Helping out a Novice

[Skumper]

Hey guys! I just started getting the curiosity to get into mountain biking because dirtbikes and quads are a little bit too expensive for me at the moment.

Currently I do not own a bike but I remember when I was much younger riding street bikes down in my neighborhood, and I wanted to purchase a mountain bike and get into the woods a bit in my new neighborhood. While I’m not looking to hit a course for the time being, I am interested in taking it out on the long dirt trails through the back woods and I was wondering if the community here could help me out a bit.

 

First of all, I am looking for a good bike purchase. I know nothing about bikes so far and am trying to do as much research as possible to see which brands, sizes, styles, etc. would be a good fit for me. I’m 5’10” and about 200lb, since I know that matters on what size bike would fit best.

Secondly, when I do get a little bit more experience I would be interested in taking my bike on a course and enjoying some big jumps and fast downhill action. So any recommendations for trails or courses in New Jersey would be great!

Third, I was curious if anyone knew any other websites which may help me learn more about bikes themselves. I’ve never been much of a mechanical guy, but bikes seem to be a lot easier to figure out and toy around with than my car.

 

And lastly of course, thank you to the community for helping a rookie out and giving me some info. I look forward to talking with some of you guys! Thanks in advance.

 

[Adam Van Winkle]

Welcome! A medium framed bike should suit you fine, what is your price range? Seems to always be the first question members ask a new guy lol.

[Alvin Mullen]

I am 5’9″ 200 lbs and have had a mountain bike for a long time, but never really rode it seriously as I had quads and motocross bikes.. Got rid of all the dirt bikes a few years ago and last year decided to get more serious about mountain biking.   I bought a medium frame 2015 Giant Stance new for $1300 dollars. I love it, of course there are several much more expensive bikes I would like also, but really this bike does everything I need a bike to do. I will say coming from dirt bikes you would probably appreciate a full suspension bike.

[fleetwood]

I’d agree with OFF that a medium in most cases would probably work for you.  I would recommend visiting some bike shops and just sizing things up from what’s available.  Ask the bike shops if they know of any demo days scheduled for your area.  I’d recommend test riding as many bikes as possible.

Depending on your budget, you could get a decent entry-level bike from the LBS to get things started or you could start scouring Craigslist for a nice used bike.

I can’t help you out on DH or DJ offerings in NJ, but I would take some time to get your bike handling skills dialed in before diving into that level.  Although with your dirt bike background, it might be a quicker learning curve.

Regarding the mechanical side of things, check out Youtube for instructional videos on just about anything you can think of.

Best of luck!  Keep us posted.

[Skumper]

Hey guys thanks for the replies!

Being newer to this, I wouldn’t want to go cheap like a WalMart bike. At the same time, $1300 is too expensive for me and my novice level.

I’m not looking to purchase a high-end or professional grade bike, but you get what you pay for. I’m looking for a good budget bike around the $400 or cheaper mark (college and all to worry about too).

And regarding the full suspension bikes, I’m not sure what I could get in that price range. I know hardtails are cheaper, and since I don’t plan on taking on huge jumps (if I see one I’ll still take it), I can’t imagine I’d be going into a full suspension bike. I’ve heard from a friend that Diamondbacks are a pretty good entry level bike for around that price range. The one I was looking at was the Diamondback Sorrento, which was a hardtail for $300-400 bucks.

[Gdb49]

At 5’10” you are almost certainly going to be on a medium sized frame, even if you are not standard proportions.  $300-$400 bucks will get you a pretty dam good bike on craig’s list- have it checked out at your local bike shop first or by a more experienced friend.  Do not go with a Wal-mart bike, you will spend more keeping it running well, then you bought it for and it will limit you on upgrades if something does break or you get addicted to MTBing.  Post what you find on CL here on this forum and get feed back on it and then take your final 2 choices to your LBS.  The first time you walk your bike back from the far side of a trail you just broke down on, you will wish you bought a used bike instead of a Wal-Mart bike.  The are some great articles on bikes for first timers right here on this sight, seem like Air Borne bikes are always part of the discussion.  List your area and maybe one of the locals might help you when inspecting the bike.

[Author]

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