newbie to mt biking

i wanna get into mountain biking and i would like to knwo what is a good bike to start off with something under 500 bucks just to try it out to see if i like it im 5'9" 220lbs any help would be greatly appreciated

 

This one should be alright... http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/hay1500xi.htm

But I would recommend spending another 200 bucks and getting a much better bang for your buck. Just my 2 cents tho

 

whats with all the inches and stuff? see ive never mt biked so i wouldnt know if i like it, if i do im sure i could sell it and get me a better one down the line

 

Yeah that's so true. The inches relate to the size of the frame. You would be good on the 19inch. This website is great because you really do get a pretty decent bike for the price as is. The catch is they are online only, they don't have any bike shop dealers. That being said, the bike comes 90% assembled and you could bring it to your local bike shop and have them assemble it for about $30. Hope this helps, good luck and have fun!

 

On that part, its super easy to put a bike together. put the front tire on, then handle bars, pedal, then the seat. If you get a little girls bike then the basket and frilly things also. I put a few hundred bikes together while working for toysRus. And if anything is wrong out of the box throw it into the garbage compacter.

 

Yeah, unfortunately I do not think the derailers are set up either. Always want to get the wheels trued too. That would probably be a LBS ordeal for a newbie.

 

Try to get a quality bike and you will have a much better experience. I personally have a specialized and cannondale (and a custom built single speed on a Fetish Cycles frame with all the works ). Specialized, cannondale, and trek are the top 3 manufacturers in my oppinion when it comes to mass production bikes. Look at the components and that will tell you how good the bike is. Shimano Deore is the lowest you would want to go and should be about in your price range. Sram also makes good components. Disk brakes are nice, but you probably wont be ablt to get a decent set for the price you're looking. And a crappy set of disk brakes will cost about the same as a decent pair of normal brakes and those will work much better. (I run hydraulic disk brakes on all of mine but those alone probably cost more than the bike you're looking for),

Also go to a fairly reputable bike shop that has quality products. They should even have some quality lower end stuff for you.

 

This wouldn't be a bad start. This particular one is $600 (MSRP) but the Specialized also makes less expensive ones in their entry level 'Hardrock' line.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCMain.jsp?scid=1000

 

It's hard to tell you a cheap bike to "see if you like it"... any chance you could rent a good bike locally for a day or 2? Then, if you do like it you'll have money left over to put towards a better bike in the future.

Plus, Specialized and the like usually offer deals like 6month 0%apr etc.

 

Go to your local bike shop. They usually will work with you on getting a good beginner bike. Look into the hard rock bikes from specialized.

 

go to local bike shop have them fit you to the bike that meets the type of riding you will be doing then see if you have friend that could lend you one or the bike shop make rent one and test it out. its not for everyone, I know i love it but have taken others out that swear will never do it again. If you decide you like it then look into purchasing one.

 

Stmpjmpr, is that Specialized Stump Jumper??? Sounds like you're really into mountain biking by your name.

 

at the shop I work at we rent demo bikes and you take them out for a weekend and ride around to see if you like it or not.

 

Go with a Motobecane 700ht on bikes direct. I have one and I love it. Xt derailer dart 3 fork deore shifters for 550? cant beat it. When you get your bike look at the welds and tell me they arent perfect. As for size at your height I would probably go with a 17 or 19. Thats one of the downfalls of spending 40% less for your bike. Its a great bike and you can upgrade as you get into it.

 

^ I second that

 

This.

Also, check out Pinkbike.com if you're thinking about getting a better bike, used, but in your price range.
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/?region=3&countryid=194&provid=18

There's probably more bikes etc on craigslist, but I used Pinkbike a lot when I was riding. I had a 2002 Kona Stinky that was pimped right out... spent way too much money on that thing. Wish I hadn't sold it.

 

What type of riding do you want to get into? Light trail riding get a $5/600 hardtail or hybrid. Cross Country type riding (bumpier/rockier trails where you would want dual suspension) spend 8-1K. Downhilling (drops, stunts, fast as you want to go and lift serviced) 1500-3k. Biking is addictive and fun, you can hike 10 mi a day or ride 40mi a day and see a lot, while having fun going up but mostly down. It's not easy to break into the sport since even decent bikes are so expensive. I started out with a $400 hardtail and returned it in 2 weeks because I could tell I liked the sport and needed something more. You really can't go wrong with a $800 entry level dual suspension bike. The more you get into it the more doors you open and the more fun you have. If you really get into it multiply those previous numbers by 3 or 4 and you'll have a solid bike. My summer passion is mostly downhill biking with some xc mixed in, fills the adrenaline need that is vacated when I can't ski. PM me with any specific questions.

 

Hi E
yes thats the bike my name comes from. but i dont have it anymore, it wasnt what i wanted. Now I have a scott Nitrous with more travel and its a blast going downhill. Im taking it to Whistler this summer, cant wait. u ride a lot?

 

wow so much information thanks guys i wanna do some trail biking kind of mixed terrain cuz i got it all within a few hours drive of me, i also need you guys to dumb it down for me a bit like i said up until a few days ago it really never crossed my mind

 

Just get you one of those Motobecane hard tails (HT700 means hard tail). You can get a slick set of tires so you can even ride it on the road. A hard tail is much easier to maintain and is pretty versitile. If you dont want to get big air or do downhill stuff do the HT. I have a pic of mine in my pic library.