Mountain Bikes

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for a good mountain bike that isn't too much in cost. I used to ride BMX when I was younger and now I ride rode bikes for workouts. I'm now looking to have both fun and a workout! I was looking at Felt bikes! Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

What's your price range???

 

Define "doesn't cost too much"

 

I’m a cheap person. They’re frowned upon by the local bike shops but I’ve bought 3 Motobecanes and really like them for the price. My ungrateful, brand focused 15 year old is embarrassed by his when surrounded by his spoiled friends. Search online for them.

 

mountain bikes are expensive these days. you can easily get into the $3-4k range. I have a specialized stumpjumper that I got for $2k back in 2003. I have thoroughly enjoyed that bike.

you will need to ask yourself what you want the bike for. there are so many options now. do you want full suspension or rear suspension only? 26, 27.5 or 29 inch tires? what gear range do you want? many bikes only have a single chain ring with 10-12 speeds. maybe go to your local bike shop and ask some questions and test ride some bikes.

good luck

 

Like the others mentioned...what is your definition of not costing to much? What is your terrain like? Lots of climbing or relatively flat, rocky descents or flowing singletrack?

 

What's price range?

 

You don't have fun on your road bike?

 

If you are "Cheap", then Felt is NOT what you want.

Here are some brands I would look at if I were you:
YT (Consumer Direct, so no dealer mark-up... but you should find someone local so you can test your size)
Banshee (This is what I'm on and they are Badazz! They have awesome suspension kinematics w/ the KS-Link, and only produce Aluminum. Carbon is bling, but it really doesn't stand up to abuse)
Canyon (Another consumer direct)
Guerrilla Gravity (Heavy but bomb-proof)


Honestly, just go look at Jenson USA and see what they have on blowout right now. I know that they have nice Banshee builds. You can also score a good deal on BackCountry.com

Oh... and Commencal has some great deals on older bikes on their site right now. this on is 37% off!
https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-am-v42-race-eagle-650b-brushed-2017-m-c2x28426866

 

Well I feel like I know a decent bike from a crappy one. I want it to last and take a beating. Ill spend around 1,800 if need be

 

lol. I mean I have fun on my Harley.... lol but yeah rode bikes can get boring after 50+ miles lol

 

ill spend up to 1800 give or take a few bucks

 

What "discipline" of bike are you looking for? A climb-anything XC bike that is tough on steep descents? A good do-it-all trail bike? Enduro bikes that can slay the toughest sections but still climb without killing you?
Where do you live?

 

1800????? seem fair? lol

 

Regardless of price range the same thing applies to all mid/top tier bikes, you're getting screwed if you're paying anything close to retail. My fleet would cost more than my Tundra if I added up all the retail prices. I've bought all my bikes new, but through team, shop, or employee connections. If you don't have that type of connection then I would stick with used, 1-3 years old. The dealer markup on new bikes is insane, worse than trucks or motorcycles. Everyone needs to make a buck, but busy shops in popular areas are making a killing.

You have a lot of questions to ask yourself first, the easiest to answer being price range. What is your intended use? Full-suspension? tech singletrack, bike park, or just mellow trails?

If I was going to have 1 offroad bike in hopes of doing everything, it would be a hardtail 27.5+, 120mm front travel, 1x12, mechanical dropper, mild component build. I say this because I ride all disciplines, singletrack, rail trails, DH, bike park, pump tracks, skateparks, etc. That bike platform would be a jack of all trades. It might slow you down on some gnarly DH runs, but skill is always the limiting factor.

 

some climbing and eventually coming down from the climb lol. around or up to1800

 

I live in LA but i love camping and i live right up against the mountains

 

thanks will check them out

 

I have an 11’ Trek Fuel EX9. I destroyed a cheaper ($1,700) ex7. Frame cracked. My shop worked a deal on getting me the EX9 frame and suspension at no cost. So after my wheel, carbon fiber upgrades, the bike was pushing the $5,000-$6000 range. I still have the bike and it’s damn near indestructible and still smooth as glass to ride.

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for in the bike world.

 

I totally get that. I went through a few bmx bikes and two rode bikes.

 

Pick a name brand at the top of your budget and choose the one you like the look of best.

All of the name brand bikes in each price range are extremely similar. Unless you find sale or clearance deals, you aren't getting much difference.

