Considering getting into mountain biking

[D88]

I have a few questions for those who are active in the mountain biking community in Calgary:

First off, what's the mountain bike scene for Calgary like?
Are there good bike trails reasonably close by?
Any issues with biking around here?
What kind of mountain bike would be best suited for the area (ie. versatility)?
Do you find you get enough ride time in to justify the cost of getting into the sport?

I don't have a mountain bike yet so I'm looking for places to buy one. I've been looking at Bow Cycle a lot. Is that the best place to go? Any suggestions for finding the best deal around here? A recommendation for a place in the south would be nice!

[jacky4566]

Subbed. Also curious.

[Darell_n]

I would certainly look for a used bike as depreciation on these suckers are like 40% yearly.

[mazdavirgin]

Bikes don't depreciate nearly as much as you would think... Case in point Kijiji and pink bike where you can buy last years used bikes for almost new prices.

As for the OP. You really have to tell us what you are going to be doing in terms of mountain biking... Cross country with 0 real steep downhill stuff? A mix of cross country with some downhill stuff? All downhill stuff? Riding your bike on the bike paths?

Mountain biking is pretty broad in terms of an activity. It ranges from mild flat trails over in nosehill to gnarly steep downhill stuff with 10 foot drops over at moose mountain. So really you have to give people an idea WTH you are going to do with your bike.

There's tons of trails even within Calgary again ranging from flat stuff you could take your grandmother on and the more intense downhill stuff over at COP once they open for the summer.

IMHO I would shop over at B&P cycle if possible. I just don't like the bow cycle atmosphere or pricing...

[Unknown303]

The Bragg Creek area has incredible trails for all skill Levels. Depending on what you want to spend would dictate new or used in my books.

[Cos]

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[D88]

Thanks to those who responded so far. I've strongly considered going used but I'm still a noob when it comes to buying bikes though I am educating myself on it. I have a pretty good idea of what size of frame/wheels to look out for but since I have yet to actually sit on a bike to test it, I'm not 100% sure about driving around the city to try used bikes. That's why I am more than likely going to go with the new route or at the very least, go to a bike shop to try out a few bikes then look for used.

As far as riding style, when I was young, I rode a full suspension bike and really enjoyed the downhill aspect as I grew up in the mountains but I feel like I would still want an XC mountain bike instead for now. I don't see myself riding on difficult trails until I get to be more experienced though I'm not actually sure how long that would take. A bike that can sort of transition from XC to a bit of downhill would be ideal.

The other factor would be cost. A full suspension bike is a lot more pricey than a stiff frame/front only suspension. I'm trying to keep the cost of a bike below or around $1000.

[Darell_n]

I bought a new Rincon for my wife 2 years ago for around your budget and chose this one as it had better hydraulic disc brakes that many others never had all together. (Bike Bros) But the fork is cheaper, $1000 isn't going to get you great components.

[D88]

Would this be a good first bike? Just browsing what pinkbike has to offer right now.

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1732934/

It retails for about $1350.

[heavyfuel]

1. Don't worry about the "scene". Who gives a fuck what everyone else is doing
2. $1000 is a good budget for a decent entry level bike, Bow Cycle always have last year stuff at great prices. IMO worth the drive from the South- don't forget a helmet and accessories. (lights of you're gonna ride at night, gloves if you're a princess, etc)
3. Stfu and ride.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by D88
A bike that can sort of transition from XC to a bit of downhill would be ideal.

The other factor would be cost. A full suspension bike is a lot more pricey than a stiff frame/front only suspension. I'm trying to keep the cost of a bike below or around $1000.

Yeah you're not going to find a bike that does downhill and XC in that price range. Those bikes are called "enduro" and retail in the 2.5k range or so... Norco range and Kona process being prime examples.

At your price range certainly stick to the hard tail bikes. Anything with full suspension around 1k is going to be made of crap components. Bike you posted looks ok for a starter bike for XC. Don't take it downhill through those brakes and that fork just won't be able to handle it.

[D88]

Originally posted by heavyfuel
1. Don't worry about the "scene". Who gives a fuck what everyone else is doing
2. $1000 is a good budget for a decent entry level bike, Bow Cycle always have last year stuff at great prices. IMO worth the drive from the South- don't forget a helmet and accessories. (lights of you're gonna ride at night, gloves if you're a princess, etc)
3. Stfu and ride.

