good mountain bike brand??

[danno]

just wondering what brands are good and bad. i'm getting ready to purchase my first real bike. i was thinking a specalized rockhopper pro
not looking to spend more than a 1k so keep that in mind


kona, specialized, garyfisher, rocky mountain, trek....


thanks

[tulit]

I really like KONA's...

Specialized makes some nice stuff in that range though. Canondale might be another you want to look at.

Go test ride a bunch and see what feels best for you.

[tsi_neal]

best thing to keep in mind is all major bike companies both stand behind their stuff and put out quality stuff at competitive prices. the difference is in how the bike rides and a few component specs. How the bike rides is more important. some people love the feel of giants (me) where some love the feel of something else.

ride a bunch for more than 5 min and let the feel of the bike decide for ya. But just cuz my vote for a grand or less would be a trek 6500 should come in for 775 or so and then you have money for helmet, gloves, shoes, etc

[FiveFreshFish]

$1k is a pretty good start. You can upgrade components later as you get to know the bike better.

[69cougar]

I LOVE my TREK.

Cant go wrong IMO

:love:

[Honda_002]

I have the orange kona C.O.P special and I love it:thumbsup:

[danno]

thanks for the help, i will test ride a few. by feel do you mean postion you ride in???? basically all the bike use the same componets,right??
what kind of brakes?? i know disc for sure but which ones

[danno]

oh yeah what stores do you guys like the best?? i liked the bike shop so far, but havn't been to bow cycle yet

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by danno
thanks for the help, i will test ride a few. by feel do you mean postion you ride in???? basically all the bike use the same componets,right??
what kind of brakes?? i know disc for sure but which ones
The frames vary so much these days you have to get on them to see how they feel, as in the relative position of your body to your hands, legs, feet, seat, etc. Some will "feel" right and others awkward. The components are the same in basic function but there's such a huge variety in quality and price. Hydraulic discs are the best (vs cable-actuated) for performance; V-brakes are the lightest. I like Hayes and Magura for hydraulic brakes.


Originally posted by danno
oh yeah what stores do you guys like the best?? i liked the bike shop so far, but havn't been to bow cycle yet
The two shops I frequent are The Bike Shop and Ridley's Cycle. Bought my new cranks, derailleurs, brakes and CF handlebars off eBay.

[tsi_neal]

For under a grand you wont get hydraulic disc's. Personally id look for a disc ready bike thats comes with vbrakes at that price level (better everything else because companies dont have to fork out for discs). then if you ride lots and feel that you need disc's drop the coin for hydraulics

For shops my vote is for ridleys you wont find a better shop in town (i am a little biased tho)

[cressida_pimpin]

www.pinkbike.com

this site will definatly give you the best deal man cuz i just sold my bike on there (03 brodie enduro with stratos s7 forks, xt everything, hayes 8 inch discs for 1100 bucks) they will have the best prices

[badd]

try checking into www.pinkbike.com

you can get good used bikes from there (lots of them are in calgary)


also its not th name that you want it is the feel.

make sure you buy the right bike for what you are using it for. also research the value of the components on the bike and look out for the best deal.

save money for a helmet and what ever other pads you might need. also try investing in a good camel pack.

there is no shame in buying used. good bikes are getting expensive and if you are just starting out it could be a more economical way to go.

look for dents adn cracks/scratches if you do look at used bikes.

also learn what a stanchion is and make sure it is not scratched.

happy hunting.

(post what you bought here!)

[redline]

What do you want to do with this bike?

Calgary Cycle is the best shop in town!

[civic_stylez]

specialized and giant make a great product from my experiances.. i go to cyclepath south for my bike stuff and they are really helpful and knowledgeable..but calgary has a great assortment of good bike shops so shop around.

[danno]

i liked cyclepath service, but not there bikes. the bike is to get me back into the sport, and have some fun.
any feelings on the specialized rockhopper pro??
how hard+much is it to change to hydraulics??
i'm by no means a pro but i would like to go out of town and ride the trails. i guess a bike that can handle that is good enough, then if i need to i can upgrade.

[civic_stylez]

^^^ what do you mean by hyraulics?? like suspension or hydraulic brakes???? just know that giant makes specialized so their bikes are quite similar in build..i ride a specialized and they are awesome bikes.... upgrading suspension is like a car....good stuff aint cheap, cheap stuff aint good..so be prepared to spend some good cash.......

[danno]

sorry i mean brakes.

