MTBikers, what to get. And couple ??s

[CrawlinMike]

I'm looking at getting a new mtb in the next few months or next spring. I'm retiring the Mongoose blackcomb I've had these last 6 years or so. It has frnt and rear susp. I've just wore it to shambles. I ride 40-50 miles in a good week during the summer, probably 20-30% of riding is offroad trails very bumpy and some jumps. The rest is pavement. I am looking at a budget around 500. A few guys around here swear by trek but our local dealer is trek biased so maybe they are because that's all they know. I got the wife a hard tail trek this spring with the 13in frame. It's too small for me of course (I'm 5'9"). It's light and smooth as butter. Makes my mongoose feel like a tank. No I don't ride her bike just once as I set up her gears. Here's the questions -
Is there much downside to the hardtails?
About what frame size is good for 5'9"? ( I could google that but I'm already asking other questions here. First hand exp and advice is usually better too)
And for that $ range are other brands better? Carbondale etc...?
Just trying to get back into shape. I lost 6 weeks this year from a simple accident that broke my dang foot.

 

[Brandon]

Definitely stick to a hard tail if your looking in the $500 range. You wont get a decent full suspension for that.

Trek makes a great bike. I would suggest a medium for your height, but if your local shop carries trek and you buy from them they will make sure you get a bike that fits you.

If you could up the budget to around 750-1000 you will get a MUCH better bike and components than a $500 bike. It makes a huge difference.

I bought my wife a Scott Scale 60 29'er earlier this year and its been a great bike. I even jump on it from time to time for a quick beer run (also too small for me) :ror:

 

[bob1961]

not sure if giant makes MT bikes any more, but i had great use of mine i bought....if you lived in pa and were looking for a hard tail i have a 1995 giant sedona in very good shape i'm trying to sell for 300 bucks, 550 new when i got it....my nerve damage from my brain surgery left me so i can't ride any more :x .........bob

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[mark reel]

Definitely stick to a hard tail if your looking in the $500 range. You wont get a decent full suspension for that.

Trek makes a great bike. I would suggest a medium for your height, but if your local shop carries trek and you buy from them they will make sure you get a bike that fits you.

If you could up the budget to around 750-1000 you will get a MUCH better bike and components than a $500 bike. It makes a huge difference.

I bought my wife a Scott Scale 60 29'er earlier this year and its been a great bike. I even jump on it from time to time for a quick beer run (also too small for me) :ror:

couldnt agree more, save a little longer if you have to you will be much more satisfied with a little better bike.

not sure if giant makes MT bikes any more, but i had great use of mine i bought....if you lived in pa and were looking for a hard tail i have a 1995 giant sedona in very good shape i'm trying to sell for 300 bucks, 550 new when i got it....my nerve damage from my brain surgery left me so i can't ride any more :x .........bob

Giant is still making bikes"thumbsup" infact they are one of the top MFG's they make frames, components etc for ALOT of the top compines that slap there sticker on the frame.

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[Deerhurst]

I'm looking at getting a new mtb in the next few months or next spring. I'm retiring the Mongoose blackcomb I've had these last 6 years or so. It has frnt and rear susp. I've just wore it to shambles. I ride 40-50 miles in a good week during the summer, probably 20-30% of riding is offroad trails very bumpy and some jumps. The rest is pavement. I am looking at a budget around 500. A few guys around here swear by trek but our local dealer is trek biased so maybe they are because that's all they know. I got the wife a hard tail trek this spring with the 13in frame. It's too small for me of course (I'm 5'9"). It's light and smooth as butter. Makes my mongoose feel like a tank. No I don't ride her bike just once as I set up her gears. Here's the questions -
Is there much downside to the hardtails?
About what frame size is good for 5'9"? ( I could google that but I'm already asking other questions here. First hand exp and advice is usually better too)
And for that $ range are other brands better? Carbondale etc...?
Just trying to get back into shape. I lost 6 weeks this year from a simple accident that broke my dang foot.

500 bucks will get you into an entry level hard tail. Almost any 500 dollar bike shop bike will be light years better then the mongoose.

I'm not much of a trek fan but I do work at a shop dealing in specialized, giant, cannondale and norco. From a mechanics view, I like specialized and norco followed by giant and for some reason cannondale ships every bike almost completely disassembled to where it takes forever to get it on the ago floor. All 4 brands make good solid bikes, all of which will be better then virtually any mongoose.

A decent soft tail, full suspension, will run you around 1200 bucks on up. I would say get a soft tail if you mainly ride off road or in rocky and uneven ground but as you said, most of your riding is onroad so a hard tail should be perfect. Try a 29" wheeled bike too, the 29ers roll better then a 26. I personally don't like 29ers because they seem almost too stable and not "flickable" enough for me.

Your about my height, I'd say a medium frame, a 16-17" frame would probably be perfect. I ride a 16" frame for more clearance and to throw the bike around easier.

Downside to a hard tail, not as cosh and squishy and comfortable on roughy stuff but they put the power down much better.

