I want a mountain bike.

crabu2

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For about a year, maybe a bit longer, I've been wanting a mountain bike and I think I'm ready.

I need suggestions.. Originally I was going to get a Cannondale Catalyst 3, but I didn't like the lime green. This made me look.. Looking made me do a little studying on bikes, and I think I want the Vistus 275 VR.

What do you folks think? The Vitus is more bike than I think I need as a beginner, and it's more than I wanted to spend. But it being MBR's 3x sub 500 Pound winner makes me really want it. Although I don't like the idea of not having local support (It's only available from from UK) and the price ($670 US because of shipping and exchange rate) is a bit more than I wanted to spend. The thing that stopped me was it being out of stock, when I went to order. So I guess my questions are, should I wait and get this bike or should I looks or something a bit cheaper? Dick's sporting goods has a GT for $299. The parts aren't as nice, but I'm a beginner... I don't even know if I'll enjoy riding a bike..

Sorry to ramble on... but when I ask my friends; the ones that bike tell me I need to spend a $1000 minimum to get into a decent beginner's mtb and my other friends tell me to go to Walmart. I'm so confused, my heads spinning....
 
There are various forums on bikes, something like the DCT forum - about dashcams
Probably it is better to seek advice there, to these forums, for example, here forums.mtbr.com or here singletracks.com/forum/mountain-biking. It is unlikely that on this forum there will be many bike experts who know all their subtleties.

PS: When I want to buy a new phone and I can not choose which one suits me better, I look for a forum of experts on the phones :)
 
Thanks.. I have looked at those sites, but most of them are such hardcore, I think they try and push people into bikes one doesn't need. I'm a beginner and haven't ridden a bike in decades.. Yes, I would buy a $2K bike, if I knew I was really going to be into it, but without knowing if I'll even enjoy riding a bike, it's hard for me to take their opinions on what to get.
 
Forget walmart bikes. If you don't want to spend much money buy a major brand used MTB, dont go to low spec though, try to keep in the middle. I would not go full suspension (I mean, only front fork at least, no rear suspension).

I think you might find interesting used bikes, people who bought just for and never much used them
 
Thanks.. I have looked at those sites, but most of them are such hardcore, I think they try and push people into bikes one doesn't need. I'm a beginner and haven't ridden a bike in decades.. Yes, I would buy a $2K bike, if I knew I was really going to be into it, but without knowing if I'll even enjoy riding a bike, it's hard for me to take their opinions on what to get.

Why not just tell them you are a newbie and ask for advice? People on a dedicated forum who are interested in mountain bikes should be far more able to advise you on this subject than random members of a dash cam forum. Before going "hard core" they too were new to the activity.
 
I had a MTB but in their infancy ( in Denmark ) back in 1988 or there about, trashed it quickly - mended it, and got that stolen too.
Id like another one today. but must have electrical assist as i am barely able to deal with the walking speed of myself, it would be best if it had a compartment for my inhaler and a 10 Oz pure oxygen tank would probably be nice too.
 
Asking for noob advice online isn't always going to get you good advice. Too many "snob" sites will tell you that you must have a certain level of equipment that's far beyond what you really need :( Kind of like some folks here on DCT who think you've got to spend $400+ to get a decent dashcam :ROFLMAO:

I'd begin with checking local bike shops to see if anyone offers mountain bike rentals in the area, or whether they can work out a method with you where you can rent a used bike from them for a weekend to see if you like it. Or spend some time at the trailhead of a nearby popular biking spot and talk to the riders directly. A more casual rider isn't going to need the best performance-grade features, but you need to know about model-specific problems so you can avoid that kind of issue. Also look at resale value in case you want something different later on ;)

A few years back I'd considered giving this a try as there are now numerous bike paths and trails locally but my health is too shot to even consider it now :cry: I don't heal as fast as I used to so the inevitable crashes would have a greater cost than I can bear these days. I hope you find something soon and enjoy it (y)

Phil
 
Yeah its funny how the earth seem to get harder the older you get.
 
Yeah its funny how the earth seem to get harder the older you get.
Something to do with weight! A spider can fall from any height and not get damaged, an elephant will die if it falls when it is already standing on the ground.
 
The last bike I bought, 10-12 years ago, I bought from www.bikesdirect.com. I had an older 'hybrid' bike that was in good shape, but thought I'd get something more current. (Spent $600 on a new bike, ended up using the old beater more, but the new one is still 'pretty'.) :)

Not sure if anything has changed, but they used to sell taiwan bikes with various level of components, under old 'known' brand names. (Motobecane, Fuji, etc)
May be worth a look. They ship free, take it to a local bike shop, they'll charge a modest fee to assemble, tune, etc.
 
