Advice on a good hardtail.

frodge said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an inseam
of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-riding.
Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff. Basic trail
riding with roots and mud and hills.

tinyurl.com3cglfOpen ↗

Not sure if you can get it for under $1000, but it looks
fun to ride.

Tom (just tryin' to help)

frodge said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an inseam
of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-riding.
Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff. Basic trail
riding with roots and mud and hills.

That's a /fairly/ long inseam for your height, so it's even
more important that you enlist the help of professionals
with bike selection and fit.

In other words, visit some Local Bike Shops (LBSs) and ask
questions and take test rides.

You can get a helluva bike for a grand these days, but it
MUST FIT or you won't enjoy riding it.

Bill "go forth and shop" S.

tcmedara said:

frodge said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an
inseam of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-
riding. Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff.
Basic trail riding with roots and mud and hills.

tinyurl.com3cglfOpen ↗

Seat looks comfortable.

Quoted message said:

Not sure if you can get it for under $1000, but it looks
fun to ride.

You pig.

Bill "a fan" S.

frodge said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an inseam
of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-riding.
Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff. Basic trail
riding with roots and mud and hills.

--

You're pretty new to the board, as you said. Try not to
use the word "serious", it seems frowned upon 🙂 You can
get a great HT for that kind of cash, but like others have
said, go to your local bike shop (LBS). Even if you pay a
little more than you might mail order, that money will
more than make up for itself in advice, service work,
mojo, and other ways that will surely come up as you spend
more time on the trails.

Craig Brossman

go to your local bikeshops and look for a good deal on last
years models....most bang for the buck.

"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an inseam
of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-riding.
Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff. Basic trail
riding with roots and mud and hills.

--

" S o r n i" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

frodge said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an
inseam of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-
riding. Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff.
Basic trail riding with roots and mud and hills.

That's a /fairly/ long inseam for your height, so it's
even more important that you enlist the help of
professionals with bike selection and fit.

In other words, visit some Local Bike Shops (LBSs) and ask
questions and take test rides.

You can get a helluva bike for a grand these days, but it
MUST FIT or you won't enjoy riding it.

Bill "go forth and shop" S.

Heh, this is the guy that inadvertently started the brawl
over bike fit - he said his 19.5" Trek felt great, but
reading about bike fit convinced him he was wrong.

Frodge, you just bought a bike. Ride it for at least a year.
You're not going to develop enough skills, ride enough
miles, or race so much that the low-end-Trek you have won't
last. In that space of time you will have learned enough to
make your own decisions as to what you should ride. Don't
listen to us; you'll get everything from "rigid steel SS" to
"Ti FS or bust."

Chris

Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year after I have put some miles on. I guess my skills are [censored] right now anyway and the Trek will be o.k. for now. 😎

"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year after
I have put some

miles on. I guess my skills are [censored] right now anyway and
the Trek will be
o.k. for now. 😎

Quoted message said:

One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web site
looking for when the DEMO program comes to a trail within a
reasonable distance of your area... You can ride several
different sized bikes, and also get the assistance of the
Trek people in choosing the right frame size for you. And in
particular, you can try riding several different styles of
mountain bikes on real trails--you can see how you like a
good hard tail, how you like a full suspension cross country
bike, how you like an "All Mountain" bike with 5 inches
front and back suspension, how you feel about extremely
light versus extremely plush, etc. You get to do this over
real obstacles, not a parking lot where you can tell NOTHING
about how the bike will ride over technical obstacles for
you. A lot of people on this NG hate Trek, and with that in
mind, I'll add that the DEMO program can help you with what
style of bike, and does not have to be about choosing a Trek--
you may decide you like an All Mountain design, and then
gravitate to some other manufacturer for the All Mountain
bike you will actually get ( or X-country, or hardtail,
etc). Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25....its awesome in
the rooty type of riding we have in south florida, and its
holding up well to the abuse I've been giving it ( Got it in
January, been hammering very rooty trails 3 to 4 days per
week on average since then...I weigh 212 pounds now, and I
put alot of stress on a bike frame. For the people who claim
the Treks have weak backends, I have to say this is
nonsense. I don't use it to jump off 7 foot drops onto flat
landings, but to me that is not mountain biking....If that's
what you like, get a bmx or freeride bike, start banging
your head into concrete walls for at least 30 minutes a day
to help further reduce your IQ, and try skateboarding in
your spare time;-)

Regards, Dan V

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Dan Volker
"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year after
I have put some

miles on. I guess my skills are [censored] right now anyway and
the Trek will be
o.k. for now. 😎

Quoted message said:

