newbie

Welcome to the addiction!

firstly as i am not from the states it will be difficult for me to assess the terrain etc. However when some one from your area finds this one of the main questions they will ask you is what are you going to use the bike for?

for example, down hill, trails or just to see what this new found obsession offers.

Your first choice would be Hard tail or full suspension.

If you are still testing the waters it may be an idea to look for a second hand bike as you may be able to get more for your money, although with that option there may be some minor maintenance required.

A new hard tail will set you back about £350 upwards ($500 i think) and the FS will be closer to the $1000 mark.

also look at LBS as they sell ex demo models cheaper

Dac

Have you seen Goo’s site? He has some good advice for first time mountain bike purchases
http://www.gregridestrails.com/2010/03/ … heres.html
I would personally go with something along the lines of Specialized Hardrock. Plenty of other good brands, but thats just an entry level bike that comes to mind. I have one too. Get a good brand bike (Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Trek are a few good brands), and buy it used if you don’t have the money for a new bike. To get something decent new you start around $300. Best of luck and post on here if you need advice on a particular bike,.

craigslist is your friend, you can find like a Trek 4300 or a specialized hardrock for $300 easy.

but if you wanted to buy used you could buy a Trek 820, absolutely nothing special about the bike it just works, its a steel frame so its heavy but bulletproof.

last time i was in BikeTownUSA[url:fydze1jw]http://www.biketownusa.com/Home.html[/url:fydze1jw] they had two of last year’s model 820’s selling for $289, if you buy from them you won’t be sorry they’re awesome as far as advice, and they honor the trek warranty without question.

but honestly you could save up and get a brand new Trek3900 which is a very solid bike(thats what i ride) i think i paid $530 for mine, then put $80 into new brakes.

If your current bike is decent, save the money and keep riding it. Spend $15 for a bike repair book and replace the parts that break. After you feel out the sport and figure out if it’s something you really want to make a commitment to, you can reassess your current ride and figure out if you desire something different.

Sounds like you live somewhere near Gwinnett if Tribble and Harbins are your local trails. Tribble is great for beginners and Harbins is a good next step once you are feeling more comfortable in the saddle. Harbins has 4 different trails that range from easy to advanced level, making it a great place to improve skills. As you up your mileage, take a look at Ft Yargo just down the road off 316. If you like the trails, make sure to give thanks to the GATR SORBA (Gwinett Area Trail Riders– Southern Offroad Bicycle Association) for their hardwork putting them together and maintaing them.

Good luck and have fun.

if you can ever make it up to GSC me and Goo ride together on most tuesdays as long as the weather is good.

+1 to that! come ride, it’d be fun!

I don’t think you should buy it. I think you should look for a good deal on a hardtail from a reputable brand. i wrote a long series here with (almost) everything you need to know about buying your first mountain bike: http://www.gregridestrails.com/2010/03/ … heres.html

There’s even a note there about mongoose, as they’re kind of confusing.

good luck!

i would also suggest that you dont buy that mongoose bike as thats one of thier walmart specials.

to ease the confusion on mongoose bikes go to thier website it has all thier higher end bikes listed and none of thier walmart specials, i would suggest that you only buy a model of bike thats on thier website as the other mongoose bikes out thier are not designed to be ridden off-road.