Anyone know anything about Mountain Bikes?

[Mr.Guvernment]

Hey all!! great to see u all!!! yes - i am in a very very very great!! mood (women, there great, see my other post

but yeah anyways, met someone and now i have this incredible urge of motivation! (she's sucha hottie! RAWR!)

i want to get a mountain bike - but have been out of the biking loop for so long, i do not know what is good, what is bad.

If you didn't know - i live in Costa Rica - so many great trails, mountains etc, but also, in rainy season ALOT of rain.

I was told to get something with "disk brakes" as regular brakes suck in rain (which i did know)- i did not know they made bikes with disk brakes!..lol - next is air conditioning?

So, what i need to know is

• 
  1. Who are the top better bikes makers out there
  2. What would be a good possible bike for no more then say - $800 US?
  3. Does anyone know of any online sites that sell and ship
  internationally?
  4. Does anyone know of any good mountain biking forums?

All help is appreciated!

 

[CRASHMAN]

wtf theres some people who should know loads about this here i'm gonna make sure they see this

 

[CRASHMAN]

bump

 

[seyone]

Im suprised this hasn't gotten any responses

 

[Dero]

Originally posted by Mr.Guvernment
Hey all!! great to see u all!!! yes - i am in a very very very great!! mood (women, there great, see my other post

but yeah anyways, met someone and now i have this incredible urge of motivation! (she's sucha hottie! RAWR!)

i want to get a mountain bike - but have been out of the biking loop for so long, i do not know what is good, what is bad.

If you didn't know - i live in Costa Rica - so many great trails, mountains etc, but also, in rainy season ALOT of rain.

I was told to get something with "disk brakes" as regular brakes suck in rain (which i did know)- i did not know they made bikes with disk brakes!..lol - next is air conditioning?

So, what i need to know is

• 
  1. Who are the top better bikes makers out there\
  depends what you are looking for...
  2. What would be a good possible bike for no more then say - $800 US?need more imfo as to what you are looking for...
  3. Does anyone know of any online sites that sell and ship
  internationally?I don't but maybe IAB or MBC would know...
  4. Does anyone know of any good mountain biking forums?

www.ridemonkey.com


All help is appreciated!

 

[Tboy]

Originally posted by Mr.Guvernment
Hey all!! great to see u all!!! yes - i am in a very very very great!! mood (women, there great, see my other post

but yeah anyways, met someone and now i have this incredible urge of motivation! (she's sucha hottie! RAWR!)

i want to get a mountain bike - but have been out of the biking loop for so long, i do not know what is good, what is bad.

If you didn't know - i live in Costa Rica - so many great trails, mountains etc, but also, in rainy season ALOT of rain.



So, what i need to know is

• 
  1. Who are the top better bikes makers out there
  2. What would be a good possible bike for no more then say - $800 US?
  3. Does anyone know of any online sites that sell and ship
  internationally?
  4. Does anyone know of any good mountain biking forums?

All help is appreciated!

Blieb posted nearly the same exact question a few weeks back. Check it out... http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15384&highlight=mountain+bike

For some pretty good info and reviews go to www.mtbr.com check out the links section and they have a few that sell online. Here are a couple of others. Cambria bike JensonUSA They sell mostly KHS bikes. Not all dealers allow internet stores to sell online.

I was told to get something with "disk brakes" as regular brakes suck in rain (which i did know)- i did not know they made bikes with disk brakes!..lol - next is air conditioning?

Disk brakes are an awsome thing for mountian bikes, A good set will out perform rim brakes in most all conditions. The major draw back is the weight issue. If you are not going to be a "weight weenie" and think that 200-400grms will slow your bike down, then they could be an option for you.

Like Dero said, more info is needed. After looking at this and other info you will probably have more specific questions.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

thank you very much guys / gals


i shall check the links and see what ic an come up with - i guess when i think mountain bike, thas all i think..lol


i will most likely be using this on trails in costa rica - i assume most trails will be gravel / dirt / mud, i will not eb racing or anything, rmeo just biking for the excercise and the views

to get to many trails i will be likely riding on highways and such.

weigth i don't really care about too much, as long as i can thorw my bike on ym shoulder and climb a hill if i can get up it, so it can weight a good amount (i am 6'4 - 210)

:d

shall read away and come back with likely more questions!

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

wow!


is it possible to get a decent mountain bike for under $1000?? most i haev seen hit $1600 and above - where is a canadian tire when you need one..lol

 

[I Are Baboon]

• 
  1. Who are the top better bikes makers out there
  2. What would be a good possible bike for no more then say - $800 US?
  3. Does anyone know of any online sites that sell and ship
  internationally?
  4. Does anyone know of any good mountain biking forums?

Looks to me like you are going to be doing cross country riding, which is good because for $1000 you'll have hard time finding a decent downhill bike. But there are plenty of good cross country bikes for under $1000. As far as disk brakes go, they are nice to have but not really necessary for a first bike. I have them on my bike and they work great in all weather conditions, but regular "v-brakes" will do just fine for ya, unless you want to spend an extra couple hundred bucks.

There are lots of excellent bike manufacturers out there, but to get the most for your money, stick with Specialized, Trek, Giant or Jamis (to name a few).

For online sites, check out the ones Tboy mentioned. Like he said, many bike companies do not sell their bikes online.
Speedgoat sells Giants, which are excellent bikes.

Online forums (here are just a few):
Ridemonkey. Several members post here on IM.
Bike Forums.net.
Cycling Forums. They are a little more international.
Pinkbike. If you feel like arguing with a bunch of 12 year olds.

