new bottom end dual susp mtb

Nothingman

hi,
im looking at buying a new mtb. would like a bottom end dual suspension mtb.
possibly disc brakes or good quality V brakes. the forks to be ok.
will be mainly riding on bike tracks, but a little off road and downhill not a lot.

i used to have a mongoose dx 4.5. but i havent touched it for about 4 years and its deteriorated. rather than fixing it i will just buy something new i think...

without spending too much 300-400 maybe. what should i be looking at.
it seems bike shops start at about 1000+ for dual susp bikes. my price range is kmart bikes... can i get anything decent for this price? i would be willing to buy a cheap kmart bike if it was half decent. or am i dreaming?

thanks for your help

alfeng

You ARE dreaming ...

If all you can currently afford is an under $200 bike, then you are better off getting a set of BIKE tools (if you don't already have them/some) & repairing your old Mongoose bike.

New tires/tubes + grease (real & elbow) will go a long way to restoring (m)any old bike to close-to-rideable conditions -- of course, sometimes, new cables/housing and/or brake pads are needed, too.

If your current bike doesn't have ANY suspension, then you should just save your money until you can afford one (new OR used).

There ARE some new last-year's-model (or, older) bikes which you may be able to get for about $400 ... but, you really need to know what you are looking at ... and, the components will only/probably be suitable for moderate conditions ...

FWIW. Depending on the kind of riding you are planning to do (presuming you have a hardtail and/or NO suspension fork), I would recommend a GOOD suspension fork + (possibly) a Thudbuster seatpost. I've got to believe that if you are compelled to buy from a local bike shop that IF they have any NEW-but-unsold suspension forks from a few seasons ago that they are ALSO discounted quite severely ... few things seem to have changed over the past half dozen years as much as MTB frame suspension (i.e., the forks AND rear shocks) -- I recommend you look for a Marzocchi fork, first ... Rock Shox, second. Forget the rest (unless it comes on a must-have "new" bike).

Nothingman

so looking at a around $400 bike from kmart or ebay is a waste of time?
not even worth thinking about, just junk for the tip?

my old bike has rockshox indy s forks. i could restore this bike, but would need a fair bit of work. chain, cables, tyres, back derailer is damaged. then who knows what else isnt working...

what about a second hand bike? or an old years model...
or should i be looking at a decent hard tail?
or is fixing up my mongoose the best bet?

garage sale GT

What happened to the Mongoose you already have? He who forgets will be destined to remember, you know. (sorry, couldn't resist.)

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Nothingman

it needs a bit of work. turns out i cant find my old derailer.
so id be looking at a new back derailer. new set of cables and houseing.
a new chain.
brake pads are ok i think.
possibly new rims...

not sure what cost im looking at there? thats why im thinking i might be better off upgrading.

garage sale GT

$10 will get you a derailleur. $25 will get you a very good MTB derailleur.

Rims are typically straightened, not replaced unless they are severely dented or abraded. Most any low end new bike will need an initial wheel truing after a month or two anyway, so old or new you're out the same amount. Just make sure the wheels don't wobble when you're not turning them, which would mean you needed new cones and bearings, maybe a new hub. Buying components for low end wheels btw can be more expensive than getting a cheap wheel.

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alfeng

Generally, I think eBay is great ... that is, if you have already found that mail order (in the past) was as good-or-better than your LBS based on a combination of product availability, price & service (many of the traditional mail order retailers like COLORADO CYCLIST & EXCEL provide fairly strong technical support) AND if you can do your own wrenching.

I still only have a hardtail ... but, have been watching-and-monitoring the full suspension market for many years because I have been trying to justify a full suspension bike (too?!?), but (fortunately?) can't (because, like electronic components, each year that passes has yielded more-bang-for-your-buck and a mid-range MTB is probably vastly superior to a high-end MTB from a half dozen years ago) ...

I think that if you can bump your target price UP a bit (closer to $600), you will PROBABLY get a much better bike (one that retails for $900-$1200) than if your budget is limited to $400 (at which point you will be get the equivalent of the lowest grade, entry level LBS bike).

Now, it is possible that the difference in performance will be negligible, but the weight difference will probably be 5+ lbs ... almost EVERYTHING on the new-but-last-year's-model bike @ $400 will probably be steel. So, it will be a glorified KMart bike at 2x the price (over 3x at LBS retail).

