starting MTBing - brand

"Jon R. Patrick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: I'm just starting into mountain biking, mostly on flat 'greenway' trails
: right now. I don't foresee myself moving to anything much more extreme.
:
: 15-20 years ago i was an avid road biker; i've tried to get back into it
: but with traffic and my sense of mortality, i've decided the right thing
: to do is get back into biking and get off the road!
:
: I've been borrowing a very old (and heavy) MTB from a friend for a few
: weeks and enjoying the heck out of it (even with NO suspension).
:
: I've been poking around, and there's a couple of sub-$300 bikes at
: [censored]'s that look appealing to me - 2 Columbia's and a couple of
: Diamonbacks.
:
: So, the point of all this is: does anyone have any good feedback on
: these 2 brands? stay away? Okay? just anything. in the showroom they
: seem good enough, but i know absolutely zero about the components
: they're made from to know if they're any good.
:
: Thanks in advance,
: JP

I was just in your position, except that I am currently a road cyclist and
wanted to add mountain biking. Again, like you, nothing too extreme. I
checked into [censored]- the Iron Horse and the Diamondback brands. Then I read
a bit more and learned about components and decided to go with a real bike
shop brand. Diamondback used to be bike shop quality, but not so much
anymore.

I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so. Front shock, not full
suspension. I looked at and would easily recommend Giant, Raleigh,
Cannondale and Specialized- all in that entry-level price range. With each,
you can upgrade components if you get more serious.

Disc brakes are nice- they add $100 to the price but were worth it to me. A
good rule of thumb is- don't buy any full suspension bike under $1000- it'll
be [censored].

If you have a good idea what frame size you need, you could go with
www.bikesdirect.com, but add money to have a local bike shop put it together
for you.

Best of Luck,
Brian

I would suggest looking at the Specialized Hardrock, as well.
"Jon R. Patrick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm just starting into mountain biking, mostly on flat 'greenway' trails
right now. I don't foresee myself moving to anything much more extreme.

15-20 years ago i was an avid road biker; i've tried to get back into it
but with traffic and my sense of mortality, i've decided the right thing
to do is get back into biking and get off the road!

I've been borrowing a very old (and heavy) MTB from a friend for a few
weeks and enjoying the heck out of it (even with NO suspension).

I've been poking around, and there's a couple of sub-$300 bikes at
[censored]'s that look appealing to me - 2 Columbia's and a couple of
Diamonbacks.

So, the point of all this is: does anyone have any good feedback on
these 2 brands? stay away? Okay? just anything. in the showroom they
seem good enough, but i know absolutely zero about the components
they're made from to know if they're any good.

Thanks in advance,
JP

--
---------------------------------------
Save up to 20% on your Long Distance!
Try my 'best rate calculator' to
see your savings!::
http://billzilla.com/jonrpatrick
...............
Free eBook shows you the exact methods
I used to get out of debt, painlessly:
http://www.freewebs.com/freedomfromdebt
--------------------------------------

Take a look see at Specialized Rockhopper - about $500.

"Jon R. Patrick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm just starting into mountain biking, mostly on flat 'greenway' trails
right now. I don't foresee myself moving to anything much more extreme.

15-20 years ago i was an avid road biker; i've tried to get back into it
but with traffic and my sense of mortality, i've decided the right thing
to do is get back into biking and get off the road!

I've been borrowing a very old (and heavy) MTB from a friend for a few
weeks and enjoying the heck out of it (even with NO suspension).

I've been poking around, and there's a couple of sub-$300 bikes at
[censored]'s that look appealing to me - 2 Columbia's and a couple of
Diamonbacks.

So, the point of all this is: does anyone have any good feedback on
these 2 brands? stay away? Okay? just anything. in the showroom they
seem good enough, but i know absolutely zero about the components
they're made from to know if they're any good.

