Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Back-of-beyond, Kootenays, BC
Posts: 750
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix Exp ert Road and Specialized Stump Jumper FS Mountain; De Vinci Caribou touring, Intense Tracer T275c, Cramerotti, Specialized Allez, Condor
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It’s hard to offer proper advice without knowing the terrain. But based on what you’ve said I’d recommend a half decent front suspension bike (aka ‘hardtail’) It will serve you much better than a cheap full suspension bike (FS). This is not an area where appearance counts. You can get a bike that ‘looks like’ a decent FS bike, but if the components are crappy then so is the bike. Look at some new bikes, esp. hardtails. Read up online and talk to the sales guys to educate yourself about components. A good suspension fork can easily set you back close to a grand so, if you buy a rigid bike it can be hard to put the $$ into a big upgrade. I’d suggest getting a hardtail with something like a mid-grade or better Rockshock (although Fox and other cos. make good one - it’s the model not the make).
As for size, you may want a 29 but the best deals in used may be 26. Just see what you find on the market. I think it’s better to have a well specced 26 than a more cheaply specced 29 or 27.5. Until a few years ago we all rode 26ers and had no idea that they (allegedly) were not the best. At your height any of the three sizes will fit you with the right size frame.