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Need a high quality MNT bike

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:02 pm
by Starcraftmazter
Sup everyone.

So, I've been using a mongoose dx-33 since around about year 2000.
It served me pretty well, but I bent the biggest gear cog a few weeks back and it's generally very old, so I want to get a new one.

Now I know nothing about bikes (but a lot about riding them).

I need something that's:
- High Quality
- Very durable
- Light (my current bike is ridiculously heavy, relative to my friend's bike for example)
- Equal to or (preferably) better than my current bike.
- Disc Brakes

My good friend has a Giant Yukon which he bought I think 2-3 years back for $700, and he says the Yukon/Rincon bikes are the cheapest ones that are good.

Now my parents aren't going to spend $700 on a bike...but I assume they've gone down in value? Though it's very difficult since Giant doesn't have prices on their site ><

Something inside (below) the $500 mark would be very nice.

What do I use my bike for?
Going on rough tracks all over the place, riding long distances (combined with the first one), riding up & down big hills, but also generally going to the shops and things like that.

Anyway, the most important part is I don't want it to fall apart when I'm going really fast down a huge hill or on ridiculously rough tracks, as I like to do.
Also, it must have very good suspension for going down steep hills really fast with 100% confidence that nothing will go wrong, and riding the rough tracks....well I'm sure you get it by now.

And for god's sake, I want this bike to last a while - like I said, the bike I use now (used to use...) was bought in yr 2000, so I can't buy bikes every year or few....


So, does anyone have any suggestions and/or comments regarding which bike I should buy?
Thanks!

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:13 pm
by tinstaafl
I could be wrong but a bike like that sounds like it could only be bought on The Yellow Brick Road.
Seven years of that kind of treatment would put any bike to the test.

Good luck and I'll be fascinated to read the results cause I want to buy one of those bikes meself.

Robert

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:20 pm
by Starcraftmazter
tinstaafl wrote:I could be wrong but a bike like that sounds like it could only be bought on The Yellow Brick Road.
The what?

btw. my bike was a mongoose pro dx-33, I forgot the pro part...
I don't suppose anyone knows where to find the specs for it, so I can compare it to some other bikes? Their main site only has '06 and '07 models.

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:29 pm
by gururug
Dude,

By the sounds of what you are looking for and the price you want to pay, I think you are looking at a second hand bike.

Ebay, Trading Post, and other AUS sites have second hand bikes.

If you have a set budget, you have a set budget, but I think for a little bit more (1000) you can get something that will last twice as long as something you pay 500 for.

The key thing is to BE PATIENT and DO YOUR RESEARCH. You have made a good start by posting to this forum. Some MTBers will possibly leave you some hints for brands, specs etc.

-Go to a few shops, ask questions, sit on a few bikes.
-Talk to friends try thier bikes if they will let you

You said giant have no prices on thier site. Hone your googling skills dude. 1/2 an hour surfing and you can be an instant expert.


Bliss :idea:

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:04 pm
by Starcraftmazter
I DEFINITELY don't want anything 2nd hand.

No set budget, I can get $500-$600 within 3 weeks, but anything more will have to take more time, but generally I don't want to spend that much...it's a lot of money.

So what's the best bike for $500?

And yes I talk to friends...the only one who seems to know anything about this as far as I know.

Googling around, the prices of a Yukon, when converted into AUD seem very inconsistent from $550 - $750, so I'll take a trip to my (only) local bike shop and ask them how much it will be.


Further suggestions / comments welcome!

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:47 pm
by Bnej
Hard to determine "best".

You'll get a good hard tail MTB at that price. Running gear wears out no matter how much it costs. Suspension forks will need maintenance eventually. Disc brakes might save your rims from wearing out, but then cost more to replace if you break one.

Most good brand frames will have a lifetime warranty, and as far as parts go, good regular maintenance will probably have a bigger impact than original quality.

I'd go for something with good linear pull brakes, rather than have cheap cable disc brakes. Trek and Giant both have a few models in your price bracket, plenty of other good brands too.

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:59 pm
by Starcraftmazter
No, disc brakes are a must regardless of cost. I remember trying them on my friends bike, and they are very very good....especially if you happen to be caught out in the rain.

And to me, it makes the difference between hitting a tree and making a sharp turn 8)

Ok, so you say there are good models, but can you be more SPECIFIC? Remember, I really don't know much about these models, and most of the specs, etc.

So I do want specific models.

