Calling All Mountain Bikers

[iLLGT3]

I'm sorry if this thread/topic has already been addressed but, do we have any mountain bikers here?

 

I BMX and I've always had an interest in Mountain Biking and I've done it a few times. That being said, lately, I have gone to our local MTB trails down the road from me and I am really starting to get hooked. They aren't too hard and there are some nice technical sections and some areas that flow really well.

 

Here's our local MTB trails... (a little over 4mi. from start to finish and this video isn't the entire length)

 

 

As for the bike I'm riding right now, I do not have a mountain bike but instead, I use my Fit Park Pro BMX bike. It's obviously not the best for trails because it's a park bike... Since I recently found a job, I am currently saving up for this...

 

 

It's the Trek 3900 Disc and it costs around $530.00 USD. This particular one above is a special edition and costs a whopping $10 more. :p Now, as much as I'd love to have a dual suspension 20" travel downhill mountain bike, I just don't have the money for that. Since I have not bought this bike yet, if you have any suggestions for a bike around the same price range as this one, go ahead and say so. (given that you have some experience)

 

 

Since your probably bored of my horrible story telling and my poor paragraph structure, I'll just end it with that. If you like mountain biking, reply and tell me a little more about it and feel free to make any suggestions. :thumbsup:

[Ryzza5]

Uhh, I have a mountain bike. I haven't ridden it in... umm.. maybe 5 years or more. That's what happens when you get a car, I guess ;)

 

This probably sounds terrible, but I was kinda hoping for a stack :D (Funniest Home Videos style)

Nice video anyhow

[iLLGT3]

Uhh, I have a mountain bike. I haven't ridden it in... umm.. maybe 5 years or more. That's what happens when you get a car, I guess ;)

 

This probably sounds terrible, but I was kinda hoping for a stack :D (Funniest Home Videos style)

Nice video anyhow

 

I do agree with you there. I remember when I was under the age of 16. I used to ride my bike everywhere. To friends houses, the store, school... Long story short, I used to ride everywhere. :)

[T0M722]

I do now, but I just use a crappy 10 spd racer (also have a Good road bike (that i don't use!)) ;) But I used to go to dirt jumps on my old MTB bike. Specialized, GT, Trek, Giant all those brands are great. Just have a look on their websites.

[mistermojo]

I'm quite into mountain biking, don't get out as much as I'd like though. I live in pretty much the best place for it aswell :(

 

I still use this old bike which I've had for a few years now:

 

Only difference is mine's blue, black and silver and I've put MTB tyres on it. It's also got a ton of scrapes and knocks but it's still going strong :)

 

I used to do a few dirt jumps and stuff, just messing around really. My bike didn't like that though so I had to spend a few hours sorting out my buckled wheels :cheeky:

 

Hopefully I can get out a bit more over summer before I go to university. No doubt I'll take my bike up there aswell :)

[iLLGT3]

anybody else??

[chika.doctor]

Well, for a good MTB, at least how much I know about it, you just need strong, double alloy wheels with good chunky tires, shocks on the front are absolute must, the middle/rear one is optional, but I do without it, alloy or carbon fiber low frame, and disc brakes..

In my country, for that kind of money (500 pounds, which is about 600€ ) you could assemble by yourself a pretty good and durable bike..

There are some MTB and downhill trails in my place, some of them are very steep and with rocks, my bike is similar to the one I described (except the disc brakes) and the ride isn't always smooth, the middle/rear shock (or absence of one) does wonders to your behind.. ;)

At the moment I am using city slick tires, so no downhill runs for now.. ;)

 

I hope I helped.. ;)

 

EDIT: I just checked out the bike in your first post, and that is about what you need.. ;)

[zo6dude]

I don't go crazy with it, but I have 2.

[SirKronksAlot]

I ride my bikes everywhere (only because I can't drive yet). I have a Trek mountain bike I forgot which model, and I have a Specialized Allez Comp. Compact Road Bike. I love that thing. I wanna see if I can join a bike racing team or something like that. The only one that I found was in B.C., Canada, which is kinda far from my house in New York lol

 

 

EDIT: This is my road bike. The only difference is that I put silver bar tape on it. It's not the downhill bike, but I like it. It's really light, which helps it go fast, and i like going fast lol.

[T0M722]

^ I have the the same bike but it's the '07 model. It's a superb bike and it's very light and fast. Not riding anymore because I'm lazy and I'm looking to sell. Anyone want to buy my bike? :D

[iLLGT3]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!! :)

[TimBud]

Hmm, some pretty strange advice in here :eek2:

 

Anyway, the Trek you looking at is a pretty decent bike considering your budget. At this end of the scale there's not much difference between each manufacturer, so its good advice to stick with a well known and reliable brand (Trek/Specialized/Kona/Scott)

 

As you BMX I'd suggest getting a fairly small frame. One of the biggest mistakes people make when buying MTBs is getting huge frames.

I'm 5'8" and ride and won't go above a 16" (seat tube).

A simple way of checking this is to stand over the bike with you feet on the ground. There should be at least 2 inches of clearance between your crotch and toptube of the bike.

If you going to be riding the trails (dirtjumps/singletrack) then a smaller frames bike will be easier to move around underneath you.

 

However make sure you have a long enough toptube also. As the bikes get smaller they also get shorter (which is great for the jumps, but rubbish for speed and stability). As long as you don't feel cramped you'll be ok.

 

The Trek seems in the pic seems to have a pretty long stem. Get rid of that as soon as you can. :) Anything above 80mm will just destroy the ride and slow down steering. Why they spec long long stems nowdays is beyond me... its such old fashioned thinking

 

The spec of the Trek would concern me a little, you might find yourself replacing it quite soon (ie. around about a year).

There's a nice Specialized at EvansCycles.com at a similar price. £20 more anyway ;). Better frame, better spec and a shorter stem too :D

 

Gimmie a shout if you want any more advice though

:)

[GTAMADDOG]

I tried mountain biking with Mistermojo last year but then discovered how much my body hates hills, especially the hills around here. If everywhere was flat I would probably enjoy mountain biking quite alot. I used to go out on my bike every evening but then I got a computer and that routine went down the drain.

 

I wont make excuses for myself, I'm not the fittest person to walk the face of the Earth and exercise is probably one of the last things I want to do. But, I'm no where near to being overweight or fat. My CBA-Syndrome kicks in way to fast most of the time.

[SirKronksAlot]

^ I have the the same bike but it's the '07 model. It's a superb bike and it's very light and fast. Not riding anymore because I'm lazy and I'm looking to sell. Anyone want to buy my bike? :D

 

I'd buy it, but I already have one :D Mine's actually an 09' Model. Good luck if you're selling it!

[TimBud]

I tried mountain biking with Mistermojo last year but then discovered how much my body hates hills, especially the hills around here. If everywhere was flat I would probably enjoy mountain biking quite alot. I used to go out on my bike every evening but then I got a computer and that routine went down the drain.

 

Go to the alps, north america etc....

Chairlift up and ride all the way down. Beautiful!

Thats what I'll be doing this summer. Plus racing in this

[iLLGT3]

Hmm, some pretty strange advice in here

 

+rep for it :D

 

I'm glad you replied and told me about the frame sizing and everything. That saved me the time of asking somebody else. :)

 

Thanks A LOT for that advice.

[T0M722]

Thanks SirKronksAlot! I'm still trying to find a place that will take it off my hands. That's the trouble with bikes, they're quite hard to sell if you don't want it any more.