax, it seems like a good deal but the seller says it needs a tune-up. (Would now be a good time to upgrade the shocks and springs to handle the extra load?)

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As always, your help is appreciated!

[Mike]

given your budget, do not a get a full suspension. i'll post some links when i get to work later, but you want a decent/used hardtail.

[mrbaggio]

If you will be spending most of your time you do not want full suspension.

Not sure if its possible at this time of year, but you might want to go to a few local bike shops and look for a bike from last year. That's how I bought my last bike. I was able to get a new bike as used bike prices.

If you stick to the major brands you are pretty much going to get what you pay for. The savings come in by not buying more than you need. On the other end if you by an old/shitty bike you will be replacing expensive parts often.

Replacing the suspension on the bike from your link will cost more than the bike itself.

[.RJ]

I've got a Trek 8000 thats been pretty awesome - I cant break it :lol:

My first mtb was a cheaper (I think specialized?) and I destroyed it.

Keep an eye on craigslist for the best deals, but stuff sells fast... you probably want a 18-19" frame.

[Mike]

18" sounds about ideal... does anyone make them? back in my day it was 15, 17, 19, 21.

i'd recommend a giant. at your price point they actually manufacture every (90% for the sticklers) bike regardless of brand. since they go through such numbers, they're able to give you a bit more component for the buck while still having the same quality as a higher end name. once you get in $1000 territory, it's a different story.

please just don't buy a bike at a department store, walmart, or without checking here first; a few of us know a few things about bikes even if we don't really ride them

[ScottyB]

Not sure if its possible at this time of year, but you might want to go to a few local bike shops and look for a bike from last year. That's how I bought my last bike. I was able to get a new bike as used bike prices.

that's how i got mine, bought a 2003 model right at the end of the year, got a good bit off.

[mrbaggio]

Not sure if its possible at this time of year, but you might want to go to a few local bike shops and look for a bike from last year. That's how I bought my last bike. I was able to get a new bike as used bike prices.

that's how i got mine, bought a 2003 model right at the end of the year, got a good bit off.

Yeah for me its a real good deal because as a casual rider I do not take advantage of the advancements year to year.

[drivesideways46]

So is the general advice here to look at a bike shop instead of trying to find an awesome craigslist deal? I went through this last fall, and felt like the local shops wanted more to sell what they had left instead of helping me find what I wanted.

I like the idea of a full suspension bike better, but it does look like there's some nice hardtail stuff in my price range. I'm assuming that the main reason for this recommendation is cost?

I was kind of hoping to find a "grassroots" bike, maybe something that was pretty awesome performance-wise 5-10 years ago, but just needs a bit of work to make for a relatively easy to maintain bike.

So far as brands go, I've got a mention of Trek from .RJ and Giant from Mike.

Anyone else care to weigh in?

EDIT: When the hell did bikes get so expensive and with so many options?!?!

Disc brakes, performance shocks, $3000 price tags?!?!

I guess I can forget about serious cycling, I'll go buy another Miata for that price. :lol:

[Ginger]

Regarding the FSR in your link: stay away. Most full suspension mtn bikes from the past like rolling pogo sticks: a lot of your pedaling effort goes in to going up and down - not forward. A Trek STP would be a good bet if you wanted something older/cheaper, but pretty trick (watch out, though, the shock in the back was made specifically for that bike on RockShox contract w/Trek and they don't make it any more). There were some funny developments in anti-pogo shocks that used ball-check valves and such around the '00-'05 time frame, but they were pretty much used as hack fixes for poor linkage geometry. As has been said - stick with a hardtail and you'll be getting more bang for your buck.

Mikey noted that Giant is the largest bike manufacturer in the world (although they don't manufacture bikes for all the other guys). They're the only company that actually draws their own tubing from scratch, which allows them to offer some of the best bargains on new bikes. That doesn't translate very well in to the used bike market, though. I'm not really sure what to tell you for the used bike market, other than to not look at trash and give you a few suggestions:

The Heckler is a great bike:

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This would be cool if it were not for the possible frame damage:

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On the other hand, don't go here:

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This guy has been trying to sell this bike for a while now - the Fuel is a newer cross country inspired full suspension design, and it's pretty darn good. He could probably be talked down a litte (... maybe I'll get it ):

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Something to stay away from (Novara off brand store/catalog house crap):

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This isn't half bad - but IIRC, new models aren't going to all that much more than his price:

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Again - trash:

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And - OK - I REALLY want this:

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This bike came as a sale incentive with VWs - it's junk now:

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So, yeah. Good luck. If you want somebody to go riding with, give a buzz. Evan and I will probably be riding when I pick up a mtn bike to complement my Serotta - I don't have anything to move my bike from place to place, but he's got a truck

[.RJ]

Evan and I will probably be riding when I pick up a mtn bike

I call BS that evan's gonna get his bike out

[drivesideways46]

So, yeah. Good luck. If you want somebody to go riding with, give a buzz. Evan and I will probably be riding when I pick up a mtn bike to complement my Serotta - I don't have anything to move my bike from place to place, but he's got a truck

Good deal, and thanks for the brief tutorial and CL examples!

