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  #16  
Old 08-02-2007, 12:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets
I absolutely, completely agree. It's not like I have the latest and greatest; I have a five-year-old bike with eleven-year-old hardware on it. And, even though it's a great bike, I'm still weak and I still suck.

Unfortunately, the entry point for a decent bike that won't fall apart on the trail is pretty high. It's stupid, but (in my opinion) just the way things are.

are they really THAT crappy? i was thinking about getting some crap $200 Mongoose mtn bike sometime for dicking around on. i don't plan on driving it down the face of Mt. McKinley - would a casual rider really need something more than this - your opinions please. i've been out of the bike scene for a LONG time.

i guess i need to check with my pops, too - he has a couple old Gary Fishers, and some Italian (?) skinny street bikes.
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  #17  
Old 08-02-2007, 02:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets
I will agree with the people who have recommended that you look for a used bike. I'm sure you could find something pretty good, and I trust older components from more than five years ago more than the current stuff.

But, then, buying a used bike means you probably don't get much of a warranty. It's not going to be backed by the shop quite as well, and it's hard for a novice to look at a bike (used or new) and tell what's good on it.

As for new bikes, there are only two readily-available brands I will still recommend: Specialized and Cannondale. Since price is important to you, I'd recommend the former.

Ten years ago there were tons of specialty manufacturers I could have recommended; Schwinn (my favorite), Gary Fisher, GT, Trek, to name a few. Most of them have been bought by a company called Pacific and stripped down to department-store brands. Trek bought Gary Fisher and then went to sh*t.

I will absolutely, 1000% not recommend Trek (or their other brand, Gary Fisher). I helped a friend in MI pick one out, thinking I could still trust the brand. I had to fix that bike on the trail more times than I care to talk about. Another friend wanted a bike, and I figured I'd give Trek another chance. I helped him pick a more expensive model. It was every bit as bad as the first. Both had tons of warranty repairs (as long as the warranty was good...then after that both bikes cost the owners money, of course) and both were a nightmare to keep well-adjusted.

I used to be a bike mechanic. I worked in shops during high school and college. I know how to turn a wrench. Don't buy a Trek. Specifically, one of those bikes was a 2002 8500, recommended earlier. What a pile.
Dunno what lemon you guys got but the 8900 was our team bike for xc and it was phenomenal. One of the reasons being that it was so low maintenance. I beat the crap out of bikes and my trek kept coming back and beggin for more. The only complaint is that the SID race fork wore out kinda quick. Like I said though I am very rough on bikes and being 200 lbs doesnt help either.
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  #18  
Old 08-02-2007, 02:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Landshark
are they really THAT crappy? i was thinking about getting some crap $200 Mongoose mtn bike sometime for dicking around on. i don't plan on driving it down the face of Mt. McKinley - would a casual rider really need something more than this - your opinions please. i've been out of the bike scene for a LONG time.

i guess i need to check with my pops, too - he has a couple old Gary Fishers, and some Italian (?) skinny street bikes.
A $200 Mongoose is just fine for dicking around on! Personally I have a 9-year old Trek 7000 that is plenty of bike for what trails I ride. I think it was around $800 new. Its predecessor was a $100 Peugeot out of Value City. It was so cheap it was cool to ride, because you plain didn't care if you dropped it and it performed fine too, albeit it was as heavy as a boat anchor and the shifting was always an adventure.
The reason I'm saying to spend as much as your budget allows: I have ridden a Trek 1000 road bike for years. It's under $500 - or it was when I got it - and adequate for most recreational riding. You can talk yourself into thinking how smart you are for not spending mega-bucks on a big buck carbon fiber bike, because this bike can get you down the road just fine, and it's your conditioning and skill that makes the difference anyway, right?
Well, for my big 50th b-day, I bought myself a Cannondale carbon fiber road bike with much better components as well. The difference is phenomenal. It costs 4 times as much as the Trek 1000, but if you plan on riding a lot it is well worth it. Best money I have spent for a long time.
Of course the key question is how much are you going to ride and how serious to you want to get into it?
If you're just dicking around, $200 will get plenty.
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  #19  
Old 08-02-2007, 02:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Landshark
are they really THAT crappy? i was thinking about getting some crap $200 Mongoose mtn bike sometime for dicking around on. i don't plan on driving it down the face of Mt. McKinley - would a casual rider really need something more than this - your opinions please. i've been out of the bike scene for a LONG time.

i guess i need to check with my pops, too - he has a couple old Gary Fishers, and some Italian (?) skinny street bikes.
Hey, I'm just speaking from experience. And, admittedly, my experience isn't by any means a complete picture of the scene any more.

