I want to buy a good mountain bike.

[Arcadio]

I decided to buy a good mountain bike. I'm thinking of spending about $800. $1K max. What should I look at? I know nothing about mountain bikes. 95% of the time the bike will be used for city driving.

 

[Vic Vega]

Do they have mountains in the En Why See?

 

[Arcadio]

Do they have mountains in the En Why See?

Good point. Most of the time I will be driving in city roads, but once in a while I'll take it to a bike trail upstate or on a camping trip.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Good Mountain bike to do 95% city riding?

That's like getting an AWD SUV to drive on the roads only.

With your budget you are looking at "low end" models from just about any decent maker.

I suggest you save your money/stay off the mountains and pick yourself up a 200-300 Diamondback from Dicks or something.....

Or get something on a used market!!!

Do they have mountains in the En Why See?

NYC potholes can qualify as mountains, sure

 

[artvscommerce]

bikesdirect dot com is pretty awesome if you don't mind doing a little reading on derailleur adjustments and some very minor assembly. I've also seen great deals on last years models at the local bike shops. There are many brands that are good, but i've always liked Kona, Gary Fisher, and Specialized. What types of riding do you plan to do?

 

[soulcougher73]

Check out Jamis. Good bikes.
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/index.html

 

[_Rick_]

Get a cheap city bike and rent mountain bikes for the trails.

 

[drbrock]

I just picked up a Scott around Christmas time for 800. It was last years model with a MRSP of around 1050 I think.

I like the 29er but it is a personal choice. I am larger guy compared to most and it feels better than the smaller 26er. The only issue I have with the 29er is that in tight turns it does not have trouble compared to the smaller bike. If I was really serious into racing it would be something to consider.

Best bet is to go to your local bike shops and find one with the best customer service. Have them fit you and tell them what kind of riding you are going to be doing. Make sure that all the service is included in the price of the bike. Trust me on these higher end bikes everything runs so smoothly that you will notice a difference when they need service.

 

[KidNiki1]

find a good local bike shop and ask them. if you will mostly be going on roads, then you probably want either a road bike or a hybrid. the bike shop people will be able to tell you what style of bike is best tho.

i just bought a Trek and it is super comfy and i really like it. i don't remember which model, i can check when i get home.

 

[artvscommerce]

they make "hybrid" bikes that are pretty versatile. They can handle trails pretty well but would still be very comfortable for city riding. IMO, $400+ is the minimum to get something good quality. I don't see anything wrong with it being a "lower end model" if it's from a quality company. However I would certainly not want to be riding a department store bike that will ride like shit and potentially fall apart. (not familiar with diamondback's quality these days but I've never seen a bike in that price range that looked very solid.)

 

[Aharami]

i would seriously look at bikesdirect.com. At that price you'd be able to get a bike with components usually found on a bike that retails for $1000 - 1200!

 

[bigi]

I decided to buy a good mountain bike. I'm thinking of spending about $800. $1K max. What should I look at? I know nothing about mountain bikes. 95% of the time the bike will be used for city driving.

Starthere, if you haven't already.

I'd get 700 bike for city driving to be honest. Moreover, this kind of bike would be easier to find within your budget.

You can't buy MTB for $800 really. It is hard to buy a frame for $800 actually.

I'd get something like this give or take.

Those perform amazingly well off road as long as it is not too crazy.

 

[brainhulk]

http://www.jensonusa.com/10-off-prior-model-year-Focus-bikes/Focus-Super-Bud-50-Bike-2011

there's a sale right now too

Save an additional 10% on prior model year Focus bikes with promo code "FOCUS10" - hurry, offer ends August 2nd.

 

[Uppsala9496]

i would seriously look at bikesdirect.com. At that price you'd be able to get a bike with components usually found on a bike that retails for $1000 - 1200!

This.
I bought one from them a few months ago. Well worth the $350 I spent. I ended up getting the motobecane 550ht. Bike has been great so far. Setup was minimal, but it was a pain in the ass adjusting the derailleur. Still don't have it perfect, however for the gears I do use, it's just fine. Late fall I will suck it up and pay my local shop $50 to get everything correctly adjusted.

