Beginner mountain bike??

Quoted message said:

I just moved to the haven of outdoors sports and I want to get into
mountain biking. Will I be able to get a decent bike for less than
$450? Should I invest in a new or used bike? Does anyone have any
recommendations?

I went to a bike store and saw a Trek 4300 for $349. I also saw a used
Giant Iguana and it's being offered for $400 (It's in good condition,
but full of scratches.)

What should I be looking at when inspecting a bike? Any help will be
greatly apprecciated.

Any good bike store should help you learn and decide. Scratches are
expected on a mountain bike. $450 is a bit lean for a good bike, but for
a beginner, yeah, it'll do. Buy the best bike you can afford, and make
sure you get a size that fits. Make sure to ask about last year's
models, another way to get a better bike for your money.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,

Quoted message said:

I just moved to the haven of outdoors sports and I want to get into
mountain biking. Will I be able to get a decent bike for less than
$450? Should I invest in a new or used bike? Does anyone have any
recommendations?

I went to a bike store and saw a Trek 4300 for $349. I also saw a used
Giant Iguana and it's being offered for $400 (It's in good condition,
but full of scratches.)

What should I be looking at when inspecting a bike? Any help will be
greatly apprecciated.

Look for *good service* within your price range unless you're competent with
tools. Get guarantees from an LBS and a recommendation from any cycling
friends of yours. Nobody hates anything more than to have a bike break and
needing to spend a ridiculous amount of money to fix it up.

--
Phil

Quoted message said:

I just moved to the haven of outdoors sports and I want to get into
mountain biking. Will I be able to get a decent bike for less than
$450?

Most likely, yes.

Quoted message said:

Should I invest in a new or used bike?

In most cities of significant size, a little shopping around will turn
up some used bikes that will deliver a better value than new, but the
bottom end of a couple of the name-brand bike-shop lines (which are
not shabby) lies within your reach as long as you're not looking for a
dual-suspension bike.

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have any
recommendations?

When shopping used, I'd avoid the department store brands; having been
owned before won't improve a Magna, Next, Roadmaster, Murray, Huffy or
Vertical. Be cautious around used Schwinn, Mongoose and Pacific
bikes; those brands can also be department store units. Beyond that,
there's the whole issue of wear on the sprockets and braking surfaces
(etc.), and the problem of finding one that's the right size.

Quoted message said:

I went to a bike store and saw a Trek 4300 for $349.

That's one of the ones I figured you would run across. It's not a bad
unit.

Quoted message said:

I also saw a used
Giant Iguana and it's being offered for $400 (It's in good condition,
but full of scratches.)

The scratches just make you look experienced. People will expect you
to go faster.

Quoted message said:

What should I be looking at when inspecting a bike? Any help will be
greatly apprecciated.

Worn rims (where the brakes rub), a worn chain and/or sprockets (look
at http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html), play in the headset bearings,
wobble in the wheels when spun with the bike held off the ground,
sideways play in the wheel, dents in the frame, a seatpost that won't
move up and down when unclamped, shifters that don't find the gears
properly across the entire range, and brakes that rub on the wheels
after releasing are all signs that maintenance may be lacking and/or
the bike may have been used hard.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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