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Hey there complete newb here! So I was thinking of getting a road bike for a fun cardio workout, but when I heard about the 10 miles of single track just outside of town, I was sold on that immediately. I can already tell that I’m going to love this sport/hobby. I have about $500 to spend at the moment. I know that limits my options but thats all I can set aside for now. So basically I want a new hardtail trail bike that has a decent frame, with maybe not the greatest components ( I will upgrade as I go). I have already checked craigslist and all I found was bikes over $1000 and cheap walmart bikes. So I’ve been checking ebay and I’m seeing many of these 2013 marin bikes
[url:3tk48fwb]http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-Marin-PIONEER-TRAIL-29er-17-Hardtail-MTB-Bike-Shimano-8s-Disc-Brake-NEW-/310883337883?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item486217469b[/url:3tk48fwb]
So far this is the best option I have found. Does anyone know of a better new entry level bike in that price range. Also, whats a good size frame for me? I’m 5’10 160 lbs. Thanks!
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Hi and welcome! First $500 doesn’t get a lot. I started at $600 and ended up at $1700.LOL That being said I found that some new old models are out there. Check Jenson America. They have some older bikes. Talk to the LBS see what they have from last year or even the year before. The marin line isn’t bad for the money. Ebay is sometimes flooded with marin. Keep lookin and you will find something! Do look at the jenson site. Also look at airborne. Good luck! I just did this search and drove myself NUTS! My best advice as I just finished this is Don’t overthink it!
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Like Fishboy316 suggested, I’d recommend checking your local bike shops to see if they have any bikes from the past couple of years lineups. I’ve went that route on a few of my bikes and I have bought them at a nice discount.
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Thanks guys, my nearest bike shop is a 45 minute drive but I’ll call and ask what they have. Fishboy that GT looks great, would you say thats a pretty reliable brand?
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Airborne has a bike, the Guardian, that is $599, a little more than you want to spend, I know, but they have a nice component mix and are very well put together. Quite a few around Singletracks ride Airbornes (me included) and have had great luck with them.
Good luck in your search!
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I have a couple friends who have GT bikes. They love em. They for the money seem nice. I would also agree to check airborne! I talked to them and they are really nice and helpful. I didn’t go with them as it was my first bike and I wanted the lbs connection. Also I saved $1100 on my Cdale! Looked for months. I also was not limited to $500.
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Update.. Talked to my neighbor who has a full suspension and a hard tail yesterday. Tried to get him to sell me the hardtail but he said it needs work and he wants to fix it up. He was of some help though. He gave me the number to the guy that was the mechanic at the old bike shop that was in my town. Maybe he has one for sale. BTW that airborne looks sick! Maybe I can acquire some more $$ in the next couple of weeks!
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Might be worth the couple weeks for the money you’ll save on components in the long run.
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I agree with Gar29, Would be worth a couple weeks!
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For $500 you will be wasting your money on a mountain bike, seriously, that’s the cost of a good wheel set. $500 does not get you a new MTB but a gravel bike that looks like a MTB.
It will be heavy and have entry level or sub entry level components that will break on you when you start pushing and getting better at it unless you buy a nice stolen bike off Craig’s list which obviously you should not even consider. If you are lucky and spend time searching though, you may find an old used bike from a legit owner that could fit the bill. My LBS organizes a used bikes swap in April, check your local stores, you may find great deals there.
This being said, I have been a mountain biker for about 25 years and also regularly ride a road bike, especially in the Winter and Spring when trails are wet (my riding time is limited so I don’t like spending it cleaning mud of my MTB). Road cycling is truly an awesome sport which is actually more versatile than MTB so don’t shy away from it, you can always get a MTB later when you have more money for it but you should spend at least $1500 (hard tail, front air suspension, aluminum frame) to get something that you will enjoy riding and will last more than a season.
$500 will also limit your options for a decent road bike, however, if you are willing to spend $700, I highly recommend the Specialized Allez 2014. It is an excellent beginner bike, great value with a quality aluminum frame. The paint scheme is beautiful on top of it. If you can wait a bit and save another $150, get the Allez Sport, it has upgraded components and a carbon fork. Don’t forget that in either case you also need a pair of pedals and shoes which will set you up for another $150 to $250 and you should also get a bib, your butt will thank you.
Last thing, you should support your LBS’s rather than buying from ebay, Performance bike or whatever, it’s well worth it, they will get you the right size, fit your bike correctly and will be there when you need help with the bike which the online guys can’t do.
If you are really into MTB 100%, I have to say that the Airborne Guardian is a great value for $600, if you go for it, make sure and double sure you get the right size for you, since (I think) these are online only, it’s not easy to return a bike if it does not fit.
