what mountain bike do I want?
June 7, 2017 6:11 PM Subscribe
After foot injuries have made hiking iffy, I've decided to get a mountain bike. What should I get based on these parameters? Looking to have a good idea of what's reasonable before I get mansplained to at the bike shop.
-I plan to start on forest service and gravel roads, progress to singletrack
-I'm a 5'1" woman with proportionally short arms and legs- I've never bought a new bike or had a real fitting before. Currently riding a youth bike rescued from a Dumpster around town.
-Would prefer basic design but high quality and upgradable components
-Budget is in the $800 range, but flexible if given a compelling reason.
-I plan to start on forest service and gravel roads, progress to singletrack
-I'm a 5'1" woman with proportionally short arms and legs- I've never bought a new bike or had a real fitting before. Currently riding a youth bike rescued from a Dumpster around town.
-Would prefer basic design but high quality and upgradable components
-Budget is in the $800 range, but flexible if given a compelling reason.
I started where you are five years ago. I just went into my local bike shop and got a Specialized Hardrock. I'm 5'2 and was on the xs size which I think was a 13in frame. It was well under your budget but not a fantastic bike. I had a great time on it and never had any problems but it was quite heavy and the gearing wasn't ideal. After four years, I felt I was riding enough to upgrade to a full suspension bike, which costs way more. I think that was a good way to do it though; start on a hard tail and see if you're using it and actually like biking, then consider upgrading in the future.
If you have a choice, I would recommend 27.5in wheels. Pretty sure people our size can't get 29in wheels. I also paid a bit extra to get disc brakes initially, which I was glad for. Also buy what you need to fix a flat (spare tube, tire levers, co2 cartridges or pump). I also recommend a water bottle cage although you may prefer a camelbak.
I would also ask about women's specific bikes. That's not what I bought originally and it was fine but my new bike is and it might make a difference to how it fits.
posted by carolr at 7:01 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you have a choice, I would recommend 27.5in wheels. Pretty sure people our size can't get 29in wheels. I also paid a bit extra to get disc brakes initially, which I was glad for. Also buy what you need to fix a flat (spare tube, tire levers, co2 cartridges or pump). I also recommend a water bottle cage although you may prefer a camelbak.
I would also ask about women's specific bikes. That's not what I bought originally and it was fine but my new bike is and it might make a difference to how it fits.
posted by carolr at 7:01 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
There are cyclocross bikes with thin knobby tires that are great for light dirt / gravel. Then normal mountain bikes. And snow / fat bikes with huuuge tires.
I would suggest trying several bikes you are interested in before putting down on owning something.
Most decent places will let you leave your drivers license or credit card and let you tool around for a good while around the block to get a feel for the bike. Go up curbs. Down curbs. Sprint. Slam on the brakes and skid a bit.
Disc brakes are more common and I like the "oh shi---" stopping ability they provide. Also lower maintenance. Walk out of 2 or 3 bike shops before deciding. You might even be able to find last year's model on clearance or on Craigslist for a great deal once you have your sights set closer.
posted by nickggully at 8:12 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
I would suggest trying several bikes you are interested in before putting down on owning something.
Most decent places will let you leave your drivers license or credit card and let you tool around for a good while around the block to get a feel for the bike. Go up curbs. Down curbs. Sprint. Slam on the brakes and skid a bit.
Disc brakes are more common and I like the "oh shi---" stopping ability they provide. Also lower maintenance. Walk out of 2 or 3 bike shops before deciding. You might even be able to find last year's model on clearance or on Craigslist for a great deal once you have your sights set closer.
posted by nickggully at 8:12 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think here the "universal rule" of outdoor equipment applies: get whatever. Use it to start with, and let your own experiences tell you what about all that you want to change: which parts should be bigger/smaller, fatter/slimmer, softer/harder, whatever.
