Bikes!

[Fae]

Does anyone here mountain bike? I'm thinking of getting into it, and I DEFINITELY need a new bike, since mine just got stolen. I live in a town where biking is a way of life. I'd probably be better off getting a cruiser bike, but well...I like mountain bikes better. However, upon looking around at various bike stores online, it occured to me that I know nothing about bikes at all. And I'd like to sound at least somewhat intelligent when I got into a shop to buy a new one.

So yes. Since it's summertime and talking about snowboarding is not nearly as much fun now, let's talk about bikes! And give me advice. ;)

[Fae]

I love your cruiser. Rad! I'm so tempted to just get one of those. Damn lure of the white walled tires.

General advice, I think. What brands to look at, what brands to avoid. What I should be looking for as far as all the specifics go. I don't need anything super tech, as I'm going to be doing a lot more road riding with this bike than trail riding, but I don't want to be stuck with some heavy POS bike when I do manage to get out to ride trails. I definitely don't need a full suspension bike, so I think a hardtail is probably the best choice for me.

[advres]

I love my cruiser. The three speed in the hub is a nice addition. This years version comes with disk brakes unlike mine. :(

-----------

Well all of the companies out there make good bikes. I have a Jamis because we get deals on them. Hardtails are great. One of the main thing about bikes are the fit!

My personal opinion is go to a bunch of different bike shops and actually check em out. Make sure you have a price you want to pay in mind. For money savings, look into older models since "the newest thing" probably isn't necessary in your case. Something like this would be a good starter:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI306A00-Jamis+Dakota+Al+Bike+05.aspx
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23358&subcategory_ID=3050

Make sure you get the proper pedals. knowing if you want clipless or regular pedals is important and can add an extra $100 to the cost easily, before you buy shoes for them.

Make sure the bike you are looking at has SRAM or Shimano components. If your derailer and other components are crap, the bike is crap.

Make sure the saddle is comfortable!

When you go to a shop, make sure they properly "fit you". If they say you should ride a 14", make sure it is comfortable and only look at 14's. I was riding my buddies KONA downhill bike with the XL frame a few days and it was torture!

Good companies to look at are Jamis, Sepcialized, Turner, Yeti, Ellsworth, and Santa Cruz. These aren't the only companies to look at, but a good place to start.

[gerard]

It depends what you wanna get. In general with mountain biking you get what you pay for. If you are going to ride on road and maybe some light off road a hard tail would suffice. If you are going to do a lot of off road then a full suspension bike would be better suited. For a hard tail expect to pay $500 for low end to $1,000 plus. Full suspension, at least $1k

I have a Gary Fisher Cake full suspension bike, and I love it.

[Chello0o]

I work in a bike shop and there are always a few things you have to take into consideration.

a) how much do you want to spend?
b) what kind of riding are you going to be doing? (terrain)
c) and then from there - mountain, road, cruiser, comfort, hybrid bike


If you want a sweetass cruiser, the Trek 3speed Wasabi is a good way to go. But when it comes to mountain bikes, you really need to know how much you're willing to put into. When it comes to the price as well as if you really need a mountain bike for the area you are riding.

http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes_my07/large/wasabithreespeed_whitedrag.jpg

[boarderchick]

I don't know a whole lot about bikes...but my hubby does! He is an avid mtn. biker...well, I guess just biker in general...we have 6 bikes in the shed as of right now! I love my cruiser, and it's definitely fun. It's good for well, cruising around town. If you're more looking for something to commute on, then I would definitely go with one that is more geared toward commuting. That's about all I know...I will chat with the hubby and see if I can get some better advice for you! And oh yeah...my cruiser!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j264/Tiffstoy95/bike004.jpg

[SnoChica]

I love these cruiser pics.... so cool!

Julie, get a cruiser, they're rad looking! :)

[boardordi3]

i sold my bike to buy new a new system for my car haha
its okay though, i never really got into it. i'd rather ride my longboard

[Fae]

I love these cruiser pics.... so cool!

