I'm 19, and haven't had or ridden a bike in about 5 or 6 years. But I would like to get a mountain bike for riding in the city and riding in trails. As a student my budget is a bit tight, I was hoping to get something for $400-600. I don't need a performance bike that's going to take a lot of abuse or hard trails, I just need something reliable that's not going to wear out in a few months.
When I was younger the only bikes I've had were CCM and Supercycle (Canadian Tire brands), which retail at $150-$300. Obviously they were cheaply made, the brakes gave out within months, and the gear shifts stopped working properly quite quickly. I'm looking for something that will last, and I'm hoping I can get something within my budget, but if not, I'll have to wait until I can afford something more expensive.
Today I went to the two local bike shops here. One of which didn't have anything under $600, and the other had only two different models in that range. The bike I was looking at was an Opus Sonar, priced at $520. http://opusbike.com/en/bikes/mountain/aluminum-26/sonar
Opus is a small company, so I haven't been able to find many reviews on their bikes, but what I did find was positive. Will a bike like that be reliable? If not, how much would I need to spend to get a bike that's going to last?
I'm in Newfoundland, Canada. So I assume shipping would be very expensive to buy a bike online.
Also, I'm 5'9" and 150lb, so I'd need a bike that would fit me. I'm not sure what size of frame I need. I believe the one in the shop was a 26" frame, and it seemed about the right size.