Can anyone give me some idea what to look for in a quality mountain bike???? Both my brothers are getting married this summer and all my in-laws are headed this way; as such, I won't be taking any trips this summer. I figured I don't really need another kite just yet ( what am I saying......I always need more kites ) Mostly I want to commute and ride some river trails, maybe a bit of down hill. Right now I'm looking at a Cannondale SL2 or SL4 as I can get them close by. Is there any noticeable differences between those two models????? The SL4 is around $800 and the SL2 is around $1200. I only picked those two because a co-worker has one and says he's had no issues with it other than he wished he bought the 29'er model for highway type riding.

Feyd is the man to ask...

You should try and decide whether you will be riding primarily on woods(mountain) trails or roads.... or what combinations.

You mention highway riding? Downhill? river trail? These are all somewhat different Mt bikes in their purest form of each discipline.

The gear of a bike( even bike frame) and choices are much more complicated than you may realize. Almost too much detail to write here.

But it could be as simple as a few simple model recommendations based on your riding choices per above and price range. That would be easy- if not a blind following of an expert or experienced rider. Better to 'bone up' on the matter first...then ask some questions.

Lots of on-line references you could visit likely...or stop in a good bike shop for a low down with a good mechanic/rep that's patient and friendly. LOTS of choices out there for good bikes.

You can get one bike that will do everything and anything you want(with some compromises in peak ability in different disciplines) with right choices and $$$.

Good luck

Well to clear it up a bit. Mainly I just want to ride to work, which is two or three miles away. I cross a field and then it's highway. We have a park with some gravel/dirt trails all flat, that I want to ride when we take the kids to the park. There is a town 40 minutes away that has a nice cross country ski trail along a river that I was thinking of riding. Other than that I will be riding in town with my wife and kids. I figured that a 2500 budget would buy my wife and I each a quality bike and maybe a rack for our pathfinder.

That's WAY more than enough to buy a GREAT set of bikes for what it sounds like your doing. You could almost spend half that.

If you're not mountain climbing, not downhilling...not going super hard or fast...

One that shifts well.... brakes well...components that last...is maybe your focus then. That budget will definitely buy some nice new bikes.
:roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:

Yeah thats a sweet budget you have there! I snagged a used GT i-Drive 4.0 for about $300 (i think it originally retailed $1800 new or something like that).
I try to mountain bike once a week and have put that thing through some rough trails. We have killer rocky desert mountains out here.. and ive crashed it tons of times, especially when i started riding clip-less..
My point is if you search around locally you can probably grab a great bike for cheap. If it was even only decently taken care of, good components last quite a long while. And for what you have planned for it, it'll be everything you need it to be and more. :bigok:

On another note, you may want to learn from your co-worker.
29" single speed mountain bikes are siiiiiiick. I'd recommend that to anyone.

This is the SL2 model.
http://www.cannondale.com/can/2011-trail-sl-29-2-16886

With 29 does it take some getting use to on corners?????? I'd assume that the bigger wheel must be a tad less playful so to say than a 26. Trying to dig around on forums and what not, it seems that there is a ton more to a bike than just a bike. I called down to the one shop recommended to me, in the city. The fellow I talked to stated that the SL4 was one of their more popular models for price and quality. They have a fitting machine if I call ahead when before I'm coming they could have the tech on hand to fit me and my wife up. They have a few 2011 models in stock and on sale if I'm early enough to get there. I forgot that I'm gonna have to look for one of those kids trailers for my daughter. Getting in for more than I first thought by the looks of things. The exercise from riding to and from work will be worth it though.

Single speeds are sick. Road or mountain. But, you have to WANT to ride one. A lot of people like the idea of a single speed but in practice they find that they aren't willing to put in the time to learn to ride them and build the strength required to get the most out of them.

But if you do, it will be the fastest bike you will ever own. A 29'r especially. The down side to 29'r is limit choice of tires, sometimes hard to find replacement wheels (which can be costly compared to 26") and frame fit for average to smaller size riders. The best 29'r SS I've ridden is the Felt carbon (MSRP $3500) It's the first 29'r that doesn't FEEL like a 29'r. It's not like a lot of other 29's that are stretched 26", it's purpose built. But that's not the price range you're into.

Be very careful what you buy. There are a lot of low/mid range bikes out there that look really sweet but aren't built for any real riding. Essentially not much better than a Wally world bike. With your budget and needs you can find some pretty good deals on some bikes out there.

The Cannondale is a nice bike but the component mix is not great. From a comfort POV steel is the way to go but can cause the price and weight to go up a bit. And not all steel is good. Like Hi Ten vs 4130.

The best thing you can do is try before you buy. If you can find a demo or the shop will let you pedal around the parking lot, it's better than just buying and finding the fit isn't right.

I'd blather on more but I gotta go to sleep.

