buying advice

surgtech1956

I'm looking for some advice on an entry level bike - for middle aged women. I will be riding on hard packed trails, 2 tracks, single tracks, some rode. What's your advice on: Specialized Hardrock XC, Diamondback Response, Gary Fisher Taropon, Haro V1 or V2, Raleigh Mojave 2.0? Thank you

j.r.hawkins

Congratulations on making a start.

Go visit a couple of your local bike shops and get some recommendations. Then go check out www.mtbr.com for reviews.

I don't want to over-dramatise the issues I had, but I'd caution you against going too cheap. If you spend a little more you will have a much more enjoyable experience. This is particularly important for females, as your pelvic architecture is different and you will require a good quality female-specific seat to comfortably enjoy your riding.

As a 75kg male I had a frustrating time with the drive train on my slightly-better-than-entry-level MTB that I bought for commuting. Heaven help anyone trying to use it off-road straight out of the showroom. The issues were resolved by spending roughly AUD$100, but if I'd spent AUD100-200 more on the initial purchase I'd have been saved a lot of hassle and lost billable time, and had a better overall bike.

Just bear this in mind when you're shopping, and remember that as a beginner you're more likely to be hard on the bike's drive train until your anticipation and skills improve.

JM01

Also...go with the one that fits best. WSD bikes are now more widely available, and if you're built like a typical female, longer legs and shorter arms than a typical male, this may work for you. My daughter rides a Specialized WSD and tells me that it is the best bike she has owned...no more back pain!

In the mid-level range, I like Marin (very large choice of models, excellent build at each price point), Specialized, not too happy with Trek, Kona, and Cannondale as their build quality and frame geometry is not the same as it was a while back

Happy trails

MarkInNC

I am about six months ahead of you and am a middle aged male. I spent some time looking at bikes available in my area and wound up with a Trek. I found that most of the manufacturers had comparible bikes and each model had several levels each with better components and higher price. I agree with what the other posts have recommended. Try a couple of models at your local dealer. I ride more on the road than your thread indicates that you will. And, I put some smaller tires on my Trek instead of the knobys that come on it.

I thought I had over purchased as I was in the market for a 400-500 bike and came home with a bike and extras having spent 1100. Now I am very happy with what I bought. The bike is smooth, it shifs nicely, it is quiet, and lite in comparison to some of the lower priced bikes I looked at.

Fit is very important to getting out and ridding, as previously stated. I wound up changing my handle bar stem twice to raise up my bars a little. This compromise raises me up a little which has the disadvantage of slowing you down but the advantage for me of adding comfort.

I am now ridding 15-25 miles after work 3-4 times a week.

Mark