I bought a Mongoose Switchback AL bike for $300 at a local bike shop. Good parts, comfortable, and rides well. Why cheapen out when you will own this thing for 10 years.
Agree.
The Rockadile is a good deal, but if you buy it online, you have to partially assemble it. From the bikes I've seen at walmart, this thing is FAR better and your better off assembling it yourself than letting walmart assemble it. I was tempted to purchase a walmart price because of dual-suspension + price, but I'm glad I didn't. Full suspension doesn't mean anything if it's from walmart... you'll be bouncing all day long ...
I started mtn biking a year ago and purchased two bikes, mongoose zero g3 2001 ($300) and a low end Trek ($350). Initially, the professionally assembled trek was far smoother than my partially assembled mongoose (even if the mongoose had better components). From that experience, I totally recommend going to local bike shops (except those crappy ones that try to sell you a bunch of stuff you don't need). But the Mongoose zero g3 was far better deal component for component ... later i replaced the original rockshox fett fork with a rockshox duke for $100. the bike is real ugly though, bright orange .. but it lets riders know i'm a newbie and stay the fook out of my way. Now that I've learned how to adjust the bike, i can tweak it to run smooth -- not as good as a bike shop though.
Back to the $199 Mongoose rockadile, If you have couple hundred dollas more, go to a local store and find a Trek hardtail or giant onsale.
Here are the specs from Mongooses website:
http://www.mongoose.com/bikes/detail.php?id=38&brandLine=Pro_US&brandID=8
As a mountain biker I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10 foot pole and would advise others to avoid it as well. It is almost a full steel frame (except for the seatpost), which is very heavy and will not hold up to much stress. If you are just purchasing a cruiser or commuter bike it would probably fit the bill, but if you actually intend to try even easy to moderate trail riding make sure you get a full (as in 100% including the rear triangle) cro-mo or aluminum frame. Aluminum is generally lighter, stiffer, but more expensive and will fail before a cro-mo frame will, however most good manufacturers offer lifetime guarantees on their better frames. This one is indeed more comparable to a huffy or "cheapy" walmart bike (with slightly better components). In the low end mountain bike range, most good shops will have a full cro-mo bike with all metal Shimano components in the $200-300 range. When shopping for a nice beginner mountain bike look for all metal derailers and brake levers (most all shifters will be plastic anyway) and also look for a front cogset that actually bolts to the right hand crank instead of just being pressed onto it. If you find those things you are usually getting a quality bike. Even a lot of the better bike manufacturers are putting plastic junk components on their full cro-mo frames in order to compete with the cheap junk bikes that are available at Walmart, Costco, etc., so watch out and don't let the sales guy throw a pitch at you.
I've had several of these bikes when I was younger and although I am a big dude (230lbs.) they never hold up under any sort of off-road use. I've gone on dozens of rides where someone thought they had a mountain bike and showed up on one of these or something similar and we've spent precious trail time performing all sorts of repairs on junk components, jumping on bent wheels and twisted frames, and even trying to ductape a broken frame or fork out on the trail just so we can get back. This is no fun for anyone, and is a sure way to make you totally hate mountain biking.
dcdomain is absolutely right about cheap full suspension bikes. You are way better off buying a good hard tail than a cheap full suspension bike, even if you have back problems. Cheap rear suspension is a gimmick and DOES NOT WORK, although if you haven't ridden anything else you may not realize it. Don't even think about buying a full suspension bike unless you are looking for something in the $700-1000 range.
http://www.mongoose.com/bikes/detail.php?id=38&brandLine=Pro_US&brandID=8
As a mountain biker I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10 foot pole and would advise others to avoid it as well. It is almost a full steel frame (except for the seatpost), which is very heavy and will not hold up to much stress. If you are just purchasing a cruiser or commuter bike it would probably fit the bill, but if you actually intend to try even easy to moderate trail riding make sure you get a full (as in 100% including the rear triangle) cro-mo or aluminum frame. Aluminum is generally lighter, stiffer, but more expensive and will fail before a cro-mo frame will, however most good manufacturers offer lifetime guarantees on their better frames. This one is indeed more comparable to a huffy or "cheapy" walmart bike (with slightly better components). In the low end mountain bike range, most good shops will have a full cro-mo bike with all metal Shimano components in the $200-300 range. When shopping for a nice beginner mountain bike look for all metal derailers and brake levers (most all shifters will be plastic anyway) and also look for a front cogset that actually bolts to the right hand crank instead of just being pressed onto it. If you find those things you are usually getting a quality bike. Even a lot of the better bike manufacturers are putting plastic junk components on their full cro-mo frames in order to compete with the cheap junk bikes that are available at Walmart, Costco, etc., so watch out and don't let the sales guy throw a pitch at you.
I've had several of these bikes when I was younger and although I am a big dude (230lbs.) they never hold up under any sort of off-road use. I've gone on dozens of rides where someone thought they had a mountain bike and showed up on one of these or something similar and we've spent precious trail time performing all sorts of repairs on junk components, jumping on bent wheels and twisted frames, and even trying to ductape a broken frame or fork out on the trail just so we can get back. This is no fun for anyone, and is a sure way to make you totally hate mountain biking.
dcdomain is absolutely right about cheap full suspension bikes. You are way better off buying a good hard tail than a cheap full suspension bike, even if you have back problems. Cheap rear suspension is a gimmick and DOES NOT WORK, although if you haven't ridden anything else you may not realize it. Don't even think about buying a full suspension bike unless you are looking for something in the $700-1000 range.
Here are some better recommendations. They may cost a bit more, but you get a lot more bike for the money and if you find a local shop that is trying to dump off last years stock you can get some killer deals, sometimes as much as half off of MSRP.