I'll keep that in mind. A single speed would be alright as I'm mainly flat riding. Are they generally less maintenance?? I think the wife would rather a multi speed though. I'll keep an eye out on the local classifieds for deals.

What type of bike is a Santa Cruz Super Light??? Another guy at work who used to own a bike shop, was telling me he has a 2004 M frame with a lot of upgrades in the past couple years. He can get me a list and says he's about 4k invested and wants 900. Is that a decent bike or too old for the price??? He says it's in very good condition. I can take it for a ride once the snow melts

Too much for a bike that old- famly owns a bike shop and have ben riding all my life- I just bught a ful suspension 26" for me and 29rs for the boys and really wish i would have consider the 29r for myself. I have to agree with feyd on frames/compnents- cannondale makes a nice bike but those fat tubes are realllllly stiff and uncomfortable. I would recommend something in the 850-900 price range with 29rsand you will get a good bike for your use as wel as solid enough that you could use it on "real" mtn biking terrain. Key thing to look for from a compontent standpoint is if the brakes are disc and use hydralic fluid and not cable activated you are looking in the rght category level- little differences among brands really in that price range. I ride giants now but have owned treks, an even had a custom lightspeed titanum in the day. Quality bikeshop should steer you the right way
Scott
PS sorry for the typo errors-seems my keyboard is dying and to lazy to correct

Do you have any model recommendations??? I do want to get the most out of the money, and realize now that asking for a do it all bike would be like asking for a kite that's good for a beginner but good for jumping. I should have got into bikes a long time ago though, but it'll be nice to go for a ride with my boys, instead of walking far behind them.

Sorry double post

Honestly I ride XC on a crappy single speed.
It's all about commitment, and exploration

Don't blow alot of money on a bike. Just haunt craigslist and find something everyone agrees upon.
No need to spend the bukos

yo yo don't forget to smell the roses! XC is so much fun

Quote:

Originally posted by dandre Honestly I ride XC on a crappy single speed. It's all about commitment, and exploration Don't blow alot of money on a bike. Just haunt craigslist and find something everyone agrees upon. No need to spend the bukos yo yo don't forget to smell the roses! XC is so much fun

He is right...you can have fun on anything...but after some time riding you can tell a difference between a 500 dollar bike and a 2000 dollar one. For starting and what you are going to do 500 would get you a sweet ride. Check out the Specialized Rockhopper. Disk brakes are a definite plus!

Quote:

Originally posted by Txshooter38 Quote: Originally posted by dandre Honestly I ride XC on a crappy single speed. It's all about commitment, and exploration Don't blow alot of money on a bike. Just haunt craigslist and find something everyone agrees upon. No need to spend the bukos yo yo don't forget to smell the roses! XC is so much fun He is right...you can have fun on anything...but after some time riding you can tell a difference between a 500 dollar bike and a 2000 dollar one. For starting and what you are going to do 500 would get you a sweet ride. Check out the Specialized Rockhopper. Disk brakes are a definite plus!

Yeah I don't know much about bikes I'm just a beginner. I thrashed one bike already but we had 3 more in the shed. God bless american excess!

My point in sharing that was that I switched to a specialized single speed and the difference was night and day! It has a spring connecting the rear axle and did it ever make the ride more enjoyable

I look forward to earning a OG bike

@Dandre

You the man for riding single speed....my legs burn so bad they are begging for the other gears!! I love my Specialized too.

There is a wicked international mountainbike site
scopeout

www.pinkbike.com

Quote:

Originally posted by Txshooter38 @Dandre You the man for riding single speed....my legs burn so bad they are begging for the other gears!! I love my Specialized too.

Please don't say that. I'm working on getting up to 50mi and it's so humbling some days. There are days I seriously can't make it more than 2

My downhill is getting better though, I'm sure it'll break me soon enough
The biggest change is what I have to eat. Grains are completely out if I want to do anything... It's forced me to eat better and be healthier(no beer!), so in that respect I am very thankful

I suppose you guys a probably right that I could mostly get the same experience out of a 500 bike. Ive had a couple of those as a teenager. One I bought and was stolen out of our back yard. The other an old man bought me cause he ran me and my $20 garage sale special, after the first was stolen. I ended up trading that one for a playstation and games when I was all about that. Anyway what are the advantages between hard tail and rear suspension??? Is there really a need for a rear shock in most situations? Anyone heard of a Felt Nine Sport???? Seems to have a good review and is a 29er.

The easiest way to describe rear suspension is sad really....it is like cheating. Everything you can to on a full suspension you can to on a hard tail. It is just SO MUCH easier on a soft tail. Bumps, drops, rocks, ruts....everything gets soaked up on the full suspension. The skill set it takes to do "x" move on a soft tail may differ drastically from the skill it takes to do it on a hard tail.

If you are going to spend 1400 or more I would say to go for the full suspension and enjoy. Anything less then that and you will get a crappy full suspension and would be better off buying a really good hard tail.

