Buying my first mountain bike.....

[Rootar]

I know alot of guys on here ride mountian bikes and a coupe work in shop s and someone owns a bike shop too right? I'm looking for any input on some bikes, me and the girly are gonna start riding during the week and those random free weekends (between racing, crawling, motocross, school, and projects). There are a ton of trail systems and loops within and hour's drive from our house (roughly 20+ different places). I'm selling off one of my quads and one of my extra race motors so ill have alittle bit of cash to get me a nice bike.
I have a long background in bmx so im looking forward to trail riding and playing around. I've ridden a nice FS trek of my buddies and it was awesome but im not looking to drop 4g on a bike like that. But i do want a nice entry level all mountain bike that has the best components that i can get. I'm not gonna be blasting 30 foot jumps (15-20 prolly) and beating the hell out of it, i do want to buy new, it needs to have 4-6inches of travel with preferably fox fork and shock, the fox will have lockouts also, hydraulic brakes, good rims, and most importantly a good drivetrain. I'm 6' tall 34" inseam 175-180 average build, ive been out of the bmx loop for awhile now and about a year ago my bike was stolen. So im kinda starting fresh here with mountain bikes. i dunno the good from the bad, im reading and reading but im getting antsy and want to get a bike already. :ror:

I don't want a hardtail or a 29'er, i felt comfy on a large framed FS 26 bike and id like it to be under 30 pounds. I've been considering a Cannondale, Fezzari, Motobecane, and all the others really, (mostly at left over bikes that can be had for good deals) If the bike has EVERYTHING im looking for im willing to splurge a little for it, Im looking for a component list such as this bike http://www.fezzari.com/outlet-mountain/nebo-peak-2010
any suggestions for a bike that i would like, mostly fast trail riding, maybe a little pump track action, some bmx style jumps, alot of climbing, just messing around mostly. I just want a good solid all mountain bike that i can ride all day and not worry about. would like to keep it under 2500 and that would have to be a nice bike for me to put down that much. honestly if i could get a good bikie for 1500 then im all for it.


For the Girly she just wants a light weight hard tail 26 with a good drivetrain, decent fork (doesnt have to have lockout) looking for somethign about 22 pounds or less. she is 5'9 130 she wont be hard on the bike at all, it does need good brakes because she won't go fast in the rough or be jumping much, she is in it for the exercise and time away from work. she doesnt care if its new or used as long as it get the job done and has a good drivetrain the cheaper the better for her...




Also whats the MTB forum equivilant to rcc?

 

[slobin3d]

Just Zach is my go to guy on RCC"thumbsup"

 

[Rootar]

zach own the shop right? and who is the guys who work at another shop on here? I like to hear many different opinions.

 

[renoirbud]

the set-up you want will not be available on a sub $2.5k bike.

Your going to have to sacrafice somewhere. The best bargain on bikes (not the best bikes) are Motobecane bikes, you can buy a complete bike way cheaper then the parts. (but they have more SRAM stuff instead of Fox)

It sounds like a Specialized Camber would be a good fit

 

[Mr.Slave]

id avoid crackandfail if I were you.

 

[Rootar]

that camber does look good!

im wanting fox because if i need anything at all i can have it in two days, i run fox floatx evols on my quad and havent had any trouble with them.

btw i know im not gonna find everything im looking for in a bike for my budget but that 2010 fezzari bike sure specs out good, better than any other bike for that price.

 

[Skeeno]

Also whats the MTB forum equivilant to rcc?

www.mtbr.com

 

[Rootar]

too many choices

that motobecane fantom ds pro got a nice review, but id MUCH rather have the fox and sram setup. hmm maybe i could piece together a bike.

 

[dieselfuel]

I'm looking into buying a Felt 29er HT right now. Sign up on mtbr, tons of information there.

 

[shizzz]

Ask me, man,
i will explain you everything on MTB that you should know to buy a first susser
If you are looking for forum, check Pinkbike.com and mtbr.com
I would say do not be stuck on components. The frame is the thing that lets you or not to have fun.
Send me pm and i will tell you how to choose the right bike.