I’ve been a cyclist for a long time. You do not need to spend a lot to get something really good. If you’re of average height, you may want to check out craigslist for used bikes. I’m short so I almost always need to buy new since fit is the most important factor when getting a bike that you’ll actually enjoy and use. I can second bikesdirect.com as a good source of new bikes (generally cheaper frames with pretty good components for the $). If you can, go to your local bike shop to get a general feel for what size frame and geometry you’ll be most comfortable with. You may even find a good used or close out deals there.
 
Hehehehehe ...
I want a bike too ...

What do you want ?
What do you plan to do ?
How much abuse will it get ...

I mean you can pick up a new bike for maybe $99 , heck a few years ago some one had a $49 Deal on a MTB

I need some strength since I am Larger / Heavier than most ..
I want disc brakes , cos I remember the stuff from the 70's / 80's
Suspension forks , yeah , I also remember some of the shock transmitted from a solid frame bike ..
Im old now , and have a bad back ..
So the bike needs to be STRONG , the Brakes need to work , and the bike needs to be comfortable .
Currently , entry level that meets my needs would be around the $300+ range .

But thats just me ......

So get out some paper , and write down what you need / want ...
Then work out what bike meets your needs ...
Then go to a bike shop and do some test rides ( they should let you test ride )
After checking out a few bikes , you makes an educated purchase ( hopefully )
 
My MTB back then was about 700 USD and so fairly cheap bicycle, my last race bike build in parts with the things not ruined by getting run over a truck, well it set me back around 1600 USD, and really that was cheap frame + pedals + F&R hubs and rims + saddle + handlebar ( triathlon styled )
Back then around 1988 you could easy spend the 1600USD on just a frame if you wanted to, but i was unemployed at the time so i had to go cheap.
Most of the stuff i had + got was Campagnolo which i have had on most of my race bikes since i was 11 Yo.
 
Last bike I had , was $350ish / was discounted ( 50% ) .. 1983 ish ( old stock maybe )
Was a middle of the road brand , Shimano everything if mem serves ..
Was a nice bike , could lift it with one finger .
 
Well... I ordered a bike last week from some company called wiggle. I knew if I hung out on those MTB forums it would cause me to spend more..

I ordered the Vitus Nucleus 275 VRX. It was supposed to have been delivered by DHL today, but it never showed up.. So the wait continues...

Thanks for you help everyone!
 
I thinking about getting an offroad capable e-bike with a big battery (3.3KWhr) capable of 150+km per charge. Perhaps something midway between a mountain bike and a motocross motorcycle. Imagine a full suspension MtBike but a little beafier to handle the additional weight of the rider and the bike with a 18kg battery and motor. Not quite a full on motocrosser but somewhere in between. I'm thinking a 3-speed arrangement so climbing hills would be no problem and cruising at higher speed would also be possible even if you spent most of the time in second gear. So, in a weekend ride you might go 75-100km in the morning then break for lunch and recharge the bike and be good for another 75-100km without over-charging or over-discharging the battery.


Brian
 
only one kind of bike in my future.
SUR-RON_EBRAKES_1_of_2__75975.1533281748.1280.1280__55610.1533328668.jpg


BUT ! i think that one are a bit too fast to be street legal here ( 25 kmh )
 
only one kind of bike in my future.
SUR-RON_EBRAKES_1_of_2__75975.1533281748.1280.1280__55610.1533328668.jpg


BUT ! i think that one are a bit too fast to be street legal here ( 25 kmh )


Yeah, pretty near what I was talking about but I'd want an even bigger battery as mentioned in my prior. The one listed here uses 18650 cells and I'd use about the same number of 21700 cells with about 50% more capacity as the 18650's. Such a bike in the 50kg range would get as much as 200km on paved roads and 150km on decent dirt roads and maybe 75km when really hot-dogging.


Brian
 
TBH i would prefer to drive on the bicycle paths here, so more out of the range of the insane car drivers.
BUT you cant do more than 30 kmh on a bicycle path, and only faster i can go without having to get a motorcycle license are 45 kmh but then i have to drive in among cars and then really 45 kmh are too damn slow, dunno who came up with these 45kmh scooter / mopeds, but in my book it range as one of the most insane ideas ever here, and fortunately the 45 mopeds are pretty rare in traffic and always have been, making me think even harder what the hell the reasoning was to come up with that BS.
As it is i cant think further than some politician have a relative in the moped business.
 
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