looking to get a new mountain bike

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Looking for a new mountain bike and looking for suggestions

Need:
Front suspention
Durability
Modest price (no 8k bikes)


A local group called the morc creates trails, and they are medium at best. No real down hill. My old stand by has been a specialized hard rock. Looking for opinions on what to get
Would like to spend less then $650. I'm not afraid of building my own but from what I have seen it doesn't get you much
 
Trek Dealer

The X-Caliber is slightly more than what you are looking for, it's a $790 bike.

I would go with Trek myself. Mongoose has some offerings, much cheaper, but they do have suspensions in front. Like the Tyax Sport.

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Bought this bike after looking at every other hardtail in its price range and for me this one stood out!I ride hard everyday and it delivers consistently,i love every aspect of it, i cant complain haha.I ride a mash up of dirt and road so this bike,with the tyres,suspension lock and great gear set up makes it easy to get the best ride between the two.The style of the bike is awesome,the color scheme sets it out from the rest and the general look is brilliant.My favorite part of the bike has to be the frame... its sick! For the money this bike is fantastic couldnt ask for more! Living in Cornwall its always wet but this year its been a complete wash out and the Tyax sport has taken it on and continues to make me happy. Light bike, easy to carry and maintain.
 
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I've seen a few Bikes Direct.com bikes and dollar for dollar nothing from a LBS will touch them. The future is 27.5 tires. 26" is too small and 29" is too big.
I own a Kona Jake cyclocross. I've had it for years and it's been a great bike and gets lots of questions and complements. Look at something from Kona.
 
It's been a while since I looked at bikes, but thought Raleigh and Jamis were good values and good quality. Last one I bought was a Jamis.
 
I'm personally fond of Specialized, Trek, and Giant, but I think most brands have decent models. Having a good local shop that will work with what you buy is important. Key word here is good. Test out a few and get one that fits you and your budget.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I've seen a few Bikes Direct.com bikes and dollar for dollar nothing from a LBS will touch them. The future is 27.5 tires. 26" is too small and 29" is too big.
I own a Kona Jake cyclocross. I've had it for years and it's been a great bike and gets lots of questions and complements. Look at something from Kona.


Agree with the Bikes Direct (I've owned a couple bikes from them as I am a former bicycle service manager so working on my own stuff is no problem) along with Airborne but totally disagree with your assessment of wheel sizes. For XC hardtails the 29" formula is still best unless you're really short. They roll smoother and better than 27.5" and the geometry for 29ers (fork rake being a big deal) has been dialed these days. The bicycle companies love to dictate what formula is the best (for sales) but getting out and riding is the best judge. For full suspension over ~4" the 27.5" wheel size works better to keep the wheelbase in check and allow for maneuverability. The smaller wheel size is less of an issue because suspension soaks up most of the bumps in the trail.

The biggest issue with sub $1000 hardtails these days is the subpar forks that come with them. While the lower end Suntour forks have gotten better, they still are not up to true off road riding. If you get serious as even just a weekend warrior, you'll want to change it out pretty quickly.

The Airborne Guardian at $599 is on par with $800+ bikes from Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc. Step up to the Seeker at $929 and it will compare to $1300 bikes from the big companies. You lose service with buying online but most BITOG members are from the "do it yourself" mold so that might not matter to you.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The future is 27.5 tires. 26" is too small and 29" is too big.


Maybe, maybe not. A 650B (27.5) rim is 25mm larger in diameter than a 26" rim. That's less than 1 inch. So it's really a 27er. Marketing added the extra .5" to put it halfway between 26 and 29. If the OP only rides moderate trails any tire size will do. Look for a 2014 leftover hardtail at a discount. Just make sure the bike fits you.
 
