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Low Budget Mountain Bike Options

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Low Budget Mountain Bike Options

Old 02-19-21, 04:47 PM
  #76  
prj71
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Originally Posted by FastJake
Suspension I'll give you. Though it's heavier than it used to be.
Suspension...both forks and shocks are lighter than they used to be. Some suspension may be heavier than years past for downhill/enduro riding, but that's because the older stuff that was lighter flexed too much.

"Better engineered parts" is too vague to mean anything.
No it's not. Thru-axles are better than quick release axles, Clutched derailleurs. 1x - eliminates need for front derailleur and shifter. Narrow/Wide Chainrings. We have better bearings (cartridge vs.loose ball bearing used in older bikes), more compliant and adjustable suspension and suspension linkage, dropper posts, high engagement hubs, boost spacing that allowes wider tires and the list goes on and on...

Today's MTBs seem more disposable than ever, so I hope you didn't mean longevity.
Disposable based on what? What makes them more disposable than ever? Please show the facts.

And I have yet to find any system that shifts as quickly or cleanly as my old 8-speed stuff.
All I can do here is LOL.

Geometry LOL. The very first clunkers had huge wheelbases and slack angles. Then MTBs got "short and steep." Guess what is in style now? It's the same thing with wheel sizes. When "29er" came out bigger wheels rolled over obstacles and carried speed better. Now "27.5" wheels are better because they're more maneuverable and accelerate quicker. Just like, wait for it...26" wheels. I wonder what idea they'll recycle next? The point is that no style of MTB is best for everyone, and I think it's a disservice to stick everyone on a full-suspension 29er monster truck when they might actually be a lot happier on an old hardtail (I am, having owned and ridden plenty of monster trucks.)
What Kapusta said.

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Old 02-19-21, 04:58 PM
  #77  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Did it disinterest you?

I would argue setting the entry bar at $1000+ would cause more to be disinterested.

You say the positive experience of one over the other is determinant but I would say the price, without being able to measure it against any positive experience, would be more of a barrier.

How much to do that? No thanks.
It didn't disinterest me at the time back in the 80s because there really wasn't much for other choices. Now that we have better choices...For someone just starting out, I wouldn't point them to an old cheap bike to start on.
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Old 02-19-21, 05:04 PM
  #78  
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Originally Posted by prj71
It didn't disinterest me at the time back in the 80s because there really wasn't much for other choices. Now that we have better choices...For someone just starting out, I wouldn't point them to an old cheap bike to start on.
If they can afford that entry fee and/or want to spend that much on a hobby they may or may not enjoy. Your willingness to invest is based on the history of your experience.

What if they can't afford a new modern higher end bike? Your advice is "don't bother"? My advice would be there are other options.
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Old 02-20-21, 12:55 AM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by prj71
The meme is a rip on those that think they can get into this hobby and expect to only have to spend $500-$1000 with the expectation that they are going to have good top quality equipment.

Can be applied to many hobbies actually such as photography, fly fishing, camping, skiing etc

My girlfriend has about $5000 invested in photography equipment. I have over $16k invested in a six bikes and over $3k invested in fly fishing equipment between rods, reels, waders and other miscellaneous items.

Hobbies with good equipment don't come cheap.
Haha! It's not the equipment (most of the time) but the person behind it.
When I did triathlons my Univega kept me going WELL ahead of the pack. Never placed first mind you but third was good enough (in team trials). In most competitions it's rarely the equipment that wins you but the rider and his level of skill, passion and will.
So one CAN get into this hobby on the cheap but their enthusiasm and experience may be less than fun in doing so.
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Old 02-20-21, 11:17 AM
  #80  
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I’m surprised this thread is still going. An argument has been made that newer suspension, different geometry, and one by drivetrainst I pushed mountain biking out of the realm of affordability. It’s always been an expensive hobby and there are not very many new bikes out there at all if any that tick all the boxes of what would satisfy a long-term enthusiast for less than $2000

It’s always been that way. When I started in 1989 my bike cost $400 new and it was a budget oriented beginner model. Today a new trek marlin is in the five or $600 range it has 29 inch wheels and front suspension. The &2-300 $ difference is likely far less than the inflation rate has been for the last 31 years

That will buy you a machine that will get you on the mountain, just like my $400 Bridgestone did for me back then. And if you decide that you prefer road riding or riding bike paths and don’t want to pursue harder trails, Then a bike like that can be a fine companion for years.

I started racing on my $400 Bridgestone and honestly it did not take long before I had replaced and upgraded nearly everything, because racing is hard on equipment. I still have the frame set somewhere and may refurbish it for fun, But my point is everything I’ve ridden since then has been higher end stuff but I made a significant time investment on my $400 bike to determine that this was something worthwhile for me





but

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Old 02-20-21, 08:33 PM
  #81  
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Nice Bridgestone!

Except for the fact that the above is a fairly collectible Bridgestone, which would fetch some bigger bucks, a similar, but less assuming brand bike could be had for $100 - $200 (pre covid pricing) in my region. These I buy quite often for various bike projects because the components are decent, the CrMo frames are strong, and parts are cheap.

84 Maruishi MT-5. First gen 5 speed mtb.



84 Diamondback Ridge Runner



92 KHS Montana Comp.


89-90 Nishiki Barbarian. second tier e stay design.



Next on the bench (after my current project) 85 Norco Sasquatch. First Gen for this company which is local to me.
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Old 02-20-21, 11:31 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Nice Bridgestone!

Except for the fact that the above is a fairly collectible Bridgestone, which would fetch some bigger bucks, a similar, but less assuming brand bike could be had for $100 - $200 (pre covid pricing) in my region.


89-90 Nishiki Barbarian. second tier e stay design.



Next on the bench (after my current project) 85 Norco Sasquatch. First Gen for this company which is local to me.

Lol - as a young man, i didnt know anything about Bridgestones other than thats what my local dealer sold a bunch of. I mistakenly thought riding a tire manufacturers bike was pretty lame and ireally wanted one of the Nishiki Aliens with the Bontrager design switchblade front fork

it wasnt until years later that i found out that Bridgestone bikes were a thing due to Grant Peterson and i began to appreciate them — a fact that saved that old frameset from the landfill years ago.
I was a motocross kid and my mindset was to push the limits of everything in those days —. In retrospect, im impressed that Bridgestone specced out their budget bike well enough to survive a “worst nightmare” customer like me.
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Old 02-25-21, 09:47 AM
  #83  
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Good Podcast...

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-pi...t-preview.html

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-pi...expensive.html

And a related article...

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/welcom...ield-trip.html
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Old 02-25-21, 02:01 PM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by prj71
One to three grand for a MTB that weighs 31-35lbs?
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Old 02-25-21, 04:21 PM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by FastJake
One to three grand for a MTB that weighs 31-35lbs?
You are really hung up on the weight thing aren't you? And most of us aren't stuck in 1995 riding 26" wheeled hard tail bikes.

It’s an easy marketing differentiator that appeals to buyers, but it's not relevant to performance. Weight should not be a rider’s primary focus in purchasing a bike. In the end...It's the motor not the bike that matters in a race or long ride event.
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Old 02-25-21, 05:51 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by FastJake
One to three grand for a MTB that weighs 31-35lbs?
Yep, and they will blow the doors off a 24lb 26” HT from 1998.

Last edited by Kapusta; 02-25-21 at 08:10 PM.
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Old 02-25-21, 09:05 PM
  #87  
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FWIW, I just went riding last night with my 26r and Molly, the trail dog, now sporting a Browning field vest so she won't get mistaken for a bear cub.
Good times were had by all with no one getting "stuck".

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