Help! I want a mountain bike

hersh552

hersh552

PR Addict
I'm in the market for a mountain bike. I'd like one that I could ride dirt trails on and possible some distance on the road. And a bike that would be suitable for Ray's Indoor Park. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas please let me know. I don't want to spend a TON of cash on a bike. But I definitely don't want to walk into Wal-Mart to buy one either. A used bike would be just fine. Thanks in advance!
Jay
 
Suitable for Ray's and suitable for outdoor can be two entirely different things. While you can ride an outdoor
bike at Ray's, you'll have a lot more fun and be able to keep up with other guys on a Ray's specific bike - single
speed, heavy but infinitely strong wheels, etc.

Riding an outdoor bike at Ray's is still fun though.

Riding a Ray's bike outdoors is a chore.

For outdoor, if you can find a dual suspension bike that's a couple years old and bought by somebody
that never really rode it, you can usually find decent deals. I'm really fond of Santa Cruz bikes, we have
3 between my son and I, but any of the big brands make good bikes. If you really think you'll do much
road, find one that has lockout on at least the rear suspension or you'll be bobbing up and down while
pedaling the street.
 
Unfortunately you are describing three different types of bikes that you want.

Rays-if you plan on doing anything other than putting some laps on the cross country line and not jumping, then my advice is to just rent their Trek Ticket, the dirt jumper/pump track style bike (26 in wheels, shorter wheel base, hard tail with a fork)

When it comes to cross-country and road riding I can only tell you the logic I went with. Hybrids are great on road and can handle MILD trails, but you won't have fun when you are on the trail unless the dirt is hard packed and smooth as a babies bottom. But man they sure can click off some miles when on a road.

Full Suspension Cross-Country bikes on the other hand, are an absolute blast on the trails, once you're in shape, it's almost as fun as riding your dirt bike. Yet you can also grab a set of road tires/wheels to swap out when you want to log some serious road miles. Me, I just see the added resistance of knobbies as a challenge for my legs to get stronger while road riding. However I don't do too much road, because honestly it's pretty boring after you have gotten a taste of off-road trails.

I own a Giant Trance 27.5 it's super efficient for pedaling yet can soak up and handle the gnarly stuff. Once you've ridden a good full suspension bike, you will wonder why anyone buys a hard tail, especially with your moto back ground.
 
sturd said:
Suitable for Ray's and suitable for outdoor can be two entirely different things. While you can ride an outdoor
bike at Ray's, you'll have a lot more fun and be able to keep up with other guys on a Ray's specific bike - single
speed, heavy but infinitely strong wheels, etc.

Riding an outdoor bike at Ray's is still fun though.

Riding a Ray's bike outdoors is a chore.

For outdoor, if you can find a dual suspension bike that's a couple years old and bought by somebody
that never really rode it, you can usually find decent deals. I'm really fond of Santa Cruz bikes, we have
3 between my son and I, but any of the big brands make good bikes. If you really think you'll do much
road, find one that has lockout on at least the rear suspension or you'll be bobbing up and down while
pedaling the street.
Click to expand...

Sturd makes a good point I forgot to mention. A lot of the newer full suspension bikes have Climb, Trail, Decent modes on the shock. When on the road you can switch it to climb and it locks out the suspension, makes road riding much more feasible. Bang for your buck I've always liked Giant, they have a really good blend of quality components for a decent price.

Now if you have unlimited money to spend...Niner/Pivot/Yetti - will have you drooling for months.
 
I'd probably get hooked on the dirt trails. But having another set of wheels for the road would be nice. And yes I understand about locking the rear suspension for road riding. I've heard of that. The only time I've been to Ray's I've rented a one speed bike. Kinda looked like a "cruiser" type. The wheels were way bigger than a bmx bike but I was able to jump it pretty easily. Thanks for all the info guys. If anyone stumbles across a used bike let me know. Thanks
 
I have also been throwing this idea around in my head but I'll be completly honest, I know nothing about pedal bikes and have no idea what to look for and even what it would be getting the most use on. I would be going in this alone as far as knowing anyone already into biking without an engine. lol
 
hersh552 said:
I'd probably get hooked on the dirt trails. But having another set of wheels for the road would be nice. And yes I understand about locking the rear suspension for road riding. I've heard of that. The only time I've been to Ray's I've rented a one speed bike. Kinda looked like a "cruiser" type. The wheels were way bigger than a bmx bike but I was able to jump it pretty easily. Thanks for all the info guys. If anyone stumbles across a used bike let me know. Thanks
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How tall are you? Be careful when looking at used bikes that you are looking for the proper sized frame for your height.
 
I'm 5'10"-5'-11". So what size frame would I be looking for roughly? I just looked on Cleveland's Craigslist. None of the mountain bikes for sale on there have a rear shock. Having a mx background I think it's important that I have a rear shock to ride dirt trails and hit some jumps.
 
hersh552 said:
I'm 5'10"-5'-11". So what size frame would I be looking for roughly? I just looked on Cleveland's Craigslist. None of the mountain bikes for sale on there have a rear shock. Having a mx background I think it's important that I have a rear shock to ride dirt trails and hit some jumps.
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I would definitely agree.

You are going to want a large size (20") frame. If you go with a typical 26" wheel you might even want to go to an x-large so it's a little more stable. I'm the same height and ride a large 650B bike and it fits like a glove. (650B = 27.5" wheels)

Do some research on the whole debate between 26", 27.5", and 29" wheels. All depends on what you are looking for but I will say I've ridden all three and I've yet to ride a bike that I like better than mine, it really is the best of both worlds and a go anywhere do anything style of bike. (except of course super gnarly downhill with huge jumps, in that case you need a downhill bike which now days feel just like a dirt bike!)