IMHO, spend a little more then you want to on a bike, you really do get what you pay for. My current bike, MSRP of $5000 in 2010 ( I spend almost twice what I wanted to spend on it ), has only had the shifting and suspension adjusted once when I first got it, I've never needed to true the wheels, it is a tank, all 33.93 pounds of 160mmtravel full suspension all mountain epicness. The cheap bikes, especially department store bike, have terrible suspension that is usually not adjustable and can never hold a tune or ever even shift well enough to make a ride fun.

 

[skin6061]

I know your budget is $500, but like other say it will be a entry level bike. My friend has a trek hardtail and he like it alot. My favorite bike of all time has been my marin quake. It's more of a downhill freeride bike but, i have rode there other bikes that share the same suspension setup and there butter smooth and just a well put together bike. I have met and rode with the guys from marin before and they are very helpful and just love bikes in general.

 

[CrawlinMike]

Sounds great everyone. I can extend my budget from 500 range for a better bike. Just didn't realize that was quite so entry level. I think your right about losing power with a soft tail. The novelty of my rear susp on the mongoose was attractive when I bought it. I know mongoose is a dept store bike but at the time it was the best they had. I guess you can compare like hobby grade rcs and wally rcs. This thing is about 50lbs with my water and "tackle" I'm about 180.
I'll look into specialized and Carbondale probably in the next few weeks. Rather not have the same bike as my other riders, but also want better quality. I have a scheels and a professional bike dealer about 30 miles away that isn't just a specific brand oriented like my local one. I'm a little interested in a 29er but would want to ride one around some first. A 29er tires and tubes aren't readily available to me and probably cost a good bit more. Like with my trucks I love trying different treads.

 

[Skeeno]

Definitely go to a local bike shop. They will be able to get you hooked up with a bike that is best suited for your area; 26" vs 29". Hardtail is your best bet in your price range. I would also suggest spending a bit more to get a better bike.

 

[djjiz]

I have a Talon 1 that's converted to a 0 and can tell you that the stock fork feels like a wet noodle. Other than that it's a solid 29er in the $750-1000 range.

 

[Brandon]

Sounds great everyone. I can extend my budget from 500 range for a better bike. Just didn't realize that was quite so entry level. I think your right about losing power with a soft tail. The novelty of my rear susp on the mongoose was attractive when I bought it. I know mongoose is a dept store bike but at the time it was the best they had. I guess you can compare like hobby grade rcs and wally rcs. This thing is about 50lbs with my water and "tackle" I'm about 180.
I'll look into specialized and Carbondale probably in the next few weeks. Rather not have the same bike as my other riders, but also want better quality. I have a scheels and a professional bike dealer about 30 miles away that isn't just a specific brand oriented like my local one. I'm a little interested in a 29er but would want to ride one around some first. A 29er tires and tubes aren't readily available to me and probably cost a good bit more. Like with my trucks I love trying different treads.

Great, you wont regret it "thumbsup"

29 tubes and tires are that much more expensive if at all. I picked up two spare tubes for my wife's 29 a few weeks ago for $3ea. Cheap!

 

[fourxfunk]

Giants give an incredible bang for the buck. I ride a trance x3 and my wifes got a yukon fx.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

[jsowens]

I'm pretty partial to Specialized bikes, but practically all of the bigger companies are going to offer a pretty decent bike for your budget. These guys have offered some solid advice so far, but my advice is to go to as many different shops as you can and test ride several different bikes. Test ride both 26" and 29" wheeled bikes and a variety of models and that will help you decide what you like. In terms of sizing...most companies size their bikes a little differently than their competitors, so if you go to a reputable bike shop they will be able to get you on a bike that fits you properly...if they don't, move on to a different shop.

 

[racerx]

Yes Giant still makes MTB's... Got this yesterday...

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/chit-chat/395794-new-29ers.html


I rode 7 different bikes and they were happy to swap bars, stems, seats and make adjustments too. If the bike shop won't do that for you go somewhere else!!

 

[Tuffguy]

I got a Giant revel 1 for 470 at a local bike shop, love it for the kind of riding I do now. The entry level fork sucks balls, but I am not racing anymore so it will do.

 

[CrawlinMike]

I was following your thread racerx. You are right they should do that. If a guys willing to spend that much on a bike especially. I really respect my equipment and like it to last a long time. My mongoose gets taken apart every winter and everything relubed and cleaned. I even hate to think of getting rid of it. It'll probably get a motor on it or I'll make it a trike or something. When I go to get a new bike I want it light, tough, smooth at silk to ride, and fit like a glove. It took me awhile to get the goose comfortable. Ended up getting riser handlebars and that helped a lot.
Maybe I will end up on the 29er bandwagon. Although I find it hard to be able to tell significant gains between 26-29. I would be almost afraid the back of the front tire would rub toes every so often.

 

[djjiz]

My toes rub like crazy but Its not enough to kick me off a peddle. Then again I'm 6'1" on a medium frame and ride it like a 20" trick bike.