But I will give some specifics: nowadays, definitely definitely disk brakes. Parts compatibility is really tricky in my experience and everything short of a seat has been a real pain to change out while still fitting. So go for a quality but lower-cost bike, decide what you wish it had different, and use that to plan/budget for bike number 2.
posted by traveler_ at 8:58 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
But I will give some specifics: nowadays, definitely definitely disk brakes. Parts compatibility is really tricky in my experience and everything short of a seat has been a real pain to change out while still fitting. So go for a quality but lower-cost bike, decide what you wish it had different, and use that to plan/budget for bike number 2.
posted by traveler_ at 8:58 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
My first mountain bike was a hardtail Specialized Rockhopper with higher-end gears, and that was a nice place to start. Full suspension is nice, but more expensive and heavy, and for fire roads and easy singletrack a hardtail is perfectly decent.
I'm not much taller and have a 29er, but wouldn't recommend one to start. They're like monster trucks and climb like beasts, but are way less nimble, which is probably why there's been a shift to 27.5 wheels.
I wouldn't recommend a fat bike for a summer workhorse bike... they're expensive, heavy and slow in my opinion, although lots of people love them. Where I live they're mostly used for snow biking and winter commuting.
If you have shorter arms & legs, women's-specific bikes may not work for you because they tend to be made for a shorter torso. I had better luck with small ungendered bikes. Different brands fit differently, though, so it's worth test riding to see what feels best.
posted by bighappyhairydog at 9:05 PM on June 7, 2017
I'm not much taller and have a 29er, but wouldn't recommend one to start. They're like monster trucks and climb like beasts, but are way less nimble, which is probably why there's been a shift to 27.5 wheels.
I wouldn't recommend a fat bike for a summer workhorse bike... they're expensive, heavy and slow in my opinion, although lots of people love them. Where I live they're mostly used for snow biking and winter commuting.
If you have shorter arms & legs, women's-specific bikes may not work for you because they tend to be made for a shorter torso. I had better luck with small ungendered bikes. Different brands fit differently, though, so it's worth test riding to see what feels best.
posted by bighappyhairydog at 9:05 PM on June 7, 2017
On bikes at lower-mid-range and below (which unfortunately $800 falls into) I really like keeping the mechanics as simple as possible. On a mountain bike, I'd say that means hardtail and double crankset, not triple. If you can spring for it, maybe something with SRAM's newer NX drivetrain, which is a single chainring in the front and wide-range cassette in the back, which is very on trend, easy to maintain, and simple to ride.
Any bike from a good major brand would serve you well I bet-- simpler mechanicals are just the direction that I'd go in.
posted by supercres at 9:10 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
Any bike from a good major brand would serve you well I bet-- simpler mechanicals are just the direction that I'd go in.
posted by supercres at 9:10 PM on June 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
nickggully: "There are cyclocross bikes with thin knobby tires that are great for light dirt / gravel. "
Be aware a cyclocross bike's lowest gear usually isn't as low as a mountain bike which makes ascents harder for people who aren't already bike fit.
posted by Mitheral at 11:17 PM on June 7, 2017
Be aware a cyclocross bike's lowest gear usually isn't as low as a mountain bike which makes ascents harder for people who aren't already bike fit.
posted by Mitheral at 11:17 PM on June 7, 2017
A good fat tire bike starts at $1600. I think a hardtail is good. I bought my first mountain bike off Craigslist last year, that helped a lot with price. Disc brakes yes. Lots and lots of gears!
posted by kerf at 12:40 AM on June 8, 2017
posted by kerf at 12:40 AM on June 8, 2017
I got my first mountain bike last year. I fretted about how much to spend, what model to get, what components I needed. In the end, I set a budget and went to the bike shop and bought the best hardtail I could get - my only requirements were 27.5" (I had been on a 29er and it felt huge) and disc brakes, and got what my cyclist friend referred to as "entry level quality" which is a good place to start.
