It can be a bit frustrating as well as time consuming when you buy a mountain bike. Below, you’ll find some tips and things to be aware of before you lay down the cash and buy a mountain bike.
Determining your price
There is really no limit as to how much money you can spend on a new mountain bike. To help you keep your spending under control, you should figure out what your price range is and how much your willing to pay for a new bike. When you buy, you shouldn’t buy from
mass merchant stores such as Wal-Mart. You should instead support your local bike shop and get a much better bike and much better service.
Finding your style
All mountain bikes are designed with several different riding styles and terrain types in mind. You’ll need to figure out what type of riding you will be doing the most. Smooth riding, cross country racing, mountain cruising, or lift accessed downhill is something you need to figure out. Make sure that the bike you select fits your personal style and not that of the sale’s staff.
Full suspension or hard tail
If you can afford it, a full suspension mountain bike is always worth the purchase. A hard tail, without rear suspension, is much lighter weight and pedal more efficiently, although full suspensions offer more comfort and overall better control. You’ll want to make that decision based on your price range, riding style, and the type of terrain you’ll be riding on the most.
Finding your favorites
Comparing mountain bikes component to component is nearly impossible, as there are far too many combinations available. The best way to go about doing this is finding a few components that are the most important to you and making sure the rest or the minimums fall within your price range. You can start with the fork then look at the wheels and rear derailleur.
Sales and seasons
During the year, the prices of mountain bikes can fluctuate quite a bit. Spring through summer is the main buying season. If you can wait until the right price pops up, normally in the fall and winter, you can save a couple hundred dollars. Many bike shops will
also offer discounts or other accessories if you buy from them.
Finding a good dealer
Finding a good bike dealer is more important than finding the best price. You should always find a dealer that cares more about selling you a great bike than selling you a high priced one. A great dealer will have a clean repair shop and give you the impression that you can really trust them.
Test ride
You should test ride as many bikes as you can within your price range and riding style. You’ll find that some bikes will feel right, while others won’t. The more bikes you can test drive, you better you’ll understand what works and what doesn’t.
Doing the research
Product reviews and bike reviews are some of the best ways to find out about a mountain bikes reliability and overall performance. You should always look at what other owners and reviews think about a bike before you make that final purchase.
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What can I expect from a Mountain Bike Trail?
I’m planning to go biking in a Mountain Bike Trail but I’ve never been or seen a mountain bike trail, so I was wondering what will I see once I get there, I mean, are the paths always made of concrete (like a sidewalk) or is it a natural path?
Also I need to buy a bike to go there, what would you recomend me and in what price range are the Mountain Bike Trail bikes?
Thanks in advance.
Answer
Real trails are mostly or all dirt, gravel, sand. Hard pack dirt is the best. You will encounter steep short hills and some times long hills depending were you live and ride. Tree roots (very slippery when wet) rocks, small to medium logs to hump over, bumpy rutted down hill are common. Sometimes trails are very narrow between trees with tight turns etc. and small very narrow bridges (hand built) over wet spots are common where I ride. Trails vary widely.
Ask around, trails are rated for difficulty. For a first ride choose the easiest you can find. I don’t want to scare you but the 1st time out is an eye-opener for most riders. When I take newbies out I go to the easiest trail which crosses park roads so if they had enough for the day we just ride the road back to the car.
As for the bike, try to buy above the $300 – $400 price range if you really want to trail ride. Wally Mart type bikes will not hold up to the abuse taken on a trail. There OK for once in a while trial rides. Best thing would be to borrow a bike to try it out – trails I mean. If you really like it and are a good athlete spend $600+ to get a bike that will be well equiped to work well under trail conditions. Stay away from duel suspension bikes – they added weight and $$$ and are certainly not needed. They are sold a lot in discount stores because kids (and adults) think there cool.
Make sure you ride on the road to get in at least OK shape and can handle and shift you bike very well. MTB riding requires much more skill than road riding. Finally, go when it’s dry.
