As far as components go, Shimano mtb components go like this: XTR, XT, LX (like Duraace, Ultegra, 105). Of course it seems like every year they bring new stuff out, so if you're looking to buy an old used bike, that person's XTR might be what is equivilant to today's XT.

Next you need to decide if you're going to ride full suspension or just front suspension (hard tail). I've ridden both, I currently ride Full and I won't go back, even if I get back into Xterra races, I'd still ride my Full suspension (but I have a nice light full suspension bike). If you're not spending a boat load of money, typically your full suspension will be heavier than your hardtail. Hard tail is generally used for the XC people, but I do a lot of XC riding on my full suspension. I suggest you get out there and ride both, and decide for yourself.

Also, different with mountain bikes, you can get disk breaks. I never had those until last year and didn't think it was that important, until I have them now. But as a 120 pound rider, my brakes were just fine, I always heard heavier guys talk about how they couldn't stop until they got disk brakes, but now I've done some rides that I'm really happy I have my disk brakes. Again, it's a personal choice, but if I was buying a brand new mountain bike, I'd buy it with disk brakes. But if I was only upgrading, I probably wouldn't spend the extra money to upgrade to disk brakes.

I'm assuming you'll be more of an XC rider rather than a downhill or freeride. There are different types of mountain bikes for different types of rides. A downhill mountain bike will definitely be a full suspension, with a lot of travel (more than 6 inches). These are heavy bikes, great for going down, not so great for going up.

A free ride will have a little less travel, might still be heavier, but not as heavy.

An XC will have 5 or less inches of travel and be the lightest bike, and usually easiest to go uphill.

When I was shopping for my bike, I ended up buying an Ibis Mojo (a carbon frame which is somewhat unusual for mountain bikes). But I was also looking at the Santa Cruz Blur XC. Both of these are full suspension, but great for XC riding.

Hope I'm not boring you, if I think of anything else I'll write again. Have fun, get on as many bikes as you can and ride them. If you can demo them on an actual trail, this is the best way to choose. It's really hard to tell how a bike handles in a parking lot. I got to take my bikes out on real 2-3 hour rides, and there's no better way to decide what you like/don't like than riding.

Have fun!

even in the rain? Give it a good downpour and even if you weighed 80lb I doubt you could stop with v-brakes once your rims are wet... I would definitely not buy a non-disc-brake mtb nowadays unless I planned to use it only when the weather was nice (as in, if you buy it to race or to commute get discs, otherwise it doesn't matter as much unless you love riding in the rain ;) )

get a full suspension XC bike with approx. 4 inches of travel front and rear. You will not regret getting a full suspension bike and you'll be more comfortable and have better control both climbing and decending on it than with a hard tail bike. Trsut me, don't be persuaded otherwise.

You are so not boring me. Thank you so much for all of the information. I have no clue their were so many options and things to think about. Especially since I went to my LBS and they handed me a $1000 Cannondale F-some number and told me this was the bike I should buy. Before just jumping in like a fool, I thought I should get a better handle on what was out there and if there were other options than the Cannondale.

Being in Chicagoland, I am quite sure I won't be doing much downhill (plus I a chicken) or freeride so an XC bike is likely what I need. I believe there is a place in the Kettle Moraine north of here that rents bikes for tryouts on trails so maybe I will try to get up there and see what they have and what I enjoy riding.

If you think of anything else, please pass it on.

I had that problem two weeks ago at Chequamegon MTB race... 40 miles of mud and rain, and the best I could manage was a "slowing" instead of a stopping with my v-brakes.

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mmm-mmm-Momo Charms
Handmade beverage charms, jewelry, and miscellanea
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I bought my first mtn bike this year. I have a very basic Trek 4500 (hard tail/ non-disk). I've raced (ultimate challenge & adventure), done weekly rides, and one long trip in the mountains. It handles well, the brakes are sufficient (I am a small build), and it was relatively inexpensive. That said: the spouse got the Gary Fisher and loves the disk brakes. Hope this helps!

I disagree that everyone needs a full suspension bike. If you are not riding serious trails all the time, the hard tail is better IMO. I don't need the suspension for comfort. Also, I don't understand your comment about having more control with climbing and descending since I find the opposite. I think I have more control with my hard tail. I think it comes down to the type of riding you are likely going to be doing.

V-brakes + swiss-stop pads = stopping in any condition

But, why do that when discs ARE better....

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

My bike shop had demo rentals that I got to take out and ride. Sometimes you can get the fee waved, so don't hesitate to ask. Or if they do charge you, ask if they'll take the rental fee off of your purchase price.

I don't know of that specific Cannondale, but yes, Cannondale does have good mountain bikes. I totally forgot about the V brakes and the mud. I still didn't have problems stopping and I've done all types of riding, wet and dry. But sometimes the mud would clump up so badly that we'd have to take breaks just to clean out the V brakes. Last year I was trying to decide if I should upgrade my current Trek Fuel or buy a new bike, and my personal opinion was if I upgraded, I wasn't going to do the disk brakes. But instead, I decided to buy new, and I love the disk brakes. So I guess it depends on if you buy used or new, because I think many new bikes may have disk brakes now, but I'm not positive about that.

