Mountain Bikes....

If you are riding trails and on the road from time to time, I think a hard tail is the proper bike. But you say you are looking to do dirt jumping as well, that makes it a bit more difficult to put you on a single bike that will do all well. I would still think a hard tail would fit the bill better than a full suspension bike, especially given your price point. If you were to find something at that price in full suspension, either you got a tremendously good deal or you bought a piece of crap.

I am a bit of a specialized homer, so I'd say look at a hardrock. Good solid bike, and it should last. It will also meet your price point. But, if you can spend a little bit more, the rockhopper will probably last you longer and typically comes with a little bit better components. But its base price is the upper limit of your budget.

Go to a bike store and test ride a couple of bikes. A good bike that fits you well is well worth the money.

 

I totally agree with Silverback07, the better the bike, the better the ride. All the bikes I've had, I built up from the ground up. I personally like full suspension bike with either the 4 bar horst link type of suspension like Specialized, Ellsworth and old Intenses or the VPP style suspension like the new Intenses, Santa Cruz etc... A good do it all bike is'nt easy to find but there's something that will work in that price range just be patient and you'll find a good deal.

 

I used to have a rockhopper, they're great also. As they've said, id just depends on how much you're willing to spend. You get what you pay for.

 

That can't be $700. If it is... GO GET IT & RUN!
I paid $2200. Reg. price was $2400. That was for an 08. The 09 is more. Where did you see this? Perhaps I want to buy it! LOL.

 

My neighbor has this bike:http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/mountain/2008-mountain-bikes/xxixg-2008/

Its an awesome bike but I have noticed that I would really like the full suspension for what I do..... Like I said before I would REALLY like to have a Dirt Jumper

 

Is that your bike??? I want something just like that.


How much are the Homemade bike mounts?

 

You said you want a full suspension bike for dirt jumping but I would say that 95% of dirt jump bikes are hardtails because they are more efficient for that style of riding.

 

What about the Gary Fisher Roscoe I bike? Kona?

 

Check Kona Bikes out. They make good dirt jump bikes.

 

The roscoe is'nt a dirt jumper. Maybe we're talking about different styles of riding. A dirt jump bike is close to its ancester the bmx bike. Whatever, only you know what you want.

 

Before you buy... check out bikesdirect.com

They are out of taiwan and build the specialized/trek bikes as well as their brand, Motobecane. All top of the line components and a fraction of the price. I bought three of them for about $1100.00 dollars.

 

I've got a 2008 Specialized XC Comp. Its a full susp. XC bike, but is pretty good all around. Its fairly efficient for around town with suspension lockout, and great on trails. I've even hit some 3-4ft drops and 5-6 stair drops with it and its great. Been really happy with it, except its quite a bit out of your price range @ $1500. I think you'd be happy with somthing like a Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc @500. Its what my girlfriend rides and she likes it, I've had a few friends ride it and they like it and have jumped it a bit too. Really the only thing I've found with it that you'd want to change is adding some tougher wheels, the factory ones bend pretty easy.
Here's what my XC looks like:

Here is what hers looks like:


Really the best is to find a shop that will let you try out the different bikes in your price range and find one you're comfortable on.

 

http://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/windsor_ghost6500.htm


does this look good

 

Yeah I was looking at the Trek hardtail entry level.... But I wont do the entry level. But that looks like a really good bike I might look into that as well

 

I give it an official rating of "meh..."

 

Because it isnt a real bike company?

 

How bout this:
P1 All mountain Disc

 

That could work. How much and what website was it on? Im guessing you would prefer this to the full suspension

 

This is my bike. 08 Trek Fuel EX8 full suspension mtn bike. Love it!

 

That pic was just off the Specialized site. As for the full suss'er vs Hardtail, I see it like this: To get a decent full suspension bike you have to fork out a fair amount of money, more than you want to spend. Cheap full sussers are heavy and the added weight and low level components makes them more of a burden than a help. That leaves HT bikes. Hardtails are good all around, just are a bit tougher to get around on real rough, rocky trails. Since you said you wanted a bike that you could also jump, this P1 All mountain seems like a good fit. Specialized says "the P. All Mountain is just as much fun on the trails as it is at the park" so that sounds like what you'd like from what i've read. I havent actually ridden one of these as they're a new bike, but a friend here at college got that exact bike from his parents for his birthday last week and he'll be bringing it down in a week when he comes back to college after spring break. I'll get a chance to ride it then, I can let you know what I think of it then if you'd like. Have you talked to a sales person at a bike shop and told them what/how you ride for them to get an idea and reccommend bikes?