Also, let me know if you decide to pick up a new bike rather than searching for a used bike. I have a buddy at Tree Fort Bikes (Ann Arbor MI, i go there all the time) that could probably swing you a deal (employee pricing is typically 20% off retail).
 
I'm not a skinny guy either lol. I'm about 200lbs. That's part of the reason I want a mountain bike! I've had 2 ACL repairs and have a rod in my right leg from a broken femur. Running just doesn't work that well for me. I'd love to hit some cool trails. I know they exist in the Medina/Cleveland area. People have told me about them.
I'm still gonna try and find a used one. Can't justify the cost of a brand new one. But you never know. Thanks for the help. If you run across anything that fits what I'm looking for please let me know. Thanks
Jay Hershey 440-213-8041
 
hersh552 said:
I'm not a skinny guy either lol. I'm about 200lbs. That's part of the reason I want a mountain bike! I've had 2 ACL repairs and have a rod in my right leg from a broken femur. Running just doesn't work that well for me. I'd love to hit some cool trails. I know they exist in the Medina/Cleveland area. People have told me about them.
I'm still gonna try and find a used one. Can't justify the cost of a brand new one. But you never know. Thanks for the help. If you run across anything that fits what I'm looking for please let me know. Thanks
Jay Hershey 440-213-8041
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I agree, I wouldn't want to blow a couple grand without first knowing I'd wanna stay into it. You can usually recover more of your initial cost out of an already used bike as long as it's in the same shape you got it in, then you can upgrade later if desired. Anyone from the canfield area on here into mountain biking?
 
You guys should look around on ohio singletracks website and the michigan mountain bike association. Usually some good bikes for sale on there and you could hook up with people to ride.
 
I'm with ya! I've blown out both my achilles tendon's and my ankles can't take the abuse from running. Definitely check out ohio singletracks website. Updates on trail conditions, forums, bikes, it's a great resource.

Jay I see you're from North Ridgeville, Findley/Medina are probably the closest loops to you. Bedford Reservation has a great new loop that is perfect for someone just starting out but has some moto background. Fun flowy trail, hardly any big climbs, not super technical. I ride it 2 or 3 times a week, I'd be happy to show you the loop sometime.
 
Clint1991 said:
I agree, I wouldn't want to blow a couple grand without first knowing I'd wanna stay into it. You can usually recover more of your initial cost out of an already used bike as long as it's in the same shape you got it in, then you can upgrade later if desired. Anyone from the canfield area on here into mountain biking?
Click to expand...

I hear ya, but if you like moto, you are going to like mountain bikes. Personally I like going the route of buying something I know I will be happy with for a while and not have to feel like I need to upgrade, and unfortunately that was a full-suspension, which is going to be at least 1500 bucks any way you slice it for something halfway decent.

Make sure you are looking at some fairly recent used bikes, in the last 4 years mtb technology and design has come a long way. I would stay away from buying 8-9 year old bikes.
 
KTMkarl794 said:
I hear ya, but if you like moto, you are going to like mountain bikes. Personally I like going the route of buying something I know I will be happy with for a while and not have to feel like I need to upgrade, and unfortunately that was a full-suspension, which is going to be at least 1500 bucks any way you slice it for something halfway decent.

Make sure you are looking at some fairly recent used bikes, in the last 4 years mtb technology and design has come a long way. I would stay away from buying 8-9 year old bikes.
Click to expand...
I would try a current model, barely used for that big discount off retail. I would still like new but I hate buying something that isn't worth what you paid as soon as you use it once. I usualy try to find a deal where I can make money off it when I'm ready for a newer model, been workin for me so far on the moto side but the market is prob alot smaller around my area for bikes. I don't buy junk though and wouldn't wanna cheap out.
 
Clint1991 said:
I would try a current model, barely used for that big discount off retail. I would still like new but I hate buying something that isn't worth what you paid as soon as you use it once. I usualy try to find a deal where I can make money off it when I'm ready for a newer model, been workin for me so far on the moto side but the market is prob alot smaller around my area for bikes. I don't buy junk though and wouldn't wanna cheap out.
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Yea I'm the same way, with moto though I try to keep my bikes pristine and usually have a decent number of aftermarket parts so that I can at least not lose a ton of money when I sell it.

That's why I went through my buddy at Tree Fort Bikes when I bought my mtn bike. With his discount it knocked off the initial loss you take the second it hits the dirt. If I can sell it for a few hundred bucks less than I bought it for a couple years later, I'm happy. After all, it's not only an investment in a bike, but an investment in our health....right??
 
KTMkarl794 said:
Yea I'm the same way, with moto though I try to keep my bikes pristine and usually have a decent number of aftermarket parts so that I can at least not lose a ton of money when I sell it.

That's why I went through my buddy at Tree Fort Bikes when I bought my mtn bike. With his discount it knocked off the initial loss you take the second it hits the dirt. If I can sell it for a few hundred bucks less than I bought it for a couple years later, I'm happy. After all, it's not only an investment in a bike, but an investment in our health....right??
Click to expand...
Haha my wife would like the way you think! hahaha
 
hersh552 said:
I'm in the market for a mountain bike. I'd like one that I could ride dirt trails on and possible some distance on the road. And a bike that would be suitable for Ray's Indoor Park. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas please let me know. I don't want to spend a TON of cash on a bike. But I definitely don't want to walk into Wal-Mart to buy one either. A used bike would be just fine. Thanks in advance!
Jay
Click to expand...
I sent a PM, I have the perfect Rays/XC bike for your size.
 
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