[RickDaTuner]

Rocky Mountain, Cannondale, Trek, Schwin, Lucky Strike, Bianchi, all decent bikes, basically you try as many bikes as you can, and try and see wich geometry fits you best, if you want a hard tail for X country than you want one that has you at a semi forward lurch stance, this will allow for better controll on those loose soil climbs, if you want a full suspension then you try a few out and try to get one that allow you to sit up right and still have a comfortable reach to the bars; although a full suspension bike doesnt always mean a Down hill bike most people usally buy them for a "freeride" style bike, there is also Downhill bikes, Salom(sp?) and freeride (im not sure if these are still arround)

since you are a new rider you should start off with a Hardtail or a medium travel full suspension.

in terms of components or Grupo sets as they call them, I Personally like the Shimano XTR grupo set, but its pretty pricey and to be honest they dont last long since they are the light and ment to be used for racing, there is also the Shimano STX, LX, XT gruppos sets.
The cheaper ones tend to last longer, but they are very heavy, Shimano also uses the rapid fire shifting system wich it pretty cool and efficient, i was never really a fan of Sram and thier grip shift, but you might like it.

at the 1k range you should be able to buy a bike with either a Hydralic or mechanical front disk brake, all though V brakes work well, the hydralics are far better at wear resistance and stoping power, mechanicals are just as effective as hydralics, but require more force at the levers to acheive the same clamping force as the hydralics.

in terms of front suspension, when i was deep into Biking Air forks were where it was at, im not sure where its gone to now, but some good forks to look out for are Rock Shox forks, marazzochi(sp) and White Bros, spring in oil bath do the job fine, but make sure you get the right sping set for your weight, other wise they will bottom out on you if you are to heavy, or not do thier job if you are to light, stay away from elastomer shocks, as they are crap and become super stiff in cold weather.

these are generall things you shoudl be on the look out for when buying a bike; try to stay away from bikes like CCM, Devinci, and Iron horse and you will come out fine..

also for the 1k range you should have a bike that should be in the weight range of 21-27 pounds, if you get a hard tail, full suspenions can go anywhere from 23-45 lbs

hope that helps you :thumbsup:

[RickDaTuner]

Originally posted by danno
sorry i mean brakes. you really wont need Hydralics brake for a brisk trail ride, you dont even really need them at all, they are just a cool factor if all you do is trail riding, V brakes with a nice aggresive pad will give you more than enoigh braking power, a cheap and nice upgrade would be a brake brace, that reduces brake flex and improves clamping force, the only time that Hydraulics would be benficial would be in the down hill, or if you like to do trials. as in hopping from one place to another, i forget what thats called...

but if you want to upgrade to Disk brakes then it would be about 1300-1500 bucks? new hubs a wheel lace;possibly new front fork, if it doesnt have tabs for the calipers, and the disks and caliper itself is what needs to be changed. another option is Maguras Hydraulics linear brakes..

[interlude]

How about ironhorse :rolleyes: I just bought one from sport chek.

or can i get something much nicer for $320 haha

seriously.. I think I should return the bike I bought and go with something else

[HPower]

Unless you're riding pro, v-brakes are all you need.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by HPower
Unless you're riding pro, v-brakes are all you need.


Not necessarily. When it gets really muddy, disc brakes have a huge advantage over V-brakes. And this can happen on any trail if you get caught in a sudden downpour.


This...
http://www.members.shaw.ca/trust.no.one/Misc/08.JPG


quickly turned into this! :eek:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/trust.no.one/Misc/19.jpg

[RickDaTuner]

haha thats Extreme FiveFreshFish, after three years of Riding Cadet Pro For Rocky Mountain i have never experienced a trail as muddy as that... Wholly smokes...

[FiveFreshFish]

^^^ Yeah it was a freak spring downpour. At the point where the second pic was taken, the trail turned into mush and we had to hike out with the bikes on our shoulders, despite the ground being level!

[The Rider]

Just a few corrections, RickDaTuner your information is good, but it's a little dated. But STX no longer exists. It was replaced by Deore a few years ago. Pretty much any shimano stuff that's Deore or better (LX, XT, XTR) will serve you well. Also, Schwinn has become a Canadian Tire brand in the last couple years so I'd recomend staying away from those. As for Devinci, they are a Canadian company that makes some amazing bikes so I'm not sure why anyone would advise avoiding them. You will probably find Devinci to be a little pricier.