Thanks in advance,
JP

--
---------------------------------------
Save up to 20% on your Long Distance!
Try my 'best rate calculator' to
see your savings!::
http://billzilla.com/jonrpatrick
...............
Free eBook shows you the exact methods
I used to get out of debt, painlessly:
http://www.freewebs.com/freedomfromdebt
--------------------------------------

Quoted message said:

"Jon R. Patrick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: I'm just starting into mountain biking, mostly on flat 'greenway' trails
: right now. I don't foresee myself moving to anything much more extreme.
:
: 15-20 years ago i was an avid road biker; i've tried to get back into it
: but with traffic and my sense of mortality, i've decided the right thing
: to do is get back into biking and get off the road!
:
: I've been borrowing a very old (and heavy) MTB from a friend for a few
: weeks and enjoying the heck out of it (even with NO suspension).
:
: I've been poking around, and there's a couple of sub-$300 bikes at
: [censored]'s that look appealing to me - 2 Columbia's and a couple of
: Diamonbacks.
:
: So, the point of all this is: does anyone have any good feedback on
: these 2 brands? stay away? Okay? just anything. in the showroom they
: seem good enough, but i know absolutely zero about the components
: they're made from to know if they're any good.
:
: Thanks in advance,
: JP

If you have a local craigslist, look at the bikes section there. A couple
of folks suggested the Specialized brands, and I do see a those in my
local area.

userfriendly said:

I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.

Ugh! What a waste of $650.

JD

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
:
:
: Ugh! What a waste of $650.
:
: JD

Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

userfriendly said:

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
:
:
: Ugh! What a waste of $650.
:
: JD

Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

JD

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >
: > news:[email hidden]...
: > : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: > :
: > :
: > : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: > :
: > : JD
: >
: > Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
:
:
: Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
:
: JD

I did- I read user reviews and talked to owners before purchasing. But
that's OK- some anonymous guy on usenet knows better than anyone and I
should therefore trust him above all else.

JD said:

userfriendly said:

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
:
:
: Ugh! What a waste of $650.
:
: JD

Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?

JWL said:

JD said:

userfriendly said:

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
:
:
: Ugh! What a waste of $650.
:
: JD

Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?

Since when is being honest attributed to being spiteful? A simple
google of this newsgroup would have provided enough information to make
a better decision. Even JD has recommended Spec Hardrocks over anything
else in that price range.

Have a nice day.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Ride-A-Lot said:

JWL said:

JD said:

On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
> "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email hidden]...
> : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
> : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
> :
> :
> : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
> :
> : JD
>
> Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?

Since when is being honest attributed to being spiteful? A simple
google of this newsgroup would have provided enough information to make
a better decision. Even JD has recommended Spec Hardrocks over anything
else in that price range.

He wasn't just 'being honest' - he was being arrogant and insulting, as
usual.

JWL said:

Ride-A-Lot said:

JWL said:

JD wrote:
> On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>> "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
>>
>> news:[email hidden]...
>> : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>> : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
>> :
>> :
>> : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
>> :
>> : JD
>>
>> Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
>
>
> Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
> including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?

Since when is being honest attributed to being spiteful? A simple
google of this newsgroup would have provided enough information to
make a better decision. Even JD has recommended Spec Hardrocks over
anything else in that price range.

He wasn't just 'being honest' - he was being arrogant and insulting, as
usual.

That's certainly not the definition of spiteful. He gave the individual
advice in the past. The OP didn't take the advice and is now stuck with
a POS. I don't think that it spiteful, arrogant, or insulting. If
anything, JD should be insulted that he gave good advice for free that
the OP did not take.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: JWL wrote:
: > Ride-A-Lot wrote:
: >> JWL wrote:
: >>> JD wrote:
: >>>> On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: >>>>> "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >>>>>
: >>>>> news:[email hidden]...
: >>>>> : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]>
wrote:
: >>>>> : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> : JD
: >>>>>
: >>>>> Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
: >>>>
: >>>>
: >>>> Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: >>>> including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
: >>>
: >>>
: >>> Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?
: >>
: >> Since when is being honest attributed to being spiteful? A simple
: >> google of this newsgroup would have provided enough information to
: >> make a better decision. Even JD has recommended Spec Hardrocks over
: >> anything else in that price range.
: >
: > He wasn't just 'being honest' - he was being arrogant and insulting, as
: > usual.
:
: That's certainly not the definition of spiteful. He gave the individual
: advice in the past. The OP didn't take the advice and is now stuck with
: a POS. I don't think that it spiteful, arrogant, or insulting. If
: anything, JD should be insulted that he gave good advice for free that
: the OP did not take.

Go back and read again. I bought the Fisher Piranha. I'm not the OP and I
didn't receive any advice from this forum on my purchase.

