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Hello all, I am new to MTB. For along time, I rode XC, but recently I have gotten the urge for a bit more excitement. Now, I purchased a "cheep" mountain bike on Black Friday (Mongoose XR-75) just for S&G’s only now to realize through reviews that this bike isn’t exactly something to be proud of. So first of all, is there any recommendations on bikes (less than $350) that are a good average starter? At least for now, I’d be keeping things fairly mellow.
Other than that, I’m glad i found Singletracks.com and look forward to getting into this.
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Welcome to Single Tracks.Just have fun and see if you even need to up grade bikes.I started out with a Raleigh,then to a 98 Special,now I ride a 2010 Tomac Automatic .Along with all the other garb that goes along with riding the first year seems to be expensive. 😃
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Welcome Railbiker,sounds like you are determined to ride a mountain bike.Yes there are a few bike’s in your price range;
Giant Rincon;
[url:3pq4niih]http://www.singletracks.com/mtbreviews/Giant/Rincon/169.html[/url:3pq4niih]Iron Horse Warrior 1.3
[url:3pq4niih]http://www.singletracks.com/mtbreviews/Iron-Horse/Warrior-1.3/1213.html[/url:3pq4niih]Trek 3900
[url:3pq4niih]http://www.singletracks.com/mtbreviews/Trek/3900/15.html[/url:3pq4niih]These are a few of the popular one’s that I know of,some other’s may chime in with other bike’s in your price range as well although here is the mountain bike review link where the above bike’s were found here on singletracks.com and you can look through and browse othere bike’s as well..
Hardtail bike reviews
[url:3pq4niih]http://www.singletracks.com/mtbreviews/Hardtail-bikes/3.htm[/url:3pq4niih] -
for that price range I would hit up craigslist.org find a used one you can get more bang for the buck. I would try and stick with names you know or research some bike companys. In the Atlanta area you can get some good starter bikes in that range that would cost $600 to $900 new. good luck with shopping and take your time you will find a good deal there always out there.
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I’d second the Trek hardtails – I rode a 4300 for a few years before upgrading and really enjoyed my time on the bike. Used is probably the best way to go, as well, since you can make that dollar go further.
But hey, ride out that Mongoose for awhile – it’s better to know you’re going to dig it than waste the money! The bikes will ALWAYS be out there!
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I’m new too, welcome, from what I’ve seen of the $350 and under MTB’s, I’d go with the others and look for USED! My wife has a 09 Jamis Trail-X 1.0, we’ve had to update the "hubs/wheels", cranks, ect. to turn it from what’s really just a "hybrid" in MTB naming to a decent "starter MTB", jmho, ymmmv
I’d look for a used Specialized Rock Hopper/Stumpjumper, just make sure the components aren’t beat up to badly and especially make sure the "fork seals" aren’t leaking, the FORK is a very expensive componet you don’t want to have to replace or put in heavy repairs at the LBS, just starting out. My guess is you really need to spend $450-550 to get a decent entry level, trail/x-country machine new. Again, jmho, ymmv!
LOL, I got back into bicycles in Sept. 2008, all I could afford was a "$70 Roadmaster Hardtail" from wal-mart. The first thing I did was take it to a shop to have it "adjusted" as good as it could be. I rode that POS for 6 months and yes, I did some minor singletrack trails in our area and it did ok. I was sure glad to get my Jamis though!
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Welcome! I would agree that the Trek hardtails would be a great place to start. I rode my 4300 for 8 years or so before I finally stepped up to a Full Suspension Trek. Still love that old one – it handled everything I threw at it, rock gardens, smaller jumps & logs.
Don’t know specific price these days, but it would in the $350 neighborhood.
Get out there and have fun!
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