Entry Level Mountain Bike?

I don't think @beyer075 is going to be doing any 3 foot drops for a while. lol

Hey, are your from Ohio? Have you been to Jake's Rocks yet?

 

also the important thing here. for the 1k used you can get a good deal on a full squish. if you’re looking into hard tails you can buy a steel evil sovereign or canfield nimble9 that’s got an awesomely me build for that 1k budget. but it will be less forgiving

 

i did live in ohio a few years back. mostly rode mochican when their dh trails were up and running.

 

I have the Marlin 7 and I love it. I'm just an occasional rider on easy to moderate trails and it has not let me down.

 

If you’re set on new then those are good first bikes. Depending on terrain bigger tires will help on more terrain. Hard tails with beefier tires will work for 90% of riding.

Used bikes can definitely bring more value but can be a hassle, especially if you aren’t familiar with bikes. There is the standard looking for damage at the welds, dents in tubing, etc. then you have to dig deeper and look at drivechain wear, brake wear, etc. If you’ve been around bikes it’s easy to check these things but if not they are easy to overlook which can lead to added costs that add up easily.

You also lose the benefit of the relationship with a shop when you go used. Good shops won’t care but buying a bike from a shop is always a good starting point to build a good relationship with them.

 

I would definitely look into going the used bike route as well. You can get much more bike for your money getting something 2-3 years old. Pinkbike, local Craig’s, eBay have lots of options. That’s how I’ve bought all my bikes I’ve ever owned.

 

Thanks for all the information guys! I definitely won't be doing any jumps or drops intentionally but good to know for the future. There is a trail system and national forests pretty close to where I live so once Spring hits I hope to role this into my exercise/rec load.

Side note, do any of you carry mace or something for dogs? My wife only had one incident where a dog got close but she had her spray ready to go.

 

In 30 years of mountain biking I’ve never had an incident with a dog. Most people wouldn’t let their dog off leash on a public trail if the animal was dangerous.

 

Haha, we live in very different areas. Even in public parks most dogs are off a leash here, it's really annoying. I carry mace and a sidearm when hiking for animals more than people.

 

I got bitten by a dog under the I-10 Colorado River overpass last year. My fault, the border collie was in front of his owner and began barking and ran up to me. I dismounted my bike and gave the dog a few pets on the head. I thought we were now buddies, I was trying to keep my heart rate up so I jumped back on my bike and took off. Well I was headed straight for the dogs owners, Duh! The dog bit my lower right calf and it felt like I had been hit by a sting ray or something. Man it was painful. I got home and cleaned it with peroxide etc but it hurt for over a week.

 

1k on the used market will get OP into a pretty nice 26 inch wheeled full suspension trail bike from a couple years ago. Good options in this category would include the giant trance, kona coilair, cove hustler, trek remedy, specialized stumpjumper, Norco fluid... There's even a Brodie model called the pariah that had dialled geometry and a host of solid parts that can be found for chump change!

 

This is my idea of entry level. LOL, I had a 400 dollar budget on the bike so I could get the 600 dollar power tap ps1 pedals. Anyhow, this bike is only goof off on. Couple sets of tires later and it is still, surprisingly, rolling along.

 

They have a Remedy at the shop, looks fancy. Thanks for listing the other bikes too, I'll check those out.

 

Nashbar.com great deals on closeout and old stock.

 

Also www.jensonusa.com

 

1K for an entry level mt. bike?

I used to get used Giants in the NY City area for about $130-$150 ( the first 2 mt. bikes I had in NYC were stolen, with my 3rd one I finally bought a massive Kryptonite U-lock that was almost half the cost of the bike!)

 

What size bike are you looking at?

 

It's amazing how things have changed. A thousand bucks used to get you a top level bike, now it doesn't buy a set of wheels.

 

I have a Specialized Hard Rock that I put put a Shock and upgraded the Derailer. That I love. The bike itself was around $400 and the upgrades $150 including the shock. So you don't have to spend a lot to get a good bike.

 

I'm 5' 10''. Puts me in the 18.5''-19.5'' frame according to the Trek website