Spring mountain bikes

[SpiNtEEwS]

http://www.mtb4less.com/

looks like this site has some cheap mountain bikes, but i'm not sure if they are any good or not. I'm not a bike expert so i dont know if this is worth it or now, i need some help. I want to get a mountain bike, but i dont know if this site is cheap or anything. thanks if anyone can help, but this site does look cheap...

[Sandman]

These are motorized Mountain bikes in the special.
Their hardtails and suspension bikes look no better than
a huffy or magna that you can find at your local department
store chain. Clearly these bikes aren't in league with a Seven Cycles, Merlin,Fat Chance,Litespeed,Independant Fabrications, or Specialized.

If you want some hotdeals on MTB's look at Mtbr.com's hot deals at:
http://www.mtbr.com/promo/hotdeals.shtml

One deal is at bikesmart.com

Buy any Merlin Mountain Frame (Iliad, Mtn, XLM, Echo, Fat Ti, or Fat Beat) and we will install a '00 Marzocchi Z.2 Atom 80 and a Chris King Headset for FREE! That's a $600.00 retail value, included for FREE! This applies only to frames we have in stock, please call for availibility. The FREE forks are currently available in black, red or blue, and the FREE headsets are black or silver. Sorry, no color exceptions, and no special orders - only applies to stock on hand. This offer not combinable with any other discount.

Note the Titanium frame goes for $2000 and thats a pretty good price.

In my opinion the best bike frame for the money is a custom fit Seven Sola Titanium. It is expensive, but well worth it if you ride alot, race or are a hardtail enthusiest. This will be the last bike you'll ever purchase. When I mean custom-check out the order form:
http://www.sevencycles.com/CustomKitFormMtn.html

They sometimes have deals,but they are rare and far between.

[Smeghead]

I agree with the above. Put plainly, these look like pieces of crap. Fine, so they're fairly cheap, but the components on 'em won't last if you plan to do

Something else to keep in mind - the slashed-out prices on this page are complete and utter crap:

http://www.mtb4less.com/fullsuss.htm

Nobody in their right mind would pay almost $600 for the M3000, so that looks like the usual call-now-because-this-incredible-offer-can't-last-long job.

Oh, and you might want to follow the link to the M3000 - look at its shipping weight. It's 42 lbs! OK, so that'll include some packaging, but I'd bet that the damn thing weights close to 40 pounds by itself.

On top of that, they'd better be careful with their naming - Raleigh's range of bikes were recently (and may still be) called M-80, etc, and I'd imagine that those were trademarked.

However, unlike the above poster, I'm not going to start recommending titanium frames and all that - I'm fairly certain you're not going to go racing on this thing. :)

If you're not entirely sure what you're after, go to your local bike store and talk to the guys there. That's a *bike store*, not the likes of Sears or whatever. :) They'll check you out for frame sizes and should hopefully recommend a bike that'll do what you want without trying to flog you the most expensive bike in the room. If they don't help you out, then look elsewhere.

If you're thinking of taking it off-road, I'd recommend something like a Specialized Hardrock A1 Sport or thereabouts, which you should be able to pick up for $300-$400 or so. This has a good Aluminium frame with reasonable components - if you later decide that you really want to thrash about, then they can be upgraded later. The A1 FS will give you incrementally better components for $100 more (incuding a better shock fork), but if you're not sure about bikes in general, it might be better to start with the cheaper bike to begin with...

I wouldn't really recommend spending much less than $300, even if you plan to be gentle on the bike. Once you get down to those prices, the various bits and pieces don't last very long even if you're sticking to roads and stuff.

[Sandman]

You can find some good used bikes at the http://www.propertyroom.com, but most of those are huffy's,magma's etc,but there are rare good bikes available as well.

Another place is check out http://www.ebay.com for used bikes people are always upgrading and want to get rid of their old steeds.

I agree support your local bike shop. They should help
find the bike that fits you and your budget. Shop around and check out the reviews at http://www.Mtbr.com. If they allow test drives or rentals even better, so you get the feel of what you are plunking down your hard cash for...

Usually you can't go wrong with a Specialized
http://www.specialized.com/2001/products/bike_finder/index.html
or gary fisher (a subsid of Trek)
http://www.fisherbikes.com/

for a good bike in the $300-$500 range with an average package of components. I recommend a hard tail with a basic up-front suspension. You may even get lucky and might be able to find some of last years models at a discount.

Good luck and have fun...

[brainsmile]

well I'd rather buy bikes in person if anything

[JackHammer]

My bike hurts my butt. Do any of you have the same problem?

[Smeghead]

If I've been off it for a while, then yes, it does. However, if I'm cycling regularly, then it's not a problem.

Maybe swapping your saddle for something else might help? I have one of these:

http://63.66.209.124/2001/products/bike_accessories/saddles/sport_men.html

I didn't pay that price for it - I got it on sale for half that a year ago (apparently even these things have yearly models). They're comfortable as hell.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by JackHammer
My bike hurts my butt. Do any of you have the same problem?

It may be your style of riding. I have ridden on many different types of seats/saddles and never had any problem.

You should go to a local bike shop and have them make sure you bike is set up properly. Your seat height should be set up so when your foot is fully extended straight down with your ball of your foot touching the pedal your knee should have a slight bend in it. My racing team used this quick calc. for power, efficiency, and comfort:

Seat height=inseam*.883
( center of bottom bracket to top of seat)

If there is still a problem you could try a new seat many like the ergo Specialized seats and others swear by the Sella Italia Flite. You'd have to try either and see if this may solve your problem.

If not you may want to purchase a suspension seat post for around $100 it adds a little weight, but gives a much more comfortable ride most people like either a USE or Cane Creek Thudbuster.