PS Don't even think of that fezzarri crap

 

[Rootar]

I'm looking into buying a Felt 29er HT right now. Sign up on mtbr, tons of information there.

yea ive been reading on the mtb forum for about 2 weeks now. I didnt know if there was another good forum or not.



as for being stuck on components, it was kind of the opposite when i got started in bmx, i had a "decent" complete and i picked me up a nice frame later one and swaped all my components over to it. then as i preceed to push the bike everything on it came apart. I dont want to be stuck upgrading a bunch of stuff a year later, i want components that are worth something if i wanted to build a bike on a new frame. Is this not the right mindset for a MTB? the motobecane uses the same style frame as the fezzari and does the same thing (stacks good components on a cheap frame) between a 2400 motobecane and a 2400 fezzari whats the difference? other than the brand of components? they seem to be on the same level.


I'm not trying to be hard headed about this i just want honest opinions so i can weigh the pros and cons of each bike.

aka i dont want to be told to stay away from a crackandfail or fezzari crap. give me a reason such as: the cannondales in that range have durability issues with the frame and be spesific on what is wrong with the fezzari, the only thing they make is the frame basically, its based on proven designs of other bikes, how terrible could it be.

I'm looking for more detailed info i guess, the bad thing about the fezzari is that even on MTB i cant find any good info its either a whole bunch of guys blankly stating that fezzari sucks even though they have not ridden or seen one or its guys that have them and think they are the best thing in the world for the price and have turned into fanboys. I can't trust any of that info, I read where they had a few quirks but all said that fezzari took care of them. I've read where the motobecane had issues (but didn't ever see if they backed up their bikes. This kind of info would be good.

 

[demonoid369]

I know that the parts I'll tell you might sound cheap or not worth looking to but I had a bike that was a mutt: it had either a next frame or nextal(I think it's the same though) and a element racing front end(the fork, shock, handle) and the rear suspension and all that was mongoose.... ya doesn't sound good but put it this way: I'm 285lb and I didn't use it to go to the store... I went off jumps(10ft to 15ft) and crashed that damn thing all the time but it never broke on me!:shock: the only thing I switched to an upgrade was the rear axle bar, I switched to a larger and stronger one.
you'll be amazed that some of the wally world stuff and other not so high priced stuff can take the punishment, hell I'd still be doing jumps and crashing if it hadn't gotten stolen

 

[Manning]

Giant Trance X2 is my pick. Comes close to hitting your wishlist exactly. Check it out. Very well liked rear suspension design.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/trance.x2/7321/44096/

A 22 lb hardtail will be really hard to get without spending a bunch of $$$. My hardtail is just under 25 and it has some blingy parts on it (carbon bars, really light wheels, etc). It does have a heavy Thudbuster seatpost on it.

Both of my bikes have lockout forks, and I never use it. I wouldn't get too hung up on that option.

 

[jsowens]

I would suggest a Specialized Enduro over a Camber if you plan on doing any jumping at all. I'm sure the Camber can handle jumping just fine, but the Enduro will have a little more suspension travel to and an overall stronger setup to hold up to jumps over time. I work at a Specialized dealer so I'm a little biased on them, but the Enduros are nice do it all bikes. I also like the Giant Reign's. If you're dead set on fox suspension all around, you're gonna have a pretty tough time finding something new for under $3,000...might wanna look into used.

I agree with shizzz, don't be stuck on components and you can have a lot more options. Fox makes awesome stuff, but even some of the nicer rock shox stuff is pretty legit. For forums, I like pinkbike.com and ridemonkey.com...much better than mtbr.com, in my opinion. Ultimately, I suggest actually going to a bike shop if there are any decent ones in your area, get fitted for a bike, test ride a few, and go from there. If a salesman tries to sell you something you're not into, move on. I've been to bike shops before who won't try to sell you anything unless it's high end...I'm glad my shop isn't like that.

