Mountain Bike Buying Guide - Part One

In this series of articles we will be looking at how to buy a mountain bike.  As with many things in life it is not simply a question of making the decision to buy, but rather, having a clear set of goals and objectives before starting to shop.

For this reason you are best served by buying a couple of months worth of mountain bike magazines so that you are familiar with the type of riding, different styles of bikes, pricing points, materials used etc.  But more of that later.

Lets begin by taking a look at:

Where to buy a mountain bike - these days you have a number of choices available.  The specialist mountain bike store, department stores, specialist online stores and you can also pick up used mountain bikes by checking out the likes of eBay, Craigs list and local papers and magazines.

We'd always recommend starting out at the local specialist store as this is where you'll find the greatest level of expertise and advice.  You will usually enjoy the best customer service.  They'll talk you through the different styles of bikes, how to get a bike that fits you and match you with bikes that fit your budget.

When to buy a mountain bike - There are two different takes on this.  Firstly, if you want to get the best value for money the ideal time to buy a bike is when the major manufacturers have introduced there new ranges.  This article is being written in 2008 so most manufacturers have announced there 2009 models.  This makes it an excellent time to negotiate a healthy discount on the 2008 range as many shops will be keen to sell off any of their remaining stock.

You can also look at this as the best day to buy a mountain bike.  By visiting a store on a week day you will normally guarantee yourself a much better service than at the weekend when the shop is buzzing.  Weekdays are quieter and the staff will be able to spend more time with you ensuring you fully understand your options, trying different types of bikes and sizes.  This will add to your knowledge and increase the likelihood of your finding a bike your really like.  The differences can be huge so the more you try the better.

What Style of Mountain Bike - another important choice is the style of bike.  The days of fully rigid mountain bikes are more or less over and these days the choice is between what is called a hardtail (a bike with front suspension but none on the rear) and full suspension.  We think the choice comes down to budget.  If you have less than $1000 to play with then go for a hardtail.  More than that and a full suspension bike is the way to go.

There are also different types of bikes.  Essentially these boil down to three main categories, cross country, free ride/ downhill bikes and all-round trail bikes.

We are going to suggest that dedicated Cross country machines are for experienced riders as they have long and low positions which take some getting used to and, whilst they'll win you races, they are a bit more uncomfortable if you tend to ride for pleasure.

Free-ride/downhill bikes are for fast descents.  They are heavier, stronger bikes built to take abuse but are pretty much useless for hill climbing.  They'll leave you tired, aching and trailing your mates if you try to use them for any form of cross country riding.

So if you want a good all rounder and do not intend to specialize in a particular discipline an all-round trail bike will suit most.  These will give you confidence and descents and help you fly up the ascents (ok that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you won't believe how some models make hill climbs seem so much easier than others until you've felt the difference for yourself).

You should also pay attention to the that front suspension as well.  For general trail duties look for a bike with the front fork offering between 100-140mm travel.  Anything more you are unlikely to take advantage of as it takes some suicidal tendencies to punish a bike that hard.  Any less, is perhaps a bit too racy for the average rider.

In part two of this article we'll look at size - perhaps the most important decision in any purchase, components, accessories and deals.  To make sure you don't miss it please subscribe to our news feed via reader or email.  You can use the box to the top right of the page. Enter your email address and you will receive notification any time new content is added to the site.

You can also check out our store offering a range of new and used mountain bikes for sale.

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