Everyone has had good points for you, the main thing it comes down to is your personal preference, which is directly related to what type of riding you do, and how much you want to spend.

Some bike companies have demo ride days too. I think I've seen Kona bikes and Gary Fischer bikes out on demo days. You can go to the different bike company websites and maybe find out more.

I'll keep thinking for you, get out and ride and you'll still have questions, but some things will come more clear to you during the ride:)

Backyard bikes (http://www.backyardbikes.com/) rents pretty nice Gary Fisher and Klein bikes to ride in Kettle. The trails are about a 2 mile ride from the store so you can leave your car there. They'll even apply your rental price towards a bike if you like it. I bought my Gary Fisher cake (FS) a couple years ago at the end of the season and I love it. The FS isn't just about comfort, it helps you get over obstacles and some of the steeper sections. You should email Colleen about this. She was a MTB racer for years and has a hard tail and FS. I'm not sure she reads this forum.

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice.

I am heading up to Backyard Bikes in the Kettle Moraine on Sunday with my friend Jen. Hopefully I will get a chance to ride a couple of bikes and narrow my choices down a bit.

All good advice so far. I bought a DH bike and an XC bike this year. I was in the same boat as you not knowing a lot about Mountain Bikes. I ended up researching online at mtbr.com which has a forum like slow twitch.

I bought both bikes on ebay and think I got a good deal on each machine compared to what was available locally.

My DH bike is a Kona Stab Primo with 7" of travel in the suspension. I wouldn't dream of riding it uphill with out someone pulling me. My XC bike is a Kona Kikapu Delux which I love riding on local trails. Both have disc brakes which I would highly recommend.

Take your time, do some research and you'll find something that fits your location and style.

did you really trust 2nd hand for a DH bike? I have been thinking of getting a freeride bike (say, a bullit or a stinky) but thinking that the previous owner likely abused the heck out of it before selling gives me pause, as if the frame has a non-obvious crack (sometimes frames are even repainted) or if the suspension is partially shot, or if they messed with the wheel bearings to get them to look ok then you're SOL after. Buying a bike 2nd hand that you are intended to jump over steep obstacles and in general rough over rocks/roots/... is something I have resisted up to now (I have a 2nd hand tri bike and a 2nd hand xc bike, so I don't mind buying used at all).

Marco

I did put some trust in on the Stab but also did my research. First on the review section of mtbr.com to see if anyone had issues with them in the past. I asked quite a few questions of the seller as to the condition. Looked at their rating as a seller etc. The seller did tell me that the front shock was in need of a rebuild some time in the future and I took that into consideration when bidding. The shock was a Rock Shox Boxer Race which I discovered was worth between $600.00 - $800.00. I contacted a local guy that repairs shocks (hippietechsuspension) and found out it would be $200.00 to rebuild.

So with all this in mind I went ahead and got the bike for $800.00 plus $50.00 to ship it from Portland. When the bike was new is went for around $3K so I was getting a good deal just in components.

Only advice that I offer is do your research and go with your gut. Take your time and you can find some great deals but you are correct there is an amount of risk.

Tik

sounds like you did get a good deal and did your homework, I will keep my eyes open :)

Holy crap you stole that bike!!! Good score. Great choice in bikes you have there too.

If you treat your bikes nice they will last a long time. I still ride my mid '90's Kona KU with a cluster of components. Still running the thumb shifters and canti brakes, not even v-brakes and it works great.

Deanna look for a price range of new bikes in the hard tail of about $1000.00 to $1500.00 CDN. Example would be the Kona Kula. You get a lot of bike for not a lot of money these days. This gives you the chance to ride a great bike and then figure out exactly what you want as you get more addicted.

If you are a small rider and not going to be "freeriding" or such, I would not go with a full squish bike. Yes they can be more comfortable if your riding warrents it, but they are usually heavier and cost more. Repairs are also more expensive down the road as you replace bushing kits.

Also do not just look at "girls bikes", as it limits your options and a regular model may just fit you better.

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Scott McNamee
Cranks Bicycle Shoppe

Indeed I did but home work helps. Honestly my Stab bike was a bit of a mistake because I bought more than I needed but I've grown into it and still have a lot more to go to actually test it to the limit.

I echo all of the other folks comments on your selection. Fierce debate on HT (hard tail) vs FS (full suspension). Brakes are another big debate, I love the disc but if your on semi level ground you will be fine with V brakes but disc is awesome and hydrologic brakes are king but they all have their place.

If your riding in the Kettle Morane which I'm a former WI person I would say that you are on the border line of both FS and Disc brakes. Haven't ridden off road but did do a MS 150 from Milwaukee to Madison and it is constant rollers for the day on a road bike.

Best advice is take your time, look around at all the alternatives, and make your choice. The rental places are a great place to pick up a deal but they may be used and abused.

I still recommend mtbr.com as a source of review. Every bike that I looked at before buying I looked at what other people had to say about them, took a grain of salt, and made my decision.

Good luck, I've fallen in love with MT Biking but Boise is a great place for it also.

Cheers,

Tik