Bike advice for a newbie?

[J-D]

Just wondering if anyone has some basic tips for someone looking to buy a bike. I recently borrowed someone's full suspension bike and was blown away by the difference vs the cheap crappy bike that I use.

So this won't be for commuting or anything, just recreational usage. I mostly bike around trails but I will hit dirt paths or offroad about half and half with the paved trails, usually in Fish Creek Park.

So I started looking at some bike stores and the prices on these things are insane! I'd really only like to spend somewhere between $500 and $1000, is it possible to get something half decent in this price range?

[CMW403]

Absolutely, you just have to buy used.

Hopefully my good friend zipdoa chimes in on this thread because he will be able to link you to some websites where you can buy some high quality bikes in the higher end of your price range.

Just last year or the year before he bought himself what he described as a "seriously high end" bike for around $900 i believe. Used, but in good condition. They might need a little bit of TLC but I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal on a nice bike with his help.

I'll PM him the link to this thread and he'll point you in the right direction.

[Darell_n]

Check the classified ads on Pink Bike. Lots of local bikes for sale.

[msommers]

Hit up Pinkbike and Kijiji. Do some research on some models and wait until something pops up. The good deals go fast!

For your purposes, a hardtail would be a good fit.

[Penguin_Racecar]

Agreed on the hardtail comment. It'll ride nicer on pavement, be lighter, and still do well on trails (I race cross country on a hardtail still).
Furthermore, you can buy a new XC bike in your price range if you want, or a decent higher-end used one.
Full suspension in the 500-1000 range is going to be a stretch most of the time.

[CMW403]

Originally posted by Darell_n
Check the classified ads on Pink Bike. Lots of local bikes for sale.

Yes, pinkbike was the website I was referring to, couldn't remember the name.

[zipdoa]

As said, check out the pinkbike classifieds.

If you're looking to acquire more knowledge on human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other, stop in at Bow Cycle. They'll take care of ya.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by Penguin_Racecar
Agreed on the hardtail comment. It'll ride nicer on pavement, be lighter, and still do well on trails (I race cross country on a hardtail still).
Furthermore, you can buy a new XC bike in your price range if you want, or a decent higher-end used one.
Full suspension in the 500-1000 range is going to be a stretch most of the time.

Very true. I had a Norco Shore 3 a few years back, full suspension and I learned the hard way how much harder it was uphill with the full suspension. Since I don't do enough 100% downhill I ended up selling it.



Originally posted by zipdoa
As said, check out the pinkbike classifieds.

If you're looking to acquire more knowledge on human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other, stop in at Bow Cycle. They'll take care of ya.

Bow Cycle are super friendly knowledgeable and they always good sales. I bought a Norco Charger for $800 2 seasons ago, hardtail and you can lock up the front shocks on the fly. Great on pavement and off road. Uphill on Home Road, Nose Hill Drive, Edmonton Trail, and whatever off road equivalents, slay that no problem with much more ease than with a full suspension.

[woodywoodford]

Gonna jump in on this thread too... I'm a huge fan of COP, so I understand a full suss downhill bike is good for there (yet they rent out hardtails...?), so for someone who will probably spend 80% of his time at COP, then the occasional day at Bragg/Nose Hill/Fish Creek, what kind of setup should I go for? full suspension downhill or hardtail xc? Hardtails are just so much cheaper, and I've heard a few people say they build better skill...

The more I read about this stuff the less I know :banghead:

[klumsy_tumbler]

I tried renting a hardtail once before I bought my own bike (as I wasn't sure how much I was going to like downhill MTB). So from my experience, you're going to feel really beat up at the end of the day without full suspension...

As said above, you can get pretty good deals on used bikes from Pink Bike. I got my Norco for less than $1000 last year.

[Unknown303]

Pink Bike is the place to go to buy good used bikes for sure.

[bigboom]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
Gonna jump in on this thread too... I'm a huge fan of COP, so I understand a full suss downhill bike is good for there (yet they rent out hardtails...?), so for someone who will probably spend 80% of his time at COP, then the occasional day at Bragg/Nose Hill/Fish Creek, what kind of setup should I go for? full suspension downhill or hardtail xc? Hardtails are just so much cheaper, and I've heard a few people say they build better skill...

The more I read about this stuff the less I know :banghead:

COP does not require a full suspension downhill. Kids ride it on their dj (hardtail) bikes and most will tell you a DH bike at COP is useless.

If you want a FS bike go with a trail/enduro setup, pretty much get you through 95% of the riding there is to be done in Alberta.

[bigboom]

Originally posted by J-D
Just wondering if anyone has some basic tips for someone looking to buy a bike. I recently borrowed someone's full suspension bike and was blown away by the difference vs the cheap crappy bike that I use.

So this won't be for commuting or anything, just recreational usage. I mostly bike around trails but I will hit dirt paths or offroad about half and half with the paved trails, usually in Fish Creek Park.

So I started looking at some bike stores and the prices on these things are insane! I'd really only like to spend somewhere between $500 and $1000, is it possible to get something half decent in this price range?

For your purpose just buy a 29" hard tail. Hop on over to Bow Cycle (shameless plug) and pick yourself up even a Kona Lava Dome and call it a day :)

[woodywoodford]

Originally posted by bigboom


For your purpose just buy a 29" hard tail. Hop on over to Bow Cycle (shameless plug) and pick yourself up even a Kona Lava Dome and call it a day :)

I was kinda leaning towards a cindercone or kahuna, but if the lava dome's good enough for a noob I might just do that. Hard to argue with half the price haha

[D. Dub]

MEC has a huge cross canada classifieds too.

[bigboom]

Originally posted by woodywoodford


I was kinda leaning towards a cindercone or kahuna, but if the lava dome's good enough for a noob I might just do that. Hard to argue with half the price haha

If you're looking for a hardtail to take to COP grab a Honzo or Taro. There's a few guys I know that race the enduro series on those bikes, you can run a 140mm fork on it and still ride it for xc rides in bragg creek.