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For $500 you will be wasting your money on a mountain bike, seriously, that’s the cost of a good wheel set.
Depends who you ask. In my opinion, $500 is probably the baseline for a half-ways decent SINGLE wheel. More realistically, I’d say you can’t get a really good set of wheels for much less than $1,500.
You can tell Op that he’s throwing away his money buying a $500 bike, and I can turn around and tell you that you’re throwing away your money if you buy a $500 wheelset… it’s all about perspective.
I think this is the point: what’s good to one person sucks to someone else. I think it makes much more sense to figure out your budget first, and then decide the best way to spend that money and the best bike to get for that money. Not everyone can afford to drop $1,500 on a set of wheels, or even a bike for that matter.
If you are really into MTB 100%, I have to say that the Airborne Guardian is a great value for $600, if you go for it, make sure and double sure you get the right size for you, since (I think) these are online only, it’s not easy to return a bike if it does not fit.This is something we can agree on. OP, I second the Airborne Guardian recommendation.
tl;dr Buy what you can afford, ride it, and love it.
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@mtbgreg1, I agree, it’s all relative, I know not everybody can (or want to) afford a $1500 bike or even less and on a $1500 bike you’re not going to get a $500 wheelset with it either.
On the other hand $500 does not buy much of a mountain bike these days (unfortunately). If that bike is only going to be ridden on gravel paths that would be perfectly fine but harder terrain will probably end up breaking it and in that sense it would be a waste of money.
The Guardian is well regarded in that price range and should be able to handle rougher terrain than just gravel, I would still recommend checking out local bike swaps, with luck Zooted may find a better bike on that budget.
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Guys I’m a college student that works part time so I’m unable to just pour money into this. Also I’m not going to be flying down a mountain, it’s just trail riding. I called a couple of bike shops the next town over and these are my options:
[url:xq0efiav]http://www.bikebling.com/Specialized-2014-Hardrock-Disc-SE-29-p/specialized14-hrdse29.htm[/url:xq0efiav]
[url:xq0efiav]http://www.greggscycles.com/product/trek-x-caliber-4-gary-fisher-collection-193910-1.htm[/url:xq0efiav]
In your opinion which is the better buy? Like I said in my earlier post I plan to make upgrades over time. My income does not allow me to make large purchases, so I would rather get a good basic bike from a reliable brand to get me started. If these are not capable bikes please let me know before I spend the money. If not, I may need to find some other method of fun and exercise.
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I still go back to saving an extra $100 and getting the Guardian, but if that is impossible, I’d go with the Trek, the components look moderately better, with an Altus 8sp drive train vs the 7sp Tourney setup on the Specialized.
I’d also take a spin on both and see which feels better to you.
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I’d say they are about the same and either would be fine for trail riding.
The Trek has more speeds and the Specialized has a little more travel. Between the two personally I would go with more speeds because 5mm of travel difference is about no difference but if you can you should try them out and feel which one seems to fit the best.
My wife has a $350 Trek trail mountain bike for about 10 years now, it’s like driving a tank but works fine for some fitness on non-technical trails.
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Thanks for the replies guys. So at this point its between the trek and the airborne. The bike shop sells mostly treks so that would be a plus if I ever have a problem with it, but the airborne is clearly the better bike. It looks like the trek will end up being about the same price with tax included, so if I’m able to talk them into keeping the total price around $500; I’ll take the trek. If not though, I’m going with the guardian. 😎
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Good luck! You never know, maybe when you try to get the price down, they will come up with a deal on a left-over. You can get some great deals at this time of year if they still have any left.
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I agree… You can spend some time on searching for 2013 bikes that fit your size. You can expect a good deal out of this. At your price point, i suggest that you also search in the " used" market. Good deals with legit owners can also be made there with people who spend alot of money on bikes without knowing if they really loved the sport. Test ride them, and if they are second hand, bring a friend with decent knowledge who can identify the ones that are in bad conditions.
Good luck!
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Hey zooted, I would also agree with Gar29. I would try to save another $100 for the Guardian or even check back at jenson usa. If not then ride the others and see what feels right. The trek has got better specs so if it feels right could be it.
Good luck.
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When I called the Lbs I asked if they had any 2013 models left, and he said no. Good news though, a guy I work with has a roommate with a full suss bike he might be willing to sell; so I’ll check that out today.
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Cool! Let us know what you think, and snap a couple pictures if you can of things like the derailluers, fork, suspension linkage.