I got this for Diamondback Axis sport 27.5" bike for $560 + tax = $612 with an online coupon. Though I did have to add $20 for a year membership. MSRP is $800. You can have it shipped to you with assembly required. I ordered it to be delivered to the REI near me where it was assembled by them.
I have not even rode it in the dirt yet. Came close to buying a bike on Bikes direct. But I feel I got a decent deal.
Hydraulic brakes to boot. I'm going to put some clear plastic on some of the frame parts to protect the paint. Pretty good bang for the buck. I have an old 1994 Diamondback Axis TR I've been using over the last few years.

Good luck hope you have some fun on what ever you by.

Here is a coupon code: http://www.rei.com/promotions/member-rewards-coupon.html



http://www.rei.com/product/876862/diamondback-axis-sport-275-bike-2015

Diamondback site: http://www.diamondback.com/bikes-mountain-trail-hardtail-axis-sport
 
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You will get what you pay for. Unless you care savvy or lucky enough to find frames and components from a MTB website/chatroom. I found my Surly Karate Monkey in the classified section. $200. Had to get a decent fork (Marzocchi, although some say it's carp; mine has been great, Micro 44), I bought the fork brand new. If you find one used, it is best to get the one that has been serviced. Wheelsets are another issue. Tube vs. tubeless. I run tubeless on my other bikes, and on the others I have tubes and a liner. Don't get flats on the one with the liner, but it is arguably heavier. No big deal for me; I can't tell the difference.
Seats I get on closeout. Steepandcheap and chainlove have great closeout bargains.
Handlebars. seatposts, drivetrain....you can get them all used, but again, used components have some wear unless they are take-offs.
I tried to go as cheap and reliable as possible on my Karate Monkey. It's a singlespeed, and it still came out at $1500 give or take.
You can find midlevel bikes at REI, better bikes at Perfomance/Nashbar. Local bike shops usually want to get rid of old stock so going to them towards the end of the summer helps.
Don't get overly concerned about a 26, 27.5 or 29 wheelsize. Get what feels right for you. I used to have a 26" Rocky Mountain Vertex, and went to a Kona Unit with a 29". I personally like the 29 better. Never tried a 27.5, but I have too many bikes now to even want to get a 27.5.
 
You have a stout and relatively light frame with lugs for any braking system. You have some heavy components, mostly the junk front fork. 26" will work for green and blue trails, prolly not for any black diamond trails.

Used Rock Shox Reba dual air front fork (or Marzocchi, or Manitou, Fox, White Bros, etc.) and a tire change, it'll feel much better. Add a RaceFace crank set and maybe change the rear cassette. Get a lighter ahead stem and some better bars and you can do anything that modest trails entail. If it's a bit rough on your hiny, add a suspension seat post and you are close to a full suspension (FS) capability for modest riding (intermediate trails)
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An FS bike worthy of superseding the above will be well over $2,000 because to get the same grip and durability with air suspension on both ends is not cheap. The rear suspension must be quality and still be light. The rear Fox shock will be close to $300 alone in the package (say Fox Float RL, or equal). A good dual air fork will be more ...

I would stay away from spring bikes. They can work, but are not as progressive, so they need longer travel to get the same "plush" and impact resistance, and they always weigh more ... Not good climbing.
 
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Don't know if you made a move yet but +1 to oilboy123's suggestion about REI. I got a Cannondale from them on closeout at a fantastic deal (hardtail, rockshox air suspension, Deore components). One of the best investments in ME that I ever made in my life. Their support has been spectacular and although they don't advertise free quick adjustments, they have taken care of any minor request and always go above and beyond to please. I never would have thought to get a bike from REI but they are awesome - plus, if you don't like the bike, they will take it back up to a year. Check out their closeout deals online and give the store a call too, get the REI credit card for another $100 off, and use the card for another 5% in dividend points. Oh... and you should know not all REI stores tend to carry the same choices - the flagship stores have the largest selection.

Also, in case you don't know, there is a great site called mtbr.com if you narrow down the selection and want some input on choices. They are a great bunch of folks there (just like here!).
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