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I've been looking at mountain bike on CL for awhile. Don't really need a new one, just looking. Why in the hell do some bikes cost in the $3000 range? Are they made of gold or what? I am not a true mountain biker and I have never ridin on trails. The furthest I got is on the canal by my house. Now I have had a cheap Wally World full suspention bike and could tell a big difference when riding on rough terrain. I now have a Raliegh hardtail that was given to me. I love the bike, needs some work and a tune up, but works great for what I use it for, just riding around town and staying in shape. I just can't justify spending upwards of $5000 on a bike. Please tell me why, someone!

Why does a 12oz filet mignon cost $60 at a ritzy restaurant ... and then you have to pay $12 for a baked potato side?

Because people pay.

Do you really need a full squish bike? Personally, unless you're looking to do downhill, I wouldn't bother. My hardtail seems to do just fine ;) The more expensive fs bikes though, do operate completely differently. There is some 'logic' built into the dampening so that you don't get as much suspension bob on pedaling etc, which robs you of power transfer. Then there's the $$ into the components, mostly to drop weight really.

Yeah but those $12 potatoes are huge like the size of a football too

@kevinweitzel75 the more expensive bikes are generally lighter and it cost exponentially more per ounce. Keep your spinning weight(wheels/tires) down and you'll notice the biggest difference.

Remember the more you spend the more you have to lose. Sucks when your bike costs so much you can't leave it in a truck bed while going into a gas station.

I have a $2000 bike and I do ride on trails. Please do not use the word "Bicycle" and the word "Wallyworld" in the same sentence in my presence! ;)

Just kidding, but yes, there is an enormous difference. Huge. However, that being said, it is better to start out mountain biking with an entry level, under $1000 hardtail. Something like a Specialized Rockhopper, etc. Something for around $800 or so. Buy it at a bike shop, ask a lot of questions, and make sure it is fitted to you. If they don't put you on it, and measure stuff, they are not fitting it to you--take your business somewhere else. Do not buy a bike from a shop that will not take time with you, fit it to you, and offer you some sort of free tuneups for a year, or other perk. If they are all arrogant and snobby because you are a newby, go somewhere where they appreciate your business.

Dang I hate snobby little bike shop pr*cks...there are some nice guys in the business, though.

Then go ride trails, and ride WITH other riders who are better and are willing to teach you some skills. Don't let them take you anywhere super steep and try to kill you-- find out which single track trails are rated beginner and ride those, then move to beginner/intermediate and ride those, then on to solid intermediate, etc.

Canal roads don't count as beginner, by the way. Ride them anyway, just for pedaling exercise! Ride everywhere, ride to work, ride to school, ride to the store--you will need that fitness for the trails later on. (Buy a really good lock and/or ride your wallyworld bike to the store, though) I actually walk around in the grocery store WITH MY BIKE sometimes.

Also, when at a LBS keep in mind that if they have old stock lying around.. that can be a HUGE savings (my hardtail was a year old when I got it, and about $800 cheaper because of that then the current model year was)

I sold my Wally World bike after I got my Raleigh. I have noticed a huge difference b/w the two bikes. The raleigh has all Shamano parts. The peddling is so much easier and the frame is aluminum. Much lighter than any other piece of crap I have had in the past. The tires are cheap but the rims are alloy (if thats good). Derailers need a tune up, I only ride the bike in one gear. I could probably tune those myself to get acouple more gears. Not really looking to start in mountain biking anytime soon, my wife has already heard enough about backpacking and my weekly hiking trips. Not working full time has given me alot of time to surf CL for gear, chit chat on HAZ and spend time out. Guess there are some good sides to working part time.

Well if you are kind of unemployed I guess I am not going to advise you go get yearly $40 to $100 bike tune up. That might not help the old marriage thing... But generally, I would say unless you are a good bike mechanic, get tune up every year at least, and have them check the bearings to see if they need to be repacked, etc. It can add up, though... I just am not a great mechanic, but have a friend who has offered to teach me more...

If you were local, I'd do it for beer

There are a few good, to-the-point books on the subject that will save you a lot of $$ and abuse from a bike mechanic...

Also the Park Tool website has loads of information on performing your own maintenance.

dysfunction wrote:If you were local, I'd do it for beer

That would be cool. Maybe I can find a reason to get to Tucson. I'll bring up a 12 pack.

Thanks to eveyone for the input. I will need to check out some books on "do it yourself". I know very little about tune ups.

if the library has it (no point paying for it if you can check it out) Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is a good start

I started with (and still ride) a hard-tail Specialized Stump Jumper, and that thing has been pushed to the max. It has a now-mangled 65mm fork, scratches all over from endos and wipe-outs, and helped me get from newbie to intermediate through it all. I'd get comfortable with a "lower end" - notice the quotes, lol - bike like azbackpacker suggests, get comfortable with it, and see what works for you if/when you decide to get into biking soon. Some people swear by full suspension, some love the 29ers, some are obsessed with single speeds, so you'll get all kinds of advice! When it comes time for a nicer bike, you'll know what you want.

My friends ride single speeds. They are men, 20 years younger than I am. That is how I can sort of keep up with them!

I have the Spec. Stumpjumper full suspension comp. I like the suspension, but I did have a hardtail for years. It was a Schwinn--before the company got bought out.

I have found I am not very good at super technical or steep, so I tend to go for distance and fitness. As the summer progresses, if I stick to distance and fitness, I start to find my technical abilities improving, so then I can ride a little bit harder trails. I am never going to get to "advanced" though. There is a lot of fairly easy single-track and two-track in my area. But regular Forest Service roads are pretty boring. Sometimes I will do really long loops on them, though.






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Gets more expensive when you have a large collection of bicycles.

Why in the hell do some bikes cost in the $3000 range? Are they made of gold or what?

Not gold, that stuff's weak, heavy and cheap. Titanium and carbon composite, now that's the ticket.

what was it Bontrager said?

You can have light, strong or cheap. Pick any two.