Mountain bike recommendation

[ronocnikral]

i'm young.

more balls than brains.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by rab3rd

Man screw the pump its heavy to carry. Go CO2 or go home! You know I always kind of liked riding hard in the heat, better than the cold anway...

Grinning. While typing pump I knew I should have been typing CO2. Hey, I'm old. Pumps always work.

[venchka]

Yikes! 500 miles in 3 days? I may have done half that in 3 days. Loaded. In Idaho & northern Utah. In some real mountains. On pavement.

[Flea77]

Originally Posted by rab3rd

And 35-40 LBS ago!

No lie! Right there with ya!

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

more balls than brains.

Yeah? Well I got more blubber than both your balls and brains Dang I gotta get back on the bike!

Allan

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by venchka

Grinning. While typing pump I knew I should have been typing CO2. Hey, I'm old. Pumps always work.

i carry both. i've run out of CO2 on a horrible ride. since i ride unsupported, i now have a hybrid solution, more canisters of CO2 that weigh more than a pump...AND a pump.

[rab3rd]

Do you carry the 20gram CO2's or those big air cans?

[Nocturnus]

For the price Redline bikes rock. I rode a 29er Monocog for years. The d440 looks to be a good bike also. Going to the $800 range, you have a Haro Mary XC for $850 or so. My first real mountain bike was a Specialized Hardrock, then went to the Monocog and now it's time for me to run gears. heh.

[mchong75]

Curious....

Are you able to negotiate on prices at the stores?

[Nocturnus]

I'd prob say no to that, unless you know someone that works there..

Originally Posted by mchong75

Curious....

Are you able to negotiate on prices at the stores?

[rab3rd]

Not really, the markup on bikes is about 30% so they dont have a lot of room to wiggle. You may be able to get 10% off if you spend a lot of money, or if you buy from a particular shop on a regular basis. If you have a friend in the shop, say the manager, you kay be able to get the employee discount. Which can be as much as 30%.

Oh and watch out for the up sell, the agressive sales guys are gonna try to up sell you on everything. The good sales guy will too, you just wont realize it until you get home.

[ronocnikral]

i think it is taboo to negotiate with the bike shops. it's a general rule i have unless i am buying a car house, etc. if i don't like their prices, i take my business down the street. i don't play on off the other. like anything, it's cheaper online. my rule of thumb is if i walk in there to check something out and i end up wanting to buy it, i get it from them. anything i can figure out on my own, i order online. price shopping at one brick and mortar to another is ok. if you can get the bike down the street cheaper, take your business down the street. but i don't compare brick and mortar to online. ymmv.

not trying to stir up a huge debate on this. just telling you what i do.

[Jim Victory]

Just came across this post.

Michael you probably know there is a NORBA trail at CHSP. Its nice but nothing like you'll find in Colorado or other elevated terrains.

Still using my antique MB that Tom Ritchey built me in 1984.

[Nocturnus]

I'm picking up a 2011 Kona Unit at the end of the month. I normally carry (in my camelback).

co2 inflator, 2 small co2 (16g I think) canisters, patch kit, tire levers (pedros), multi tool, extra power link (I have had a chain break on me before), hand pump and 2 spare tubes. Though reading on some of the bike forums, some people carry some duct tape and other parts. But since I ride the local Austin trails, I'm never really far away from anything.

[d2creative]

Originally Posted by blackalice82

500.00 is a bit low for a real moutain bike

Agreed.
But if you want to pick up a great bike and not pay for a name, look at Road Bikes, Mountain Bikes, Performance Bikes | Fezzari Bikes
You'll get way more bike than you will buying a Trek, Specialized or any other well known frame... all made in the same factory and with lesser components.
I got a deal on their Cascade Peak before xmas and it's an awesome bike with great components. Nothing else compared. Been riding the trails at Memorial Park a few days a week and it's really taking a beating.

The other thing you can do is watch daily deal sites like Chainlove or Hucknroll for great deals on frames and complete bikes.