Also, I fully agree with FiveFreshFish on the disc brake thing. They are definetly worth the investment. There are a lot of trails around here that involve lengthy descents and having disc brakes makes a big difference in how tired your hands get. They also tend to be easier to set up than v-brakes once you get the hang of it and if your rims go out of true the don't rub. At your price range you should be looking for anything from Hayes of Avid in either mechanical or hydro.

As far as hardtail/Full suspension goes, full suspension is now refined to the point where it's used for almost any application (cross-country, slalom, free-ride, etc.). However at your price range I'd suggest a hard-tail because you will get a ligher, more mechanically simple bike with better components since you don't have to pay for the rear suspension. Also at the $1000 mark the full suspension probably won't be all that efficient when pedalling.

As for brands, it's already been mentioned that all the major companies put out a good product. Although noone has mentioned Norco yet?!? Norco is another fully Canadian company that has some awesome bikes. The Norco Charger would probably be right up your alley. Front and rear hydraulic brakes and a 5 inch travel Marzocchi fork. It's classified as an "All mountain" bike too so it's designed to do a little bit of everything as opposed to being purpose specific.

As for shops, my picks would be Bow Cycle, SportSwap, Singletrack Cycle, and Calgary Cycle. I've had great experiences at all those places. I've had/heard a lot of bad experiences from the Bike Shop.

[RickDaTuner]

yeah its been a while since i owned a bike, i figured my .NFO would be dated in some ways, my last bike was a 98 Rocky Mountain Vertex T.O. ahaha, I should really get back into it...

[tsi_neal]

Well i guess since im technically out of the industry i can freely bash shops... but i wont... ill just say that my three votes are for ridleys (was the last shop i worked at, and dearly loved it) Singletrack is a small shop with decent guys, and lifesport is an awesome place as well but make their money with XC skis so they arent as hardcore with bikes.

Anyone who tells you that you can get hydraulics for under a grand without making big sacrifices on other components is wrong. You can get em sure, but think about what youre giving up for it. For XC riding you wont miss disc's till you have them. so if you start without and upgrade later all will be cool. If your looking to do more with the bike spend more it will be worth it.

FYI ive been in shops for the last 8 years and just recently got out, so ask me anything and ill promise you accurate and up to date info

[danno]

we should start up a little ride group.(once i'm ready...hehehe)
anyways i will be getting disc brakes for sure. most likely it will be mechanical, with a upgrade in the future. i will only be getting front suspension. i'm pretty sure it's going to be the bike i talked about above.
is a hard tail any bike without a rear suspension???
thanks for the help.

[tsi_neal]

Originally posted by danno
we should start up a little ride group.(once i'm ready...hehehe)
anyways i will be getting disc brakes for sure. most likely it will be mechanical, with a upgrade in the future. i will only be getting front suspension. i'm pretty sure it's going to be the bike i talked about above.
is a hard tail any bike without a rear suspension???
thanks for the help.


Yup hardtail is a front suspension bike. Umm just to confirm what i think you know for a grand any full susp bike is gonna be garbage, youll start seeing worthy full susp bikes over 1500 (and even those are suspect, but im a bike snob)
IF youre gonna upgrade to hydraulic later get vbrakes for now, the better components on the rest of the bike will be worth it. but if you dont want to upgrade later then there isnt anything wring with mechanical's (hell i run mechanicals on my XC bike, but for DH forget about it)

[danno]

vbrakes is a company or a type of brakes???

[tsi_neal]

Originally posted by danno
vbrakes is a company or a type of brakes???

Type of brakes, rim brakes... they like everything else range from really shitty to really nice. alot of high end XC race bikes will spec them because they are light. probably less than half the weight of a disc setup. and really even the shitty ones work pretty good.

[The Rider]

Originally posted by tsi_neal

IF youre gonna upgrade to hydraulic later get vbrakes for now, the better components on the rest of the bike will be worth it.

Yeah, but will it be worth having to buy new wheels for the upgrade vs. just buying the brakes themselves? I'd say if future upgrades are a possibility go with something that comes with discs stock.

[Ben]

Not mentioned, but underrated bikes..., I love my Norco Shore and Norco Nitro.

[hockeybronx]

Originally posted by Ben
Not mentioned, but underrated bikes..., I love my Norco Shore and Norco Nitro.

Really solid bikes, I guess depending on your riding style.

Personally if I were to buy another one it would definetely be a Kona.:thumbsup:

[tsi_neal]

Originally posted by The Rider


Yeah, but will it be worth having to buy new wheels for the upgrade vs. just buying the brakes themselves? I'd say if future upgrades are a possibility go with something that comes with discs stock.