If you want to get a $200 department-store Mongoose, by all means go do it. I just wouldn't be surprised when a wheel folds the first time you take it off some 'sweet jumps.'

Here's where I make my public service announcement about wearing a helmet:

Wear a helmet.
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  #20  
Old 08-02-2007, 03:23 PM
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There's always another option: Buy a used bike with a good frame, and PIMP IT OUT!
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  #21  
Old 08-02-2007, 07:21 PM
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Thanks for the replys everyone, i got a lil better idea of the rt i'm gonna take now. If i see anything i need checked out i'll post it here.
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  #22  
Old 08-02-2007, 09:20 PM
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I got the Wal-Mart/Sams Motiv special for $95 on sale for $87 and have kicked the living crap out of it for 10 yrs now and I've only had to replace one brake handle. I do the kind of riding that you see on the jackass shows :-). For a better workout I tie a rope on and tow my kids around on their skateboards - the ones with the monster wheels. Mom's not too happy about that one cause the kids are getting too scraped up but they're too small to pull my lard butt. I've kept up with the other bikes and have mastered most of the jumps and can even do a front wheel stoppie as long as my wife isn't watching. For some reason, whenever she's watching I crash. Humph! Just the other day I was riding down a hill and hit a log and flipped the bike end over end and ended up standing next to it holding it upright like I meant for it to happen that way. She wanted to see it again, yea right.

I've been thinking about upgrading lately and have been eyeing the costco lineup. Perhaps not upgrading but moving into more of a comfort bike. I want the curved handlebars and a more comfy seat.
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  #23  
Old 08-02-2007, 10:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pghopkins
I got the Wal-Mart/Sams Motiv special for $95 on sale for $87 and have kicked the living crap out of it for 10 yrs now and I've only had to replace one brake handle.
that's what i'm talking about!

back in the day i had a super lightweight, all chome-moly'ed out BMX racer - i guess nowadays the tech stuff is carbon fiber/kevlar/titanium/etc.

i don't need anything competition-grade - just sturdy and cheap. heavy is ok. i'll even try not to J-kick garbage cans over with it.
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  #24  
Old 08-03-2007, 10:30 AM
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[QUOTE=pghopkins]I got the Wal-Mart/Sams Motiv special for $95 on sale for $87 and have kicked the living crap out of it for 10 yrs now and I've only had to replace one brake handle.
QUOTE]

Yeah, but do you RIDE it?
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  #25  
Old 08-03-2007, 10:33 AM
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Did you push the handlebars forward and did it have pegs on it?

My first bike had garbage pail kids (5series I believe) folded and taped to the front forks and sticking into the spokes to create my exhaust sound....It was cool for like 1 week until the other kids laughed at me...
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  #26  
Old 08-03-2007, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by svxxx26
Yeah, but do you RIDE it?
All of the time. Here in Greensboro they've innerconnected all of the parks so you can ride a circle of over 30 miles not even considering all of the branch off trails without the fear of getting run over by a car. And each park has specialties like one has about an acre set up just for jumps almost like a professional course. (Helmet reqd). You can find whatever you want here, flats, hills, trails that you need a machete to get through. Another park has a pool Go get dirty nasty sweaty and for $3 you can grab a quick shower and a dip in the pool - Pretty sweet. But you gotta watch out because some of the trails are for walkers and I think that they train MMA and they're not happy when you ride up on them. NO bikes allowed.

I occaisionally pump out the 50-100 mile ride and the bike weight and knobby tires just make it impossible to keep up with the street bike pack. Hey, perhaps one of those tight suits and matching helmet would help??? Nah, that's just not a pretty pic for me.

My first bike was a Schwinn sting ray. I saved up for two years, went and bought the bike rode it for about an hour and went in for lunch. When I came out it was gone. Never to be seen again. Bastids!

Last edited by Hop; 08-03-2007 at 11:44 AM.
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  #27  
Old 08-03-2007, 11:47 AM
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Dude, if you're driving a mountain bike on the street (I do), just think of it as even better exercise, compared to a roadbike. :P
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