Need advice on buying new Mt Bike

I'm getting back into Mt Biking after ten years as a roadie.  My mt bike is 20 years old.  I'm hearing these new 29ers are great.

What should I be looking for?
What component group?
Full suspension or hard tail?
Brands?
What bike shop?

When do bikes go on sale? I would think very soon

How much do I need to spend?

Please help

Coach Z wrote

How much do I need to spend?

Please help

This is the big question. How much can you afford?

A 29er hardtail will give great bang for the buck and a reasonably smooth ride. Having said that, as a 50-something kind-of-guy who now rides a 26 inch hardtail, my next bike will be a 29er FS. Or maybe a fatbike. As you age, the plush ride is appreciated.

Check out the last issue of Bike magazine, good reviews of "budget" bikes. A half-decent hardtail is going to be less than 2K and a half-decent FS will start at $2500 or 3 K, unless on sale.

Maybe do demos? It's like buying skis.

What bike shop? Unless they are idiots, support your local shop.

9er's definitely make most riding easier and can be picked off pretty cheap NOW to make room for all the new 27.5's
I got one of these a month or two back and lovin' it



Bottom line is determine what kind of riding you want to do and see yourLBS

I live half way between Lake Placid and Plattsburgh so no bike shop is within 30 mins but 6 are all about the same distance.  Any one have opinions on who is bet to work with?  I have one that shall be nameless I don't like at all.

Plush ride sounds good to me but I was hoping to spend under $2000

I'm usually a buy local kind of guy but the price for the specs on this bike are knocking my socks off

has anyone bought a bike from them?

components look great for price

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_29_fs_x9.htm

Bikes direct is legit but I've heard you get what you pay for on lower end bikes.

I've on been on mtb's a handful of times, but it seems like it would be hard to go back to a hardtail after getting used to a little travel on a nice FS.

you should def go w/ the 29er full suspension.  XT or comparable components.  

I'm a Yeti guy and I'm on the 575.  I'm also loyal to Bark from the Mike shop down in Keene Valley and its looking pretty likely he'll have a tires and tubes kinda shop in the Big Wink!  

That said Leap-Off isn't for everyone.  He puts together awesome Yetis but I'm a very compassionate and patient person.  High maintenance peeps need not apply w/ Leap-Off.  You'll get the best deal there if he likes you and if not, he'll show you the door...

In LP def use Placid Planet.

Mtn bikes are expensive and the, you get what you pay for thing is very true....  however w/ maintenance and love this bike will last for a long, long time.

O and if I wasn't riding Yeti I'd be on Santa Cruz


 

Coach Z wrote

I'm usually a buy local kind of guy but the price for the specs on this bike are knocking my socks off

has anyone bought a bike from them?

components look great for price

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_29_fs_x9.htm

I had never heard of Motobecane, except for some vague memories of scooters, so I did a little research. Some worthwhile threads to read, Coach:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/motobecane-mercier/why-motobecane-bikes-so-cheap-183187.html

http://forums.mtbr.com/motobecane/noob-looking-motobecane-769723.html

http://forums.mtbr.com/motobecane/please-post-your-experience-2012-fantom-29pro-sl-dynassys-2x10-788006.html

My conclusion would be that if you don't mind going hat in hand to your LBS and asking them to tune up and/or put together this bike you bought on the Internet, it's a great deal. Certainly a vast improvement over whatever you have now. Then you can take all the money you saved and spend it on better tires, accessories and service at the LBS. SRAM X9 is pretty top notch, though the front fork is fairly basic (but not low-end at all). It is a funny mix of parts but probably a great bike for what you want. 3X10 is old-school by today's standards but who cares?

Rivercoil has a bikesdirect bike. I think he had a good experience.

I'd agree on at least xt components. A local bike shop will be better because some provide a year's worth of maintenance (which is awesome for a mountain bike). Which is probably worth the bikes direct price difference right there.

If you were going to do the cheapo route, and since you are an instructor, I'm emailing you something.

I'd be nervous buying a bike off the Internet but especially a 9'er... Components are one thing but geometry and fit are key and even more so with the big wheels. Niner, SC, trek spec etc have spent a lot of r&d time dialing these frames in and are now doing the same with 27.5/650b. I had narrowed it down to a few models in the am/trail geo before finding the fun flick factor in the trance at my price point. Not sure if there's any giant dealers up there but it's hard to beat the value of their component spec, you should be able to get '13 anthem or trance at/under $2k

gorgonzola wrote

I don't know anything about mountain bikes. That ^^ looks awesome.

When I was in high school Motobecane made really nice french road bikes. I had a beauty that I loved.  I thought they went bankrupt.