Julie, get a cruiser, they're rad looking! :)

I know they're rad looking! I'd love to get this one, because it would match my theme, but I just can't justify spending this much money on a cruiser:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/FaeRae/Picture1-6.png

You need to come visit so we can go ride around on the boardwalk together. ;)

P.S....I think I'll just change the title of this thread to make it about general biking, not just mountain biking!

[Grill]

I've been cycling a lot lately (80-100 miles a week). Going to be competing in about a month. I may do some downhill this summer, but I'm not sure yet.

[gavn]

I have a road bike and a mountain bike. Basically the most important thing is to get something that fits because comfort is key. Just like snowboarding, if it's not comfortable, you're not going to enjoy it, then you're not going to want to ride the bike much. The basic rules of a good fit are when you're standing over the bike, you should have an inch or two from the top tube to your crotch. Then when you're pedaling, your leg should almost be straight, but not locked out when your foot is at the 6'o clock position.

Next thing to consider is price. Like Gerard said, for mountain bikes, $500 is low end. You're really not going to get much, but the best thing to do is look for something from last season. As you can imagine, there's really not much of a difference between last year's tech and current. Small updates that you probably won't notice and at that price point aren't that effective.

Now you're on the components. At the low end, you will have an aluminum frame. Get cheaper than that, then you'll get steel, which is much heavier and not fit for trails at all. Then you have the fork, most forks are adjustable so you want to look at something that isn't bouncy when you press down on it. It may seem like that's what it's supposed to do and look fun, but if you ride normally and it's constantly bouncing up and down as you crank, you're going to hate it. Definitely look it up and in my experience, the guys in a bike shop can easily tell you what's better than the other. After the fork comes the component group which includes front/rear derailers (the things that move the chain to shift gears) -- again at the low end, you're not going to get much. It might be a good idea to look into what tiered group is better than the other because this is why bikes are so expensive. If you could get a better component group without paying much more, then it might be worth it. Then you might have to decide if you want disc brakes or the cheaper v-brakes. On a low end bike, it's almost always better to get v-brakes. While disc brakes do come on some low end bikes, they're kind of gimmicky as they don't work nearly as well as they do on higher end bikes. Also, if you're going to ride mostly on the street, you probably won't notice a difference.

I hope that makes some kind of sense. I'm a little tired/burnt out.

Here are some pics of my bikes though:

http://lh6.google.com/image/lgavin/Rkde48t_9tI/AAAAAAAABws/ht7xUYkUJ-U/s400/temp%20002.jpg


http://lh3.google.com/image/lgavin/RkaNQct_9qI/AAAAAAAABwM/nO4x9DniOxA/s400/temp%20017.jpg

[willEum]

You want to get somthing that will fit well and is comfortable. The biggest thing for me when it comes to comfort is the seat and the reach to the handle bars, if my seat is not right my ass hurts for a while, and if the reach is to far or too short my arms start to hurt and i cannot stay in control as well. When you go out and get a bike you want to be sure that they adjust it for your body not whoever got on it last.

My advice on price is to buy the most expensive bike you can afford (only if your commited to riding it, go cheaper if your not sure). The reason for this is the bike manufactures buy the components in HUGE bulk and therefore get a cheaper price. But if you go and replace components because the original parts bit the dust, you will pay more than you would have if you would have gotten the better components in the first place. Thats what I did for my bike and ive been racing it very hard (im ranked #2 junior in the state of missouri, i like to brag sorry) for 4 years and all ive replaced is two tires, and lots of tubes. last week I purchased all new SRAM x.7 drivetrain parts, brake and shifter cables, front chain rings, and brake pads and it cost me about $400, which isn't bad for all the miles ive ridden.

