Mountain Bike Help

[Strongside]

I'm making a big push to get back into decent-to-good shape in 2013 and I'm going to try to get back into mountain biking/trail riding. I've been out of the loop for so long that I have no idea what I'm looking for in a solid bike. I'm not tall...5'9", so I need an 18"-19" frame. I'm also not wanting to spend a TON of money. If anyone is knowledgable about these things and would like to help out...please do. My budget is about $500-$700.

Thanks homies.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

We could work in a ride AND I COULD DISABLE those ****ers (I think)
Posted via Mobile Device

Oh, you'd need the vehicle in your own hands? That would probably be better than me ****ing with it...lol.

[Inmem58]

Ain't nobody got time for that

[COchief]

Originally Posted by headsnap

LOL

Trek and Spec company value don't mean shit... take the $200 saved and take it to the best LBS(local bike shop)*, spend $50 on a tune up and $150 on gear and build a relationship with them... that'll get you much more than a warranty card with a well known logo on it!


* that's not always the biggest shop with the most advertising $s, check your local MTB forums for recommendations.

You don't have any idea about big business do you? The reason I recommended Trek/Spec is very simple, they sell the most bikes by a goddamn mile. If you call shimano and order 1000 disc brakes for your crappy little bike company you get a shitty price, however if you order a million disc brakes you get a much better price and can pass that on to your customer. Now rinse and repeat for every single component on the bike.

It's called purchasing power, which is why Trek/Spec bikes are typically much better equipped than smaller brands at the same price point. There is a company that has used this exact formula to become relatively successful in business, you might have heard of them, they call themselves Wal-mart.

Plus really, who is going to have a better frame? The company that has kicked out a thousand frames this year, or the companies that kicked out a thousand yesterday? Who has more riding on a bike design, the stoners that are trying to sell a few hundred, or the company that is planning on selling a million? Who do you trust more, names every person recognizes or your shit brand that no one has ever heard of and can barely be found on the internet? What happens when your frame cracks, I used to ride Cannondale and cracked a frame, 5 years later they gave me the equivalent frame with no questions asked. Will these little crap companies even exist in 5 years?

Where did the $200 savings come from? Did you just decide to start making shit up? Because the reality is he will get the best value for going Trek/Spec and would save the most. Where is this magical $200 coming from?

Also don't "LOL" people when you seemingly have no idea what the F you are talking about son.

[mdchiefsfan]

[Guru]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Whoa, missed this. Go hybrid.

Never heard of the hybrid bike. Looked it up and thought to myself, "oh, the old man bikes." heh

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by COchief

You don't have any idea about big business do you? The reason I recommended Trek/Spec is very simple, they sell the most bikes by a goddamn mile. If you call shimano and order 1000 disc brakes for your crappy little bike company you get a shitty price, however if you order a million disc brakes you get a much better price and can pass that on to your customer. Now rinse and repeat for every single component on the bike.

I guess you missed the part in my earlier post about Airborne's parent company... they are BIG, probably sold more bikes yesterday that Trek and Spec did all year!!! So yes, they have buying power with Shimano, SRAM, etc....

It's called purchasing power, which is why Trek/Spec bikes are typically much better equipped than smaller brands at the same price point. There is a company that has used this exact formula to become relatively successful in business, you might have heard of them, they call themselves Wal-mart.

Like Huffy?

Plus really, who is going to have a better frame? The company that has kicked out a thousand frames this year, or the companies that kicked out a thousand yesterday? Who has more riding on a bike design, the stoners that are trying to sell a few hundred, or the company that is planning on selling a million? Who do you trust more, names every person recognizes or your shit brand that no one has ever heard of and can barely be found on the internet? What happens when your frame cracks, I used to ride Cannondale and cracked a frame, 5 years later they gave me the equivalent frame with no questions asked. Will these little crap companies even exist in 5 years?

the frames for the three bikes in question(Trek, Airborne and Specialized) more than likely came from the same factory in China. Airborne has awesome customer service and will definitely be around 5+ years from now... they are building a great brand and they aren't hurting.

Where did the $200 savings come from? Did you just decide to start making shit up? Because the reality is he will get the best value for going Trek/Spec and would save the most. Where is this magical $200 coming from?

Trek 3700 Disc $549 - Airborne Skyhawk $349 = $200

the $200 is from direct from manufacturer sales(no LBS overhead) and that buying power that you seem to think I don't know about.