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:15 pm
by Bnej
Trek starts at 3700, you can probably get up to about the 4900. The 4300 or 3900 with Disc brakes is an option.

Giant Boulder is good cheap bike, comes in a disc brake model for < $500 I think. Yukon and Thermo are the next two models up, think I've seen the Thermo for about $650.

Most of the bikes on this page should be in your price range:
http://www2.trekbikes.com.au/catalogue. ... gory_id=42

Don't really know anything about other brands.

You should have a look in some bike shops, write down prices on bikes you like the look of, then Google for reviews & specs.

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:42 pm
by rider06
have a look at GT as well - i ride a 2006 GT avalanche expert (paid 1300) but they also do cheaper models. look at http://www.gtbikes.com for specs, and http://www.bikefactory.com.au for pricing

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:07 pm
by Mulger bill
G'Day Starcraftmazter.

Mate, you've set the bar damn high for those dollars.

Tell us about YOU, how old, heavy and high? I'm guessing you're about 17yo and tall?

Everybody's gonna roll their eyes in 'bout 1 sec, Giant will give you about the best bang for your bucks. Your friend was right about the Yukon, if you're big on the rough an' ragged I wouldn't go any lower. IMHO an Alias would be closer to the mark for you, the spec is amazing for about $1k and would last a lot longer than a Yukon and be a crapload lighter.

DON"T EVEN THINK OF DIRT JUMPING THESE BIKES. They won't last six months b4 you crack a frame, and Giants warranty won't help you.

Try to get the budget up a bit, if it's about the parentals, tell 'em this bike will last for many years, with stuffall to upgrade until you kill it, the higher quality bits will last longer than the Yukon.

Find a good shop (if you put your location in your profile, we might give you an idea) talk to the people, you might just score a good deal on something "out the back" :wink:

One last thing...

BONTRAGERS LAW of bicycles
"Strong, Light, Cheap. Choose any two.

Good luck with your hunt, let us know how it goes :)

Shaun

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:34 pm
by Starcraftmazter
Thanks for the links guys, I'm looking over the stuff now.
Mulger bill wrote: Tell us about YOU, how old, heavy and high? I'm guessing you're about 17yo and tall?
wow....

17, 6"/183cm, 62kg/136pounds
Also, would you be able to tell me then what size bike to get? Because I've no clue :D
Mulger bill wrote: Everybody's gonna roll their eyes in 'bout 1 sec, Giant will give you about the best bang for your bucks. Your friend was right about the Yukon, if you're big on the rough an' ragged I wouldn't go any lower. IMHO an Alias would be closer to the mark for you, the spec is amazing for about $1k and would last a lot longer than a Yukon and be a crapload lighter.

DON"T EVEN THINK OF DIRT JUMPING THESE BIKES. They won't last six months b4 you crack a frame, and Giants warranty won't help you.
Haha, no I don't dirt jump or anything. The only 3 things I ever do with my bike are:
- City Riding (to shops)
- Long Distance Riding (nothing too rough, average dirt-track)
- Rough Riding - there are numerous good places for that, and it's just very great fun and a very very insense cardio workout if you go as far as I do without ever stopping >_>


My location is Armidale [2350]. Like I said, there's one bike shop here, I've been there before, and it's pretty good, my friend says the guy who runs it is pretty cool so yer.


As for setting the bar too high - maybe I have :D
I just want a good bike that will serve me well for...longer than a couple of years.
It's not like I ride very rough very often, because of time constraints, usually it's just my pine forest track which gets rough at the speeds I go, but only in maybe 1/3 of the distance, and I've never had problems with it on my current bike which costed around $400 I think, so I'm just assuming it won't be a problem for a $500 Giant.


Looking at all those prices, I think a Rincon would suit me quite well. Does it come with disc brakes by default?


Well I'll go over to the bike shop this weekend, or friday afternoon to inquire about the prices on some of these models, and tell you guys how it went :)

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:49 pm
by Mulger bill
Giant catalogue says yes Starbloke, Shimano 415s. These are mechanical, so you'll have to keep the maintenance up or suffer REALLY bad stopping.

OK based on what you've said about your riding, the Yukon would be it, Check this out Yep it's a bit richer than you'd like, but hand on heart from a long time Giant rider, the extra $200 will be worth every cent. :D

Shaun

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:01 am
by tinstaafl
I have no idea of specific bikes and I am a firm believer in the ThereIsNoSuchThingAsAFreeLunch principle. I reckon that if you buy a cheaper bike you will break it faster. I have had both cable disks which are as scary as hell because one tiny piece of grit in the cable can cause a slight jerk and I was over the handle bars.
I now ride with hydraulic disks and they are brilliant but you have to spend big money for that. I would suggest that good rim brakes are much better than cheap disks.

