Hmmmmm

[GrantMe]

k..maybe im in the place cause i cant afford any bike i have read anything about in here...lol...i am a brand new at this and was wondering if anyone could recommend a mountain bike for around $250-300? Ill be using it for riding around town and to take up in the mountains of utah for trail riding and stuff like that....any advice would be well accepted even if the advice is to "wake up" lol anyway thanks.

[biggins]

i would look around at something used or look at the Specialized Hard Rock series.

[GrantMe]

hey thanks ill look into that...i meant to also ask what size bike is right for me? im 6'2" or 3"

[Parabola]

That should be pretty easy if you want small/no suspension. DH bikes get spendy in a hurry.

I picked up an old diamondback xc bike for less than 200 at a local pawn shop. A cheap way to get started.

Cheers

[GrantMe]

im trying to avoid a pawn shop to be honest..i bought a specialized a month ago and it has fallen apart me the bike shop i took it too says its not worth fixing up so...i thatis why i was hoping for something new that i can rely on...at the same time i have friend who bought a new bike off ebay and he jumped once and it snapped so...lol... i was hoping for a good brand that had some good prices for the good but poor people..lol

[blue]

Where are you in Utah? If you're in Salt Lake, head down to Revolution in Sandy and talk to Matt or Brian, they both know their stuff really well and should be able to help you out. They might even be able to hook you up on a used deal.

[ioscope]

Buy a fully
Fully rigid that is
In that price range, no suspension is best.

[blue]

Saw your posts on UMB. You're down in Murray? Go check out Revolution on about 90th South and 7th East. Three brands you might be interested in that they carry are KHS, Cannondale, and K2.

[sanjuro]

Never buy a bike in a pawn shop. Besides the zillion problems, any decent bike there has been stolen.

There is no magic to buying a cheap bike. Shops make only about 35% margin on a $300 bike, so don't expect too much in the way of fancy stuff. Most bikes in the range are the same, right down to being built in the same factory.

I would go to a shop where you were treated right and got the answers you were looking for. If you think you can handle it, I would buy an used bike, but you better be prepared to fix it yourself.

[Parabola]

Never buy a bike in a pawn shop. Besides the zillion problems, any decent bike there has been stolen.
That's a brilliant generalization. WTF do you know? So you're saying that my bike was definitely stolen? That's nice.

Since I happen to know the guy that own's this shop and know he's on the up and up, my bike was most definitely not stolen. Neener.

So you've got something against pawn shops I take it. Whatever. You're wrong in generalizing.

BTW, what are these "zillion problems"? If you know your bikes then the condition is up for you to decide. I would say buying a bike off ebay would be more risky in this respect.

[sanjuro]

That's a brilliant generalization. WTF do you know? So you're saying that my bike was definitely stolen? That's nice.

Since I happen to know the guy that own's this shop and know he's on the up and up, my bike was most definitely not stolen. Neener.

So you've got something against pawn shops I take it. Whatever. You're wrong in generalizing.

BTW, what are these "zillion problems"? If you know your bikes then the condition is up for you to decide. I would say buying a bike off ebay would be more risky in this respect.

I have worked in 5 bike shops, including my current position as manager. Every shop I worked for avoided selling used bikes except for friends, because it can be problematic for us and our customers.

A pawn shop is worse because at least shops have the knowledge to sell bikes properly. Fit issues and mechanical problems will easily occur if both the buyer and the seller know little about bikes.

It is great you got a decent bike from a pawn shop. My visits to pawn shops were usually Huffys and used TV's. I think a pawn shop is a good place to buy general items like watches or electronics. Bicycles do require more specialized knowledge to sell them properly.

[stinkyboy]

Buy a fully
Fully rigid that is
In that price range, no suspension is best.

I disagree! You can get a Hard Rock in that range and it'll give ya a chance to start learning about suspension and how it affects your riding. If you decide to go more XC or more freeride, you'll at least have a gauge to start with.