I would like to buy a mountain bike, but don't know what to look for. Advise me, please!

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m looking to get a mountain bike for riding not too hard or steep of trails in the wilderness, as well as some on road biking (bike path) near my house. Every time I’ve mentioned this to friends, I get a million different suggestions- all of which telling me I need to spend $500. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll spend $500 if that’s what I need to do, but I’m wondering if that is totally necessary.

I stopped into a local bike shop to look around and the gentleman told me that their bikes start at about $400 and go up, but they do include a lifetime of free tune ups (which is, of course, nice). Frankly, as much as I’d like to support a local business, if I can save a couple of Benjamins by shopping online, I will happily do so. For what it’s worth: as a kid, I did a lot of triathlons, so I know how to do a tune up on a bike myself, change the tires, etc. It’s just been a long while since I’ve actually had to buy a bike (and back then, it was racing bikes anyway).

What are the things I should look for in a mountain bike? Particular brands? Set ups? Etc.

For what it’s worth (I’m sure all of these factor in somehow): I’m 5’3’’, long legs for my height, overweight, and female.

2

I drive a beater of a bike made up of several bikes put together. I ride dirt in the park and streets to the store, totaling about 3,000 miles annually. My single piece of advice is to make sure what you buy has a front suspension fork. Probably anything you look at will have this anyway, but it’s a must. You sure don’t have to spend $500 on something.

3

Go to a bike store and tell them what you want to do and how much you want to spend. They will find you a match. If you know what you want, you can order from bikesdirect since you know how to do maintenance. You want to ride off-road and a little on-road, so I’d avoid a hybrid. I built my current and ordered it piece by piece. It ended up around $1800 though.

4

The big strength of the local bike shop is that you can try different bikes out to get the right fit - this is by far the most important thing to get right. There’s basically nothing to choose between a $400 Trek, Giant, Specialized etc in terms of quality, but they will have subtle differences in geometry that will suit you / not suit you. If your bike isn’t a great fit then you just won’t want to ride it.

MTB frames are just labelled small, med, large etc these days - you’ll 99% certain to be wanting a small at your height. But you still need to sit on a few just to see how they suit.

Serious mountain bikes often have front and rear suspension of varying size, depending on the type of riding they’re designed for. You don’t want to go near any rear suspension on an entry level bike - they are a joke at this price point. The front suspension is also extremely basic at this level, usually the worst part of the bike IME. On balance it’s still worth getting - it can be quite wearing to ride a rigid bike if you’re hitting the trails in anger.

You’ll save 50% or more buying second hand on places like ebay, but you’ve then got the same problem of not being sure on the fit. If you could throw your leg over a few models in the shop you would be in a better position to judge what will work for you.

5

If you’re lucky, the bike shop might have last year’s models - this is how I bought my bike, at a significant discount. They were making room for the newest models, so I got a great deal.

Now that I think about it, I might have shopped at one of the bike chain’s used bike outlets (this was in Madison - they’ve a ton of bike stores, many with several locations). I got a brand new bike, last year’s model, for cheap.

A used bike might not be a bad deal, either. Anyway, I’d go to the store.

6

I looked for a used bike for close to a year before I hit gold. Seller had just spent $600 on the bike (nubs still on tires) but he hit some very bad times and needed cash asap. I gave him $200, but if I had been a hard-ass, he would have taken $100.

7

I agree with most of this post, in particular the advice to test ride lots of different bikes. The geometry of bike in relation to your body is critical, and something that nobody will be able to predict with enough accuracy to rely on without some empirical evidence. Ride lots of different bikes and make note of what feels good.

A good bike shop will let you take a bike out for an actual ride- at least 10-15 minutes, not circling around a couple of cones in the driveway. Ride it like you’re going to ride it when you own it. When I was test riding for my first bike, I went offroad with the bike shop’s knowledge and approval and wiped out, nearly breaking my shoulder. I had to walk the bike back, but they were very cool about it. I eventually bought a different model from that place.

If your bike’s not comfortable, you won’t enjoy using it.

8

What they said. The most important thing about a mountain bike is getting one that fits. Besides allowing you to try out different bikes to find the geometry you like, the bike shop will also help you set up the bike to fit and swap parts as needed. Tell 'em how much you want to spend and see what they say.

For instance, if you’re short with really long legs, you may need a small frame with an extra-long seatpost, or a medium frame with a really short stem. As a hefty female, you’ve got a lot of weight in the chestal region that guys don’t have to deal with. A set of riser bars may make you much more comfortable and keep you from overweighting the front end. That sort of thing can make the difference between “whee, goin’ bikin!” and “I’m never getting on that thing again!”.

MTBs fit differently than racebikes, and your body has changed a lot since you were a kid - things that worked for you back then ain’t gonna be right any more.

Does the bike shop not take trade-in bikes? Most of the ones here do, and they’ll sell you one of those as a starter bike (expecting that you’ll probably be back for an upgrade later). That’s how I got my first bike. My second bike was a year-old model that they hadn’t been able to sell, so I got it really cheap also.

The main difference between a low-end bike from a shop and the pricier models is weight - cheaper bikes weigh more. The components are also cheaper (i.e., not as sturdy and/or smooth to operate), but you’ll be replacing those as you go anyway.

The differences between the major brands (that you’ll find in a LBS) are in style and geometry. A bike from any of those will be good if it fits. Just don’t think you’re getting the same quality bike buying a name brand from Walmart or somewhere. The bikes those places sell are scary they’re so badly put together. Not just how the components are put on, but the actual welds and such.

Personally, I disagree with the “gotta have suspension” crowd. My first two bikes were unsuspended steel frames and I love them. If you’re not doing any hardcore trails, I’d look for a rigid chromoly frame, if you can find one. (Last time I went looking, they were hard to find because everyone had gone to aluminum frames, which really do need suspension.) A rigid frame is much better on the road, much lighter, and has much less maintenance and hassle.