ebartocci

A few weeks ago I went to Oleta State park in Miami, FL. and hit the trails with one of the rental bikes (some specialized hardtails) that they had and it was AWESOME. I have not had such a good time like that since I was a kid. I use to bike everywhere when I was a kid and teenager, I had a silver gary fisher hardtail and I rode the hell out of that bike. I stopped riding after I got a car but then was totally turned off by it when I would ride and my testicles would fall asleep and have killer pains in my prostate while riding/the following day. While I rode on the trail at Oleta i also had that problem, I read that getting a bike seat that has no nose will alleviate that issue. Maybe someone can shine some light on that for me?

Sorry for the digression, but after having such a great time at the trail I have been thinking about getting a bike and starting to ride again. I have been looking around the internet, reading forums, and researching but I am so confused on all the specs that are out there. The purpose of my post is I was hoping someone could give me some advice on what bike to get?

I am looking for a bike that I can take to beginner/intermediate trails and also ride it on pavement. I read that 29 inch wheels are the best to get for mountain bikes now days. Also a full suspension would be great. I am 6' 4" 250lbs and I am looking to spend $1000 and under. The bike does not need to be new it can be a used killer bike or a newer not so great bike but quality bike. I want a bike that I will enjoy have a great time and have it last a few years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

NormanF

29ers are great bikes. I have a Marin Muirwoods 29er that doubles as an urban assault bike and MTB. It doesn't have full suspension with a rigid steel fork but you don't need it with a 29er when you can mount balloon tires on it. They will provide all the suspension you could possibly want.

Canker

New you can forget full suspension. You pretty much need to double your budget to get a decent new full suspension. You can find a pretty good hardtail new for $1k though. With hardtails the name on the frame barely matters. Full suspension it matters more sense everybody has their own rear suspension setups. Basically look for something with at least midrange drivetrain bits on it (x5 sram or deore shimano) or better and try to avoid suntour suspensions. For $1k new you can probably find a hardtail with a rockshox recon silver or at the very lest a XC32 fork. $1k can get you a nice used bike but it helps if you already know a decent amount about what you want and are looking at.
Bicycle Blue Book - Used Bikes
that site can help some

As for the prostate thing. Bike shorts, try different seats, and adjusting the angle of the seat.

spencermacbrown

Hey man, Check out XDSBikeCo.com. They have a huge selection of mountain bikes for pretty cheap and they are all on sale right now + have free shipping. Might be just what you need!

Mountain | XDS Bike Co

Johnny Mullet

A heavy guy on a cheap suspension would suck. Constntly bottoming out. I ride a hard tail. Specialized makes good Mountain Bikes for around your cost..........

Specialized Bicycle Components

Canker

Airborne Bicycles. Seeker
Personally I'd get that bike with your budget but it is online only so no test ride and I can understand not being comfortable with that. Unless you can find a left over last year's model at a LBS or another good deal on line it is hard to beat. The tires on it are crap but not a deal breaker. Jenson, REI, pricepoint, ebay with marin bikes(they were really blowing out last year models a few months ago but you still might find a few) and a few other I"m forgetting if going buying on line without test riding is something you are comfortable with doing. All of those places often have deals on last year's bikes that can be pretty good.