Buy as big a frame as you can find. You will know what I mean the first time you ride one. You will stretch out and find abdominal power that you didn't know you had.

I am less than two inches taller than you and ride an extra large frame. I recently lent it to a friend who is about 5' 8" and she said that it was wonderful, "That was the first time that I felt like I was riding an adult's bike." was her final comment.

Good luck with your quest and let us know what you find.

See ya,

Robert

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:15 am
by Starcraftmazter
Alright, so what are the major differences between a rincon and a yukon?

The brakes I take it, but what else?

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:43 am
by Mulger bill
Right he said, digging thru his catalogue pile....

Rockshox fork is a level up, with a lockout feature, perfect for road work.
Deore over Acera rear mech, lighter, stiffer, stronger =better changing for a longer time.
Alivio over C050 front mech, see above.
Acera crankset over Tourney, major weight saving, and I'm pretty sure that Tourney chainrings are non replaceable, means a new crankset rather than changing rings when they wear out, better ratios on the Acera too.
Yukon has a lower bottom gear on the rear= better climbing those stinkers.
The Yukon has a sealed bottom bracket over semi sealed and should last longer.
Hutchinson over Kenda tyres. The Hutchys are slightly wider and better IMO, not dissing Kenda, but there is better. (consider street tyres for the onroad trips, faster, quieter and your lovely knobbies will last longer for the real fun stuff :wink: )
Looks like better steering gear on the Yukon too.

It looks to me like the frames are similar, just the bits are different.
Either would be a good buy, but the Yukon will last longer.
General idea would be buy cheaper now, pay more for repairs and upgrades later.

Sizing... tinstaafl was right, get the biggest size that you are comfortable on, don't forget you've still got some growing to do.

Shaun

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:12 pm
by Starcraftmazter
No, I haven't grown for at least a year, so this is as tall as I'm ever going to get.

As for size, my friend told mew today that the bigger it is, the harder it is to control, which wouldn't be a good thing on those rough track.

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:27 pm
by Bnej
As for size, my friend told mew today that the bigger it is, the harder it is to control, which wouldn't be a good thing on those rough track.
You should have a well sized bike for your body size & shape. An incorrectly sized bike can give you all kinds of problems over time.

I could see a heavier bike being more difficult to yank around, but full suspension downhill bikes are often 20kg +. The weight of the wheels below the suspension would have more impact than the size of the frame.

Don't buy a small size frame unless you are a small size person!

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:45 pm
by Mulger bill
A bigger bike will have a longer wheelbase which means more stability on downhills, but will be less "flickable" thru the twisty bits. Which is your preference? Don't go small, but don't go big either, there will be a size that works for you.

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:37 pm
by Starcraftmazter
My preference? How about both? :D

I'll go with a large then probably. Or maybe medium, I'll have a feel of some bikes at the bike shop maybe, and compare them to mine.

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:33 pm
by LuckyPierre
Starcraftmazter wrote: ... I'll have a feel ... at the bike shop maybe, and compare them to mine.
............ :shock: :wink:

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:20 pm
by Starcraftmazter
lol :P

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:00 pm
by jimbob
If you're not worried about the brand name then check out BRAND NAME HERE bikes (just google them) and take a look at their MODEL NAME HERE. I'm new to mountain biking and didn't want to spend over the odds and so ended up with one of these. I've learnt a lot since and feel very happy with my purchase especially given the level of components that you get (e.g. Deore LX gears).

I've done about 300kms on it over a lot of rough terrain (mainly Manly Dam) and I think it does a great job. The front forks are starting to squeak under strain and from feedback from others I think that this is the weakest part of the bike but as long as you're not doing big drops then I reckon they'll be fine.

P.S. If you're not in Sydney then check out delivery charges. It's reassuring to know that they're not trying to rip you off.


edited
Although suggestions and recommendations are quite welcome, this particular shop is being recommend over-proportionally by brand new forum members. ie. is something fishy going on?

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:57 pm
by Starcraftmazter
I'm fairly set towards a Giant, I'm just going to go to the bike shop in 5 mins to find out more about the pricing, the hydrolic forks on the yukon and....yeh.