Buying a new bike any Suggestions?

[David]

Hey you guys I'm looking on buying a new bike but don't know where to look and what to look for. I currenly owned a Mongus from Toys R us ..lol very dificult to ride and kind of got tired of it...

[tkblazer]

whats your budget, what kind of riding do you currently do and where do you ride

[David]

Maybe from $400-$1,500 Max, and I currently ride the mountains of Moreno Valley & Chino Hills. thanks dude

[gurp13]

Trek, Specialized. Good bikes. Make people happy. Good prices. Then, after you're all hardcore, you can start to think about upgrading to a Santa Cruz, Ellsworth, Turner or whatever. Keep it simple. Get a good bike and ride!

[tkblazer]

i'm sure dino brown will like this, but for around 1k-1500 you can get a nice iron horse mkIII or an azure ... check out the local performance bike shops since they're always on sale there.

[gurp13]

Iron Horse? I said he should get a good bike, Nam!

[allison]

Originally Posted by gurp13

Iron Horse? I said he should get a good bike, Nam!

A guy at work just got IH Azure's for himself and his wife to start out. He did a bit of research on the Performance bikes (had trade in from a road bike) and liked that the best.

Once you get decent components the frame itself doesn't make THAT much difference to a new rider. Just try to get Shimano LX or above, and SRAM x7 and above. Juicy 5's are decent brakes.

Just go to some shops, ride bikes that are in your price range and the pick the one you go home and think about the most.

[guero]

go to a few different shops and ride a few different bikes. each one will feel different, some will feel better than others. one of the main things you need to figure out is if you want to go full suspension, or just a hard tail (front shock only). if you want to stay in the hard tail range, then you can get a pretty high end bike for the upper end of your budget. if you decide to go full suspension, the upper end of your budget will get you a decent complete bike. generally the frames are all the same more or less, but the component groups vary depending on the model of the bike. for example, i ride a kona coiler deluxe. kona makes a Coiler, Coiler Deluxe, the "Deluxe" comes with better components than the regular model. You can also choose to buy a frame, and build up around the frame, picking and choosing what components you want to get. At this point, if you know you are hooked on riding and plan on staying in the sport/hobby for awhile, then you might want to spend a little more money on a new bike. If you arent sure of how much you will truly like it, then don't waste money on something more high end if it is just gonna collect dust. It is also wise to ante up and spend a little more at the time of purchase to get the better components then, instead of buying the cheaper model and upgrading the components down the line, you will spend much more money if you do it that way.

good luck.

[allison]

If you do decide you may be interested in 29er (3" bigger circumference tire than normal mountain bikes, but quickly gaining in popularity) I'd highly suggest you check out Felt Bicycles 2007 - NINE Elite the Felt Nine Elite. Felt makes good bikes and often they come with better components than some of the bigger name brand company's.

Specialized and Trek are always good as well. So is Giant. I'm sure there are plenty more good brands that you will find everywhere! MTBR has a bike shop review section that you may want to check out also. Or post here to ask about shops in your area.

[gurp13]

[quote=allison;69167]A guy at work just got IH Azure's for himself and his wife to start out. He did a bit of research on the Performance bikes (had trade in from a road bike) and liked that the best.[quote]

Aye, I was kidding. I'm sure they're fine bikes. But, as a Specialized owner, I have to have someone to look down on.

[allison]

[quote=gurp13;69171][quote=allison;69167]A guy at work just got IH Azure's for himself and his wife to start out. He did a bit of research on the Performance bikes (had trade in from a road bike) and liked that the best.

Aye, I was kidding. I'm sure they're fine bikes. But, as a Specialized owner, I have to have someone to look down on.

haha!! Hey, nothing wrong with Spec bikes I own one! I think bikes similar to both are great entry bikes. Not only do they last a long time, but they've got good customer service and you can usually find a shop that offers support wherever you go.

There's always Huffy!

[SAR_boats]

Are you looking at full suspension or hardtail? Are you aware of the advantages and disadvanteges of both?
Just off the top of my head here are some suggestions:
HT 26":
Specalized Stumpjumper
Kona Caldera
Kona Hoss Delux
GT Avalance Expert
Marin Hawk Hill SE
Marin Nail Trail
Marin Rocky Ridge
Marin Pine Mountain
Gary Fisher Big Sur
Gary Fisher HooKoo E Koo
Gary Fisher PhD
Fuji Tahoe SL
Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disk
Trek 8000
Kona Kula Dee-Lux

Full Suspension 26"
Trek Fuel EX6
Trek Fuel EX5
Gary Fisher HiFi
Fuji Outland
Fuji Outland Comp
Specialized FSR XC Rim
Specialized FSR XC Comp

[Jordansrealm]

I always tell people to buy things they will grow into. So, when you do shop around be sure to get something you can grow with or you will end up replacing your entire bike sooner than you think. Much like everyone else said shop around and test ride a bunch of bikes. Some local bike shops even let you test ride bikes for a weekend although most testers are higher dollar bikes. My roomate bought a Specialized XC Comp that is a fantastic bike around the 1500 range and a few mags even gave it the top nod for budget full suspension bikes.

[Bergsteiger]

Originally Posted by David

Hey you guys I'm looking on buying a new bike but don't know where to look and what to look for. I currenly owned a Mongus from Toys R us ..lol very dificult to ride and kind of got tired of it...

David
[FONT=Helv][SIZE=2]Check out the Ironhorse MK III Comp in the marketplace section of this forum.
2K worth of bike for half the price. This is a very nonbiased recommendation.
How tall are you?
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[David]

Thanks guys!!!!!

[Fired Yo Momma]

I am somewhat in the same situation, although my bike at this time is a great starting out bike for me (GT Avalance 2.0). I have been back riding since last Christmas and I know for sure I am 100% in this sport. My new ride is going to be either a Chumba XCL, Titus MotoLite, or the Santa Cruz Blur. I am leaning in the general direction towards the Chumba.

[David]

I'm 5'6"

[tkblazer]

if you don't mind the weight, you can try out my giant reign sometime.

[Neccros]

Originally Posted by Jordansrealm

I always tell people to buy things they will grow into. So, when you do shop around be sure to get something you can grow with or you will end up replacing your entire bike sooner than you think. Much like everyone else said shop around and test ride a bunch of bikes. Some local bike shops even let you test ride bikes for a weekend although most testers are higher dollar bikes. My roomate bought a Specialized XC Comp that is a fantastic bike around the 1500 range and a few mags even gave it the top nod for budget full suspension bikes.

Maybe your roommate will sell it cheap seeing he never rides it!!! heheheh

[Jordansrealm]

Originally Posted by Neccros

Maybe your roommate will sell it cheap seeing he never rides it!!! heheheh

I am working on him riding some more!