Diamondback Response
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=9&itemid=87
Diamondback Topanga
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=9&itemid=51
Trek 4100 or better
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/mountain/4100.jsp
Giant Boulder SE (not regular Boulder as it has the junk ATB frame), Rincon, or Yukon
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/03...003&bikesection=8817&range=122&mode=rangelist
And if you can find them, some of the Univega Alpina line are pretty nice and affordable.
It's a great sport and I'd hate to see someone get disappointed with it by buying a crap first bike.
Diamondback Response
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=9&itemid=87
Diamondback Topanga
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=9&itemid=51
Trek 4100 or better
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/mountain/4100.jsp
Giant Boulder SE (not regular Boulder as it has the junk ATB frame), Rincon, or Yukon
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/03...003&bikesection=8817&range=122&mode=rangelist
And if you can find them, some of the Univega Alpina line are pretty nice and affordable.
It's a great sport and I'd hate to see someone get disappointed with it by buying a crap first bike.
Finally, a MTB thread...
I ride a freeride bike (read that as freeride monster)... 6.5" travel in rear, 5" up front... 8" disc brakes all around, weighs around 35lbs, However, I can honestly say that i have ridden almost EVERY frame thats widely available today, and many that arent.
first things first... Anything from chainstore= heavy, cheap (in all senses of the word), limited upgradable, hunks of aluminum/iron... Avoid unless you have NO other options. They will be running absolutely bottom of the line parts all around. Crap hubs, rims, spokes, forks, bars, shifters, derailleurs, seats, seatposts, chains, cranks, pedals, grips, stems, headsets, cables... you name it, the mfr cut corners on it to save money. The people who put the together are untrained, and often do poor jobs. If you check out all the recalls, 90% of them are for store-bikes. Main problem areas= forks, both suspension and rigid.
If you are gonna buy a bike, get it from a LBS (local bike shop). Trust me, theres one nearby. I live in BFN, and theres one 30 mins away in 3 directions... Trek bikes are ok... any model is gonna be Alpha Alum. and have an RST or RochShox low end fork. The fork is going to work OK, but will not have anything adjustable. Big deal... It will have V-brakes, which work great compared to the old cantilevers. It will have 24 or 27 speeds... whatever, dont expect it to shift perfectly forever. It doesnt have the best components, but its gonna work for a long time.
Specialized bikes are great. Their new frames use square->round tubing on the headtube, and are strong as heck... I like them, but they are often in short supply.
Giant bikes ROCK. My first "new" (in the past 5 years) bike was a Giant. Great bike, great company. They have a good lineup, with a lot of features, often for a lot less than you'd expect.
Other brands:
G.Fisher- I'm not a big fan of Genessis Geometry, but some swear by it. Try it out if you can.
Kona- Amazing bikes, with a lot of sizes, but prices are a little higher. If you have a dealer in the area, check them out.
Marin- worth a look... some decent low end bikes.
GT- still making bikes, but quality on the lower price ones have gone WAY down... high end ones are still as good as they were <-not saying much
there are other mfr's... but, NO pacific, no Huffy, umm... no roadmaster, any walmart brand. WHY?
Do you want to entrust your testicles to the sporting goods dept. at WalMart? If you buy a bike there, you are giving them the chance to take those unborn children from you by assembling your bike wrong... as they're not trained.
Riding forever,
SharkyTM
(2001 Kona Stinky-DEE lux)
I ride a freeride bike (read that as freeride monster)... 6.5" travel in rear, 5" up front... 8" disc brakes all around, weighs around 35lbs, However, I can honestly say that i have ridden almost EVERY frame thats widely available today, and many that arent.
first things first... Anything from chainstore= heavy, cheap (in all senses of the word), limited upgradable, hunks of aluminum/iron... Avoid unless you have NO other options. They will be running absolutely bottom of the line parts all around. Crap hubs, rims, spokes, forks, bars, shifters, derailleurs, seats, seatposts, chains, cranks, pedals, grips, stems, headsets, cables... you name it, the mfr cut corners on it to save money. The people who put the together are untrained, and often do poor jobs. If you check out all the recalls, 90% of them are for store-bikes. Main problem areas= forks, both suspension and rigid.
If you are gonna buy a bike, get it from a LBS (local bike shop). Trust me, theres one nearby. I live in BFN, and theres one 30 mins away in 3 directions... Trek bikes are ok... any model is gonna be Alpha Alum. and have an RST or RochShox low end fork. The fork is going to work OK, but will not have anything adjustable. Big deal... It will have V-brakes, which work great compared to the old cantilevers. It will have 24 or 27 speeds... whatever, dont expect it to shift perfectly forever. It doesnt have the best components, but its gonna work for a long time.
Specialized bikes are great. Their new frames use square->round tubing on the headtube, and are strong as heck... I like them, but they are often in short supply.
Giant bikes ROCK. My first "new" (in the past 5 years) bike was a Giant. Great bike, great company. They have a good lineup, with a lot of features, often for a lot less than you'd expect.
Other brands:
G.Fisher- I'm not a big fan of Genessis Geometry, but some swear by it. Try it out if you can.
Kona- Amazing bikes, with a lot of sizes, but prices are a little higher. If you have a dealer in the area, check them out.
Marin- worth a look... some decent low end bikes.
GT- still making bikes, but quality on the lower price ones have gone WAY down... high end ones are still as good as they were <-not saying much
there are other mfr's... but, NO pacific, no Huffy, umm... no roadmaster, any walmart brand. WHY?
Do you want to entrust your testicles to the sporting goods dept. at WalMart? If you buy a bike there, you are giving them the chance to take those unborn children from you by assembling your bike wrong... as they're not trained.
Riding forever,
SharkyTM
(2001 Kona Stinky-DEE lux)
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