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I haven’t looked at the bike yet but I may have struck gold on craigslist! It’s a 2009 gary fisher 29er for $350, well he "thinks" its a 2009 and he’s "pretty sure" its a 19 inch frame. It doesn’t say on the page which model. So I called him again and left a message asking if it’s a cobia or mamba or some other. Here is the picture on his page
[url:16886xv0]http://images.craigslist.org/00F0F_iurKrhKWY7t_600x450.jpg[/url:16886xv0]
I hate that he didn’t snap an actual picture, and that its an hour and a half drive to his location. So what do you guys think? is it worth pursuing?
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ok he called back said its a cobia. He also said there is no damage and nothing wrong with it, only used for riding around the neighborhood. I think I’m going to make the drive to check this out.
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The bike was $1100 msrp new. Sounds like it is an ok bike. Tora fork isn’t great, and it has Avid mechanical brakes. Hydraulic are the way to go, but if you have to use mechanical, they are the best.
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Have you made a decision and/or purchase yet?
Normally I would fully agree with the support your local LBS and of the two you were looking at I would say get the Trek. However, after having looked at the Airborne Guardian and its specs, I would seriously consider that one.
I will offer this advice though: buy the best that you can afford that will suit your needs. Countless people go in with the ideas that they will "upgrade" parts later but that is (typically) a more expensive option and becomes counter-productive. It’s easy to get caught up in the gear and tech in this sport. Just take care of what you have and it will take care of you…unless its a Huffy (or any thing next to one on the rack 😮 )
And I wouldn’t rule out that used Cobia. I’m a fan of the Fisher bikes and if its lightly used thats a sweet deal…
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"Devin_P" wrote
Have you made a decision and/or purchase yet?
Normally I would fully agree with the support your local LBS and of the two you were looking at I would say get the Trek. However, after having looked at the Airborne Guardian and its specs, I would seriously consider that one.
I will offer this advice though: buy the best that you can afford that will suit your needs. Countless people go in with the ideas that they will "upgrade" parts later but that is (typically) a more expensive option and becomes counter-productive. It’s easy to get caught up in the gear and tech in this sport. Just take care of what you have and it will take care of you…unless its a Huffy (or any thing next to one on the rack 😮 )
Good advice on upgrading Devin. A simple upgrade like going to XT shifters, for instance, will set you back an easy $100, not to mention the cost of something like a new fork. Spending that extra hundred initially can save many hundreds over the next year or two.
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I’ve had great luck with bikesdirect.com when working with a small budget. My LBS doesn’t have much to offer under $1500 for beginners. I feel a little guilty every time I recommend something other than a brick and mortar bike shop but for some budgets….those prices just aren’t doable.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
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The Cobia looks like a descent bike. Check out the reviews before making your decision.
[url:1u963bms]http://www.singletracks.com/bike-reviews/29er-bikes/Gary-Fisher-Cobia_135[/url:1u963bms]
[url:1u963bms]http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er-hardtail/gary-fisher/cobia/prd_365433_1548crx.aspx[/url:1u963bms]
It looks like the brakes and rear derailleur could be troublesome on those bikes.I’d say, test ride an X-Caliber 4 at your local bike shop also. This looks like a similarly built bike. Again, check out the reviews before making your decision.
[url:1u963bms]http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er-hardtail/trek/x-caliber/prd_365432_1548crx.aspx[/url:1u963bms]
Sifting through the reviews… The brakes also seem like a possible issue on this one.Airborne bikes are outstanding! I have one. Rock solid reliable components at a great price. The only problems are: You cannot test ride them, shipping is close to $100, you have to put it together yourself once they arrive in the mail (or pay extra for a bike shop to do it for you), and some local bike shops don’t like to support them.
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hey guys I had some unexpected financial problems, so I basically had to start over with my savings. I had about $300 saved up and I found a 2010 iron horse maverick 2.3 on ebay for exactly $300 ha. It has a suntour xct v2 fork and shimano shifters, not the best components but for that price I couldn’t pass it up. The weather is too nice and I want to start riding. I figured I’ll ride it through the summer and then get a bike that I really want, and then let my little bro ride it. I plan to get a nice fork for it anyway, hope it holds up.. So what do you guys think.
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"Gotta do what ya gotta do" sometimes. I like the color. I have no first hand experience with Iron Horse though so I can’t comment further.
I wouldn’t bother with the fork upgrade unless it’s free. Just save that money toward the bike you want.
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Hey, it’s a bike! At least you can get out there and ride! And I agree on the fork. I wouldn’t bother spending the couple hundred there, just save up and get a new bike, as you gain experience. That one can be your loaner!
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