I mentioned it earlier but ill mention it again, get a bike thats disc ready, most bikes over 700 will have this "feature" unless they are trying to be the lighest thing for the money. But just check to see if the wheels have disc mounts and then its set.

[youngbex]

i like specalized, i have a P2 and love it

[civic_stylez]

try the specialized hardrock sport disc..its a pretty decent bike with disc brakes and is well under a grand...you can always upgrade parts as you go...i know that bow cycle carries them.

[mrozema]

My Specialized Hardrock was a great deal. Something with comparable components in a Kona is more expensive by a couple hundred bucks :P

[interlude]

Im just using it to ride in fish creek with the gf.. haha

[mrozema]

Oh yeah, Bow Cycle is an awesome store too. I've never been disappointed with them or their service. :)

[69cougar]

Originally posted by mrozema
Oh yeah, Bow Cycle is an awesome store too. I've never been disappointed with them or their service. :)

:werd:

Ant theyre new store is SUper SWEEEEEEEEEET!!

:clap:

[69cougar]

Originally posted by mrozema
Oh yeah, Bow Cycle is an awesome store too. I've never been disappointed with them or their service. :)

:werd:

And theyre new store is Super SWEEEEEEEEEEET!!

:clap:

[CIVIC_MAN]

Kona, its expensive but the components are good.

the brand DOES NOT MATTER, look at what parts are on the bike. some bike from sport mart could be better than a kona for the same price. look at individual peices, not just the name on the frame

[danno]

i guess i'll do a little more research, i know basically what i want. now i'll have to find the best stuff for my price range.
thanks guys

[tsi_neal]

Originally posted by CIVIC_MAN
Kona, its expensive but the components are good.

the brand DOES NOT MATTER, look at what parts are on the bike. some bike from sport mart could be better than a kona for the same price. look at individual peices, not just the name on the frame


Only problem being that its hard to pose with a sportmart bike

oh and the service you get with the bike is worse than chicks with hairy asses

[Ben]

Originally posted by CIVIC_MAN
Kona, its expensive but the components are good.

the brand DOES NOT MATTER, look at what parts are on the bike. some bike from sport mart could be better than a kona for the same price. look at individual peices, not just the name on the frame

I disagree, First thing I look at on a bike is the frame.

Componants can be swapped out and customized, replaced, but the frame is with you till the end.

Low end bikes have shitty machine welds which are NOT quality controlled to the level of hand crafted frames, ESPECIALLY when it comes to aluminum/titanium frames, and box style frames in a monocoque design.

Rear hangers, bottom brackets and head tube welds are crucial to the longevity of your riding experience. A nice firm rear triangle adds to your ability to climb hills, and for those of you not running disc brakes, adds better stopping power by placing the brake energy to the rim, not flexing the frame.

[The Rider]

Ok.... But we're talking $1000 bikes here, not hand crafted titanium frames. Obviously something hand built will be better than a cheap taiwanese frame, but at this price range it's not really an option. And a frame is really just something you hang everything else on anyways. It can always be replaced if need be. If I were in danno's situation I'd want to get better components over a better frame. As a beginner rider you probably won't be putting a whole lot of stress on the frame so strength is less of an issue (unless you're fairly heavy). Whereas you probably would notice better brakes, better fork, and more durable parts all around. I spent 5 years horribly abusing my Diamondback topanga, an entry level chromoloy frame. I'm talking routinely doing 4 or 5 foot drops to flat and riding COP/urban/trials on it and it's still going strong as my XC bike now (It was retired from free-riding last summer). By the way, I've heard that Norco Chargers will soon be on sale. I know 4 people riding that bike and they all love it. Still my recomendation for you.

[Hipermax_d]

my friends were looking around at the specialized rockhopper comp, kona cindercone and rocky mountain fusion
all three bikes are under $1500
out of those three, the kona cindercone was the best quality. it had hydraulic discs, clipless pedals and decent components.
the rockhopper had better shocks than the kona but had cable actuated disc brakes. also no clipless pedals.
the rocky mountain was alright, but if you want a rocky, spending a little more money will be better.

other than that, if you want good price and components, i would check out kona's at bowcycles. even though i am a rocky mountain fan

[danno]

i'm still leaning toward the rockhopper, i went to bowcycle this weekend and they were really nice there. but more money than the bike shop. i might have a connection to a cheaper deal in canmore my dad's agent son own the shop out there, going this weekend to see if i get a deal.:thumbsup:
thanks for the input

[mucat]

http://www.mtbr.com/