What is a decent entry level mountain bike to start out with?

Question

I was thinking of getting into mountain biking, rough terrain trails and down hill runs interest me. Im 24, 5'6'', and 140lbs

type of brakes, wheel size, frame size, suspension, metal type???

any help or advice is much appreciated

Answer 1

5'6'' is for medium size frames (usually around 17"), if you want to go down hills fast i would recommend hydraulic disc brakes, you should have strong 26" wheels, most bikes these days are made from alloy instead of steel so i would recommend alloy, you should probably go for a 5-6" free ride forks as well

Answer 2

check out norco bikes there the best norco.com

Answer 3

I am selling a 2006 KHS XC Team Issue x904r.  Originally worth $2799, then I upgraded to XT/XTR components.

It's a 17" frame so perfect fit for you.

Looking to get $1800obo for it, not sure if you were looking for something that high level, but if you are send me a message and I'll put it up on ebay as a buy it now price.

Answer 4

Brakes: I would go with "mechanical discs" - front and rear. The stopping power is great, the maintenance is fairly simple.

Wheels: 26 inch at least. 24 inch wheels will make the bike feel small. The newer oversized 28 or 29 inch wheels might also be tougher to find tubes and tires for, if they make them for mountain bikes. Should have discs for the brakes. :) Make sure you know what type of tube the wheel uses, I've had to become familiar with the Presta valve, as opposed to the standard (Shraeder/Shroeder?) that you can pick up anywhere. If so, get a couple of adapters and buy some extra tubes, these are not always available in regular store stock.

Frame: I think 17 inches was a good suggestion, MTBs have a different frame size scale. Could also check on "Small" or "Meduim" sized frames if there is not a numbered frame size.

Suspension: This could be tricky. A dedicated downhill bike has miles of suspension travel and no real need for regular gearing. These bikes rely on a quick burst or power and then gravity and finally, the size of your cojones. A trail bike with 3 to 5 inches of travel on the front with a selectable travel/lockout option for some street riding would be a bonus. Locking the front shock can help smooth surface riding by cutting down on damping caused by torque, putting more power to the ground, instead of soaking it up and wasting it.

I have a dual suspension bike and with a rear air shock. I really like that. You can get some pretty fast rides going while keeping your wheels on the ground. I'm too old to consider those fantastic thirty foot jumps over ravines, anyway. A hardtail bike might bounce a lot more due to the tire being the only suspension component back there. A rear spring shock is something I have no familiarity with and can neither recommend or reject.

Metal? I prefer Metallica and Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. However, Green Day and Linkin Park have some good riding tunes as well.

When I was looking for a ride, a couple of companies had some nice rides at the time. Cannondale's Jekyll and Jamis' Dakar series had some good rides that had the components I was looking for, or a model that could be had with those options.

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/cusa/...

This is what most of the bike police (around here) ride, by the way. If you don't look like a hood or a thug, you could ask them about it. Chances are, they might have mixed opinions, due to the bike being outfitted with some extra parts.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_b...

I almost got one of these, but did not have the cash...

This is my bike.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MIQ...

It came in medium and it almost seems big, I'm 5'8" and 175 pounds. I loved my first GT, I got it used from a bike shop and it was stolen when I came home drunk and forgot to lock it up during a big party weekend when people in the apartment complex had friends from out of town. I'm picturing the thing tricked out ghetto style with green brushed on paint and upside down racing bars... Hopefully whoever stole it got shot over it when they got back to L.A.

This is my old hardtail. I still have it as a back up for folks with no ride.

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeS...

It came from Costco (about 275 dollars), and needed some work right out of the store, due to some assembly goofs. I've had to upgrade the rear wheel (150 dollars), get a new front derailler ($100) had the cabling redone during a tune up ($150 - total, including replacing the chain) and had to have the deraillers adjusted another time (about 50 dollars). Plus my normal tweaks such as pedal upgrades (50 dollars) and finding a seat (30 dollars). On the better bikes they might actually come with clipless pedals, so expect to spend a few dollars on new pedals or buying some shoes for them.

All of the work done to the bike runs about 733 dollars (over the course of a few years) total, so really, in order to get a bike that can take a good beating, going to a discount store might not be such a great idea after all. Okay, some of that was normal maintenance, but due to some of the lesser components used on those department store bikes what you save on the intial buy you may end up spending later, but losing some nice riding days in the process.

The only real downside to these bikes would be the initial cost. They seem have went up (significantly) since I last looked. Also, some components seem to have been phased out. However, since this should be the last bike you buy for several years, something in this range would be very worthwhile. If your budget could fit something like an extra hundred or so dollars a month, you could also finance one of the higher end bikes.

Answer 5

Any good bicycling store can help you get fitted for a bike.  I didnt know how to pick one out until I went to a sports store and they helped me size one out.  I got a Marin on sale for 600.00.  Cannondales are good starter bikes and they have a good variety.  I looked at a good one for about 400.  Make sure you get disk brakes, at least suspension on the front, if not both front and back.  I'm 5-11 and I think my frame size is 17.