Now on the post above I agree that aluminum is light, but steel is a great material for mountain bikes and is not low end. I ride a 2003 Rocky Mountain Hammer made from Reynolds 550 steel and the complete bike (no pedals) weights just over 26 pounds, which is light enough for me. On the fork you want something that is good and is set up for your weight. If it is not set up right you run the risk of it getting damaged from bottoming out (complete compression where internal parts hit together) or if it is too stiff and wont be doing its job. For the components I wouldnt go lower than shimano deore. The deore components are what i consider and entry level component and there pretty cheap, but if your going to ride on some rough trails and be riding a lot, I would go with the next step up and get LX (properly called Deore LX). As far as brakes go, I would get v-brakes, or (if you want disc brakes) an Avid mechanical disk brake. Avid mechanical disk brakes are fairly cheap and are the only real good mechanical disc brake (in my opinion, hayes are ok) out there. I would not get a hydrolic brake just because they require more maintenance, they are more expensive, and they have lots of power (ive flipped myself over the handle bars on accident). I think the only reason to have a hydro disc brake is if you ride downhill (barreling down a mountain very very fast), freeride (not quite as fast as downhill but with big jumps and drop offs), or you just weigh a lot and need a lot of power to stop you. Like gavn said you dont want to go with disc brakes, just because most cheap disc brakes suck and the others are expensive. Ive always ridden v-brakes and they are great, they provide me with plenty of stopping power, and ive never had to adjust them, except for the time i was going fast and a rock got lodged in between the rim and the brake pad... that wasnt fun. anyways I love mine.

www.bikesdirect.com would be a great place to buy from if you know what size you need. The prices are hard to believe, but it is not fake. I met the man who runs the site and company at interbike, and the main reason he sells so cheap is because all the big companies used to make fun of him because he would sell crappy parts on a good frame and sell them cheap, so now he puts good parts on the bikes and still sells them cheap, its his little way of "sticking it to the man" haha. They can also help you on which size to buy, and which bike to buy in general.

Hope thats helpful and good luck!

[Cr0_Reps_Smit]

you should just get a bmx bike and start shreddin some ledges and rails in Brooklyn, its fun.

[Fae]

I rode a bmx bike from the time I was 7 to when I was 13. Trust me, I am not someone who's meant to start doing tricks on a BMX bike.

Also, since I don't live in Brooklyn anymore, I should probably update my location. ;)

[SimonInAustralia]

Get a mountain bike and spend you summers in the mountains getting fit for snowboarding.

I spend all my summer weekends riding firetrails in national parks, great way to stay fit for snowboarding, and to get into the mountains that I love so much.

A non-mountain bike will limit what you can ride on, a mountain bike will take you anywhere you want to go, on or off road.

[irideROMEnow]

last summer i used to go to the dirt jumps by my house alot with my redline single X but i started skating so i never bike anymore

[snowboarding_bear]

im not really into mountain bikes, bmx bikes are always more fun for me, ni used to havea redline rl-440 with a 3 piece crank and what not, til it got stolen

[4shayz2lounge0crew]

I know they're rad looking! I'd love to get this one, because it would match my theme, but I just can't justify spending this much money on a cruiser:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/FaeRae/Picture1-6.png

You need to come visit so we can go ride around on the boardwalk together. ;)


that's so badass!!!

id definitely go with a cruiser, however i love my mtn bike. its a gary fisher wahoo. its good for versatility - on the road, playing around in the city, and of course on the trails.

[X5150foreverX]

i used to mt bike but im a bmxer now been like that for 2 years

[Swerveon]

As everyone has said, fit is the most important thing. With this in mind, you must understand that what isone size in one compnay is no the same as the others. Different companies measure from different areas of the bike (true seat stay, cent-to-center, etc.) When you go to an informed shop, they can explain this to you. It is true that when you stand over the bike (mountain bike) in street shoes with your feet flat on the ground, you whould have 1.5-2 inches clearance over the horizontal tube (top-tube). This is just a starting point; this does not mean that the bike fits. The top tube length and the stem length also dictates whether or not the bike fits. A good shop will be able to determine this.

