txtadik

Heeey, it's spring! And i've always wanted one of them mountainbikes with dual-suspension (for the coolness factor), shimano parts (gotta love the way you shift on the quickshift thingy), yadda yadda... add a speedometer (rice it up lolz!)... just wanna do something fun and healthy at the same time... you know, bike around parks and stuff with some friends...

Can someone point me in the right direction? Like where I can get a decent bike with dual-suspension and some good parts? Can I get something decent under CA$250? Which stores should I be looking around bikes for? And what should I be looking for, and what should I avoid? Thanks in advance!!!

AzimuthX

Aw $250? I was going to suggest you some nice "MOUNTAIN-BIKES"... mmm sweet Front/Rear Disc Brakes... runs you about $1.5K+. Dual suspension bikes can be purchased for $150... .

L23Tan

iTrader: (4)

I would suggest calling or going to a bike store... like, Cyclepath or something and tell them what you're looking for exactly and let them direct you to bikes best suited to what you want and for the price you're looking for. I don't know much about Mountain Bikes, sorry. Wasn't someone selling a mountain bike here before? I think it was jongreenway? Ask him what he has. Do a search for his thread... hope I was of SOME help atleast.

Blkcivic

iTrader: (15)

hey i used to BMX! hehe, but i don't know jack about mountain bikes, specilize bikes are wicked same with schwinn, hahaha
but i'm an expert at fixing bike, if u ever need help

iamfob

iTrader: (4)

if u ask Brodie_Rider on this board then he can answer u anything about mountain bike. but he doesnt post a lot here so do a search and see if u can email him with your question.

Mystix

250? i think ur looking at a wal-mart or canardian tire bikes, i think shimano's start atleats 400$ but i havent check for a while

Blkcivic

iTrader: (15)

shimano doesn't make bikes! they make parts

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

yeah, his name suggests you ask him for help ^^

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

Disc Brakes? any disc brake combo on a 1500 budget is a crap poo quality, and squeak and squeal wet or dry... good hydraulics costs $$$$$$$$$$ and never come on a $1500 range bikes...

I'd opt for a good set of avids or shimano v brakes that offer better stopping power.... disc is for show.

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

back to the topic, you are looking for a bike under $250? you should get a single speed rec bike for an occasional rider around the park instead..... those are nice, easy to pedal and never too complicated switching gears and flipping switches...

if you are looking for a bike that can take on the mountain, you would want to spend at least 800 for a good set of Giant wheels..... taiwanese, good components for price, and okay frames.

speaking of bikes, I have 2 in my stable..... i just took some pics since I finally got brand new *working* rechargable batteries for my digital camera.....



pic1 - GT and Gary Fisher...... Avalanche and Sugar...


pic2 - GT Avalanche, hardtail, Deore XT specs [except crank, both bikes are XT specs, now that i think of it], Marzocci front


pic3 - new seat and bike shoe ^^


pic4 - rear derailleur shots


pic5 - joint shots

AzimuthX

Care to enlighten the highlights of of those bikes?

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

white one - GT Avalanche, full XT spec [except the crank] Marzocci front, cane creek rims, KORE bar/stem/extension/head/seat post, sell italia seat [switched from stock wilderness racing crap]

red one - GF Sugar [2 i think] Manitou SX front [crappy i know], cane creek rims, cane creek ad5 rear shock, XT spec all around, some bontrager stuff [which i have no love for]...

ka ching ka ching.... expensive as hell, although they are not super high end bikes.

txtadik

hey guys! thanks for the posts! holy crap, nice bikes EBP2K2... i have no clue about what the heck them parts are on your ride, but they look and sound suweeet

i'd prefer to get a multi-speed bike though... ridden one in the philippines and it was super convenient having different gear-ratios to choose from when going on straights, hills, or rough-roads or whatever...

just wondering, would a $299 crappy-tire bike be good enough? i'll post the specs when i pass by crappytire tommorow... it has got the shimano v-brake, touch-shift combo... should be okay for an occasional rider?

just wonder, do you guys have a bike-rack for your civics? i plan to just use my mom's van when i go biking, but it'd be great to have a bike-rack... but i'm sorta scared of scratching my trunk... and i don't want a roof-rack

txtadik

just wondering, what part brands and suspension fork brands should i look for and avoid? (keeping in mind i have a very low budget on this)

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

thnx

for 300, dont even think full suspension..... you want your MTB to be as light as possible... go hard tail if you can... and really, at 300, there isnt much manuevering room to choose parts, just try to get a bike with solid frame and name brand parts... it's also a good idea to shop for a used bike, as long as the frame is in good shape.

dude, my rear shock [cane creek] alone is 200 american [retail, before sales]... although you can probably find one for 200+ canadian now....... my point is, full suspension has so many bits that cost more, weigh more, and take more pounding.... hardtail, with moderate front shocks is the best bet...

look for used, if you can.....

cal

you gonna go offroading? probably not a good idea with a $250 budget since you'll need to spend about $50 of it on a decent helmet, and you end up getting a wannabe-MTB. most MTB owners never take their bikes on trail anyways. if you think this is you, go with comfort bike. those swchinn bikes are pimpin! oh, and they go faster too because their tires don't have aggressive treads - rolls easier on pavement.

and yes, you can find bike racks that attach on the trunk. as long as u dont use it too often, your paint shouldn't take a beating. last time i checked, it was on sale for $39.99 - a very good deal.

now if you get the bike rack and a helmet, you're only left with $150 for bike. if you feel lucky, take someone knowledgeable with you to TTC auction on city auction (TTC - now.... city auction - this weekend) and try to scoop a deal there. a lot of ppl go to auctions to pick up bikes so you might not find a killer deal, but you'll probably find a bike with a solid frame that you can upgrade around should u feel the need to step up a notch. look at it this way... you can get a brand new Kia...or a used 200sx that you can build around. same kinda idea here. good luck on your search!

jongreenway

Hey. I never check the off topic thread, so I'm a little out of date with this post. Yeah I was the guy selling a mountain bike.