One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web site
looking for when the DEMO program comes to a trail within a
reasonable distance of your area... You can ride several
different sized bikes, and also get the assistance of the
Trek people in choosing the right frame size for you. And in
particular, you can try riding several different styles of
mountain bikes on real trails--you can see how you like a
good hard tail, how you like a full suspension cross country
bike, how you like an "All Mountain" bike with 5 inches
front and back suspension, how you feel about extremely
light versus extremely plush, etc. You get to do this over
real obstacles, not a parking lot where you can tell NOTHING
about how the bike will ride over technical obstacles for
you. A lot of people on this NG hate Trek, and with that in
mind, I'll add that the DEMO program can help you with what
style of bike, and does not have to be about choosing a Trek--
you may decide you like an All Mountain design, and then
gravitate to some other manufacturer for the All Mountain
bike you will actually get ( or X-country, or hardtail,
etc). Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25....its awesome in
the rooty type of riding we have in south florida, and its
holding up well to the abuse I've been giving it ( Got it in
January, been hammering very rooty trails 3 to 4 days per
week on average since then...I weigh 212 pounds now, and I
put alot of stress on a bike frame. For the people who claim
the Treks have weak backends, I have to say this is
nonsense. I don't use it to jump off 7 foot drops onto flat
landings, but to me that is not mountain biking....If that's
what you like, get a bmx or freeride bike, start banging
your head into concrete walls for at least 30 minutes a day
to help further reduce your IQ, and try skateboarding in
your spare time;-)

Regards, Dan V

Haha. That last part is pretty funny. I just bought a Trek 4900 amonth ago and like it a lot. It is a little big for me because I didn't know anything until after I bought it. I know it is not a heavy duty trail bike, but for right now it is not bad I guess. I will look into your suggestions. The bike shop will not work with me with the issue that the bike i a little big. For what I am doing right now, it seems to be ok.

The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-
sized in the first place is a concern. I'm a big proponent
of proper fitting and not assuming a certain "size" of bike
is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned you or
advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't go
back there or give them any business.

I'm 5'9" and during this past winter we vacationed at a
remote spot in Baja Mexico. The place had several "decent"
MTBs so we toured a fair amount on the surrounding hills. On
the days that the bike selection was low, I was forced to
take a larger than preferred frame, and by mid day I always
had an aching back and numbing fingers.

My $.02

"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dan Volker said:

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

news:2%_sc.2-

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden]:[email hidden]-

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

netserver.com...

Quoted message said:

Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year
after I have put some

miles on. I guess my skills are [censored] right now anyway
and the Trek will be
o.k. for now. 😎

Quoted message said:

One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web
site looking for when the DEMO program comes to a
trail within a reasonable distance of your area... You
can ride several different sized bikes, and also get
the assistance of the Trek people in choosing the
right frame size for you. And in particular, you can
try riding several different styles of mountain bikes
on real trails--you can see how you like a good hard
tail, how you like a full suspension cross country
bike, how you like

an

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"All Mountain" bike with 5 inches front and back
suspension, how you feel about extremely light versus
extremely plush, etc. You get to do this over real
obstacles, not a parking lot where you can tell
NOTHING about how the bike will ride over technical
obstacles for you. A lot

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people on this NG hate Trek, and with that in mind,
I'll add that the DEMO program can help you with what
style of bike, and does not have

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

be about choosing a Trek-- you may decide you like an
All Mountain design, and then gravitate to some other
manufacturer for the All Mountain bike you will
actually get ( or X-country, or hardtail, etc).
Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25....its awesome in
the rooty type

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

riding we have in south florida, and its holding up
well to the abuse I've been giving it ( Got it in
January, been hammering very rooty trails 3 to 4 days
per week on average since then...I weigh 212 pounds
now, and I put alot of stress on a bike frame. For the
people who

claim

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the Treks have weak backends, I have to say this is
nonsense. I don't use it to jump off 7 foot drops onto
flat landings, but to me that is not mountain
biking....If that's what you like, get a bmx or
freeride bike, start banging your head into concrete
walls for at least 30 minutes a day to help further
reduce your IQ, and try skateboarding in your spare
time;-) Regards, Dan V

Haha. That last part is pretty funny. I just bought a Trek
4900 amonth ago and like it a lot. It is a little big for
me because I didn't know anything until after I bought it.
I know it is not a heavy duty trail bike, but for right
now it is not bad I guess. I will look into your
suggestions. The bike shop will not work with me with the
issue that the bike i a little big. For what I am doing
right now, it seems to be ok.

--

Gwood said:

The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-
sized in the first place is a concern. I'm a big proponent
of proper fitting and not assuming a certain "size" of bike
is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned you or
advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't go
back there or give them any business.

I'm 5'9" and during this past winter we vacationed at a
remote spot in Baja Mexico. The place had several "decent"
MTBs so we toured a fair amount on the surrounding hills.
On the days that the bike selection was low, I was forced
to take a larger than preferred frame, and by mid day I
always had an aching back and numbing fingers.

My $.02

<SNIP>

Quoted message said:

Haven't we hashed this out already with this dude two weeks
ago? Enough! Stop whining and just sell the damn thing on
eBay already. Don't rehash the same question to try and get
an answer you like better than the last.