I wouldn't mind going riding with you guys, it would probably do me a world of good to be attempting to keep up with someone faster/more fit than me than just lagging on a trail by myself.

And now for another ancillary question, since there's gonna be related crap I'm going to have to buy. Do you guys like the closed face (motocross style) or open face helmets for riding?

[Ginger]

I wouldn't wear one on a mtn bike. They're mostly for downhillers, and urban, freestyle guys. They're hot and heavy - you'd be much happier with a traditional lid (and I'm all about spending a ton on blingy gear ). Go for some good clipless pedals and shoes (I'd rock a set of Time ATACs, Speedplay Frogs, Crank Brother Eggbeaters, or such - with a pair of Sidis strapped to my feet [sidis aren't your only option... but I've got fucked up feet and I've spent nearly $2,000 on different shoes and pedals, and sidis were the only shoes that didn't put me in unbearable pain]). Your feet will thank you. If you can stomach full finger gloves - do it! Nothing's worse than bloody palms. You'll definitely want some interchangeable lens shades - Smiths are on the cheap end for good quality.

I gotta get back to work, I'm sure other people can chime in

[Mike]

andrew's cl links were spot-on. i can't believe that one FS that they were selling for $550... that's like an $80 kmart bike.

get gloves, a basic helmet, and pedals/shoes. i prefer time atacs because they're a) great and b) they have a bit of a platform so you can use them without your shoes as well. i'd stay away from eggbeaters. i had them for a bit and didn't like them at all... simply too small. made it hard to power up a hill if you had popped out.

i'm a sack swinger of gary fisher, but cl doesn't have anything worthwhile in your range right now. actually, i just looked at all the bikes in dc for under 450 and found nothing.

[Ginger]

i had them for a bit and didn't like them at all... simply too small. made it hard to power up a hill if you had popped out.

Spot on - I use LOOKs on the road because anything that even remotely resembled an SPD was too narrow. I eventually got stress fractures in my feet from them bending around the pedal. I wasn't sure if that was just my strange problem, or what. Now I know. I think the Times meet with pretty universal support.

So, uhm, yeah. I like Gary Fisher's, too. I'd suggest upping your price range to hit $700 - and prepare to invest $1,000 all inclusive. I think you could get a really, really nice package for that, and not have it be stuff that you would outgrow, outexperience, or break quickly.

[.RJ]

I'd suggest upping your price range to hit $700 - and prepare to invest $1,000 all inclusive

Thats a lot of scratch to spend to start out a hobby with - especially if the OP doesnt end up using the bike much. My first year with my old road bike I spent $300 on the bike and maybe $100 on gear and put many miles on it.

[Evan]

Evan and I will probably be riding when I pick up a mtn bike

I call BS that evan's gonna get his bike out

me too.

[Ginger]

I spent $300 on the bike and maybe $100 on gear and put many miles on it.

No offense, but your better idea is where? I dug through a ton of CL listings and didn't really find anything but junk at prices that low. If you see something I'm missing, post it.

[Evan]

cheap bikes are junk.

used cheap bikes are not worth throwing off a cliff.

Im with andrew, if you want something solid, you have to pay for it, especially if you are buying used.

[.RJ]

No offense, but your better idea is where? I dug through a ton of CL listings and didn't really find anything but junk at prices that low. If you see something I'm missing, post it.

Well, neither my $300 roadie (trek 1000) or my $300 mtb (specialized rockhopper) were found on CL, but they are certainly out there. If you look at them on paper by their components they are probably "junk" (and they were only $500-600 new) but they served me just fine to get started with. I was able to sell them both for near what I paid when I felt like I needed better equipment.

[Ginger]

I'm not trying to be a dick, seriously, and I see your point. I just haven't seen anything out there in that price range that isn't going to be absolutely miserable yet. (And $300 isn't what it used to be.. especially given the Lance Effect in America.)