Thinking about a Mountain Bike

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve been getting bugged by a fellow STer to try the mountains. I’m not looking to spend a lot.
I’d like a hard tail, fairly light, but not fragile. I would just need a decent entry level bike. What is the minimum I could look to spend on a decent hardtail?
What kind of component specs?
Any particular suggestions on models?
I use a 54-55cm road bike. What size would I be looking for?

2

Keep an eye on http://www.chainlove.com/ They’ve had some *sick *deals on complete MTBs recently…

3

Thanks! I’ll check it out.

4

I highly recommend you find a used bike through your local craigslist.

For $500 you can get an mtb that is worth twice that and I sort of feel like $1k is the bottom of the ‘worth having’ range…much like a tri-bike.

You would like Shimano XT or higher parts (maybe LX for front derailleur and brakes). Rim brakes are fine, discs are better but not necessary.

In SRAM, X7 or higher.

Mountain biking is a great, fun way to get cycling conditioning and if you get good enough at it, you will probably love Xterras.

5

THanks! I had NO idea what component levels to look for.
I’ll check there.