I'm interested in purchasing a Mountain Bike and was wondering if anyone here is an enthusiast or at least has some qualified recommendations.

Although my riding time will be split 50/50 (road/off-road) I didn't care too much for the hybrids I tried out. Instead I'm leaning toward a full mountain bike with some "road" features (such as hybrid tires).

The other thing is to go - or not to go - full suspension. For sure I'll get air-shock forks but the rear suspension adds about $3-500 to the price tag. I'm also trying to decide between 26" and 29" wheels. The 29's feel better and are easier to sustain but require more energy to get going.

So far I've looked at Specialized, Cannondale, Giant and Schwinn. I'm not emotionally attached to any particular brand but my budget is about $1000 (although that's preliminary, I could go higher for the right mix of quality, longevity and performance).

Any thoughts?

Consider weight. Springs front and back add weight. Lots of weight. Did I mention weight?

$1000 bucks is a pretty considerable budget. Make sure you get top shelf components. Make sure you get lots of carbon fiber. Don't be in a hurry to make a deal. Shop around. Finally, Cash talks! Look at $1200 dollar rides. Offer $1000. Don't feel bad, The bike guy is still making profit.

My brother is into it bigtime, but he's out of town right now, anyway offhand I can tell you YOU WANT REAR SHOCKS TOO! I've been on one of US's best tracks up in N Carolina, and trust me you need the shocks, now if you want a really great, expensive bike for cheap, look on Craigslist, you can get a bike worth S2-3K for $200- 300 bucks, and usually from someone that spent a shitload on a bike and then decided that they don't want to do it anymore and give the bike away, do some research as to what kind of bike and then you at least know what to look for.
And oh yes, lack of weight is very important

I've had a Mongoose bike for a few years. Love it!

http://www.mongoose.com

I'm not really a mountainbiker anymore, although I've always had mountainbikes in the past which were used for both road and off-road driving/racing/standing there to get stolen (yeah, 3 of them got stolen)

I always had TREK. No specific reason, I was very happy with the first one and kept purchasing another one when my bike got stolen, haha.

Had a Thompson for a while aswell. I don't recommend Thompson for off-road.

Right now I have a Minerva. I have it for 2 years now and I have no friggin' clue how it rides because it's standing there, waiting for it's first good ride :p

Carbon is a must.. but rear-springs aren't, although I assume they are standard on every mountainbike these days. Springs in the front are quite handy for when you are driving off-roads. It's not only better for your frame, but also for your body as it breaks the shocks.
Anyway, good luck with finding yourself a good bike

I have a loaded GIANT that I love. Never given me any issues. I don't really ride rough trails anymore but for me this has been the best bike. Yeah, shop around you can get an awesome used bike on Craigslist or ebay for dirt cheap. I got mine on ebay for way below retail and it was in perfect condition with lots of add ons.

Husband owns an old Fuji...wth?

get a dirt bike then go for a hike. what are you a masochist?

Dear Mr. 202,

I do not mountain bike. The problem is where I live - it is nothing but MOUNTAINS. VERY tiring.

So I'll leave it to others to direct you in your manly endeavor.

Specialized enduro comp is the way too go for small budget pro bikes... I had that one before I sold it to get the enduro carbon ( I currently have it ) and it was awesome in and off road. I had to sets of tires though. Specialized are the best. I got the enduro comp off of Craigslist for $800 and the carbon for $2500

I ´m an absolute Bikefreak. I ride more than 10 000km a year, some Marathons in the alps. I individually constructed myself my Bike. So I have would consider only the parts built in that I for importantly. Naturally you must invest time.

It comes also thereon at what and how much go you. If you want to pay attention to weight, I advise you to Carbon. I myself go a Hardtail out of aluminum. A Fully is also not bad if you are much in the mountains underway. I find disk brakes better - also in wetness. On a fork (100 -140 mm travel), I would renounce in no case. Best with lockout. That is meaningfully if you flare up the mountain or on asphalt where you require no resilience. Earlier I had a Giant XTC Alliance http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/mountain/2343/32138/ - with that was I very satisfied.

Best simply once go into the store and test differently Bikes.

greets MC

I live within (short) walking distance to a pub.

imo, rear suspension is good for nothing! but I am old, and I spent years onto regular bikes jumping through the woods before bmx or even mtbs came on the market. so my skills are based on bikes without any suspension. nowadays its almost impossible to get a new bike without suspensions, so I bought one with just front susp. and had a terrible crash on my first tour, when landing after a jump. dont know if you are a newcomer, and start mountainbiking from the beginning, so it might be equal on which construction you learn. you will get your skills and feeling for the bike on any model.
have an eye on the frame. it must be of good quality.
when you ride 50/50, you should not take medium-tires. you can ride on road with terrain-tires, but in heavy terrain you cant go with road-like tires. you will need any traction and ground-contact you can get offroad, especially when ground is wet and soaky.
I ride a SCOTT bike and bought it for about 600 some years ago. made very rough tours with it, and never had a damage. more expensive bikes should be analyzed carefully, if the plus-prize does mean a plus-quality or plus-function. and often: LESS IS MORE!

Thanks everyone for the excellent recommendations. I think I’ve narrowed the field to the following models: Either an ‘08 Rocky Mountain ETSX 30, or a 2009 Specialized FSRxc (Pictured below respectively). I’m not totally resigned to either of these models, there is a Giant Trance X3 (as Nat G31 suggested) that’s still in the running, but no one currently has it in stock.



As you can see I’m going with 26” wheels AND an air-shock rear suspension (Kinetic Be and Yellow Piggy, if you saw me in person, it’d make sense. )

Reinman you’ll appreciate the ETSX30, it’s one of the few production bikes still made (and by “made” I mean forged, welded, painted and assembled) within 2,500 miles of my kitchen - Vancouver. All (or most) of the other bikes start out somewhere in the Ming Dynasty – except the Swiss bikes - which (like everything Swiss) I can’t afford.

Janetdog, you weren’t kidding about budget, within just a few days of comparing all the various models (and components, and quality) my price range went to $2000+.

Several of you mentioned Carbon tubing/frames, which after test-riding a few; I can definitely see the difference. Unfortunately, adding Carbon to anything (except toast) =’s an extra $1000.

Bigbuck and Eve, all modern bikes come with a normal OR adult-beverage bottle-mount…so I’m good there.

Mrchili, you are right-on about disk breaks. In fact, they also have hydraulic disk breaks that use mineral oil. Those are friggin’ awesome.

I’m doing some more test riding tomorrow, so I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks again.

If yer willing, shopping the shops for a used bike always works out for us.
A used last year model in perfect condition can be a 1/4 the price.
Also don't forget the Craigslist.