Show off your Mountain Bike!!!

x2 on the weight. I used to have a haro bmx bike and that thing was sooooo heavy...part of it was probably because it was a low end bmx bike. But like he said you can always upgrade components later on.

i also have a question guys, i want some clipless pedals but also want to be able to keep riding with flats when i dont want to ride with the clips. I was looking at getting the crank brothers mallets but i noticed a lot of people sell them...is there a reason like they are bad pedals or is it just because of weight?

 

My POS and wife's Specialized.......AND WIFE

 

I hear the egg-beater style tends to break easier. I would check out the Shimano SPD. they have a couple combo ones. I went all clipless, I think the M520s. I've had them a couple weeks now and really like clipless. I used flat pedals yesterday and it felt so awkward. If you area out for a sunday stroll you aren't required to clip in all the time FWIW.

 

I am going to counterpoint/disagree, but please, accept as open discussion - no offense meant!

1. A light frame is great, but it is pretty rare to find
a) frame weights on cheap frames
b) frame weights on bikes sold as completes only

Also, the weight on a frame is one of the least important things, it is centered, relatively well balanced, and in general, rarely more than 1/6th of the total weight of the bike. So losing 250g (~1/2lb) will not be very noticeable.

2. Fork length is less important than geometry. Besides, in my experience, unless you get into the $500-750 bike range, very few will use full travel, and not have enough dampening to make much of a difference. Sucks, but the forks on $400 bikes 5 years ago were WAY better than those spec'd now.

3. A valid point, and I love discs - BUT, it is pretty common to find really crappy discs, just to say it has discs. In the budget arena, rim brakes with good pads are generally comparable to to cheap discs. Not always, but a consideration.

Lastly - Decent tires are all but impossible on a cheap bike. They all have wire beads, and weigh 200g + more than they should. I would say replace them, but decent tires will run $60-100 bucks a pair. And a fork or wheel upgrade will run $200 bucks on wheels and $400 on a fork.

My advise would beto ride it until it breaks, or you decide you want to upgrade. If it is in good shape, you will get $150 bucks or so for it.

Then spend the $700 bucks you would spend upgrade the old bike, along with that $150 from the sale, on a $1000 bike, or nicer.

I tried the whole "upgrade the cheap bike". I ended up with a bike that had decent upgrades, but the geometry was a bit off, and I wanted a new bike anyways - as my riding progressed, the basic XC geometry of beginner bikes did not work for me. And I spent WAY more than buying a nicer bike off the shelf. Plus, unless you are spending money on high end components, you dont lose a ton of weight. Especially in wheels, tires, cranks,and forks.

 

I've had Mallets for a couple of years. I will ride without clips frequently and it's no problem. I've had similar SPD's on my Zaskar and had no problems either.

The egg-beater allows for more side to side movement making them easier on your knees. I prefer the Mallets for this reason but honestly, both are pretty good pedal systems.

 

i have actually heard that too. I actually talked to the lady at my LBS today and she showed me some SPD's...i didnt like the ones she should me because they were the same size as my stock pedals but with more to break if i wear flats. i dont want something sticking out the bottom of my pedal because i found out yesterday it is very easy to rub the pedal on the ground if i fall haha. I will have to check out other models.

what are the SPD's you have, id like to check those out

 

They are similar to the 530 but double sided (and older than dirt).

 

okay cool thanks man

 

alright cool stuff thanks for the info...i should have bought yours haha i didnt even think about that til now

 

thanks for the help. I will mostly be riding on paved trails with the wife but we do have some local off road trails that I really wanna hit up too. We have no mountains anywhere near here so I will not be spending 1k on a bike...haha sorry but I could not justify that kind of money for the moderate trails we have around here.

I think 400 tops is what I am willing to spend.

I would go with the specialized hardrock but no one sells them local and I cant find an online vendor that sells them. (free shipping prefered)

Also what size bike do i need? Im 5'10" 150 lbs

 

Specialized (along with most big companies) do not allow online sales, to protect dealers.

I assume WF = Wichita Falls? Closest Spec dealer is up in Lawton.

Sizing - If you have a long torso and short legs, something with a 23.5-24" TT should fit. If you are shorter torso/longer legs, a 23-23.5" top tube should fit. Generally, a Med-Large, depending on the brand.

For the bikes - Check out Performance Bike and Nashbar.com . Both have regular sale coupons, for 10-25% off. Last year I got a guy at work into mtb, and he picked up this one - for about $325 shipped. The end of year clearances are going to start around September, so you may want to hold out for about 2 months.

 

yea, wichita falls. Lawton is about a 40 min drive so not too bad if I could get a good deal. the sizes i see online are like 14" through 21"

im really liking the looks and specs of the GT 1.0 with the disk brakes.

 

The sizing you see relates to the seat tube length, and is just a reference. It is less important now with differnt top tube shapes.

The GT is probably a good bike, but this one looks like a better bike:

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1095570_-1_20000__400308

 

i went and rode the Haro flightline 2 at lunch. i didnt really care for it. the brakes squalled really bad, the front shocks seemed soft and would give pretty easily. I like the Giant better than the haro so far.
And I didnt really care for the guy that helped me with the haro either, I think i knew more about their lineup than he did and I just started looking at them 2 days ago!

that Raptor looks pretty nice.

 

^^^^ that looks like a pretty good bike with decent components for the price. If you can ride it before you buy it, it will definitely help you decide. I rode four different bikes before I decided on a cannondale trail 5. I rode a specialized rockhopper, nice and light. A giant, not sure of the name, didn't like the bars, a haro flighline, and the cannondale. The big selling point on the cannondale? the lockout mechanism on the front fork. I have already added a new rockshox front fork, new grips, new seat new bigger 180mm rotor in the front. It's all coming down to what you want and like. Good luck with that.

 

alright let me know...i still want to think about it though since i would still need to get shoes too

 

No pics yet just need some help. I've been looking into getting into biking for a while now and have been searching craigslist for a decent bike. I just found a 09 Gary Fisher Wahoo (non disc brake) and was wondering your guys thoughts on the bike. I can get it for $300 or less hopefully, also the frame is a 19 and was wondering if it was too big for me or not. ( I'm 5'9") Looking at this thread has made me pull the trigger on multiple bikes but I'm trying hard to not waste my money and buy something that's going to be worthy.

 

hey tacos, i think a 19" would be too big for you. im rockin a 2011 wahoo 19" and im about 6ft tall.

what do you guys think of this?


data by S.Mshots, on Flickr

 

I think your derailer has seen better days

 

thats why i dont spend a lot of money on derailers...i bust 2 each season (DH)