Mountain Bikes

[owl]

   I know some on here use them. This past winter in Q I rode the sand out of my bike but it wasn't good in the desert. So, I'm going to upgrade to something I can use everywhere. I wanted a full suspension bike but they are more money than I want to spend. I want to stay under a $1000. There are quite a few choices in that range. What I'm wondering is, have any of you or your friends made a buy on a bike lately and are you happy with it or? 

 

[rokguy]

<SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>My suggestion would be to buy second hand U.S made.&nbsp;Your country&nbsp;still makes the best MTB in the world.&nbsp;There are so many cheap good quality used MTB on ebay it not funny. Most sellers want the lastest and greatest.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>The best bike in my opinion is Cannondale. If your not after a dual suspension they make a intergrated front suspension model. F series. F400 upto F2000 the higher the number the high quality parts (if all original) &nbsp;but the frames are all essentially the same&nbsp;high quality hand welded, heat treated 6061-T6 Aluminium.&nbsp;</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>A good secondhand one prior to 2011&nbsp;are all&nbsp;&nbsp;"Handmade in the U.S.A" Bedford, Pennsvania plant.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>After 2011&nbsp; Cannondale went broke and was bought out, now selling cheap chinese crap.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>I just bought a 1999 Cannondale Super V Raven on ebay from Birmington, Idiana in fact two weeks ago.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>Its already here in Aus.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>I have 4 Cannondale Super V's now, the oldest being 18 years, I still ride offroad. This is a testiment for Cannondale. <BR><BR>No I'm not sponsored. Sorry, to answer your question&nbsp;any new cheap bikes are junk now days.</EM></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #808080"><EM>Geoff</EM></SPAN>

 

[Bryce]

A full suspension mountain bike is a Must in the Ehrenberg BLM area. I rode my old Schwinn hardtail for a couple months there and it was too rough. I am watching Craigslist for a full suspension bike.

 

[lampliter]

GT Nomad; goes everywhere I take it.

 

[Willy]

A full suspension mountain bike is a Must in the Ehrenberg BLM area. I rode my old Schwinn hardtail for a couple months there and it was too rough. I am watching Craigslist for a full suspension bike.

<br><br>&nbsp;Have you tried a suspended seatpost? ..Willy.

 

[RVTravel]

http://thudbuster.com/<br><br>Here is a seatpost that may take the place of buying a full suspension bike.

 

[rokguy]

<EM>The problem with sus seatposts are, they are changing your fixed leg length from the saddle to the bottom bracket height.&nbsp;You should always maintain a fixed length unless you like to end up with damaged knee joints and torn ligaments. Its the same effect as riding a bike with the seat to low. This is one of the reasons why the Trek Y bike was NOT sucessful and was canned due to the seat height to BB changing while riding.Alot of pro riders compared it to riding a bucking bull.</EM><BR><EM>Suspension seatposts are good for cycle path riding but not offroad. They also have a problem with "stiction" Stactic Friction after a while and end up binding.</EM><BR><EM>Geoff<BR>PS Lampliter,<BR>GT&nbsp;(garbage truck we called them) did make some great bikes. Zaskar LE, GT I drive etc. Nice stonework there too<BR>Here some nice MTB names (Cannondale, crash n bale)&nbsp;(Diamond Back, dive n crack) (Trek, Trash) </EM>

 

[Adonis8100]

<span id="post_message_1277640003"><span style="line-height: 20px;">

</span><em style="line-height: 20px;">The problem with sus seatposts are, they are changing your fixed leg length from the saddle to the bottom bracket height.&nbsp;You should always maintain a fixed length unless you like to end up with damaged knee joints and torn ligaments. Its the same effect as riding a bike with the seat to low. This is one of the reasons why the Trek Y bike was NOT sucessful and was canned due to the seat height to BB changing while riding.Alot of pro riders compared it to riding a bucking bull.</em><br><em style="line-height: 20px;">Suspension seatposts are good for cycle path riding but not offroad. They also have a problem with "stiction" Stactic Friction after a while and end up binding.</em><br><em style="line-height: 20px;">Geoff<br>PS Lampliter,<br>GT&nbsp;(garbage truck we called them) did make some great bikes. Zaskar LE, GT I drive etc. Nice stonework there too<br>Here some nice MTB names (Cannondale, crash n bale)&nbsp;(Diamond Back, dive n crack) (Trek, Trash)&nbsp;</em><span style="line-height: 20px;">

</span><br><br><span style="line-height: 20px;">I am totally agree with you. You are 100% good here that you should always maintain a fixed length unless you like to end up with damaged knee joints and torn ligaments. Its the same effect as riding a bike with the seat to low.</span><br></span><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span>

 

[Varmint]

I got a Giant Boulder mtn bike back in '95 for $215 and still use it. It's a hardtail, as I don't like suspensions on a bike. I suspect the equivalent suspension bike could be had used for $100-500 today, especially if you check yard sales and flea markets. Kids get these and grow up to drive cars, so they get rid of them. Adults simply get tired of them, or can't forget how sore their rumps got last time they rode. Either way, you can find them. Trek makes nice bikes, and this is the only brand I've seen that consistently has room for fenders. Most important if you ever need or want to ride in the rain. Ever try to see where you're going with water spraying up in your face? Or up yer rear and back?

Don't be fooled by the labeling on bikes, either. I have an '84 Ross Gran Tour that has no room for fenders. What were they thinking when they designed that? Oddly enough, my son has the same bike in an earlier year ('81) and, although the components on his are lower quality, his bike has fenders. Mine has high-quality components and no room for fenders. Go figure. Again, don't be fooled by the labeling. 1/2" minimum between tire and mounting points. More is better. You'll be sorry if you don't have these.

Just my thoughts. You can always go dirt-cheap and buy used dime store bikes for $10-65 in much the same places, as well as thrift shops. And nobody wants to steal those. I'd paint over the original paint job, either way so it looks like some trailer trash kid did it, just to make sure it's too ugly to steal. Also, if you get a mtn bike you can always swap the 2" knobby tires for 1-1/2" high-pressure road tires. A lot of mtn bikes make excellent touring bikes.

 

[Patrick46]

I've got a front suspension Giant, and I love it!

When I got it, it had full off-road tires, but I had them changed out for 60/40 road/off road tires, as I stay on the roads and trails the majority of the time, but these do allow me some off road capabilities in limited doses...which is just what I do. Plus these ride and glide smoother on tarmack.

I bought mine at my local bicycle shop, who had just gotten it in as a trade-up on a new, full touring bike. It (my bike) was 2 years old, and still had the nubs on the tires as it had so little useage. $450 new, and I paid $200.

oh, and it's got LED lights, full plastic fenders, a super seat, and a rear junk rack that I haul my grocerys on.