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Hey I'm new!!!

3K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  hanshananigan 
#1 ·
Hey guy/girls I'm new to this forum. I had a question about, well, bikes I made a big mistake 6 months ago because I bought a :eek: walmart bike I know shame on me. I didn't do any research and was decieved by the disk brake and full suspension. I thought all bikes were the same, and soon after it broke, like the last one i used and we exchanged it because they wouldn't give me my money back. Now, the question, I've been doing a bit of reading on my friends bike that he's selling and wanted to ask you if it is any good here is a pic
here are the specs; norleen shock, marzoocchi forks, k2 evo frame, hope hydraulic brakes and a few other goodies. And he's selling it for about $400. I use my bike to train for when I go dirtbiking, and occasional off road/ wanna be trials. Would this be a good bike for me to get/use. Thanks alot guys:thumbsup:
 
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#3 ·
Hello snooze

Welcome to the forums. Hopefully we can give you some sound advice here so that you don't make the same buying mistake twice. Like fred3 said, that bike is not a trials bike. From the looks of the picture, my best guess is that it is set up as a dowhill rig (long travel fork, seat positioning, chain guides are all clues to me). Without knowing more about the specific components, I can't advise you as to whether or not it's even a good DH bike.

I would hold off on making the purchase until you did some more research on bikes and got a bit more comfortable about their differences, intended usages, and overall quality and reputation. If you're looking for advice, I'd also be a bit more clear on the type of riding you will be doing. You mention things like training for dirtbiking, occasional off-road usage, and trials. That's a pretty broad range of usage and it would help if we had clarification. Keep in mind a realistic set of expectations. Many talk of hucks, jumps, stunts, etc. when the fact of the matter is, all we do is ride our bikes on the trails in the woods.

Give us some more info, and we'll be happy to help.

Bob
 
#5 ·
Agree with SS-Dad.

Full-suspension (FS) bells and whistles look cool to the newcomer, but the maintenance/set-up/tweaking of all those parts can be intimidating for a new guy. Plus, that rig looks heavy - as Clyde says, it looks to be built up as a Downhill (DH) rig. While possible of course to just go ride around on some trials is possible with such a rig, the weight does make a difference.

Concur with SS-Dad - a decently-spec'd hard-tail can be had for that price range. That gives you a lightweight bike with minimal set-up/maintenance worries as a new guy.

Don't think that you have to have a FS rig - I know it seems like "everyone" has one. While they are nice for some things, you can do perfectly well on a hard-tail, especially just starting out.

Cheers, Chris
 
#6 ·
From what you've said I think you'd be better off going to the LBS (Local Bike Shop) and getting an entry level hardtail bike. Something like a Specialized Hardrock or KHS alite 1000.

Don't spend boat loads of money unless you know you love riding. For training purposes you don't need a monster bike. If you're going to ride trials try and find a bike with a beefier frame.

Goodluck!
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the welcome and replies. I guess I should clear somethings up, I don't trials, just mess around in the park so I don't need a trials bike. Oh the bike was used for light downhill work. The kind of riding I do is light off road maybe some occasional fire roads, and mostly road. Would a hardtail do this better? How much are they? Could I get last years or left over ones? Thanks sorry for the silly questions.
 
#8 ·
It's probably not the bike for you at $400.

That's an old K2, probably 1998 or 1999, alhtough it looks like some parts have been upgraded. It is not built for cross country (XC) and has more shock than you need and is likely heavy. It will not bring you years of joy. There are a couple pics of this bike in the K2 forum at this thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=23919&page=2. You may want to suggest that your friend try to sell it to a fan of K2 on the K2 forum.

There are always debates concerning whether new riders should get hard tails (HT) or full suspension (FS). I agree with ZoSo that, with your riding style, you might want to get a $4-600 HT from a local bike shop (LBS). Yes, a last year's model will save you a few bucks and may provide a good deal.

Also, I'd keep reading posts for several hours to get a better sense of things before making the plunge.

Welcome and have fun!
 
#9 ·
You could easilly get a hardtail thats a few years old brand new for $4-500. If you wanted you could spent around $800-$1000 and get a pretty nice bike. All depends on what you want. I'd say get a hardtail, you won't have any many issues to deal with. If you end up loving riding then you could always get another bike later on. Talk to your LBS and they'll set you up.
 
#19 ·
looks like a close call

snooze,

Tough call there. The Iron Horse looks like its got a better spec (nice, solid parts). On the other hand, the Rockhopper would be a great first ride. I think either way you'll be in good shape. If you can, try to ride each then go with what feels best.

Good luck, keep us posted.
 
#23 ·
I'd stay away from buying a bike on the internet for now, snooze. Being your first bike, I'd shop around the local LBS's for a good deal and get what fits and what you can afford. The extra $50-$100 will pay for itself in the long run, until you get confident with bike maintenance yourself (and then an LBS still has advantages).

The thing is, bikes sometimes have minor problems out of the shop and typically need tweaks after a break-in period. If something breaks, it is helpful to have an LBS take care of the leg-work to make it right. Also, unless you are already able to take care of adjustments after break-in, your LBS will likely do it for free, and you can learn from them in the process.
 
#26 ·
Freeride is like they describe on the website - the bikes are heavier, with sturdy components that can take drops of however-many feet.

I'm not sure if there is a official nomenclature for XC vs. trail. More often I've seen "trail" used for light-duty recreational riding (think fire roads and non-technical single track) and XC for bikes that value performance, light frames/components, and speed.
 
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