There are other expenses you have to consider as well, such as some padded shorts, a helmet, a hydration pack, protective glasses, etc, but you can get that stuff pretty cheap if you do what I do and buy closeout models.

 

[Tboy]

Re: Re: Anyone know anything about Mountain Bikes?

you can get that stuff pretty cheap if you do what I do and buy closeout models.

Camelbak Mule $40. Specialized Sport MTB shoes $15.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Re: Re: Re: Anyone know anything about Mountain Bikes?

Originally posted by Tboy
Camelbak Mule $40. Specialized Sport MTB shoes $15.

2002 Giro Gila helmet: $40.

 

[Blieb]

Thanks for posting the link to my thread tboy

GET THE PEDALS and SHOES!!!!! I just got some last week and they are just ... WOW.

 

[Dero]

Originally posted by Mr.Guvernment
wow!


is it possible to get a decent mountain bike for under $1000?? most i haev seen hit $1600 and above - where is a canadian tire when you need one..lol

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Don't even think Canadian Tire!!!Don't!!!!

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by Blieb
Thanks for posting the link to my thread tboy

GET THE PEDALS and SHOES!!!!! I just got some last week and they are just ... WOW.

Blieb, did you buy a bike? What did you get? Sorry if I missed the post.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Originally posted by Dero
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Don't even think Canadian Tire!!!Don't!!!!

lol
no worries - i was only joking

just i have not found any places here in costa rica yet after searching and searching, they all have cheap no name bikes!

So i said that in a sense that back when i was 15 u could get a decent bike @ canadian tire


well, off for more reading!

aprpeciated all!

 

[Dero]

Hmmmm,
-Not working tomorrow.
-My bike is ready,my bike wrench phoned me tonight.
-It's gonna be 24 celsius(80 farenheit for ya YANKS!!!)

Guess what I'm gonna do after I go and pick my bike up at the LBS????

...and it's not eating apple sauce!!!!!

 

[Tank316]

Hey Dero, your boss called, you need to go in and work a double shift, sorry man.

 

[Dero]

 

[Tank316]

Originally posted by Dero

what well he did. to bad, i'm going trout fishing in the morning. then some cardio, then a nap. life's rough.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^^

tell me about it, you get to work from home, you got a pool, your days work consist of nothing more then @ least 3 hours of actual work on a busy day out of a 9 hour shift, u live in costa rica - where it does not get colder then 20 celcius..lol yeah my life is ruff as well - ain't it great.....

...lol

 

[Tboy]

Originally posted by I Are Baboon
Blieb, did you buy a bike? What did you get? Sorry if I missed the post.

Umm, yep.

Picked up a blue rockhopper ...

They're ordering me some better springs for the shocks since I'm a heavy dude ...

I can't wait to ride the trails! I went out for a quick spin

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

i guess by chance no one on these forums lives in Costa rica..lol having a HECK of a time finding good bike retailers - i have even contact outdoor trip places that do bike trails and there bikes aibn't so great, or they can't remeber where they bought their bikes!

 

[Tboy]

Originally posted by Mr.Guvernment
i guess by chance no one on these forums lives in Costa rica..lol having a HECK of a time finding good bike retailers - i have even contact outdoor trip places that do bike trails and there bikes aibn't so great, or they can't remeber where they bought their bikes!

Check out some of the guys that posted about trails in Costa rica, some have email addys you could contact them with questions.
http://www.mtbreview.com/trails/LatinAmerica_name.html

Also follow this post I made for you on mtb.com mtbpost

Your next step would be to just move to the US.

 

[firestorm]

2. What would be a good possible bike for no more then say - $800 US?
damn disc brakes cost $500.00 unless you get the Avid mechanical Disc brakes. they have gotten excellent reviews and are much cheaper then lets say Hayes D/Brakes.
Cantelever brakes work fine in rain but squeel like hell and if you drive though muck the brakes pick it up and scratch the hell out of your rims. I have a bikes with both setups and if it rains or it's wet,, out comes the bike with the discs.
Most of the big mountain bike companies have a line of lower priced bikes. You can always upgrade it as you get money. Buy a bike without discs and buy them in the future for example.
Check out mtbr.com for bike reviews and directions to their respective sites via the internet
3. Does anyone know of any online sites that sell and ship
internationally? nope. your better off finding a local dealer because if they are a good bike shop they will give you a few free bike tuneups and possibily discounts on other products. My bike shop even allowed me to swap the saddle with a $100.00 one for free.
any new bike is going to need a tune up after a few hard rides. Cables stretch and new rims go out of true. Not cheap let me tell you. I got so tired of wasting money on getting my rims trued that I bought my own Parks truing stand, took a few classes and now I do my own as well as other riders in my area.
4. Does anyone know of any good mountain biking forums?

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^^^ if you find any international sites, let me know! - i got to start looking again.

 

[mtb'er]

I have been out of it for a long time too........

When I started we were making the big drops before suspension was even on the horizon.

Basacily the research I have done recently indicates there is no huge advantage in bike brands, that is as far as tech. goes one brand does not jump out a great deal in front of the others.

Most importent is the fit, second is what kind of riding you plan to do, and third what kind of suport do you have in the area where you live/do most of your riding.(This is usually one of the biggest deciding factor on what brand you choose.)

Other than that you will probably get all kinds of advice from brand loyal people who have had good luck with there certain brand name.(Much like Ford verses Chev. people.)

Last get into it, and don't worrey about being discurraged at first, try to ride with people better than you as much as possible so you can study/ask/learn there skills. Have Fun!!!