You will get better components on a hard tail in that range than you would a full suspension.

I suggest buying new due to the abuse that naturally occurs with mountain biking - you are much more likely to use a warranty.

Only component suggestion I have for you is get one with an air fork with at least 32mm stantions. The rest is all preference that you won't know until you ride different stuff. All of them in a certain price range are comparable.

 

Many bike shops have demos that you can rent so you can try something out on the trail before you buy (the shop should also apply the cost of rental towards your purchase). Do you need/want full suspension? As other's have mentioned, full suspension will increase the cost quite a bit when comparing hardtail to full suspension with the same components.

Components are a key thing to look at. As you go up in the levels of bikes, there is a big jump in the quality of the components.

 

The only way to get a decent bike for the $1800 range is a used bike.

Try Pinkbike:
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/?parentid=1&region=3

I'd recommend a Knolly. My friend has one for sale in your range.
https://www.pinkbike.com/u/whitebullit/buysell/

 

I too road BMX back in the day. After trying cheap and used mountain bikes to only figure out I needed a $600-800 bike at the time (few years back). You will exceed the limitations of the cheaper bikes....

I really like the Specialized brand.

 

I would argue that aside from suspension, you should get the lower level components. You are going to wear them out anyway, so get the best FRAME you can. It is going to be the entire base of the bike. Next, suspension... I'd say at least 34mm fork, but I only rock 36mm bc I descend pretty fast (raced DH when I was in my 20's). Then good brakes... Drivetrain is probably the least important since they are all "wear" items. You are gonna bash your derailer... you are gonna wear out the teeth on your cassette/chainring. Chains should be replaced every 6-12 months.

 

You can easily find a solid used bike on OfferUp or craigslist and won’t have to spend that much. Lots of people selling their bikes in SoCal. I had a giant hard tail I bought used that held up great on the trails.

 

Hardtail- Trek Roscoe 8
Hardtail- Giant Fathom 1
Squishy- Giant Stance 1

Those are my picks for your price range. There are hundreds more that will fit your price range. Those are quick picks. I like the big 3 (Trek, Specialized, Giant) because I've seen them stand by their warranties firsthand and you know they'll be around for years to come. I too am a big proponent of buy new when it comes to mountain bikes specifically for frame warranty support, generally only good to the original owner. I personally had a Jamis frame fail and my buddy has been through 2 Fishers and 2 Treks in the last 10 years, all listed frames were replaced at no cost. The "what mountain bike should I get" question will stir up more responses and emotions than "what's the best oil".

 

This is a touchy subject for some. I didn't get into mountain biking until about 5 years ago. With my size, I am somewhat limited in what bikes I can get (I am 6'8"). When I first got into mountain biking, I bought a Jamis Exile Comp hardtail for $1,000 - it was the biggest frame I could get at a reasonable price. Some people ridiculed me for getting a hardtail, but others praised me since I was new and just learning. I am really glad I went that route, as I feel that I learned how to ride a bit better with the hardtail. I beat the hell out of that Jamis and eventually cracked the frame after 2 years. But, Jamis replaced the frame for free (lifetime warranty on frames).

Two years ago, Specialized finally offered their StumpJumper in an XXL size, so I finally "upgraded" to full suspension. I mainly did it for the size of the bike - it is a monster. And I love it.

So, if you are just getting into it, maybe consider a hardtail (although if you have previous riding experience, your learning curve will probably be almost nil - so it might be moot). $1800 will buy a good hardtail for a beginner. As I hinted at above - I have had great experience with Jamis.

Good luck.

 

Hard tails teach you how to use your body and mind to be a better/faster rider. You use your limbs to absorb and pump through terrain and you're using your brain to constantly scan for the best line. I still ride my 1994 GT Karakoram just for a challenge sometimes. My Blackmarket Edit1 DJ bike also builds skill that can't be learned or taught on a squishy bike. I'll also take out my gravel bike on a trail ride when everyone else is on fat tires just to challenge myself.

With all that said, I've been on full-suspension for my primary trail rig for about 12 years now. IMHO you need a full bag of bike skills to truly benefit from a full-suspension rig. Otherwise it just turns into a monster truck that allows you to ride sloppy.

 

I couldn't agree more.