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

[qoute]
Haven't we hashed this out already with this dude two weeks
ago? Enough! Stop whining and just sell the damn thing on
eBay already. Don't rehash the same question to try and get
an answer you like better than the last.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws [/QUOTE]
The thread was started to find out what would be a real good hardtail for $1000. NOt to "re-hash". A reading lesson would be proper for you. Read my original post. Since no-one offered a suggestion on bikes, it reverted back to the original discussion. Not my fault. You must be bored.

Gwood said:

The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-
sized in the first place is a concern. I'm a big proponent
of proper fitting and not assuming a certain "size" of
bike is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned you
or advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't
go back there or give them any business.

If it were me, I'd be taking every opportunity to tell
people to avoid this shop. You can get zero service for a
lot less money on-line, or possibly good service for the
same price elsewhere.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Bb


If it were me, I'd be taking every opportunity to tell
people to avoid this shop. You can get zero service for a
lot less money on-line, or possibly good service for the
same price elsewhere.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. :eek:
The owner was like, everybody buys a bigger bike their first time around. Next time you will go smaller, everyone does. 🙄

frodge said:

The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. :eek:
The owner was like, everybody buys a bigger bike their
first time around. Next time you will go smaller, everyone
does. 🙄

I'm just curious why you're so hesitant to name a shop that
has appears to have an idiot for an owner...?

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Bb

BOn Wed said:

The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. :eek:
The owner was like, everybody buys a bigger bike their
first time around. Next time you will go smaller, everyone
does. 🙄

I'm just curious why you're so hesitant to name a shop that
has appears to have an idiot for an owner...?

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least) [/B]

Bennetts Bicycles

http://cyclery.com/Members/cybercycle/bikeshops/10585392941/view?state%3Alist=New+York+(NY)&batch_start=51

"Dan Volker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year
after I have put some

miles on. I guess my skills are [censored] right now anyway and
the Trek will be
o.k. for now. 😎

Quoted message said:

One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web site
looking for when the DEMO program comes to a trail within
a reasonable distance of your area...

Naw - skip Trek and try out a Giant or Marin HT. Good stuff.
The Marin can be had in steel, which is nice.

[snip Trek commercial, LOL]

Quoted message said:

A lot of people on this NG hate Trek

But that's where you're wrong. There might be one or two,
but not "lot[s]". The fact is that Trek makes some OK bikes,
and that some of them might be acceptable to some buyers.
But to just recommend "Trek" every time a newbie comes in is
nothing but brand loyalty.

[snip continuing Trek commercial]

Quoted message said:

Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25

Quoted message said:

For the people who claim the Treks have weak backends, I
have to say this is nonsense.

"Jonesy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For the people who claim the Treks have weak backends, I
have to say this is nonsense.

And you are a materials engineer? Those carbon stays are a
gimmick, and flexy as hell. Been there, done that. Any
serious MTBer would run away.

What I am is 212 pounds, and even "if" JD and a few others
here can beat me up hills at elevations over 6000 feet, I'm
strong and heavy enough to put any mountain bike through
more structural stress than most 150 pound riders could do,
no matter how well they can ride.

If you rode a Liquid 25 or 50, and thought the stays were
flexy, I'd suggest what you might have had as a problem
was not the stays, but tires that had sidewalls which were
too soft for you, or insufficient air pressure, and were
not allowing the bike to corner the way it should. With
the Panaracer
2.4 FR ( freeride and light downhill tires) on this bike,
the back end feels rock solid.

At the same price point, you can get better bikes from

Quoted message said:

other makers, including Specialized and Marin. Four-bar,
real pivots, solid and no Bontrager craptastic
drivetrain shiite.

Considering Trek offers Demo days are real trails on a
regular basis, and most other brands do not, you might re-
think this a bit--if they were so bad, people would be
riding them on trails and NOT liking the performance.
Instead, people riding on real trails LIKE the way the
bikes handle.

Quoted message said:

When one of those CF stays finally lets go, I hope you
don't crash too badly, and I hope it doesn't screw up
the other parts too badly. What I'd love to hear is if
Carla or Jim have ever tested one of these flexy Liquids
- I'd like to know what a real mountain biker thinks of
these bikes.

I forgot again. Real mountain bikers only exist out west.

My main point was that being able to DEMO a bike on real
trails is a huge big deal. In snow skiing, this is
demanded by skiiers---but mountain bikers must be so damn
timid that we just take the [censored] the bike industry wants
to put out, without any demo or way of knowing how good
the bike is. Dan V

"frodge" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi. I am pretty new to the board and want to know a good
hardtail to buy for around $1000. I am 5'7, with an inseam
of about 31". I will be using the bike for trail-riding.
Nothing serious like jumping 8 feet and stuff. Basic trail
riding with roots and mud and hills.

--

As long as you're not planning to race, a good steel frame
will take the edge off for a hardtail on long rides.

A Rocky Mountain Hammer could be had for your price range.

bikes.comhammer.aspxOpen ↗

The Rocky Blizzard will cost you more for a 853 tubeset.

bikes.comblizzard.aspxOpen ↗