As for the specs on the two bikes, they are almost identical. They have the same front fork, Shimano Altus and SRAM X3/X4 drivetrains are comparable, and the Skyhawk has much better hydraulic disc brakes.

Also don't "LOL" people when you seemingly have no idea what the F you are talking about son.

Also don't 'son' people when you definitely have no idea what the F you are talking about... I've been racing bikes for 30+ years!!!





We're in this thread to help this guy out, he is on a budget and wants the best bang for his buck, I gave him that route...

[COchief]

Originally Posted by headsnap

A bunch of pretty good info

Did some checking on that Airborne company, very interesting business strategy, wonder if it will pay off. Seems they do offer a hell of a bang for the buck and interesting they only deal direct. Seems odd to offer those kinds of models with no dealer network when your typical $500 buyer is a walk into the store type. I'd think that would really only work with high-end bikes with customers in the know.

I spent a lot of time reading mtn bike mags a few years ago and it seemed like everytime they had a comparison test some tiny unknown company would win. Seemed to me like it was always about "rooting for the little guy" when common sense would tell you that the Trek/Spec is a much safer bet in all areas.

Still would beg anyone to go the CL route, so many guys throw down huge amounts of money on new bikes and hardly ride them.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Guru

Never heard of the hybrid bike. Looked it up and thought to myself, "oh, the old man bikes." heh

Well this old man could kick some ass on his hybrid. Really though, unless you're doing hardcore off-roading or going for serious speed, a hybrid is your best bet. It offers a lot of flexibility with how/where you ride.

[Graystoke]

I don't know why Hybrids get the "Old Man Bike" label.
I like Hybrids, especially Cross Bikes.
Even in serious woods, these bikes can scream if you can handle them.
I remember when I did a race in the early 90's called Chequamegon Fat Tire festival in Wisconsin. Biggest off road, point to point race in the Midwest. 40 miles of hard and fast fire roads. I showed up on a Ibis Hackalugi Cross bike and out of 2400 participants
I got 17th place overall. The next year there was more then one Cross Bike at the event.

I guess what I am saying is "what is your riding style?" If indeed you are going to be doing a mix of woods and pavement. I recomend a Hybrid/Cross style bike.
They are faster, offer more comfort, and fun as hell.

[Strongside]

Wow, thanks for all of the great info guys! I went into trek yesterday and browsed around, but didn't have anything catch my eye. I also went into volker in crossroads and they have some great deals. I'm going to scour Cl and see if I can find any steals as well. And just to clarify, when I said I would be riding woodland trails, I meant true off road trails, not paved. I'm an avid quad and dirt bike guy, so I feel more at home on dirt.

[Chest Rockwell]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

I don't know why Hybrids get the "Old Man Bike" label.
I like Hybrids, especially Cross Bikes.
Even in serious woods, these bikes can scream if you can handle them.
I remember when I did a race in the early 90's called Chequamegon Fat Tire festival in Wisconsin. Biggest off road, point to point race in the Midwest. 40 miles of hard and fast fire roads. I showed up on a Ibis Hackalugi Cross bike and out of 2400 participants
I got 17th place overall. The next year there was more then one Cross Bike at the event.

I guess what I am saying is "what is your riding style?" If indeed you are going to be doing a mix of woods and pavement. I recomend a Hybrid/Cross style bike.
They are faster, offer more comfort, and fun as hell.

But CX bikes are not what you're going to get if you go into a shop and ask for a hybrid. You'e probably going to get a comfort bike which is what most people think of as hybrids (even most shop staff) and associate with "old man" bikes.

I agree with you on the CX bike and was thinking the same thing reading through the thread, but people really need to be comfortable with more of a road bike geometry to like them. "What's your riding style" is exactly the right question to ask here. Over my riding career evolved from bmx/freestyle to mountain to road and cross, and at this point I doubt I'll ever go back to anything other than a road geometry bike, but not everyone likes (or can tolerate) that riding position.

I'm not going to go into brands, because like everyone else I have my preferences and opinions. What I will say is this: the most important part of picking a bike is test riding a LOT of them.

Forget brands, and, at least for now, forget components (other than go with the best quality you can afford; same as the bikes, ride different brand component sets, you'll probably find you prefer one). First and foremost you need to find something that fits you, you're comfortable on and you actually like riding.

There can be a lot of difference between brands geometry-wise and really the only way to figure out what feels best is to try them out if you can.