 

[Rootar]

that giant x2 does look like a good bike for me mike!

and yea your right, she is looking at xc bikes and most of them are in the mid 20s, she just bought a new car so im thinking she'll end up getting a heavier bike now prolly in the upper 20s just because its cheaper. she is a tight wad, i was surprised she bought the car and i know she'll skimp on the bike now.


ive got my measurements and understand the process of being fitted and setup on a bike (its very close to how we setup our quad suspensions except with a bike i measure myself to the bike rather than my qaud to me and to my shocks), the one bike shop ive been to doesnt do much MTB mostly road bikes but im sure there are a few around that im gonna go check out on tuesday.

 

[shizzz]

Ok, here are the explanation
The BMX is damn different thing. The bike has to be strong, coz u r doing all these cashrolls, flairs, 360ies and so on. But still the first place takes the frame geometry.
MTB is the same.
This zzz ferari is a regular catalogue frame. Has nothing special about it. Fake 4-link that's all bout that frame. You gonna die uphill and will have more or less good ride on downhill. But the suspension will be blocking every time you push the rear brake. In fact the frame is almost the same as old kona. And kona is well known for their "quality":mrgreen:
Now the most important things.
1. The frame. It has to be long. Thus u'll have right position on the bike, plus, the longer top tube the better coasting, which makes u ride easier, doe not matter up or down.
2. The components myth. Throw a rock pile in those, who says this is the most important thing. Absolute bullsh$t. The components are all the same for the bike manufacturers. They only choose, what to install. The rest and the most important is frame.
So, if you wan a good entry-level bike u have to understand:
1.What kind of riding will it be.
2.Will you ride in different weather conditions or just when warm and comfortable.
3. Are you going to have a long distance ride like 200km + and do u need a carrier.
4. Who will do service and maintenance.
5. How often will you ride
6.Where will u ride.

After all these Qs u will understand what u really need. And believe it or not, but if you just ride on weekends with kids in a park, u don't need any disc brake.

No, back to sussers.
I would say you have a really huge choice, but....
There are only a few bikes which will allow you to shake you well.
Stay away from all those ferarizzzz and the rest. Don't go for Trek. Trek is good but a way too short top tube.
If you are looking for a trail ride with no big suspension travel, go for some hi-tech bikes, like Ibis mojo, or Intense spyder or even tracer 2. VPP suspension is one of the best things you can get. You will get not the best components, but they will be at least XT or X9 level.
You can choose Commencal Meta. Has around 140mm of travel, but is slightly cheaper then Santas or others. Thaks to it's rocker and rear triangle construction it is a decent climber and a very good descender. Much better than ferazziz or what.
C'dale with a similar construction is cool as well, but the torsion is not as commencal.
mmm. anything else? don't remember. ask me"thumbsup"

 

[Krakker]

I'm thinkin' this thread should all be on another forum. I'm not being a douche, I'm just reading all that you are wanting to know about and seeing the replys you've been given, it just makes sense to make your decision based off information you get from a site designed for the topic. (Not a bunch of crawler dudes)

However, I'm curious as to why you are wanting the dual suspension bike VS. a hard tail since your rides don't seem that extreme?
I was looking into a dual suspension bike my self due to my back inj. but ended up with a Trek navigator 2.0, It suites me well but I still miss my Trek 4500, I just couldn't take the lean over ride anymore.

Look forward to seeing what you end up with though.

 

[Mr.Slave]

go for a reputable company like specialized or santa cruz

 

[Manning]

Had another thought, since you have a BMX/MX background, and if you think you may be between frame sizes, go for the smaller one. It's more fun to throw around a smaller bike. And it's lots easier to make a small bike bigger (via longer stem) than a big bike smaller. And smaller frames have a shorter crank centerline to front axle distance, so that keeps the front tire loaded for better handling.

Different companies have different ideas of what is "medium" and "large" and so forth. Go off of effective top tube length rather than the name. I'd guess you need something in the 23.5" effective top tube area.

Lots of shops in NWA seem to be catering to the U of A basketball team when they stock bikes to sell. Lots of large and xlarge size bikes. Since you are 6' tall, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[Narly1]

Bicycles depreciate in value even faster than RC rock crawlers!!

If you have some local who is knowlegable about bikes take advantage of that to get a great deal on a used ride over new.

If you don't know anybody maybe try a local bike club for help???

Narly1