[Capt Ron]

I'm looking to start mountain biking on some trails that I've laid out on my property and am looking for some information on what kind of bike I should get for my wife and myself?
I don't want to spend 3 grand per bike but I also don't want something that I won't ride because it beats me to death.
Thanks for the help guys

 

[f0ggy]

do you want full suspension or ht, do you want to do xc, dh, fr, dj? ive got a giant stp frame a marz' drop off comp selling for cheap if your interested

 

[Capt Ron]

do you want full suspension or ht, do you want to do xc, dh, fr, dj? ive got a giant stp frame a marz' drop off comp selling for cheap if your interested

Those are questions that I don't know how to answer.
As a beginner what are the pros and cons of full suspension over just front suspension?
I have no idea what "xc, dh, fr, dj" is.
We just want to start off with some casual but fun trail riding. I can gaurantee that I will not be doing any type of competition. Not for a really long time anyway and then it's doubtful.

 

[mshred]

XC is cross country, DH is downhill, FR is freeride, and DJ is dirt jumping. full suspensions tend to weigh i bit more than hardtails, but give more cushin' for the pushin', if ya know what i mean. Just go to your local bike shop and hear some of their suggestions.

you could also go used, and get a better bike , although it may not be mint condition.

 

[JonathanGennick]

As a beginner what are the pros and cons of full suspension over just front suspension?

I might be able to help with this question. First though, let me tell you a bit about myself and the type of riding that I do, so that you can understand where I'm coming from.

We just want to start off with some casual but fun trail riding. I can gaurantee that I will not be doing any type of competition. Not for a really long time anyway and then it's doubtful.

I am probably very similar to you. I'm middle-aged, in my mid-40s, not in bad shape, but not in as good a shape as I'd like to be. I'm enthusiastic about biking, but am not what I'd term a hard-core mountain-biker. I ride trails that are fairly smooth, generally on sandy soil. Soft sand is the worst obstacle I deal with. Sometimes there are rocky and bumpy stretches. An old railroad grade that I ride has some sections where more of the old, ballast rock could be scraped off.

Where I get a bit crazy is that I ride old logging trails, and sometimes they can be overgrown with weeds and such, and tree branches will stick out onto the trail, etc. But the trails are still mostly smooth, at least as smooth as you find out in the woods.

Ok. I ride a Specialized Rockhopper Comp. "Specialized" is a brand of mountain-bike. My bike is a "hardtail", which is to say that it has only front-suspension.

In my opinion, front-suspension should be your default choice. At least get that. Some will ride with no suspension at all, but unless you already *know* that you want to go the minimalist route, I suggest getting at least front suspension. Having front suspension makes your ride much smoother than otherwise, and you'll have better control because your front wheel won't be bouncing all over the place. You want that wheel to stay in contact with the ground. Numerous times I've hit unexpected dips and bumps in the woods and front suspension has been the reason I don't do an "endo" and fly over the handlbars. Front suspension is why I can ride over branches in the trail (up to a couple of inches in diameter) with relative impunity. Ditto the small rocks that I sometimes encounter. I would have to ride a lot slower and more carefully without front suspension, and I would enjoy the ride a lot less.

There is a knack to riding front suspension. When you see a bump coming, take your weight on the pedals and coast over the bump. Get your weight off the seat. When I go downhill fast and the bike gets bumpy, I'll lift my butt off the seat. Sometimes all I need is to lift maybe a half inch or so. The worst thing to do is to just let the seat take all your weight on bumpy terrain. Once you get the knack of it, you'll see a bump coming, you'll take your weight on the pedals for a bit, coast over the bump, sit back down again, and all without even thinking about what you did.

(On steeper and faster downhills, I'll get my butt off the seat and move my weight back over the rear wheel. That's probably more than you need to worry about now though.)

Ok. On to rear suspension. I don't have a lot of experience here, but I have been test-riding different full-suspension (both front and rear) bikes because I want to buy one next year. Full-suspension costs a lot of money, and you have to really want it in order to spend that much.

FWIW, I have not seen a full-suspension bike under $1600 that I've been happy with. I'm not sure I can articulate why that is the case, but it is the case, at least for me. They exist at lower prices, but I will ride my hardtail until I can afford something at least in the $2000 range. One that I rode recently and really, really liked cost $3000.