Regardless, advice is just that. It's not a directive that had to be
followed or else you have cause to act like a jerk.

userfriendly said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: JWL wrote:
: > Ride-A-Lot wrote:
: >> JWL wrote:
: >>> JD wrote:
: >>>> On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: >>>>> "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >>>>>
: >>>>> news:[email hidden]...
: >>>>> : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]>
wrote:
: >>>>> : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: >>>>> :
: >>>>> : JD
: >>>>>
: >>>>> Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
: >>>>
: >>>>
: >>>> Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: >>>> including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
: >>>
: >>>
: >>> Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?
: >>
: >> Since when is being honest attributed to being spiteful? A simple
: >> google of this newsgroup would have provided enough information to
: >> make a better decision. Even JD has recommended Spec Hardrocks over
: >> anything else in that price range.
: >
: > He wasn't just 'being honest' - he was being arrogant and insulting, as
: > usual.
:
: That's certainly not the definition of spiteful. He gave the individual
: advice in the past. The OP didn't take the advice and is now stuck with
: a POS. I don't think that it spiteful, arrogant, or insulting. If
: anything, JD should be insulted that he gave good advice for free that
: the OP did not take.

Go back and read again. I bought the Fisher Piranha. I'm not the OP and I
didn't receive any advice from this forum on my purchase.

Regardless, advice is just that. It's not a directive that had to be
followed or else you have cause to act like a jerk.

I stand corrected on the poster, but I do not see how I am acting like a
jerk. I apologize if I have offended you.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

JWL said:

JD said:

userfriendly said:

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
:
:
: Ugh! What a waste of $650.
:
: JD

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Great! Thanks for the encouragement...

Quoted message said:

Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
including frame breakage. Google it, doof.

Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?

Neophytes who think they know it all. What's yours?

JD

userfriendly said:

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >
: >news:[email hidden]...
: > : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: > :
: > :
: > : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: > :
: > : JD
: >
: > Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
:
:
: Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
:
: JD

I did- I read user reviews and talked to owners before purchasing. But
that's OK- some anonymous guy on usenet knows better than anyone and I
should therefore trust him above all else.

Reads: I looked at mtbr and trust what all of those morons had to
say. I also talked with other idiots who got suckered into buying an
overpriced trek with a narcissist's name on it and they would never
admit they made a mistake either.

Face it, you're just another fool who bought hype, not a bicycle. I
bet anything you buy is the best or the best bargain because of all of
your "intensive research". What a tool.

You and your lame advice can [censored] now, neophyte.

JD

userfriendly said:

I didn't receive any advice from this forum on my purchase.

No [censored].

JD

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 5, 7:57 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >
: > news:[email hidden]...
: > : On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > : > "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: > : >
: > : >news:[email hidden]...
: > : > : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]>
wrote:
: > : > : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: > : > :
: > : > :
: > : > : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: > : > :
: > : > : JD
: > : >
: > : > Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
: > :
: > :
: > : Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: > : including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
: > :
: > : JD
: >
: > I did- I read user reviews and talked to owners before purchasing. But
: > that's OK- some anonymous guy on usenet knows better than anyone and I
: > should therefore trust him above all else.
:
:
: Reads: I looked at mtbr and trust what all of those morons had to
: say. I also talked with other idiots who got suckered into buying an
: overpriced trek with a narcissist's name on it and they would never
: admit they made a mistake either.
:
: Face it, you're just another fool who bought hype, not a bicycle. I
: bet anything you buy is the best or the best bargain because of all of
: your "intensive research". What a tool.
:
: You and your lame advice can [censored] now, neophyte.
:
: JD

Thanks for the helpful comments. You're a real asset to this group.

What should I have bought?

"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: On Jun 5, 8:45 am, JWL <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > JD wrote:
: > > On Jun 5, 7:40 am, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]> wrote:
: > >> "JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: >
: > >>news:[email hidden]...
: > >> : On Jun 3, 2:18 pm, "userfriendly" <[email hidden]>
wrote:
: > >> : > I went with Gary Fisher Piranha- about $650 or so.
: > >> :
: > >> :
: > >> : Ugh! What a waste of $650.
: > >> :
: > >> : JD
: >
: > >> Great! Thanks for the encouragement...
: >
: > > Let us know when it develops any of many problems those POSs develop,
: > > including frame breakage. Google it, doof.
: >
: > Spiteful [censored]. What is your problem?
:
:
: Neophytes who think they know it all. What's yours?
:
: JD
:
Know it all? The dude asked for advice. I gave it, you could have done the
same. Instead, you chose to insult and call names.