many years ago i really liked mountain biking

I have decided i want to get back into it. many years ago, cannondale, gary fisher, and trek were all decent brands. what’s the good shit now?

i’m looking for a trail monster that is effectively bullet proof. the lighter the better, but not so light that it costs a lot of money. biggest thing for me is durability. i used to destroy parts on my old bike. if i end up being as aggressive as i was when i was a kid, i’m sure the same thing will happen. a hard tail is a necessity with a front suspension.

ideally i’d like to get one used. i’ll probably upgrade stuff as i go. i’d like the initial purchase to be less than 700 dollars for a used bike. i figure that will get me on a decent setup that i can put more money into as needed. i know that’s not a lot for a bike, but i figure it will be good enough for what i’ll be doing.

where do i start looking? what’s a good place to buy a used bike? what’s a good bike forum for mountain biking?

cross posted from DITB. i figure i’ll get faster info here.

I can ride a bike

PM mindless HE CAN HAS WORK AT A BIKE SHOP

this was Mike with love

with 8 baby seats? i don’t think so. <3

There are so many manufacturers and component combos that its tough to recommend anything in general.

The only thing thats really consistent is the drivetrain components and you can roughly judge the quality of the bike based on them.

Shimano goes from low to high end: alivio,acera->deore->lx->xt->xtr
Sram goes x.5->x.7->x.9->x.o

Generally I’d say look at stuff in the lx and x.7 range.

www.mtbr.com is a huge forum
there is also www.ridemonkey.com

there are classifieds on these sites, I’ve bought a used bike off of www.pinkbike.com buts its more downhill oriented

awesome. thanks garick.

Dex Are you gonna just use this bike to ride to the gas station for Marlboro Lights when you are to drunk to drive? Cmon seriously Car>Bike

“The bike shop” in east aurora is a great place. they know what they are talking about and have good prices.

LOL

BTW he smokes reds sonnnnn

I have a Fisher and it seems pretty solid. I use it for mainly commuting though and jumping Asian chicks at UB…

i ride my skateboard when i’m drunk to the gas station stupid.

lulz. are gary fishers still the hand built ones?

they are probably all scammers like everyone else in scammerville.

i will check them out though. thanks.

trek, fisher, cannondale all still good and I believe the only bigger companies still making bikes in the USA.

others to look for: kona, jamis, specialized, giant, iron horse…

There are a lot of people going to 29" wheeled bikes now, something different to try.

Fox forks are good, lots of decent stuff from rockshox but their lineup changes all the time. Manitou and marzocchi still make some good stuff but I’m not too familiar with them. I’d avoid forks with steel steerer/crown/stanchions.

Hydraulic disc brakes are a plus. The only mechanical disc I’d ride is avid.

I’m pretty sure G.Fisher was bought by Trek. I’ve heard that a G.Fisher just fits differently from a Trek for some people. That being said, here comes my advice: go to a couple local shops and sit your ass in the saddle. Before you do that you Don’t really have much information to decide with. All of the manufacturers you mentioned have comparable levels where you will get much the same as far as quality of components. The decision comes down to what you’re comfortable on.

I would stay away from hydraulic brakes, actually. I’ve heard of a lot of problems with the Hayes and even some from the Avid Juicy Seven. IMO they are more maintenance, headache, bleeding and PITA than I suspect you’re bargaining for.

if u have no experience on a 29’er i would not recommend one… i have been racing for about 5 years. i used to ride GT a long time ago but i bought a fisher and wont ride anything else, granted the bikes i race with are in the over 2 k price range but in your price range take a look at trek because trek and fisher are owned by the same company and are both great bikes but trek seems to be a little cheaper with the same component set ups…i have a few older fishers that new were in the 1700 price range that i would sell for about 8 to 900 if you might be interested or would fit them…they are all full suspension btw; dont know what kind of riding you do around here… hunters? holiday? ontario? let me know

I bought a “few” year old Trek 6700 for $300 used. 6XXX series Treks are fairly expensive new. Used bikes are a fraction of the cost, and usually just as good with a good cleaning and a tune-up.

That’s not true. Hydraulics are here to stay on MTB. I wouldn’t think of switching out my hydraulics for anything!

the shop in east aurora sucks…way over priced and the lady their will force feed you bike info that doesnt pertain to the kind of bike you want.

i have a trek with disc brakes and it works pretty good holds good amount of weight 270lbs at the time i rode it . looking forward to some decent weather so i can go out on it…but the seat ohhh the seat is just RAPE.

Yes, but coming from the perspective of a relative noob I don’t think they are necessary.

Like I said, they are more maintenance and more complication than your average consumer is probably ready for.

Not necessarily. A good set of hydraulics you will never have to touch under normal conditions (ie: you don’t shorten your lines, open the bleeder screw, damage it on a rock, tree, etc). I’ve been running Juicy 5’s for 2 years now and haven’t touched them at all. All my other friends I ride with run either 5’s or 7’s and have had the same reliability. My Hayes mechanicals required constant maintenance.

If you do by chance have to bleed them it does take a little more knowhow, and a bleed kit, however its pretty infrequent you have to do so.

Edit: Though in the case of this thread, with his budget hydro’s are pretty much out of the question anyhow, so most of this is a moot point. If you are going mechanicals the only ones to even remotely consider are Avids.

forgot this part…good advice