What type of mountain bike should I buy?

Question

Female, 5'2, wanted for off road and road use (around the Blue Mountains in Sydney). What type of bike should I buy and what is available for around $300??

Answer 1

For the previous poster the bikes that you listed cost a lot more in Australia, the cheapest Specialized Hardrock is $600 and the Trek 820 is $500.

$300 won't get you much brand new, so don't expect too much, good quality second hand bikes can be found for that price but can take a while to to find the right one. Buy a hardtail mountain bike, they can have either suspension or rigid forks. Don't buy a full suspension bike as any bike that's less than a $1000 probably isn't worth buying.

For any off road riding the 'mens' style bike frame would be stronger than the 'womens' style step through bike frame. Don't buy an el cheapo bike from Kmart/Target/BigW as they aren't the best of quality.

Here's one for $299 that looks like it would be suitable for you, it's available in a 15" frame which would probably be about the right size for you :

http://www.cellbikes.com.au/p_10_CELL__M...

Here's another couple of bikes that sell for $299:

http://www.apollobikes.com/apolloproduct...

http://www.raleigh.co.nz/bikes-for-adven...

$325 to $350 will get this bike with rigid forks:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bike...

$350 to $375 will get a bike like these:

http://www.mongoosebikes.com.au/bikes/de...

http://www.apollobikes.com/apolloproduct...

http://www.raleigh.co.nz/bikes-for-adven...

$375 to $400 will get you a bike like these:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bike...

http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes/200...

http://www.avantibikes.com/comp-mtb/mont...

http://www.raleigh.co.nz/bikes-for-adven...

Answer 2

if you are going to use it for off road and road, get a hardtail mtb with a front suspension. for 300 dollars you can get a specialized hardrock, trek  820, khs, gary fisher and more. go to your local bikeshop and get properly fitted and they will let you know the right size of frame for you.

happy riding!