I'm on a Liv Tempt (unisex equiv is Giant Talon... I got the ladies version because it was the previous year's model on sale and they only had the ladies in my size). It's a solid beginner bike that's lots of fun to ride. I had a specialized rockhopper rental for some trail riding last year though, and the specs were virtually the same.
posted by cholly at 4:10 AM on June 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm on a Liv Tempt (unisex equiv is Giant Talon... I got the ladies version because it was the previous year's model on sale and they only had the ladies in my size). It's a solid beginner bike that's lots of fun to ride. I had a specialized rockhopper rental for some trail riding last year though, and the specs were virtually the same.
posted by cholly at 4:10 AM on June 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's worth bearing in mind with all the talk of entry level bikes that an entry level bike these days is actually a pretty good bike. Show a $800 bike from today to someone back in 1993 and they'd be stunned for a week, so don't stress about the quality you are going to get for that money.
posted by deadwax at 5:15 AM on June 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by deadwax at 5:15 AM on June 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Your profile says Asheville, I just checked craigslist because I was going to recommend finding a used entry level mountainbike from the last 10 years for half of your budget, and sort of getting to know it and what you like about it.
But then I saw this closeout 'sale' for an x-small Scott Scale Contessa 730 https://asheville.craigslist.org/bid/6147181454.html which might be worth checking out [if you are indeed in Asheville, it is at MustAsheville Bikes according to the ad].
posted by czytm at 6:28 AM on June 8, 2017
But then I saw this closeout 'sale' for an x-small Scott Scale Contessa 730 https://asheville.craigslist.org/bid/6147181454.html which might be worth checking out [if you are indeed in Asheville, it is at MustAsheville Bikes according to the ad].
posted by czytm at 6:28 AM on June 8, 2017
Best answer: Odds are good that any local bike shop is going to be a Trek / Specialized / Canondale / etc. dealer so that's what they'll have. Let's assume they're a Trek dealer just to have something to work with. Your bike selection is going to be some of:
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/c/B300/#sort_form1
which seems daunting (105 choices!) but we can really narrow it down so you can start seeing what choices you'll have to make. Spoiler: it's basically 5 bikes.
1. Given your height, you want a 26" (old-school mountain bike) or 27.5" wheel (a.k.a. 650b) bike. 29" will be too big. Scroll down on the left to "wheel size" and clicky both 26 and 27.5. (You probably don't want the "fat" variants for cost / weight reasons so don't sweat clicking those yet.) Down to 66 results.
2. Clicky the two price ranges that apply to you and you're down to 13 results. Well, 12 and a frame. They're really similar, so let's look at what we got.
3. Click on "sort by price, low to high"
(Note that all these bikes are hardtails: front suspension but no rear suspension. That's what you're going to get for under $1k. That's okay, hardtails are awesome: they're fun and inexpensive! Trying to make a full-suspension bike for under $1k just results in tears down the road, anyway.)
The Trek 820 is the basic functional low-end mountain steel bike. It has the cheapest possible components to get the cheapest possible price. Caveat emptor, although I note that you could probably ride FS roads on an 820 for a decade and it'd still hold together -- cheap bikes (outside the big box store kind) are surprisingly nice these days.
(There are some women's-specific models. Generally for MTBs you can or leave that as you wish: there isn't as big a fit difference in frame shape as there is in road bikes.)
The Marlin 4 / Skye (the women's-specific Marlin) gets you up into an aluminum frame. By itself, that's neither good nor bad. Still has the same basic components as the 820.
Then we have the Skye S / Marlin 5 -- this step up gets you a front fork with more travel and probably more modern behavior. And also a stouter stem and handlebars to go with it. And also mechanical disc brakes -- low-end mechanical discs won't be anything to write home about but they'll stop you way better in the mud & wet if that's your thing.
Skye SL / Marlin 6 gets you an 8-speed rear (up from the real old-school 7-speed on the above) and base-level hydraulic disc brakes. (Personally, this is about where I'd put my minimum buy for something I'd enjoy: a Marlin 6 or 7. I'd probably go with the Marlin 7 just for the nicer shifters.)
Cali S / Marlin 7 gets you a pretty decent front shock and a modern 9-speed rear.
The final X-Caliber just continues on this line: nicer shifters, shock, etc.