From there, you should decide what primary use your bike is going to get. If you are going to actually mountain bike, then fit changes depending what type of riding you're doing (XC, All-mountain,etc.). It sounds like you want to be able to commute. One thing I would suggest is getting a hard-tail or rigid (no rear suspension) bike. It increases your pedaling efficiency and your maneuverability which helps in traffic. A full suspension is great on the trails, it'll will just weigh you down on the streets.

Any one of the major companies would work. Kona, C'dale, Marin, GT. All make solid frames that will hold up to both street and trail riding. When it comes to cost, you get what you pay for in the components. The higher the cost, the lighter, more durable, and more efficient the components (derailueurs, brakes, etc.). If you're commuting, stay in the middle. As far as names, look for either Shimano Deore and above (LX,XT) or SRAM X-5 and above (X-7, X-9). For the price point you're talking about, you'll probably be on the low end of that spectrum. If anything, DO NOT SKIMP AND GO TO WAL-MART OR THE LIKE!!! These bikes are made to fall apart after a year. If you spend a bit more, you will be greatly rewarded.

It's a lot of information to digest and it'll even get a bit more confusing when you go to a shop. Just remember to try out a bunch of different bikes to find out what fits you and what you like. The information will come to you through osmosis after a while. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. I work in a shop and can tell you if anyone is BS'n you or not. Welcome to the most efficient form of transportation in the world!

[Fae]

lol, Update time I guess. I have a ****ty mountain bike that I don't particularly care about, because where I primarily bike to (the train station) has lots of problems with bike theft. Someday, maybe I'll get a nice bike, but not while I'm locking it there! :)

[Swerveon]

^ Hey, if it's a bike just for commuting that you don't care about, that's perfect. I didn't realize you posted that a couple months ago.

You should look into mountain biking. It is the perfect cross training. It helps you keep the flow of berms, hips, rollers, and the like during the off season and works the hell out of your cardiovascular. You can hurt yourself just as bad, though, and keep yourself limited for the season (I broke my elbow on labor day, still can't straighten my arm out). It is an absolute blast of a sport. I reccomend it to everybody.

[instigator1225]

i have an 07 gixxer 1000 ill sell yea. its black and orange with 1407 miles on it... or you could take over payments.. never laid down.. lol

[cynicalRider]

o man those orange and black ones from last year were pure sex. to bad they didnt come in a 600

[racerstf]

bmx is where its at during the summer although they do seem to get stolen pretty easily. riding skate parks and dirt jumps keeps u in pretty good shape and its wicked fun.

[instigator1225]

... i have an array of dirtbikes and quads from when i used to race.. so i am sure you could boot stomp you fellow offroading peddlers

[Take Notes]

you should get a real bike like a Honda CRF450, now that's a bike! and whatta ya know, no peddling up hill any more, sweet!

[Fae]

Or....I'll stick with my $150 Schwinn that I don't have to pay gas, insurance, or registration on! All while lowering the impact of my environmental footprint AND toning my legs. Woo!

[instigator1225]

you want toned legs? try man ahndling a 200lbs dirtbike 60 ft in the air at 70 mph.... or gng 3rd or 4th gear pined over 3 ft high whoops and never letting off..

that will tone your legs in a damn hurry

[racerstf]

the whoops might but not the jumping. and only 70? cmon u can do better then that

[instigator1225]

lol ... true true.... pain is temporary ... no worry lol

[instigator1225]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dNjIS2ReEqo&feature=related

lemme know when u can pedal that fast

[racerstf]

haha nah i wouldnt want to and i dont pedal anywhere except the few feet to the jump...
but tell me when u can do something involving bikes or cars or racing that takes some skill?