I ride about 7 miles every day. 3 of those 7 miles are road/crushed limestone. The remaining 4 is dirt/mud. A hybrid would have allowed me to be more efficient on the road/limestone, but would have made the dirt trail section difficult, especially after rains. It's a rather technical path with not a lot of room for error.

 

[jonny13]

i would seriously look at bikesdirect.com. At that price you'd be able to get a bike with components usually found on a bike that retails for $1000 - 1200!

I would also recommend them. I bought the bike below last fall and love it. I brought it in for a tune up after putting the final touches on (putting the tires on, other basic assembly, etc) and it's been assume. It has same/similar components for a $2400 Trek, but less than half the cost.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/29point5.htm

 

[Arcadio]

I would also recommend them. I bought the bike below last fall and love it. I brought it in for a tune up after putting the final touches on (putting the tires on, other basic assembly, etc) and it's been assume. It has same/similar components for a $2400 Trek, but less than half the cost.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/29point5.htm

That bike looks great. I might go to a bike shop later and check out the road bikes and mountain bikes and check them out.

 

[Ryland]

I have the black Gravity 29.2 http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/29point2.htm on a black friday sale for $500 which has been perfectly fine for me. Setup was simple once a friend showed me how.

 

[MadScientist]

they make "hybrid" bikes that are pretty versatile. They can handle trails pretty well but would still be very comfortable for city riding. IMO, $400+ is the minimum to get something good quality. I don't see anything wrong with it being a "lower end model" if it's from a quality company. However I would certainly not want to be riding a department store bike that will ride like shit and potentially fall apart. (not familiar with diamondback's quality these days but I've never seen a bike in that price range that looked very solid.)

This. I do 100% city riding and have a GT ZUM 4.0 hybrid bike I purchased about 5 years ago. I paid <$250. for it. It's held up well. GT has since replaced it with different models. http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=2006&brand=GT&model=ZuM+4.0#.UfkjFpLOvpg

 

[PricklyPete]

To start, 1k is really on the low end for mountain biking. I'm not trying to be elitist, this is just reality. That being said, who cares as you are just going to use this around the city. I actually would avoid spending anywhere near that. Spend under $400 on an older, simple bike on Craigslist. You are riding around the city and don't need the extra maintenance of disc brakes and suspension systems. Rent a mtn bike if you ever actually do some mtn biking. If you decide that heading to the mtns on the weekend is going to be a regular thing, you are going to want spend a lot more than $800 on a good bike...and you will not want to ride that bike around NYC (so your original purchase will still be valid).

 

[Dirigible]

$1k is plenty for a fine trail worthy bike. Get a hardtail (front suspension), not a full suspension bike at that price though. I recommend a 29er, but that's personal preference.

Find a bike shop that will take the time to fit you to a bike and let you try them. Try several. Get one that fits. Most brands at that price point will be similar quality.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I have an older santa cruz ultralight with maxxis holy rollers. It's perfectly fine in the city, urban areas and also acceptable on the trails.

I don't do any of the mudding type downhill stuff, nor I put on spandex outfits and hold up traffic, so YMMV.

 

[Arcadio]

Nevermind

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I just bought a new Trek DS (dual sport) 8.3. Its a hybrid bike. I mainly ride street or gravel trails nothing too taxing on a bicycle so I had no need for a heavy mountain bike but I'm a little too rough for a pure road bike. It has disc brakes, front suspension. The 2013 are on clearance right now and I snagged mine for $550 and tax. $600 out the door. Very happy with about 150 miles so far. I have placed an order for a more comfy seat but the stock seat isn't terrible. I've got the gearing dialed in last night and am excited for my ride tonight to try it out. Sounds like the perfect bike for a city dweller such as yourself that needs upright riding position and durability to combat pot hole ridden streets.

 

[Legios]

Are there good tires/tubes that anyone recommends. I weigh in at 250lbs and can get a pinch flat quite easily with the stock tubes if Im going to fast to hop up every curb.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Late fall I will suck it up and pay my local shop $50 to get everything correctly adjusted.

I have no idea what I'm doing but I just dialed in my gearing myself. The shop supposedly adjusted it before I left the shop. Get a good bike stand (park tool) and just play with it. There's 4 screws and it's pretty simple. I don't think there is a perfect adjustment at least not unless you get into the really expensive stuff but I've got mine much better than the shop did.