This is basically going to be your decision tree in the shop: here are the one or two brands they carry; here's the increasing tiers of "niceness" of parts; pick a cost tier where you're comfy with the price/component trade-off; make sure bike fit can be adjusted to work with your body and style; go to next bike shop that carries another brand and repeat; agonize over the fact that you can't get bike X (which you love) in the same color as bike Y (which is the most gorgeous purple). Or maybe I'm the only one who does that last step. :/
posted by introp at 6:52 AM on June 8, 2017
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/c/B300/#sort_form1
which seems daunting (105 choices!) but we can really narrow it down so you can start seeing what choices you'll have to make. Spoiler: it's basically 5 bikes.
1. Given your height, you want a 26" (old-school mountain bike) or 27.5" wheel (a.k.a. 650b) bike. 29" will be too big. Scroll down on the left to "wheel size" and clicky both 26 and 27.5. (You probably don't want the "fat" variants for cost / weight reasons so don't sweat clicking those yet.) Down to 66 results.
2. Clicky the two price ranges that apply to you and you're down to 13 results. Well, 12 and a frame. They're really similar, so let's look at what we got.
3. Click on "sort by price, low to high"
(Note that all these bikes are hardtails: front suspension but no rear suspension. That's what you're going to get for under $1k. That's okay, hardtails are awesome: they're fun and inexpensive! Trying to make a full-suspension bike for under $1k just results in tears down the road, anyway.)
The Trek 820 is the basic functional low-end mountain steel bike. It has the cheapest possible components to get the cheapest possible price. Caveat emptor, although I note that you could probably ride FS roads on an 820 for a decade and it'd still hold together -- cheap bikes (outside the big box store kind) are surprisingly nice these days.
(There are some women's-specific models. Generally for MTBs you can or leave that as you wish: there isn't as big a fit difference in frame shape as there is in road bikes.)
The Marlin 4 / Skye (the women's-specific Marlin) gets you up into an aluminum frame. By itself, that's neither good nor bad. Still has the same basic components as the 820.
Then we have the Skye S / Marlin 5 -- this step up gets you a front fork with more travel and probably more modern behavior. And also a stouter stem and handlebars to go with it. And also mechanical disc brakes -- low-end mechanical discs won't be anything to write home about but they'll stop you way better in the mud & wet if that's your thing.
Skye SL / Marlin 6 gets you an 8-speed rear (up from the real old-school 7-speed on the above) and base-level hydraulic disc brakes. (Personally, this is about where I'd put my minimum buy for something I'd enjoy: a Marlin 6 or 7. I'd probably go with the Marlin 7 just for the nicer shifters.)
Cali S / Marlin 7 gets you a pretty decent front shock and a modern 9-speed rear.
The final X-Caliber just continues on this line: nicer shifters, shock, etc.
This is basically going to be your decision tree in the shop: here are the one or two brands they carry; here's the increasing tiers of "niceness" of parts; pick a cost tier where you're comfy with the price/component trade-off; make sure bike fit can be adjusted to work with your body and style; go to next bike shop that carries another brand and repeat; agonize over the fact that you can't get bike X (which you love) in the same color as bike Y (which is the most gorgeous purple). Or maybe I'm the only one who does that last step. :/
posted by introp at 6:52 AM on June 8, 2017
Looks like no one here has said the most important thing: get fitted for a bike so that it fits correctly. There is way more to fitting a bike than just your height/weight/age/type of bike.
Despite being someone who knows better and has decades of serious cycling experience, I bought a bike recently that doesn't fit because I am very tall and bikes in my correct size are very few and far between, and the size is usually special order and costs a premium above the other sizes within the same model. My point is that I hate, hate, hate my bike, but it's already too used to get any decent money from it to get a bike that actually fits. And despite knowing better, I avoided my own advice and regret it terribly.
posted by TinWhistle at 7:38 AM on June 8, 2017
Despite being someone who knows better and has decades of serious cycling experience, I bought a bike recently that doesn't fit because I am very tall and bikes in my correct size are very few and far between, and the size is usually special order and costs a premium above the other sizes within the same model. My point is that I hate, hate, hate my bike, but it's already too used to get any decent money from it to get a bike that actually fits. And despite knowing better, I avoided my own advice and regret it terribly.
posted by TinWhistle at 7:38 AM on June 8, 2017
I don't think fatbikes mean to replace suspension bikes. They're meant for terrain where a wider footprint is beneficial, as in loose soil, sand, or snow.
