Mt. Bike suggestions

[Airspeed]

How about Ellsworth's bikes. http://www.wrenchscience.com/Ellsworth/ ... agodWBZ0DQ
Or Scotts carbon scale baikes are some of the best.
http://www.scottusa.com/gb_en/product/182/605/scale_ltd

For the price of those I could make a down payment on a double bypass surgery! That way I could just sit around instead!

[Dean_A]

I have been looking around and came across this one, it's under $500, I dont know of the quality. Anyone familiar with these?
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/400ds.htm
Or maybe this one,
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/700ds.htm

Check out the reviews for anything you're looking for at http://www.mtbr.com/
The Motobecanes are considered a good entry level bike, as long as you're not going to go out and bash it too hard. The frames are supposedly made in Taiwan by an outfit that makes frames for a lot of the big $$$$$ brands. It looks like the 700 and the 400 use the same Aluminum frame. The 400 just uses lower end components.
They seem like a good deal for the $, but I would not recommend buying any bike before getting a chance to ride it first, and having someone who knows what they're doing get it adjusted correctly to fit you.

[Airspeed]

I use to ride my Cannondale about twenty miles a day when I was MUCH younger ( I wish I still had it) I thought I would be Tour De France material, HaHa!!
I traded it for a broken down 56 Chevy truck that had no hope of ever running.
I guess I will have to make a trip to the big city and see what they have to offer. I live about 100 miles away from the nearest bike shop.

[Amish Classic]

Why Mountain? I have a hybrid bike ,true its a hard tail,but they make suspension seat posts that work well to absorb the bumps{Love mine}. My hybrid has same front shocks as most mountain,and with the seat post will keep the price in line with what you want. Slightly more upright riding then a mountain,and because the tires lean more towards street then dirt,faster/easier on the highway.Available with disc brakes for better stopping,and still be the price you want. Mine is a Gary Fisher Utopia model Hybrid bike.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/152505 ... 6027lRJsrA

Had recumbent trike,fast,but the recumbents are not hill climbers,cost twice to three times as much,and much harder on the knees. A fully suspended recumbent will set you back $2-4000. Sold the recumbent because of the knee issue,and non suspended hard ride.{not good on the back}

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/152505 ... 6027ePbAFU

Orange bike is a show bike stretch cruiser,rides like a caddy,gets lots of comments,and just fun to ride,old style 3 speed.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/285848 ... 6027RAtnhQ

[asianflava]

I have an old hardtail Marin, I think it's a 94model. Like they said in the earlier posts, stick to a good name. I haven't looked in a long time so I'm unsure who is still good or who isn't.

One thing I've found out, Mongoose is a good name but the bikes they sell outside of bike shops are not the same.

[mary and bob]

We have real bikes, two 70's Ross bikes, made in the USA!!! but as backup bikes, also a Raleigh and a BSA. and if you want to include motorcycles in this, we have two 72 Yamaha Enduros. nothing but vintage stuff here.

[MSG Hall]

Im with Amish Classic... a hybrid rides smoother, you sit up straighter and you can put the seat supenssion with a comfrtable seat.

you will enjoy riding much more and there for do more of it.

check these... some very good information here.

http://turinbicycle.com/page.cfm?pageID=43

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

[Fenlason]

Elmo just sent me a link to this thread.

I have been a bike guy for years.. and have worked in shops the last 26 years. As has been said.. for a full suspension mountain bike.. you will need to pay more than $500.00 [for anything worth owning] .

As has been said a hybrid would be a good option. With the way your back sounds.. It does not sound like you will be mountain biking.. meaning riding on rough trails. In general hybrids will give you a more upright posture.. than a mountain.. but it really depends on the bike...so don't just rule out a lower end mountain bike.

Not knowing what is wrong with your back... it's hard to recommend. but sitting straight up right.. is more jarring on the back, than leaning over more. All the shock goes straight up the spine. Leaning over some can be less jarring. For those that are healthy.. and limber.. a properly fitted road bike.. can be more comfortable than any of the others [although I am not suggesting this as an option for you].

For just protection from Jarring.. suspension seat posts work well. Some bikes come with them.. and there are plenty of after market ones... with of course different qualities. If you find a bike you like [that fits] and the post is not as plush as you would like.. most shops would swap it our for a better one.

I would recommend you find a shop you are comfortable with. Proper fit is important.. esp. if you have problems. New bikes also adjustments when new... adjusting cable stretch and that type of thing. Shops usually do that for free.. and most often while you wait.

The bikes direct stuff is not good. If they have to tell you how good a deal their stuff is.. then it probably isn't. We get them into the shop all the time... brand new they need a bit of work.