Enough about the cost. What about the ride? The biggest difference I noticed was on my downhill runs. I live in a very hilly area, and there are some long and sometimes steep downhill runs that I like to take as fast as I possibly can. On my hardtail, things get bumpy, my back wheel starts to bounce around, the bike begins to feel unstable, and I have to limit by speed. All that changes with full suspension. The back wheel doesn't jump around. Traction is maintained. The bike is more stable. And I feel more confident. I made my fastested (and funnest!!!) downhill run ever on one of the full-suspension bikes that I was testing.

I also, strangely enough, noticed a difference in heavy sand. I'm talking sand here that is 2-4 inches deep. The full-suspension seemed to maintain better rear-wheel traction in the sand, and I got through some sand traps that would normally have stopped me.

Likewise, going up steep hills the full-suspension made a difference. Sometimes on my hardtail I'll be struggling uphill, I'll hit just a wee little bump, but it'll be enough to cause my back tire to spin out. Then I lose forward momentum -- because my pedal stroke just got wasted making the tire spin -- and my bike stops. I'm talking steep hills here. Restarting can be a pain, and sometimes it's easier just to walk up at that point. However, when the full-suspension bike hits the same sort of bump, the rear suspension keeps the rear wheel down, and I don't tend to spin out as often as I do on the hardtail. In fact, on three rides on two different full suspension bikes, I don't believe I spun out even once on an uphill climb.

I hope this note helps, even though I am not the paragon of mountain biking experience.

For what it's worth, for the type of riding that you describe, unless your trails are full of roots and rocks, I tend to think you would be happy enough with just front suspension. You can get a very good hardtail for casual riding on smooth trails for $500. Actually, you can spend even less than that, but I usually advise friends to at least be willing to go up that high. My son, for example, just happened to feel most comfortable on a $460 bike, and so that's what I bought him.

If you're dealer will let you borrow a couple bikes, try to borrow one hardtail and one full suspension. Ride each bike on your home trails. See what you think. Some dealers do have demo programs. Others do not. My dealer doesn't bother with demos for $500 bikes, but he does have the more expensive ones to loan out on a trial basis.

Lastly, my whole family, wife, teenage daughter, ten-year-old son, we all ride hardtails. We have a good time. My wife is not particularly into biking at all. She could take it or leave it. Same w/my daughter. My son is enthusiastic, but inexperienced. All of us seem to get along just fine without full-suspension. Where I live and ride, it's more of a nice-to-have feature, and not a requirement.

 

[Capt Ron]

Thanks for the reply guys and thank you Jonathan for the in depth analysis.
I'm thinking going used and hopefully getting some full suspension bikes if I can find some for a good price. The dirt bike trail that I have laid out on my property is rocky and a little hilly but nothing severe at all. After all I'm in the Dallas,TX area.
I've read that you lose a little of your pedal power through the suspension so what are the cons of having full suspension.
Also there are several used bikes on this webpage for sale if someone could look at these and give some opinions that would be great.

 

[FBTMILF]

i'd go to rei. thats where i got my first bike. they have some really good k2 bikes for beginners there that you can get for like $300. check it out if you have one near you.

 

[mshred]

Also there are several used bikes on this webpage for sale if someone could look at these and give some opinions that would be great.

dont forget to check out the buy and sell on Ridemonkey!

again, try going to a bike shop, and hear some recommendations, you dont necessarily have to buy from them, but you could test ride and find what you like. then you could search for a used one of that model. but dont go too far back in history, id probabaly not go lower than the model year of 2003.

also, if you have any friends that are into mountain biking, hear some of their opinions, they may do completely different riding than you, but they would still know some good quality companys and bike shops.

oh yea Jonathan, great article!!

 

[f0ggy]

DONT GO TO REI, THEY ARE NOT A BIKE SHOP!!!!! Go to a Bike shop and get Properly Fitted on a bike, usualy bike shops have 300-+ bike range, DONT GO TO REI

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Getting your first mountain bike is like getting your first camera - get something decent and modestly priced and ride it for a year or two, then you'll know a lot more about what your ideal might be.

I got into mountain biking when I was in my mid fifties. Started riding singletrack on a touring bike, got a rigid MTB, went from that to a dual suspension. The difference in pedaling efficiency is negligible. Hardtails (front suspension only) rattle you more on the rough stuff and are easier to launch jumps with. Dualies are overall more comfortable.

Find a local bike store you like and listen to them, but avoid getting an expensive tricked out rig for your first ride. Do not buy from Walmart or similar chain stores.

Buying used is a good idea.

 

[Capt Ron]

Oh no I'll stay away from Wally World on this purchase.