No clue where to start!

bikingisbetter · Mar 18, 2006

do you wanna ever get both wheels in the air at once? if not, start looking for cross country bikes. if so, look for "freeride bikes"... aka bikes tough enough to take a beating. how much you spend is up to you but the more you spend, the better bike you get. being smaller shouldnt be a problem. try any local shops and ask them to tell you about the bikes they have in stock.. good luck!

noname · Mar 18, 2006

PERJ said:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1441288&cp=713103.1892903.2141953&filter=yes&fCat=2141953&fbrandid=90308&fpricesort=priceAscending&parentPage=family&searchId=2141953

this one really caught my eye.....any thoughts?

I understand you are on a budget, but I would still consult a local bike shop. The low end of the spectrum in a bike shop will be a bit more expensive than what you would spend at Dick's but the frame quality will be much better and the ride will be nicer. A heavy ponderous bike makes riding no fun at all.
I would look for a cheap hardtail from an LBS with a decent frame. Have you considered a used bike? You could get a lot more for your money that way.

johnbryanpeters · Mar 18, 2006

PERJ said:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1441288&cp=713103.1892903.2141953&filter=yes&fCat=2141953&fbrandid=90308&fpricesort=priceAscending&parentPage=family&searchId=2141953

this one really caught my eye.....any thoughts?

Ummm, no, that's absolute junk, as is any Mongoose.

A lot of bike shops have used bike sales in the spring.

Don't worry about suspension when first starting out, just get something of decent quality, put your helmet on, get on the bike and turn pedals. After a couple of years you will have learned enough to choose your next bike.

Skookum · Mar 19, 2006

PERJ said:
Still......can someone explain gears to me????

Please specify.

If you mean the basics, most mt bikes are 27 speeds nowadays. 3 cogs in front 9 in the back cassette.... People who are agressive like me take the big cog off in the front, and put in a bash ring for hitting rocks and logs when riding over them. That puts me down to 18 speeds, but i don't mind. People have singlespeeds too to challenge themselves and to simplify.

So there are many alterations and modifications to be made to suit how you ride.

But typically to start out with you have a nice set of usually Shimano shifters. Deore or XT will be perfectly fine. Alivios are not good bottom of the barrel. You use them to find the proper gear for spinning up a hill or over obstacles, or drop down and power on flat ground, or drop it down and get some speed downhill.

You can learn how to adjust the deraulleur, but if you're brand new it's better to learn how to use a chain breaker to fix your chain first.

After a short while of riding, shifting and gears will be something that you just do, and not even think about.

Good luck on finding a good bike.

noname · Mar 19, 2006

PERJ said:
Okay, here is an uber-newb question....

What does it mean when a bike is 18" or 12"....what do those measurements mean....is that the frame...if so, from which to point to where?

Also, I saw on another thread, a specialized p1...that ride looks wicked cool and if it's a single speed, does that mean that there is no shifting involved and would be easier to ride on the road too?

What kind of riding are you planning on doing? If you're trying XC you'll not want a single speed. Single speeds are mostly for people doing urban/dirt jumping, or experienced fit riders doing cross country. Although it would make some aspects of riding easier, over all it would be more cumbersome to learn to ride xc or downhill on a single speed. now for urban riding and dirt jumping . . . . . .. .

Angus · Mar 19, 2006

Where are you located? have you checked for any local riding clubs? or even bike shops that do group rides? by talking to exeprience riders in your area you can get a feel for what works best in your area, also you might be able to get a lead on a deal for a used bike, this is the time of the year that alot of people upgrade to a newer bike, meaning most times they have a "used " bike that needs a home. Anyway welcome to RM and enjoy cycling....

bjanga · Mar 19, 2006

You will probably want a hardtail (no rear suspension) with 24 or 27 speeds.

BIRDMAN111 · Mar 19, 2006

if your on a budget and want a decent bike i say you get a gary fisher hardtail. you can get a wahoo for under $400 i think. i have ridden one and if you maintain it it can be a great bike.

noname · Mar 19, 2006

BIRDMAN111 said:
if your on a budget and want a decent bike i say you get a gary fisher hardtail. you can get a wahoo for under $400 i think. i have ridden one and if you maintain it it can be a great bike.

Ditto the gary fisher. I have two. One is eight years old and still rides great.(wish I could say that about myself) they also have a lifetime frame warranty if I'm not mistaken. Since the frames are really good, you just upgrade components as you get better.

BIRDMAN111 · Mar 19, 2006

yeah the frames are great and all have disk mounts so is definatly verry up gradable.

vamkie · Mar 20, 2006

I have trek 4300 and really like it. i started riding in January. I made one mistake of getting a frame a little too big.

Angus · Mar 20, 2006

PERJ said:
I am in NH. I will be checking out my local bike shop tomorrow, so hopefully I can get a handle on maybe a club or something and find a suitable bike.

Here is a clue
http://www.nemba.org/

New England Mountain Bike Orginization, Looks like they have 3 NH Chapters....

oldskoolbiker · Mar 20, 2006

PERJ said:
Okay, here is an uber-newb question....

What does it mean when a bike is 18" or 12"....what do those measurements mean....is that the frame...if so, from which to point to where?

\

I didn't see anybody answer this one so here you go.

Bikes you get at a LBS come in different frame sizes. Usually from like 12-23 inches. Sometimes bikes will just use sizes like S,M,L,XL.

For someone 5'4" like yourself, you will likely need something along the lines of a 15", 16", or small frame. The inch sizes generally stand for the distance from the bottom bracket to the top tube. But with frame designs the way the are nowadays this usually isn't the true number, but like an equalivant size if the frame had a traditional design.

For someone just starting out, I would recommend getting a normal hard-tail mountain bike in the $500 range. Since it's hard to judge used bikes, look for a last years clearance model that way you will get the best bike for the buck. DO NOT get a full suspension model in that price range. It will not be worth it. Once you start riding you will learn exactly what type of riding you like and then you can look for a better bike more suited to the specific type of riding you like at a later time. Then you can just keep the original $500 bike as a spare to let your friends borrow so you can recruit them into the sport also.

rigidhack · Mar 23, 2006

If you really want to simplify things, get a rigid bike. They are much cheaper, much easier to maintain, and they force you to learn bike handling skills that you would not otherwise learn. Plus they make fantastic commuters. Redline is making a few that look interesting.

No clue where to start!

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