Motobecane is not the company it once was.. neither is Schwinn... or mongoose. They are just names that someone bought.

For example Schwinn went bankrupt and just sold stuff off.. the name has perceived value. but now the bikes are just department store quality [or lack of]

I won't recommend one brand over another though.. as long as you are dealing with a decent shop.

For example you may be looking at Specialized and Treks... in a particular type of bike you are looking at.. at a given price range.. one might fit you better than another. In this example Trek is not better than Specialized. There are differences... and you may like one better than another... and You may find at a given price.. one might give you a better value. than the other.. but at a different price point.. that could swing the other way... just don't limit your options by brand up front.

At the shop we will go through the lines that we carrry and look at that. In some cases we choose on color.. we will think these colors are more sellable [for our market] than those colors. [yet we can also order any of the other we chose not to stock]

Recumbents.. for some backs they can be better for others not. I have seen some hurt their back riding recumbents. Most of them will take longer to get comfortable on. Meaning they can be harder to ride [to start with].. the balance and technique is different.

good luck

[Airspeed]

Thanks for all the advice! I will take it with me when I go on my hunt.
The reason I want a Mt Bike is for the suspension as every bump I hit is painfull and the riding position takes the pressure of my spine.
I wont be doing any down hill racing or going off jumps but it would be nice to be able to get on a dirt road not be beat to death, there are miles of dirt, mountain roads where I live so I wouldnt be riding on the street much.
I used to know a lot about quality bikes but it has been years since I bought one and was wondering what was out there these days. I will keep all your advice in mind when I go to buy.
Thanks! Aaron

[Kens]

What nobody likes TREK?

[Fenlason]

What nobody likes TREK?

yeah I know.. It was just a brand name that came to mind

[Fenlason]

Thanks for all the advice! I will take it with me when I go on my hunt.
The reason I want a Mt Bike is for the suspension as every bump I hit is painfull and the riding position takes the pressure of my spine.
I wont be doing any down hill racing or going off jumps but it would be nice to be able to get on a dirt road not be beat to death, there are miles of dirt, mountain roads where I live so I wouldnt be riding on the street much.
I used to know a lot about quality bikes but it has been years since I bought one and was wondering what was out there these days. I will keep all your advice in mind when I go to buy.
Thanks! Aaron

hybrids will [or can] have front suspension also. From what I am "hearing" I would look at both.. either may fit the bill.

glenn

[looped]

for a while i rode a haro v1 basically a 250.00 hardtail with front suspension. i beat the heck out of it for about a year (lots of jumping and technical riding) to the average fun rider it would last alot longer.

this isnt an ad per se for this store but as far as chain stores go this is a better one, Sun and ski sports (found in many malls) has a decent repair facility in the store and they do offer a decent level of support to people who bought their bikes there. the reason i mention this place is that if you are out and about and need some adjustment done beyond your ability the chances of one being near is greater than buying from a one location shop. if you plan to just ride it around at a leisurely pace then soemthing like a haro or a mrin would be an excellent option for the price.

check this out,, it may make the shopping easier..

http://sunandskibikes.com/page.cfm?pageID=455

and the v1 is now selling for 299 in store you might be able to find it cheaper as last years models could still be there at a reduced price
http://sunandskibikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=3145

Now i know there are alot better "go faster" bikes out there but i am speaking from experience with this one and this place. for a first bike this is a pretty good one and it wont break the bank.

I just thought that if my 230 lb self can jump this smack into that endo over this and constantly bang into that with this bike then it would be worth a mention. it was a good first bike for me.. now i am riding this stupid expensive one that has go faster stripes and 5x the cost
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/ ... 010158.jpg

[emiller]

How about Ellsworth's bikes. http://www.wrenchscience.com/Ellsworth/ ... agodWBZ0DQ
Or Scotts carbon scale baikes are some of the best.
http://www.scottusa.com/gb_en/product/182/605/scale_ltd

For the price of those I could make a down payment on a double bypass surgery! That way I could just sit around instead!

Yep that's why I ordered mine from Sams Club, and they have cool names Jeep Cherokee mountain bikes. This is what they look like http://www.allthingsjeep.com/cyc41-cherokeesmens.html

[looped]

whatever bike you end up getting be sure to get a helmet. not just any helmet though,

shop around until you find one that actually fits your head and dont give in to the "Just add padding to make it fit" line.

there are so many styles and shaped out there there has got to be one that will actually fit right.

also these helmets are designed to protect your head once! if you wreck and the helmet takes a hit replace it. a 20 - 70 dollar helmet is alot cheaper than a 20,000.00 to 70,000.00 head injury.