[instigator1225]

what do you consider skill? i mean...

i race some scca events ....race at ****ing mid ohio and watkins glen... i race both cars and bikes at both those tracks..

i raced motocross for 13 years...both cra and ama..

umm activly participate on the NMRA circut in a 88 fox body stang...

i street race more then you cna imagine..

so please define skill?

because i think keeping a car going almost 200 mph in a straight line is pretty damn impressive when all it wants to do is go sideways and spin rubber

[cynicalRider]

for serious. hell i only hit 130 on my bike and that was some scary ****. of course this was comin home from work in rush hour so i didnt have much room to go more. otherwise ridin twisties is where its at :)

[El Heffaa]

One time on my way to work i did a little of 30 on the bikepath.

[racerstf]

what do you consider skill? i mean...

i race some scca events ....race at ****ing mid ohio and watkins glen... i race both cars and bikes at both those tracks..

i raced motocross for 13 years...both cra and ama..

umm activly participate on the NMRA circut in a 88 fox body stang...

i street race more then you cna imagine..

so please define skill?

because i think keeping a car going almost 200 mph in a straight line is pretty damn impressive when all it wants to do is go sideways and spin rubber

ok so it sounds like you do know some stuff about racing so your not the average idiot who thinks they know everything about racing cuz they can step on the gas. thats good. and im not saying i do either.
but anyone can race in the scca and also ama. and street racing does not require an ounce of skill, it just takes some balls sometimes but thats about it. unless ur winning national events or ur competing against 40+ drivers trying to make a 30 car race where their times are within a 1/2 second, it does not take much skill at all.
drag racing has to be one of the lamest forms of racing with 4 wheels unless your in a funny car or other 200mph+ cars. drag is simply about what the car has and how well the driver can shift and get off the line.

skill-the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well

[tuna]

picked it up this summer

http://www.extremevital.com/bikes/images/cannondale/2008/f5vbrake_black_l.jpg

[El Heffaa]

hey sweet bike man. post a smaller picture though. lets see what it really looks like

[tuna]

hey sweet bike man. post a smaller picture though. lets see what it really looks like


i just hot linked it to some website... check the source code

[El Heffaa]

Source code? maybe im blind but where or what is that?

[tuna]

right click on image, click properties

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

Try this on for size.
http://www.bikecarmovie.com/main_new2.jpg

[Chello0o]

^^^YES!!! Still need to see this!!

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

Its really good. Parker is hilarious.

[racerstf]

Try this on for size.
http://www.bikecarmovie.com/main_new2.jpg

hmm thats proboly as close as we will get to the flinstones in this age...

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

And its a damn shame.

[instigator1225]

60 ft. 1.59
330-4.49
1/8-6.86
mph-101
1000-8.89
1/4-10.62
mph-131.10

with a 6 speed and 272's.. and no go fast juice.. this cant take any skill.. whatev

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

No you got that all wrong buddy, the bikecar is WAY faster than that.

[instigator1225]

No you got that all wrong buddy, the bikecar is WAY faster than that.

lol i know i was jsut spinning through the quarter mile.. hence the low mph.. i bet that thing can do 180 mph in the 1/4 ... so i KNOW its way faster

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

Its off the chain

[racerstf]

thats just like an average car on that lame show pinks so no just about anyone can do that. maybe after a day or 2 of practice and getting used to the car. still not that hard.

[RockyMountainGoodwood]

what are you talking about?

[Chello0o]

Its off the chain

Am I the only one who got that?!

Funny.

[instigator1225]

back on topic before the mods unleash the ban hammer.....

[racerstf]

haha no i didnt but i do now i think...
Am I the only one who got that?!

Funny.

[shadowflag]

heres my new singlespeed - riding (bike) definitely helps my riding (board)

also, contrary to popular belief - spandex IS cool!

if you really want good tips ont mtb stuff - head over here - http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55


http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i88/ddotstr/IMG_6222.jpg

[Chello0o]

This is my carbon fiber love machine

^^ and spandex is the shiit

http://handlebarscc.com/oscommerce/catalog/images/5000_brightblue%5B2%5D.jpg

[Fae]

^ Very nice!

