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bike shopping success

641 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  roxnroots 
#1 ·
Was trying to get a bargain, new, full-suspension bike on the cheap. I wanted something high quality enough that I wouldn't be frustrated with it, would be enticed to ride a lot, and wouldn't outgrow quickly if I really got into the sport.

Ultimately, I took the advice of several on here and went to shopping for a lightly used hard tail made with good parts. The rationale boils down to this:
  • People frequently buy very high quality bikes, but sell them after little use (for many diverse reasons). You can find some great deals if you are patient.
  • There are really good hard tail bikes that will be more than enough bike for a lot of riders.
  • Cheap full suspension is likely to frustrate you and waste your pedaling energy. Don't get it.
  • Don't get quality (expensive) full suspension unless you're sure you want / need it. This forum is biased towards high end product, but I think it's good advice nonetheless. Full suspension is a kind of specialization that may not be good use of your dollars for your typical riding. A hard tail will suffice or even excel for many kinds of MTB riding. Don't specialize your bike too much unless you know you're going to focus on a particular kind of riding or you really know what you want.

So, I watched Craigslist for a few months and finally got a fantastic hard tail for $600. I think I got lucky because it's hard to find a buyer for a 21" steel frame. Here are some photos from his earlier attempt at selling it. If the seller reads this, big thanks (again)! I know you took a hit on this one.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51311

I'm riding all the time now and exploring the trails and hills outside the city past my neighborhood (it just ends abruptly, like a movie set or something). The bike is so much fun and easy to use and maintain. My girlfriend is having fun biking too and it's not easy to find stuff that we like to do together.

Thanks everyone for posting so much good advice and I recommend others read everything you can on here before taking the dive.
 
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#2 ·
MONKEYGRIP3fingers said:
Don't get quality (expensive) full suspension unless you're sure you want / need it. This forum is biased towards high end product, but I think it's good advice nonetheless. Full suspension is a kind of specialization that may not be good use of your dollars for your typical riding. A hard tail will suffice or even excel for many kinds of MTB riding. Don't specialize your bike too much unless you know you're going to focus on a particular kind of riding or you really know what you want.

Thanks everyone for posting so much good advice and I recommend others read everything you can on here before taking the dive.
Very true - unless you're riding lots of rocks, roots, logs, and drops quality FS isn't necessary. Even then I've seen good riders on HTs using proper stance and floating right over a lot of stuff.
 
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