If you are looking for quality, DO NOT GO TO CRAPPY TIRE! They sell **** bikes. If you're looking for the best quality out there, Trek is one of the best.

I have a Trek 830 AL if you're interested. I bought it for $900, and used it for not even a year. My mom or sister will use it once in a while. I was asking $300 for it earlier.

If you're looking to spend $250 canadian, you will never find a dual suspension bike. Even at crappy tire they are probably more than that, and those bikes are ****.

My Trek 830 AL is the '99 model, but nothing really changed from then to now. It is comparable to this years 820, but this model has better shocks, and more importantly, an aluminum frame (lighter).

If you want more info on it, just PM me.

txtadik

anyone selling any more bikes?

hehe... i totally underestimated how much i'm going to be spending on this bike thing ... now having looked around bike shops, i'm looking to spend around 500bux or more...

what about the scwinn bikes? i saw a decent one for 600 (with disc-brakes WTF?! slotted too! haha!)... i think it's the schwinn 240model... looks nice! all shimano and rock-shox too... hmmmm now to scrape up a whole load of toonies from under my car-seat hehe

btw, which kind of shifter is better? grip-shift, or that thumb/index finger shifter?

i took a look at one of them specialized bikes in a bikeshop on burnhamthorpe... holy crap most of their models cost a grand! but boy they are heck light!

sooooo my new budget... around 500bux... any other brands besides trek that i should look for when i go bike-shopping? can anyone suggest a good bikeshop in the gta?

jongreenway

Cyclepath in oakville, New world cycle in burlington...

txtadik

thanks! just wondering... what's with the disc-brakes? do they make that much of a difference? they look sooo cool!

AzimuthX

Compare 4 Discs with 4 Drums. Its has incredible stopping power.

Mystix

lol future bike meet?

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

OMG........ i dont know where to begin.........

c'mon, we are not talking cars here.

discs do not necessarily offer better stopping power, disc and v are neck and neck, it's just that with disc, you have greater control over the decelleration and are weather resistant...

that's why you see them on DHs, discs are a must on them.

unless you are running on expensive $500+ rims, and of course have another 600-700 for moderate disc brake sets, there's absolutely no need, some v brakes offer better stopping power for half the cost... more like 300.

txtadik

so i guess i'll stick with the shimano v-brake parts set then ...

just wondering, what's a DH? down-hill bike? oh yeah, that makes sense

btw, which shifter would you suggest? a grip-shift or a thumb-shift?

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

anything but grip shift.... they break easily, unless you are running SRAM [brand] components]..

I went to a bikeshop today, OMG, i havent been to one in almost 2 yrs, and i was surprised to see some well spec-ed bike for under 1000! and $500 Konas! wow.... and 700 dollar cannondales....... so cheap now...

I was tempted to buy a 'THE' brand carbon fiber mudgard for 80 bucks..... then said no..... hehe.... it's like modding cars..... on cheaper scale, but more exclusive... ^^;

txtadik

haha! so i'll probably look into buying a low-end branded bike for around 500 ... sooo which shop did you go to?

haha! holy crap! CF mudguards? woot my gosh the upgrading possibilities! hahaha! now i hope i don't rice up my bike too much but wait, they already come littered with parts stickers so i guess they're pre-riced hehehe...

EBP2K2

iTrader: (1)

i'm gonna put a type r sticker on mine soon enough, LOL

cal

since you're on a limited budget, go to a store and talk to the owner. tell him you want to pay him cash and avoid paying taxes. and make sure they throw in free water bottle and cage. don't ask for anymore or less than that since their margin is really tight on low-end bikes. and since it's still early in the season, there will be some left over models from last year. get them instead of new models. no marked differences between one models year on bikes in your range.
and study a bit more about bikes... lx/xt/xtr etc... you won't likely see those in your bike, but it's good to know. and given choice of two bikes. take the one with better frame and comprimised spec, instead of good spec and crap frame. you can always build on a solid frame by replacing parts one by one. kinda like car modding- you don't want to get a fully-decked out geo and find out later that you want to upgrade (i guess that juiced 4wd geo is the lone exception )
i think trailblazer bikes will wheel'n'deal (no pun intended). bike depot won't take cash deal. nor will d'ornella's (more of a roadie store anyways) and any of the big chains like cyclepath. ramsays in mississauga seems expensive, and so is skiis and biikes. sporting life and all the other big stores are expensive as well. so try trail blazer bikes and maybe bike depot.
if you want distinctive bike in your range, look at GT. triple triangle frame really stands out! and in your price range, you can't go wrong with Trek. generally speaking, Giant bikes pack a lot of value into their bikes - probably the best bang for the buck. I find Cannondale's expensive... maybe it's just me. If you can find one, see if you can find Jamis bikes.... very good value as well.
and yes, it is okay to take a test ride. make sure you like the saddle! if you find it uncomfortable, get them to swap it. and don't be fooled into buying a wrong-sized bike. a lot of ppl buy bikes too small/big. if you buy from big stores, their bike frames are like 24" or some insanely big number. i'm about 5'10" and i ride a 16" bike with long seatpost and slightly longer stem. basically, unless you're extremely tall, you shouldn't buy bikes bigger than 18" - just my humble opinion.

a very informative site:
www.mtbr.com

have fun.