At $800, it's a hard nut. Consider used, if you can. Last spring I bought an aluminum-framed 4-year-old full suspension Specialized FSR from a friend for $750, and I'm very happy with it. It's not gonna set the world on fire, but's been super fun, and even though it's WAY less bike than my road bike, I don't hit the trails often enough to really get the upgrade itch.
Ride many things before you choose. N.B. that cyclocross and gravel bikes are definitely different creatures from a mountain bike, so figure out which thing you're more likely to do first.
ALSO shop around for a shop. Having a good relationship with a local bike shop is super important in lots of ways (finding folks to ride with or places to ride, easy access to quick repairs, etc). When I bought my road bike, I picked based partly on the bike model I preferred, but the fact that the bike I slightly preferred was sold by a shop I *greatly* preferred was a big factor.
posted by uberchet at 8:45 AM on June 8, 2017
At $800, it's a hard nut. Consider used, if you can. Last spring I bought an aluminum-framed 4-year-old full suspension Specialized FSR from a friend for $750, and I'm very happy with it. It's not gonna set the world on fire, but's been super fun, and even though it's WAY less bike than my road bike, I don't hit the trails often enough to really get the upgrade itch.
Ride many things before you choose. N.B. that cyclocross and gravel bikes are definitely different creatures from a mountain bike, so figure out which thing you're more likely to do first.
ALSO shop around for a shop. Having a good relationship with a local bike shop is super important in lots of ways (finding folks to ride with or places to ride, easy access to quick repairs, etc). When I bought my road bike, I picked based partly on the bike model I preferred, but the fact that the bike I slightly preferred was sold by a shop I *greatly* preferred was a big factor.
posted by uberchet at 8:45 AM on June 8, 2017
It's worth noting that while the "show an $800 2017 bike to someone 25 years ago..." thing probably WOULD be amazing to a roadie, doing so with a mountain bike without also noting what TRAILS look like today might not be fair.
As bikes have gotten more capable -- mostly in the area of suspension -- trails have gotten more technical. I'm sure someone with excellent skills could take a '93 Gary Fisher hardtail through almost anything, but for someone starting out the forgiving nature of a full suspension bike will open lots more territory that would probably be a bad idea to ride on a rigid bike.
posted by uberchet at 12:48 PM on June 8, 2017
As bikes have gotten more capable -- mostly in the area of suspension -- trails have gotten more technical. I'm sure someone with excellent skills could take a '93 Gary Fisher hardtail through almost anything, but for someone starting out the forgiving nature of a full suspension bike will open lots more territory that would probably be a bad idea to ride on a rigid bike.
posted by uberchet at 12:48 PM on June 8, 2017
I don't think fatbikes mean to replace suspension bikes. They're meant for terrain where a wider footprint is beneficial, as in loose soil, sand, or snow.
Its a bit confusing there's Fat bikes which have tires that are 3.8" - 5" tires, they're huge and a different type of riding - more popular in snow, and not going to replace most folks mountain bikes.
On lower end bikes the trend is towards "Plus" tires which are 2.8"+ and provide some comfort but not the massive tires you get on a true fat bike. For example Phil from Skill With Phil (good channel for beginners) recommends the Raleigh Tokul 3 as a good budget beginner bike it has plus size tires.
Not suggesting a bike and I fully recommend getting a used bike at that price point. Bouncing around on it for a while and doing some demo's before putting down cash on something new and expensive.
posted by bitdamaged at 4:37 PM on June 8, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
I haven't ridden one myself, but i see them all over where i ride (PNW, all types of terrain)
Getting a bike that fits, with good components, is key.
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:48 PM on June 7, 2017