mountain bikers (aka ken): help me find a bike!

[fast64]

I am going to start shopping for a bike this weekend, and want some advice before i start hitting the bike shops so i know what to be looking for and in what price range. I will mostly use it for riding to class, but want something that could also handle some abuse on weekend trips and be comfortable on longer rides and also last me a couple years before i have to do any major work on it. I don't want a department store bike, but don't want to break the bank, so I am probably going to end up getting a used bike, or a left over 04 or 05 model. What should I be looking for and what should I stay away from? Also, I am going to get a bike shop to fit me for a bike, but what size should I be looking for? I am thinking about 17" would be good for me since I am 5'9"ish.

[Ken]

The bike shop will size it properly, don't worry about that.

Stay away from Trek/GaryFisher/Klein if you can, decent bikes on the higher end, but down in the sub-$500 range they are pretty cheap on components

I'm partial to Specialized and Cannondale but there are many others which are of decent quality.

What is your price range? Used is definatley the way to go unless you are ready to drop $2k on something new.

[fast64]

i want to say about $200-300, but thats probably too low. in reality i will probably spend like 4 or 500.

[Ken]

Anything from a bike shop is going to be better than the best thing at walmart.

But there are Mt.Bike forums who may offer a better deal than a bike shop. mtbr.com would be the first place I'd look.

[fast64]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ken Anything from a bike shop is going to be better than the best thing at walmart. But there are Mt.Bike forums who may offer a better deal than a bike shop. mtbr.com would be the first place I'd look.

i will never buy a dept. store bike. i'll try mtbr.com

[steedav6builder]

I'm looking to buy a mountain bike too, prob gonna spend around 800-1000 what should i get.

[Brent]

One that has round wheels is a good start.

[tedness]

specialized carries some nice bikes. i've never been steered wrong with them.