Of course, I know one person who replaced his old Specialized full suspension bike with a Santa Cruz which was easily ONE SIZE larger than I think he should have selected (he's about 5'10" & bought what has to be a LARGE frame) -- about the same amount of seatpost was exposed on his "new" MTB as on my ROAD bike! IMO, that kind of sizing is okay for fire roads & bike paths, but probably not for (semi-)technical riding ...

The frame size is critical ... when in doubt, opt for the ONE-size-smaller.

FWIW. And/(So), the matter of hardtail vs. full suspension depends on the type of riding you anticipate doing in the future OR if you found that the trails you rode in the past were more technical than you were comfortable with on your hardtail Mongoose.

AND, the TYPE of suspension linkage is important ... perhaps, not as much as a half-dozen years ago because of the improvement in the rear shock, but still important ...

SO, if I were in-the-market to replace my hardtail with a full suspension bike AND had a limited budget (as most of us do have!), then I think KONA and GT (and, the Schwinn MTBs which now incorporate the GT i-drive rear suspension linkage) have reasonably nice bikes that retail for under $1000US ... so, $600 as last year's model (or, a two year old remnant on the showroom floor) is reasonable at your LBS OR on eBay.

BTW. I tried a GT i-drive MTB a half dozen (!?!) years ago, and I was pretty much sold on THAT linkage design ("zero" bobbing ... an important aspect when you are going UPhill), but there are a few others I might/would consider now since rear shocks (FOX, in particular) are much better. The current i-drive frames are more "mechanic" friendly than the earlier design (that is, don't buy a MTB with an older, "hydro-formed" i-drive frame).

As far as your Rock Shox Indy fork (which I think ONLY uses Neoprene internals -- nothing wrong with that under limited conditions), if you aren't riding in cooler/colder weather & you don't need more than 83mm (?) of travel, then it can probably be brought back up to spec by putting some ENGLUND's SLICK HONEY on the fork's sliders.

SLICK HONEY is, by my reckoning, simply motor oil & vaseline -- that is, you can re-create something that looks-and-feels like SLICK HONEY by blending the two to a viscosity similar to [you guessed it] honey.

Generally, grease (real & elbow) & oil go a long way to rejuvenating many moving parts on a bike.

The rest of the parts, as garage sale GT has indicated, can be replaced for a reasonable amount ... particularly, if you are "wise shopper" on eBay.

If, after you "fix" your Mongoose, you feel a need for a different fork, then I recommend Marzocchi, first; Rock Shox, second. You can generally forget the others ...

garage sale GT

My price was for new stuff! You may have to shop around a bit though. I got a Deore rear derailleur for $25 from Jensonusa and my old road bike is equipped with a Nexus from Nashbar.com, which is good enough since it has friction shifters and thus no need for a short cage for crisp index shifts.

Beware of compatibility issues, though. Don't get something too different from what you have unless you get the shifters and possibly cassette, too.

If you have a really low end mtb, you can get a derailleur for $6.99 new.

I don't trust ebay because so much of that stuff might be stolen.

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garage sale GT

That would be a Nexave not a Nexus. It is a long cage C201 derailleur from the Nexave comfort group. Good enough quality, but heavier than the "real" road stuff, and able to clear a 34T rear sprocket. Which makes it a bit longer than I need. $9.99+shipping from Nashbar.com.

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TheLastMariner

Last year at this time I had similar considerations, but I was returning to cycling after a couple of decades' hiatus. Had to completely educate myself about modern bikes and I had a limited budget.

Went online and got a MTB, FS 7-speed, one of those "licensed" bikes for the equivalent of a KMart or WallyWorld price. I purchased it with the full knowledge that it wasn't a high end Trek, Iron Horse or Cannondale. Yeah, it came with low end components, but the frame is solid. After a few well-chosen upgrades (for not a lot of money) the bike rides great and suits me fine. In fact, it now has better components than more of a few of the bikes at my LBS that cost $200 more than my bike. I saved $$ because I bought the components online and installed most myself, and I got to know my LBS mechanic on a friendly basis by buying a wheelset from the shop and letting them tune the bike.

My advice is, check the LBS first for bargains. But you can find a new relatively inexpensive bike online, but be prepared to upgrade.