So I’m thinking of purchasing a mountain bike for trail riding during the Fall and possible winter season. I went for a ride with a cousin last year at Colorado Springs and it was the most fun I’ve had on a bike for a long time(the thrill of falling and having to concentrate all the time was refreshing). Anyways, I was looking at different bikes and have no idea between the different types and price points. What’s the magic price point for mountain bikes? And any one(like Cervelo in tri and road) that seems to be a favorite?
I think a lot of that depends on how big you are. I’m fairly small and am able to ride a $400 MTB. It’s not great but a lot of fun.
I have a buddy that is 6’2" and 260lbs that just tears bikes like that up. He’s spent ~$1500 on a bike suitable for him.
jaretj
I’m not a mtn bike expert; I was in the same situation you were in last fall…I wanted to get a mtn bike to do something different over the winter. I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So, I ended up with a Cannondale F7; from my research, this was the cheapest (paid ~ $550), decent quality bike that could “just get me out there”. And it did.
That said, if I could go back, I would get a different bike…one that was a little lighter, smaller and had fixed gears (of course I could make that change myself to the F7).
All in all, Cannondale’s seem to be decent mtn bikes; many of the folks I ride with are on F7’s, F5’s, etc. Gary Fisher is even more popular, but usually pricier.
alot depends on what type of riding you want to do. do you need full suspension or is a hard tail fine? You really can’t go wrong with the big names (trek, big S, Cananondale) and the smaller companies Santa Cruz, Independent Fabrications and ohters are great as well. Stay away from the Kmart style places and you should be good.
If you are going the full suspension route then i would say spend around $1200 or more. If you go hard tail then you certainly can get a good deal below $1000. MTB is different than Tri in the fact that the bike will not last as long as a Tri bike.
Do you live on the East or West coast? I am an east coaster so i certainly lean toward the FS do to the rocks and roots; if i am out on the west coast i will ride a HT alot of the time.
welcome to the off road world; once you get a taste it is hard to leave.
I’ll agree with the other posters that it depends on what you’re planning to use it for. You can get a pretty decent bike for under $600, and you can definitely race an under-$600 mountain bike.
But here are some guidelines outside of that:
Under $1,000, you’re probably looking at a 6061 aluminum frame, coil suspension (with or without a lockout), etc. You probably shouldn’t be looking at FS bikes in this price range unless they’re used. For general trail riding (which you sound interested in), one of these bikes will be perfect.
Over $1,000, you’re looking at good 7005 aluminum hardtails with air suspension lockout forks, also the cheaper and heavier aluminum full-suspension bikes.
Over $2,000, you can start looking at carbon hardtails (Scott Scale) and good aluminum full-suspension bikes (look at the Specialized Epic, C-dale Scalpel—I’ve test-ridden these and seen them in action, and those are some good racing FS bikes).
Over $3,000, you’re looking at almost pro quality bikes—carbon or ti hardtails with all of the bells and whistles, carbon FS bikes, etc. I’ve ridden a Scott Scale 10 hardtail from this category. Cool bike, but this is out of my price range for an mtb.
I’ve really just covered XC bikes. If you want to talk all-mountain, downhill or freeride bikes, that’s a completely different subject.
If I were you, I’d take the earlier poster’s recommendation on a C-dale F7, or a Trek 6000 or 4500. Those are good, solid bikes that will get you around the trails without any problems.
Only trail riding for me. Kinda like in the woods, some paved trails, some just uneven grassland? Live in the midwest so no real rocky deserts(although at Colorado Springs, the rocky trails were fun as hell). I’m sort of half hearted to spend max money on this just cause the risk of thrashing the bike is higher, both from falling off since I’m new and the dirt trails, etc.(so probably gonna get a used one too). I’m not sure which I should go for, HT or FS. I’m thinking HT is more than sufficient cause the trails aren’t that “advanced”?
A FS is going to be a lot more fun, especially if you’re just riding, not racing.
If you don’t mind a used bike, see if you can find an old Cannondale Jekyll. It is a terribly inefficient suspension system and thus a terrible bike to race, but it is SO friggin fun to ride, it’s unbelievable. It’s what I had for 5 years before I decided to start racing and switched to a HT.
How tall are you? If you’re taller than say 5’10", a 29er might be a really good choice for you considering your local terrain and budget. An aluminum frame with a mid-range fork and decent components will be between $1500-2000.
This is all good advice. But I would add that if you decide to spend near the top of your budget, make sure you can replace the parts that are on the bike. You don’t want to have to downgrade something after you trash something because you can’t afford it. I don’t know about you, but I’m a poor college student so I have to think about these things. I just tore my XT rd in two pieces and to replace it cost me a good chunk of change.
Another thing you might want to think about it whether you want 26 or 29" wheels. Many companies are coming out with new 29ers. I have a Marin Pine Mountain 29er and love it. Some people might not like the toe overlap on smaller frames though. That could play a factor in your decision
From your description of your riding terrain, a good hard tail will work well and be way cheaper. A good hard tail is better than a cheap full suspension.
If you are tall, a hard tail 29 inch wheel bike is a good option.
Trek and Specialized both make a good range of bikes. I’ve ridden Specialized and my wife has ridden Trek’s since the early 80’s. For full suspension, Trek Fuel EX and Specialized Stumpjumper FSR both come a range of component specs and prices. For hardtail, look at the “recreational XC” catagories like the specialized Hardrock or Trek 6000 series.
I did a mountain bike demo ride in January and enjoyed it so much I thought I’d get into in this year. I’m still waiting to pull the trigger and now it’s getting outside of mountain bike season I think I’ll just wait. I don’t need another multiple-thousand investment that I won’t use all that often… and I think the cheaper options won’t be nearly as fun to ride.
For me, I want full suspension (because hey, that’s what I think mountain biking is for) and more of a “cross country” bike than what they call “all mountain”. That means something in the 30lb range with decent components and about 120mm travel give or take. I’m not a pro level rider, won’t be racing (competetively at least), and have a strong desire to remain in one piece so won’t be bombing down hills.
I’m currently looking at the Trek Fuel EX Series (7 and up gets the same frame), the Specialized FSR (and XC), and the Felt Virtue (like my road bike, Felt’s just feel right on me). All are in the $1600-$1800 range brand new and around $1400 on closeout of last years models and $1000-$1200 lightly used. That gets you a quality frame with somewhere between 105 and Ultegra level components, an adjustable air shock/fork and hydraulic brakes. Perfectly functional and long lasting. I consider that to be the “value for money” range… much like the $2500 tri bikes like my P2C.
The more money you pay largely goes into better forks and rear shock and lighter components. All good things, but again it depends on what you want to do and how much you’re willing to invest.
Kelly!
They are back in business! and they make amazing steel mountain bikes. You can get something between 1,500 and 1,000, with mostly XT components. It is a bike that will last you forever. Thats been my experience so far 
Titus
My other bike. But here you would either be going towards a more expensive FS or a titanium HT which is also more expensive.
I guess the equivalent of Cervelo for MTB would be Specialized… just because everybody has one ;-), which I guess happens because they are good bikes.
Hardtail. No need to spend more than $800. I like Gary Fisher’s geometry, longer top tube. It’s a personal thing. Ride as many different bikes as you can in one day and the differences will be obvious, even in a parking lot. You dont have to worry about the climbing ability with a HT like you would if you were going full squishy, so look for how it handles at high and low speeds.