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Deciding on a mountain bike
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 2013-06-22 9:24 AM |
Regular  309  Euless, Texas |  Subject: Deciding on a mountain bikeI set out to just buy a cheap mountain bike that I can ride with my son around our neighborhood and stuff. It's not fun riding my run bike at 8mph along side him. I almost fall over, my regular tennis shoes like to slip off my LOOK pedals and so on. So I had some imaginary budget in mind of less than $100. I tried looking at Craigslist, but everything under $100 was truly junk. So then I thought of the big retail shops and found a couple. But dang, they're uncomfortable. I feel like I'm all squished and stuff. I find myself raising the seat post as high as it'll go just to barely be comfortable. It's been so long since I've ridden a mountain bike.....is this how they are supposed to be? Most have 26" rims. I found some 29"s that I like, but of course they're more expensive. Most of the bikes that I'd be willing to get are between $120-170. $170 for 29" starting price. And the 29" looks huge. I keep trying to tell myself that this bike will just be for fun and stuff, but I'm sure having a hard time deciding. I need some of my fellow BT'ers to confrim with me that mountain bikes just don't fit the same as road bikes, and that I won't be able to extend my legs straight when at the bottom of the pedal stroke. And the top tubes are generally shorter. Is there a mountain bike I can get and still be comfortable? |
| 2013-06-22 11:41 AM in reply to: jjupiter100 |
Pro 6838    Tejas | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike Tell that young lad to HTFU, Dad wants to draft off him at 25 MPH.  |
| 2013-06-22 3:14 PM in reply to: 0 |
Elite 6387 | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike In general....MTB are no longer just one thing, they are more specific these days for what you want to do... just like road... tour, race, comfort, tri, hybrid, commuter. MTB are not that different than road with geometry. If you are comparing similar price points. MTB bikes have aggressive seat and head tubes just like road at the top end. There was a fad many years ago that most makers stretched the top tubes. From there, your fit should not be so much different. Use bar and stem to change reach. Top tube can lower much more for stand over clearance, which of course leaves a lot of seat tube exposed, but your seat to crank length is going to be the same no matter what you are on... and you do not really mean your leg is "straight" at the bottom of the stroke do you? I like aggressive geometry, and mountain or road is not much different. My fit is the same. But you are not going to have the same geometry on a road bike at $200 as you are with a race bike at $2000. Perhaps you can look up the geometry on the bike you want and see how it compares. For a junk bike you want to play with your kid on, 29s are a complete waste. Stick with 26. So is a suspension fork too, but those are not exactly optional. As usual, any $300 bike is a decent entry level bike that will not break down in a year. If you can find a deal great. You dollar goes further used. Don't over think this, you just want a bike to goof off with your kid on. Edited by powerman 2013-06-22 3:18 PM |
| 2013-06-23 5:17 AM in reply to: jjupiter100 |
Master 2380 Beijing | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike Mountain bikes have frame sizes, just like road bikes. You need to get something in a frame size that fits you. Many of the retail shops don't have frames in different sizes. Mountain bikes also tend to list their frame sizes in inches, if they're not listed as M/L/XL. Sounds like you might need an XL. Redline Monocogs used to be VERY cheap... around $300 I think. That's for a new bike, single speed, of course. There's no reason that you shouldn't be able to find a bike that fits you. You may NOT be able to do that in your price range, however. |
| 2013-06-24 7:01 AM in reply to: moondawg14 |
Regular 309 Euless, Texas | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike Thanks for the feedback. I found one at a local outdoorsy store that carries bicycles. It's one that I hadn't seen before and I instantly liked it. It's retail was $179.99 and was on sale 20%, so I only ended up spending about $20 more than I originally wanted. This is a size medium, and I would definitely have rather gone with a large, but most chain stores aren't going to carry different sizes, so it is what it is. For whatever reason, I fit better on it than on others. I like the shifters better (although I loathe all friction or grip shifters) than any others. It's a diamondback brand 26". And what I didn't realize until after I bought the bike is that my girlfriend can ride it too. She doesn't have a bike, and she had planned on spending around $900 on a road bike before we got pregnant. She's due in 2 weeks, and with daycare expenses looming, there's no room in the budget for a new bike for her. So this bike can serve dual purpose! I bike even came with quick release skewers at that price. So I might be able to get a skewer to fit my trainer, and she can use the trainer when I'm not. And no, I don't mean my leg completely straight, but almost. Even with the seat raised to the highest point (with probably about 11 inches of seat post exposed) my leg still feels pretty bent, which is uncomfortable because that's not how I ride on my road bike. |
| 2013-06-24 12:54 PM in reply to: jjupiter100 |
Elite 6387 | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike Cool, I figured... just asked. My go to is my leg completely straight with my heel on the pedal. with bike shoes and clip-less it is usually perfect what ever I get on. Glad you got a bike. Sounds like a good choice. Have fun with your kid. |
| 2013-06-24 11:52 PM in reply to: jjupiter100 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: Deciding on a mountain bike my MTB frame is a little small. I set the seatpost to its highest too when I am on the road. |
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