I managed to get a flat on the back tire of my bike, so I've been riding my boyfriend's Trek in the meantime. I like it. Wonder if he'll care if I take it permanently. :)

[Chello0o]

My actual bike has pink handle bar tape, pink pedals, and soon to be a pink seat. Its pretty amazing.

[burton brder]

I love the sticker on the niner top tubes

[tuna]

here's my road bike.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/speedeerex/PictureorVideo043Large.jpg

[burton brder]

looks(haha) nice. I want to try out some campy sometime I also want to try some of that new SRAM RED group.

[tuna]

looks(haha) nice. I want to try out some campy sometime I also want to try some of that new SRAM RED group.


I love the Campy components, they don't really go with the Look frame but it shifts like a BMW SMG. I got Srams on teh cannondale and am plesently surprised with the performance. The next road bike i build I think Ill opt for the Sram.

[advres]

This is a Xpost because I started my own thread but...

So I dropped in today and bought a Bianchi Pista from a local shop. I feel a little better about hooking up a local than buying it online. I got it for $649.99 which is MSRP with a year of free tune-ups (woohoo, tighten my chain for free!).

Anyway it is my first fixed gear bike. I was concerned so I was thinking about throwing on a freewheel and front brakes. Well they were out of the brakes that would fit and were on order so I figured I would take it and they can call me when the brakes came in.

So I start riding home from the shop (I took the T there). Goddamn, I only live 2 miles away but I didn't want to stop once I got to my house, so I continued on. About 8 miles or so later I was walking into my doorway. ****ing stoked!!! It was my very first venture on a fixed gear and I love it. I may not even put a freewheel and brakes on!

I was a little sketched about the rush hour traffic but like I said, this was my first trip on one. I think I will put on some toe cages so I can learn skidstops. For today, I just took it mellow without brakes or cages. SICKIE!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2694271232_24a951e45b_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2693457335_2d2ff97031_o.jpg

[GreatScott]

^^^ What... no kiss?

[advres]

naw, since this is a bike thread, I didn't think there would be haters. :mrgreen:

[DC-RiDa-4-LiFe77]

naw, since this is a bike thread, I didn't think there would be haters. :mrgreen:

silly silly there is always haters

[nugggster]

I ride a plan ass beach cruiser. to work my legs even harder i drop the air pressure in the tires to 18lbs instead of 40lbs like reccomended and it works my legs that much harder. I ride 1.5 miles on soft tires as hard as i can every other day. its a lot more of a workout on the legs & knees. fyi atleast

[advres]

18lbs? ****, I rock 100 in the front and 110 in the rear.

[GreatScott]

^^^ Yeah but you are riding road tires which are super skinny and require much higher PSI. The bigger the tires, such as on a beach cruiser (why ever this guy is working out on a beach cruiser is beyond me) the lower the PSI. I ride my mountain bike with about 25 PSI.

[Chello0o]

Going tubeless on a mtb, you can run the pressure uber low...

[Chello0o]

http://uploader.neoextreme.com/files/1491/SNOWBOARD ADDICTS/fuelex8.jpg


my love, fuel ex 8, rides like buttah...
:D

[nugggster]

^^^ Yeah but you are riding road tires which are super skinny and require much higher PSI. The bigger the tires, such as on a beach cruiser (why ever this guy is working out on a beach cruiser is beyond me) the lower the PSI. I ride my mountain bike with about 25 PSI.

I dont work out solely on a beach cruiser.

There happened to be a bike in the garage collecting dust so rather than go drop some $$$ on a new bike I utilize what i have and add riding some miles to my routine of other stuff.
Lowering the air pressure just makes it harder to pedal, adding resistance.

Im making the best of what I got. im riding around a flat neighborhood, not trails.