Bikes

[cornercamping]

without motors.  So... I'm getting old, and fat, as expected and I've decided to take up mountain biking or something that will help keep me in shape.   Anyways, I started looking at moutain bikes, and  :o .  $1K-$5K for a biccycle  :o  Did I miss something  ???  What the hell happened  ???  Any suggestions on a good heavy duty mountain bike that will last years  ???  I'm not spending $1K on something that doesn't have a motor, and I'm not spending $5K if it can't go over 150 mph  ;D  I want something good enough to last for a while, comfortable enough where I don't dread riding it daily,  and cheap enough that it's not outrageous.   $5K for a bicycle  ???  I know about the economy but damn.... :-/

I've looked at Trek and that's about it so far.  Opinions or brand names please...

[stumpy]

I really like Trek, you can get the 4000 series for around $400.00. The big difference are the components. This time of year they are going on sale. You should be able to get a good deal. The more money you spend the lighter the bike gets too.
It is good to get a good entry level bike because if it's junky you won't want to do it and eating ice cream sandwiches will sound like more fun. I really like the hydraulic disk brakes. Good luck

Stumpy

[Protein Filled]

Yeah, take Stumpy's word for it. This is the guy that decided to skip Barber to go mountain biking... :o :o

Talk about having some screwed up priorities! The worse is that poor Heather had to put up with it all.

[cornercamping]

He can do that because he's #1....    ;)  BTW.. congrats Stumpy  :)


Hey numb.. where were you when I needed backup rubbing in Biaggi's "death" in GP to Reverend_Rice  ???


 ;D


Back to our regularly scheduled program  8)

[Protein Filled]

You didn't need my help. You did it pretty well on your own.

[MZGirl]

The more money you spend the lighter the bike gets too.

Hmm...the most expensive of my pedal bikes also weighs the most at 33 lbs, and it's a size Small.  Santa Cruz Bullit.   ;)  Of course, this bike has more rear suspension travel than any of my race motorcycles.

Plenty of reviews of mountain bikes here:  http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/

[H-man]

For actual mtn biking consider:
Schwinn Frontier FS AL (~ $260)
Fuji Nevada (~$380)
Fuji Discovery 3 (~$495)

For street creds and the occasional off-road try:
Schwinn Voyager GSX (~$450)
Bianchi Advantage (~#400)

  H.

[cornercamping]

Does "full suspension" make a difference at all if your just street/trail riding?  I'm just asking because I'd like to be as comfortable as possible.  is it worth the money, or just go with a hardtail, as Stumpy mentioned like a Trek 4000.  I've put a cap on my purchase of no more than $800.00 for everything, including a couple small accessories.  

 ???

[cornercamping]

For actual mtn biking consider:
Schwinn Frontier FS AL (~ $260)
Fuji Nevada (~$380)
Fuji Discovery 3 (~$495)

For street creds and the occasional off-road try:
Schwinn Voyager GSX (~$450)
Bianchi Advantage (~#400)

 ÊH.

I can't find the Schwinn Voyager GSX reviews  ???  H-Man, to give you an idea, since your local, I'd like to ride around Metro Beach on the weekends, and on the weekdays take a morning ride from 8 mile and Gratiot to 8 and Van Dyke and back.  

[Mark Bernard]

I have a Trek 820 that  I bought for about $300.00 I made a few mod's for about $200 more and I have had the bike for 8 years. For the money... you can't beat a Trek.

[Nate R]

Go with a hardtail.

The rear suspension, while wonderful on REAL downhills sucks up power on uphills, and really isnt necessary for most people's riding.

I raced a completely rigid cheap ($350) Specialized about 3 years ago. There was a local series that ran every Wednesday. Bike never failed me in a race, and did it's job. I took care of it and kept it clean. Won the series in the Teen Class.

Stopped racing those, and was for a while on meds with a weight gain side effect, and in turn gained 40 lbs.  >:(

[cornercamping]

Well, these are my goals:

1. Quit smoking FOR GOOD  (working on it, still smokin' though, just not as much as before.  4 cigs a day now, as opposed to a full pack a day)
2. Get my lungs back into shape  (been smoking for 12 years)
3. Trim excess body fat  (visible body fat.  I have a spare tire off a moped, but I wear a 30 waist and weigh in at 165 as of today)
4. Gain mass (goal 210 lean muscle mass)

Now, i've been working out for a while (since Dawn called me scrawny, whenever that was) and today is my first day back to working out after my 2 week "off time" to let my body recoup.   So, I'm a lazy bastard, and my biggest problem is if it's not comfortable to do, I don't do it.  For instance, I don't do squats with free weights because having the bar on my shoulders isn't comfortable to me, and instead of concentrating on the weight on my back, I concentrate on the "uncomfortableness" of the bar.  So, I don't do squats, and do lunges in their place.  Anyways, that's the thing with the bike.  I don't like sitting in the gym on a exercise bike watching TV.  I'd rather go out and ride a bicycle, but only if it doesn't make me uncomfortable.  I haven't ridden a bicycle honestly since I was 14.  I got a Yamaha Razz for my 14th B-Day, and that was the end of pedal bikes for me.  Motors only  8)  Anyway, I just want something I can tool around on without coming back home a couple hours later with a sore ass and back.  Back in the day, I had a Philly Flier, and that thing was the greatest thing in the world.  Worked all summer to get it cutting grass, and the thing was like $300.00 but the baddest thing on 2 wheels.  Now, with all these bikes, I really don't know what I'm looking for anymore, and the bike shops don't really help.  It's hard to tell how it's going to be until you ride it for a while.  I don't mind spending the money, but I don't want another "fixture" in my garage.   The one bike I liked, come to find out when I asked for the "total out the door" was almost $3,000.00  :o  Yeah, I don't think so is all I could say.  It ain't got no motor  ???