Looking for a Full Shock mountain bike under $600
 

I am an amateur biker (maybe a couple of times weekly). I am looking for a new bike for under $600. I want to avoid getting a used bike and spending $ on it.

Any recommendations with a link to a website are appreciated.

I hate to break this news, but new full suspension mountain bikes under $600 are all garbage. You would be much better off with a hard tail at that price level. As for reputable brands, Giant are good value for money and should have something in that price range.

One can replace the brake pads, bike chain, tires, and saddle of a used bike for very little money. I would rather pay $600 for a bike that sold new for $1500 a few years ago and has far better components, and then change out the saddle and tires should I want to do so.

any recommendation on where to find one outside of Ebay? What brand etc?

Will look at Giant.

Facebook Marketplace.

I second Facebook Marketplace. I've also found bikes on Craig's list.

Also Bicycle Blue Book: Mountain Bikes

Didn't know THAT existed, however, for local purchases, FB replaced Craigslist 10 fold.

I've bought used bikes from eBay and the buys/sell section of Pinkbike. However, I knew what I was looking for, and looking at. Knowledge makes a huge difference in this situation.

Question: What type of riding do you do? do you really need full suspension?

This

First off, there is little likelihood that you will find any suspended bike for $600 that is going to be worth the money. A5 that price point you get heavy shocks with little control that would probably make the bike less, not more nimble.

You can go to BikesDirect for lower-cost bikes of all kinds (I haven't checked the site in a while but prices used to be okay.) Or, go to any major manufacturer's website and see what they offer. Learn about things like "rebound" and lock-out" and such. Look at how much travel different forks/shocks offer. Decide what you need.

Do you plan to launch off ten-foot drops? Do you want to ride mostly smooth trails with some roots and rocks and ruts? Do you want to go really fast? Do you want to go downhill at 40 mph over boulders and logs the size of people?

Bike suspension is so advanced nowadays that you can get a bike which will let you ride terrain your sill alone will not let you ride (ask me how I know.) But .... to get the good stuff you either need to pay the big bucks or get incredibly lucky online (FB, CL.) You can find great deals on lightly used bikes online.... but remember mountain bikes by their nature tend to get abused, and I don't care how good a shock or fork is, if it hasn't been maintained it can blow a seal or something and leave you stuck. You need to really know what you are looking for and when you go to look at a specific bike, you need to know what you are looking at.

A key question others have asked is, "Do you need full suspension?" I am not judging or even suggesting---I ride F/S because I don't have the skills I once had, and I don't care. But ... it is your choice. What kind of trails do you want to ride? How do you want to ride them? If you want to bash your way over obstacles with zero technique then F/S is an option. If you plan to ride really gnarly trails F/S is an option. If you are a more mo0derate rider who wants to put in a little effort t develop some riding skills, hardtail is lighter, simpler, and a lot cheaper.

Whichever route you choose, do your research. Decide what you want to ride, and how, and learn about what is out there.

There is no full suspension bikes that are going to be that low and even increasing your budget by a bit probably won't land you much of a bike. For $600 a single speed is what you need. If you are willing to up the budget you can get a much better bike and start to look at more geared bikes. For a decent mountain bike I would put your budget at at least $1200 and focus on air suspension at the front from a known quantity and quality (think Fox, RockShox, MRP, Cane Creek, Manitou, Marzocchi even SR Suntour air stuff is decent for a beginner) and generally that will land you with decent hydraulic disc brakes and probably at least a 10 speed drivetrain which will likely be of some quality.

However if you are not mountain biking you don't need a mountain bike and you can put the money towards a hybrid and if you find a nicer one designed around gravel you can fit a little wider tire and hopefully again get 10 speed and above. However if my budget is truly tight and I don't know much about bikes a single speed is still quite perfect maybe not for every situation but for the budget you can get a decent one that will last a while.

In the end if you do end up with buying a used bike I would probably avoid anything with suspension unless you know a lot about suspension or are willing to put money towards getting it all serviced or rebuilt or replaced depending on age. I would also see if they are willing to meet at your local bike shop and see if your local bike shop is willing to look over the bike and give you an estimate for repair as needed (not for value of the bike, they generally won't do that) or bring someone who is actually knowledgeable about bikes (not just a friend who commutes or rides a road bike on the weekend, they usually are about as useful as a dry sponge). Also keep in mind with a used bike you will get no warranties or manufacturer support from it so in the instance of Trek or Specialized and potentially others they have frame warranties that go for the lifetime and if you end up needing it, it really comes in handy.

The only situation where a $600 full suspension bike makes any sense at all is if you have enough back problems that riding a rigid bike isn't possible, and you want to use it as a bike to just ride around casually rather than actually use it as a mountain bike. The cheap, poorly designed suspension will make such a bike quite heavy and inefficient, but if your only choice is between a heavy slow bike or not being able to ride at all, then you may as well chose the option that lets you ride. If you can ride a rigid bike, you will be better off going that route.

There aren't any bike shop quality brands that will have a full suspension option at that price. So your two choices are to grab something from bikesdirect, or to grab something from a department store. Bikes from bikesdirect will actually come in multiple sizes so you have a better chance of it fitting properly, have components about the same level of quality as an entry-level bike shop bike, may have issues with poorly made frames, and come lazily slapped together and thrown in a box. Bikes from a department store only come in one size for each model, have low quality components, may have issues with poorly made frames, might be more willing to accept fenders and racks, and will be lazily slapped together by someone who may or may not know anything about bicycles. Either way, it would be worth saving a bit of your budget to take the bike to a bike shop to make sure it is actually put together properly and adjusted.

Going with a used bike shop bike can get you a much lighter bike with suspension that is well designed, though a used full suspension bike has a greater chance of being an expensive can of worms if you don't know what to look for.

Very good points. I was looking at the FB marketplace and saw bikes under $800. I am not a bike expert; I just ride casually and don't know how much work needs to be put into one to fix it incase it has issues vs. going to BikesDirect. I got my prior bike from BikesDirect, a full-suspension Fuji bike (yup, most folks passed me), for about $700.

^^^This.

The Giant Stance may be the best bang for the buck right now. My only hang up with it would be house branded fork. Don't know much about it.

If you still have your Fuji, it fits you, and the frame isn't broken, chances are you can get a better result by fixing any issues with it and upgrading any parts that you aren't happy with on it. Unless literally every single part needs replacement, $600 should go very far in getting in good shape.

Unless something on the bike isn't working right, getting passed by most folks is less about the bike than you probably think it is.

I'm a little confused why you want to replace one low-budget FS bike with another low-budget FS bike. What do you expect to be different?

It was stolen a few days ago and looking for a replacement.

Bummer.

What type of riding do you do where FS is an important factor? Are you regularly riding on roads and trails with rough/demanding/technical features?

I like the look. I ride on a combination of road and minor rough trails/dirt roads up & downhill. Nothing major.

Understood. Just be aware that you can get a higher-quality bike for the same money if you went with a hardtail. I know folks have already made that point in this thread.

Based on your riding requirements I'm going to go out on a limb and say all you may need is an "older/quality framed" rigid MTN bike with proper tires/inflation. You'll most likely get more for your $$ and the rigid will be lighter for better response and less maintenance. "Looks" is a personal thing and personally I like my bikes as basic as possible.
Learn to use your arms and legs as the "suspension".....

I think the rebuttal "I like the look" (of full-suspension bikes) should be respected.