entry level hard-tail

Looking for a new(ish) hard-tail mountain bike. Will be used to bomb about woods around my house this summer and commute to class this coming fall at the University of Georgia. Will probably get a set of road tires to go with the bike for the fall.

I have tried to look for some quality used bikes but all my searches have turned up big box store crap. Their is absolutely nothing of quality in my area. So it looks like i will be visiting a bike shop. Plan on trying to get a last years model or close out so long as it fits and rides well. Mostly looking for recommendations on models and Brands since i just don't know much about bikes and the last place i went in tried to take me for a ride (no pun intended).

Looking at Trek 3000's, Fisher Mako, Specialized Hardrock, suggestions?

was looking at this one in particular. link

Be aware that once-great companies like the three you mentioned are all selling bikes out of chinese catalogs now.

It's hard to find a good, made-in-the-usa frame nowadays.

The bike you linked to appears to be a department store bike as well. The Rockshox Dart fork is nothing more than a spring in a tube.

Figure out what you want to spend on your bike, then buy a good, used example from someone else that's only a couple years old.

I bought my 2004 Cannondale Gemini 3000 this year for $900.00, it came freshly overhauled with a brand-new Marzocchi 66VF fork, new Avid Juicy 5's with 8" rotors, new SRAM SX5 rear deraileur and shifter and a new Raceface Diabolus stem.

Added new bars and a new cassette for another $100 and I was done.

The bike cost $3500 when it was new. I can't buy the new parts for $900.00.

Bikes depreciate worse than Corvettes.

Shawn

^Good advice. Just be sure to get the right size, when buying used.

If buying new, the shop is more important than the bike itself. The bikes will be much of a muchness, but finding a good shop with genuinely helpful staff and decent after-sales support can be hard.

Also, I'd tend to stay away from bikes like that Windsor Cliff in the link. It's quite well-spec'd for the price, but who knows what the frame will be like. Go with a proven brand like Specialized, Trek, etc instead. They may be stamped out in Taiwan/China, but the quality is usually very high.

$300-400 Raleigh/Diamondback/Felt are rock solid, decent components and if built by a decent shop, will last a long ass time. Almost all bikes from shops are spec'd tthe same (shimano or SRAM drivetrain with some other OEM subcomponents sprinkled in).

Its not till you get up around 900-1k new do you really see innovation break one brand out from the rest in a particular MTB discipline or another.

Look for: decent rims, adjustable shock (want it stiff for on road use), and independent shifter/brake levers. Having the shifter/brake lever in the same peice means if one breaks, gotta replace the whole thing, which can get difficult matching the original a few years after purchase. Mechanical disc brakes can be hard at that price too if you can find closeouts from a previous model year. I hate grip shift, so I would stay away from any of those like the plague, but some people swear by them, so YMMV.

Like mentioned above, fit and shop quality are primary. A good shop will be an unbeatable resource down the road. Try to find one whose sales people also ride, and preferably also wrench. Very important to try to find staff who is not commissioned - they will not try to sell you more bike than you need unless you go in asking for the top of the line. If the bike doesnt fit, you wont ride it.

In reply to Luke:

I know of a couple guys that have bought bikes direct bikes and have been pleased. I was tempted to buy one a year or so ago, but I ended up with a new Giant that was left over at a bike shop for two years.

I've got a Giant Boulder myself. I probably should have spent a bit more for the version with the more conventional 8 speed rear hub as the MegaRange setup is just plain... well, MegaStrange. Other than that it's not a bad bike; even though it is a Pacific Rim import, it's a lot better than a big box store bike.

Walked in Georgia Cycle Sport in Athens today and it seems like they do really well on after-purchase care. If you buy a bike from them they take care of tune ups for the life of the bike. I don't really know what is involved with a bike tune up but i doubt it is something i could not handle myself. Looked at a Cannondale F9 and a Specialized Hard-rock in the 350-450 range. the Hard-rock felt kinda nice, Don't see the great need for disk breaks on a bike.

Ride a couple bikes that fall into your price range and see how the shifting and braking feels. You will find that discs are much more powerful, though I'm not sure how good the modulation will be in the price range you are looking at. Whichever bike you like the ride best, buy it!

29er

It's the future, man.

Even my Juicy 5's have less-than-great modulation but I'm going to try some different pad compounds to see what I can do.

Shawn

Mechanical discs (likely the only type of disc brakes youll find in this range) dont modulate that well, but grip a whole hell of a lot better when wet/muddy/dirty/poopy .... than rim brakes. Also, a little wheel wobble wont stop you on the trail if you take a big hit like v-brakes will. Disc specific Rims are also typically stronger than flat wall...the profile on disc specific rims dont have the structural weak point of a tall sidewall like a traditional wheel. Pad material and proper break in will help modulation and feel in both mechanicals and hydraulic. Not all entry level bikes with disc brakes will have this type of wheel, but its something to look for.

I'd look for a lightly used Kona Stuff. GREAT bikes.