Harvey wrote

I don't know anything about mountain bikes. That ^^ looks awesome.

She is, thanks!  Yea slack and sexy, eh !?

I spent an hour plus riding a few different bikes today at a LBS

There was one Kona bike that suited my eye that I tried in a 18 and 20 and I'm pretty sure I'm a 19 which they not have in stock.

Also tried a Santa Cruz that I liked but it was just too big I think.  All I felt was pressure on my hands.

They were just ok but not enough for me to blow 2 grand.  To me a 2 grand bike should scream I'm so much better than your 20 year old bike but these did not do that for me.  

I  was expecting to be fit but the sales guy was a kid - a nice kid but i doubt he could buy beer or even shave.   The extent of fitting was raising the seat post.  I was not impressed and this was supposed to be the good shop. The kid would not extend the well known locals discount because I was not on the "team" what ever that is supposed to mean.  Maybe I'm too old or fat for the discount.  

Maybe I'll try the shops in Burlington this weekend.  That Internet bike is looking better too. Higher grade components for serious cash less.

I like Jensonusa. Com

I have a GT Sanction that was purchased from Jenson. I purchased it from a friend of a friend. People are so big on demoing bikes. If you like the colors, the bike has good reviews and you're confident in it- that's all ya need. Buy and and you won't think twice.

Go full Suspension, you work hard; spend the $$, you deserve it.  Mtn biking is so fun, and while you're paying 2500 for a bike... There's no $82 lift ticket to pay for every day you ride.

I'm a yuppie.

**grey ghost in glens falls is a great shop

So the minute the LBS won't give you a discount you run off to the internet? You might be surprised how razor thin these guys' margins are.  Or maybe you just don't care.

Harvey wrote

When I was in high school Motobecane made really nice french road bikes.

I saved my dishwashing and paper route money when I was a kid and bought a Motobecane.  It was stolen from Stuyvesant Plaza three weeks later.

The lack of fit was the problem.  The reason you go to the LBS is to get fit. I'm sure these are good bikes and should have "popped" if fit properly and they just didn't. I'm not going to drop 2 grand if it does not wow me.  When I bought my road bike I've went thru an extensive fit process so I know what is it supposed to be like.  Either I need to look for different bikes or a different service experience.

The pricing is really secondary. I'd much rather buy it from a LBS.  But if you look at the specs on the internet I can get a sram 9 bike for $500 cheaper then a Sram 7 bike you can see where I'm going.  If the LBS is not fitting me then I save the cash and go for the better components.  Its not the way I'd want to do it but it does appear to be legit option based on the other posts.

Noah - I'm just sharing what happend and trying to get more experinced mt bike guys feedback. I left the name of the shop out on purpose out of 6 shops near me.   Let's not get all negative here please.  From reading other posts around here lately things have been getting nasty fast - let's all just chill a bit.

"Chill"?  Believe me dude.  I don't give a fuck.  But I have no idea what you're saying.  You get a full-on "fit" on a bike after you buy it.  It's a laborious process that can take an hour or more.  There's a charge for it unless you're buying a high end bike in which case they throw it in but only after you buy the bike (obviously).  They're not going to do much more than some pretty minor adjustments if you're just going out for test rides (why would they?).  And for what it's worth, in my opinion  a full-on "fit" is a complete waste of time and money unless you're a pretty elite cyclist.  You may go to the LBS "for the fit" but that's certainly not my motivation.  I want to make sure I have an LBS and a place to go with questions and concerns when I have them.

Why am I having this discussion?  Do whatever you want and then painstakingly dissect it with a bunch of strangers on the internet.  I don't care.  

I bought two bikes from Placid planet this summer.  Spent a small fortune and did not receive discounts.  They dont make much.  And that kid you were talking with can not make deal not that kenny is going to anyways. He can act like a prick at first but he grows on you.  Look at the Santa Cruz tall boy LT that he demos.  He would be willing to get rid of one of those.  The poeple who rent them dont know how to ause them so that are in good shape.   The Konas are not bad.

As far as fit.  You not buying a road bike.  When I bought the road bike they set it up on the maching and tweeked it around. When I bought the LTC it was sit on it look at stems to see if they are within range and adjust the seat.  They are not like a road bike you are changing positions constantly so they dont need to be as dialed in.  

You buy a bike of the internet and need to bring it in for repairs not only are you going to pay you are going to feal like a heal.  Bite the bullet.  A good bike will last until you are collecting SSI.  Probably longer your not that far away.

ah hah!!  LBS = Local Bike Shop...  It all makes sense now.