**Unless you find a smoking deal on a used and that's different...I am talking new bike prices***

Quote:

Originally posted by dandre Quote: Originally posted by Txshooter38 @Dandre You the man for riding single speed....my legs burn so bad they are begging for the other gears!! I love my Specialized too. Please don't say that. I'm working on getting up to 50mi and it's so humbling some days. There are days I seriously can't make it more than 2 My downhill is getting better though, I'm sure it'll break me soon enough The biggest change is what I have to eat. Grains are completely out if I want to do anything... It's forced me to eat better and be healthier(no beer!), so in that respect I am very thankful

Damn...no beer! You are hardcore! Food is a big thing for sure. I can totally tell the difference in my ride by what I ate for the day.

Haha, yeah cause pounding wild turkey out of the bottle is SO much classier lol

Well I'm thinking that the budget will cover the baby trailer, 4-5 bike rack for my pathfinder, and a bike for me and a bike for my wife. Hoping that I find the trailer cheap through classifieds. I looked at an article "Best mountain bikes under $1000". They seem to really point towards 29ers and out of the ten they tested they liked the Felt Nine Sport followed by a Cannondale SL 3. A lot of the talking might as well have been Spanish to me though cause I've learned how little I really know of bikes. I watched some videos this afternoon. Some of the trails people ride are scary just watching. And they call kiting an extreme sport.

The Felt you saw is the budget version of the 29'r I described. handles the same but harsher ride.

I both agree and dissagree with TXshooters position on duallies. The primary suspension you have is your elbows and knees. Rear suspension should be only used as a backup. I don't think duallies are cheating. They have their own drawbacks like loss of pedal efficiency.

I used to build downhill trails for a local DH park. They had the reputation for being some of the most technical DH lift access riding in NEw ENgland and most people believed that you needed 8" of dh travel to ride there. Nobody knew that the guy designing and building was riding a hardtail with a 5" fork.

I've ridden my hardtails at work and a few times on trips to B.C.'s North Shore, WHistler Kamloops etc. and been just as fast and had as much fun. That youtube of my ride on the CBC trail is on a hardtail.

That said TreS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s duallies are sick bikes. They finally have a suspension system that pedals like a HT but swallows bumps like nothing. After my last wrist fusion I've gone to a Trek Remedy for dirt riding. I actually love it.

The Ex series bikes use the same rear end. And they haul ass.

You make me wish I had taken the downhill lesson I signed up for at Mt. Washington (B.C.) last summer. Spent too much time looking around and decided to back out at the last half hour to go to a butterfly gardens in Coombs. Next time I'll make a point of it. So I'm glad that I have a couple more months to find a bike and shop. So many choices and options this is harder than choosing kites IMO. I really appreciate the advice given here.

So I finally bought a couple bikes. I was trying to get a try on a Felt Nine Sport, but not one dealer close enough to me had one within a three week window. I looked at a Scott, Specialized, and Canondale all 29ers. Ended up with the Canondale SL 2 29er, as I felt a tad bit more relaxed on it. Although the extra height felt weird on all of them, I'm sure it will feel right after a while. My wife ended up with a Scott Scale Contessa from the same price range as mine, but discounted to $700. By the time I got a rack, helmets, locks etc I broke my initial budget. When I was paying all I was thinking was, man I could be getting a speed 3 with all this money. Hehe. But this is better at the moment. Can't wait to get out for a ride hopefully tomorrow.

Got home this evening and put the kids to bed. I hauled the bikes into the house and set them in the living room. The 29er looks a lot bigger just standing on it. One thing I never really thought of when I was riding the bikes around was my standover height. The 26 bikes I was on were all medium bikes and this 29er is a medium. Riding around the neighborhood for 15 minutes, everything feels right about the bike. But standing still the crossbar is hugging the family jewels. I can still stand up right and not be on my tip toes, but no 1.5 inches of space between my legs like on a standard bike. I went reading around and found mixed opinions on the matter. :dunno: Many say it don't matter if everything else feels right, while others are saying that the bike is too big. But so far it seems to be okay.

Standover is a funny thing. I'm 6' tall and I prefer smaller frames than what is "recommended" because of the technical nature of the riding we do. For riding with a high technical element it's handy to be able to throw the bike around underneath yourself. To be able move your center of gravity around for steeps, cornering etc. as well as being able to bail out if needed.

We use the saddle mostly for bracing the bike against the inside of the thigh as much as we do for actually sitting.

29'rs are a mostly XC oriented. There are some (like GF Roscoes) that are more "trailbike" which have more travel but by and large 29's are set up for speed and long hauls. That being the case sometimes the top tube can be be less of an issue if you have snug clearence.

From a riding POV it shouldn't be a problem. The trouble starts when you have to get off the saddle in a pinch.:shocked2:

I