I am going mountain bike shopping!! Now that I make money I am looking to buy a REAL mountain bike, not one of those SportMart brands.
I know a bit about mountain biking, I know that Fischer and Norco are pretty respectable. What are some others?
I'm looking for a bike that could handle some moderately advanced bike trails. I'm no expert, so I won't be taking it off 7foot jumps or speeding downhill at 150KM/h. I want something that can handle long all-terrain rides. I'm going to be doing some long races during the summer (40-60K) that cover flat terrain as well as hills/rough trails and I want a bike that can survive the trails but isn't a giant monster that I can't take on long flat rides.
Also I'm a female in my 20s, about 5"8, I love the Norco bikes but would they come in a size that would fit me? I don't like the "female brand" bikes because they generally don't have all the specs I would like!
Any suggestions?
PS. I'm NOT looking strictly for a 'downhill bike' with all the shocks and gadgets...i usually just rent those when I go downhill biking.
THANKS!!
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Visit the local bike shops and tell the where and how you want to ride. Check out the XC bikes for lightness or a all mountain bike for more aggressive riding. The mountain bikes for females will have the same specs as the ones for males there is no difference. There are plenty off different sizes so don’t worry about that. Brand is not very important Google bike shops for your area and check them all out.
For the things you want to do, you will need a pretty decent bike.
Mountain bikes are categorized by their intended use; XC or Cross Country, All Mountain, and Downhill.
You obviously don’t want a Downhill bike. All Mountain bikes are full suspension, and they’re designed to handle a combination of downhill and trail riding.
I’m thinking that a good trail bike ~ one designed for XC will be your best bet. They come in different frame styles ~ full suspension, and hard-tail (front suspension only)
A hard-tail is going to be the lightest mountain bike you’ll find, they’re also less expensive. This doesn’t mean that it’s going to be cheap. The things you plan on putting your bike through will demand that it has high quality components. (suspension fork, and derailleurs)
You will find two different component manufacturers parts on today’s mountain bikes ~ Shimano and Sram.
Each manufacturer has different quality levels of their components ~ from entry level to expert. You need a bike with components that are 1 or 2 steps down from the expert level.
So that means you should choose a bike with Simano Deore XT or SLX deraillers on it, or Sram X-9 or X-7 derailleurs on it. Any bike with these level of components on it is sure to have a fairly decent suspension fork as well. Most bikes are either going to have either a Fox fork on it or a Rockshox fork. There are other suspension fork manufacturers, but I think Fox forks are simply the best.
One of the most important things when it comes to bike shopping is to make sure the bike fits you right. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. Bike shops are aware of this, and they will help you get it right.
Good luck!
Hope that helps.
You would want an All Mountain bike. Stronger than a Cross Country bike, but light enough to pedal places (like your big race.) They usually have 120 – 160 mm of travel, downhill bikes have 200. Buy a small/extra small mens bike and it should fit you. Norco is a good brand. Also check out Devinci. There are so many different brands out there it’s hard to recommend one – check your local bike shop to see what brands they carry. Here is an example – Devinci Hecktik 2
http://www.devinci.com/bikes/browse#3_19_50
go to a local bike shop and look to see if there is bike show that will come near you once a year thats were you can get some really good deals Yeti is the best brand in the world but giant, trek, scott, and khs are my favourites
Sorry this is like the 3rd of your questions I’ve answered, lol so hope I’m not repeating much..
I love Specialized and Kona bikes, I’ve ridden both. If you want something good for long rides and races too you might just want a hardtail which are better for the longer smooth rides and lighter weight, they can still do some rough trails, but they will really feel rough since you don’t have the rear suspension.
HEre’s a few hardtails, Specialized and Kona both have bikes under the Race or Competitive category, they’re typically more expensive because they’re lighter overall.
http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=blast
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45806&eid=4340&menuItemId=9253
Not sure what your price range is, but both brands do have slightly cheaper hardtails for around $500.