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


Yeah you're not going to find a bike that does downhill and XC in that price range. Those bikes are called "enduro" and retail in the 2.5k range or so... Norco range and Kona process being prime examples.

At your price range certainly stick to the hard tail bikes. Anything with full suspension around 1k is going to be made of crap components. Bike you posted looks ok for a starter bike for XC. Don't take it downhill through those brakes and that fork just won't be able to handle it.

Pretty much what I thought. I'm not willing to hop on a $2500+ bike to start out. I might find out the hard way of why to not push limits of an XC bike though lol.

[Moonracer]

First off, Calgary has a great mountain biking community. There are a few areas in the city to go off roading so to speak. There's Fish Creek, Nose hill and the area just east of COP that all have fun trails to ride for all skill levels. My fav is Nose hill because it is huge up there and an endless number of trails around.
As for the mountains, indeed there are a ton of trails to ride for all skill levels. I've ridden many of the difficult trails out there and had some of the best times of my life. My buddies and I used a trail book called "Back country biking in the Canadian Rockies" we called it the "Bible" lol Anyways you'll need a trail book of some sort if you want to find and navigate the trails. The popular place to go is west bragg but I have always stayed away from there because it's too busy for my liking but it is some fun biking.
A new $1000 hard tail should get you by your first season and from there you can decide if you want to continue and ride a lot the following years in which case you may want a better bike. If you only go a few times a summer then there's no real need for a pricey bike unless you have money to burn.
Can I justify the cost of getting into the sport you ask? Yes without a doubt I would do it over and over all depends on the person. If you really love it then it will keep you fit and healthier. Best of all you cannot beat the view at the top!

Here is the book on amazon and you can also download it on itunes http://www.amazon.ca/Backcountry-Bik.../dp/0921102690

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by D88
Pretty much what I thought. I'm not willing to hop on a $2500+ bike to start out. I might find out the hard way of why to not push limits of an XC bike though lol.

Well nothing quite as scary as having brake fade in a downhill section. Go to grab the brakes and they do nothing...

[birdman86]

Step 1 - pick up a beginner hardtail (ie. Specialized Rockhopper, ~$1000) and some gear (maybe another $500?)
Step 2 - surf http://www.bikepirate.com/ or buy their book from MEC (TONS of trails in there, enough to keep you going for years)
Step 3 - profit

You don't need to go all out on accessories either. Gloves and helmet are obviously a must, shin protectors highly recommended. I would replace the pedals with some nice pins ($100) and then get some decent sneakers (five-10's) otherwise you'll fall off the bike with each small jump, but besides that a rockhopper needs nothing.

You can do trails all over the city as mentioned, downhill at COP is plenty of fun on a hardtail still, and Bragg Creek is a very well maintained network of trails. Then you've got the whole rockies on top of that...

[bspot]

I'm of the opinion that you just drop $2500 now on a trail bike or an enduro bike (Trail is usually a bit lighter and slightly less travel than an enduro, which is a bit more DH oriented).

You're going to love it.

The trails around here are awesome.

Get a bike that lets you fully enjoy it that you can ride for 10 years instead of suffering on a crappy hard tail for a season.

[codetrap]

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[D88]

Is the consensus then that hardtails are generally considered more of an entry level (ie cheap) option/just for those who do casual riding (ex. no downhill, relatively smooth trails)? It doesn't sound attractive if after one season I will be wanting to upgrade. I realize that's subjective but I'm really considering that maybe a hardtail, despite the lower price, isn't for me.

[codetrap]

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[Despair*]

Lots of people ride hard tails, I've seen people use them for racing, and they can be very expensive depending on the build and frame. It's all preference. Buy a bike that fits within your budget. Bow Cycle has a blue light sale upcoming so you may want to pull the trigger on a bike when it hits. That way if you're looking at getting a full suspension, at least you won't be paying full retail price and get a bit of a deal.

I own 2 full suspensions, both bought at sale discount prices. I could have went hard tail but I have never regretted spending a bit more for FS. A quality bike will last if you take care of it. As others have said their are lots of places to ride within city limits and outside the city when time permits.