Bicycles... I want one... Suggestions/Recommendations?

7up said:
Not meaning to hi-jack the thread but is there a GTAM type forum for the GTA mountain bike scene? I do want to get into competition and more serious trail riding (York and Durham regions and the Don Valley trails) but know few other riders who can show me ropes.
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It's really very easy to get into competing. There are a few weekly series races within an hour's drive of the city. Kelso has one..there's one in Bradford. You can get a license fairly cheap. I do the Kelso Ontario Cup XC race every few years for fun. Kelso is a great MTB place if you're in the west end. Good climb there, I usually do two or three laps around the place. Mono Centre nearly Hockley is good..Simcoe Country forest beside the 400..Hardwood of course..Hilton Falls out near Kelso. All good fun. There is some stuff along the Humber but nothing sustained. Don Valley has better stuff. If you're in even moderate shape you can finish respectably in the "citizen events" put on at O-Cup races. I think I finished 12th or something out of 40 people in my age group last time I compete at Kelso in the citizen event.
 
dr_sarcasm said:
...having got out of the sport about a decade ago, it still amazes me to this day that there are bikes out there in the same price range as motorcycles...and used cars.



P.S. Ten years ago, you'd have been poked with a sharp pointy stick (repeatedly) if you paid $9Gs for a Norco...eeeeeek.
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+1 I look at Cervelo and think "Wow..who would pay that for a bicycle..that isn't raced..with a guy that's 50lbs overweight.." I can think of better ways to blow $10k.. One thing I've learned after losing in cycling for 30 years is that the bike doesn't make much different.. :-)
 
invictus43 said:
+1 I look at Cervelo and think "Wow..who would pay that for a bicycle..that isn't raced..with a guy that's 50lbs overweight.." I can think of better ways to blow $10k.. One thing I've learned after losing in cycling for 30 years is that the bike doesn't make much different.. :-)
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Dont' get me wrong, it's true that you gotta "pay to play", and all things are relative i.e. what's expensive to me is a drop in the bucket for someone else, but still, given the amount of technology today and factoring in economies of scale, I'd have expected that those prices were a thing of the past (I mean, really, how much can the technology on a bike change from a $4k bike to a $9k bike - weight? Frame strength? Components? I remember the days when Shimano XT components did in fact make a difference over the 'lowly' DX...showing my age here).


P.S. A Norco, $9G?? Kill it. Kill it with fire.
 
dr_sarcasm said:
Dont' get me wrong, it's true that you gotta "pay to play", and all things are relative i.e. what's expensive to me is a drop in the bucket for someone else, but still, given the amount of technology today and factoring in economies of scale, I'd have expected that those prices were a thing of the past (I mean, really, how much can the technology on a bike change from a $4k bike to a $9k bike - weight? Frame strength? Components? I remember the days when Shimano XT components did in fact make a difference over the 'lowly' DX...showing my age here).


P.S. A Norco, $9G?? Kill it. Kill it with fire.
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I think, mtb-wise, you can compete pretty well for $1500-$2000. There are really nice road bikes for $2k. After that, they lose me. Reliability is important..and you can get that for fairly cheap. $10k? I just don't get it. Haha on the Norco!! They're better than they used to be..but still.. I know where you're coming from!! :-)
 
dr_sarcasm said:
...having got out of the sport about a decade ago, it still amazes me to this day that there are bikes out there in the same price range as motorcycles...and used cars.



P.S. Ten years ago, you'd have been poked with a sharp pointy stick (repeatedly) if you paid $9Gs for a Norco...eeeeeek.
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LoL... That was the first bike I saw and I closed the page right after.
$10K?... I'd rather use it as a down payment on some property.
 
2live&ride said:
LoL... That was the first bike I saw and I closed the page right after.
$10K?... I'd rather use it as a down payment on some property.
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I'm riding a $1200 (new) mtb..it's perfectly fine for any xc riding you might do. It's a good bike..durable..light..good components. You really don't need to spend more than $1500 for a new mountain bike. People can spend as much as they like..but they really don't need to.
 
invictus43 said:
I'm riding a $1200 (new) mtb..it's perfectly fine for any xc riding you might do. It's a good bike..durable..light..good components. You really don't need to spend more than $1500 for a new mountain bike. People can spend as much as they like..but they really don't need to.
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I hear that, but I'm not looking into buying new.
I don't mind the year as long as it's been well looked after.
That's why I set a budget of $500 max.
I think I can get a decent bike for that price, it's just a matter of looking around and finding the right deal.
 
2live&ride said:
I hear that, but I'm not looking into buying new.
I don't mind the year as long as it's been well looked after.
That's why I set a budget of $500 max.
I think I can get a decent bike for that price, it's just a matter of looking around and finding the right deal.
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We used to say half was a fair price for a used bicycle. I was in the business for quite a while. So, $1200 bike..$600 or so used. That will definitely get you a pretty fair used bike.. Just make sure you get the correct size for yourself. Fit is important.
 
invictus43 said:
We used to say half was a fair price for a used bicycle. I was in the business for quite a while. So, $1200 bike..$600 or so used. That will definitely get you a pretty fair used bike.. Just make sure you get the correct size for yourself. Fit is important.
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I'm 6 FT and 200LBS :(
What sizes should I be looking at?
 
2live&ride said:
I'm 6 FT and 200LBS :(
What sizes should I be looking at?
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You should be looking at a 17.5" to 18.5" MTB. Or in some bikes, Large. Some people go a bit smaller on the frame because the frame is stiffer and more nimble. Really up to you. You can pretend-shop and see what size is good for you.

I'm 5'8" and 190lbs..don't be so sad!! :-) It's a little disappointing when 50lbs kids blow by you on the uphills..they're climbing machines...
 
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invictus43 said:
You should be looking at a 17.5" to 18.5" MTB. Or in some bikes, Large. Some people go a bit smaller on the frame because the frame is stiffer and more nimble. Really up to you. You can pretend-shop and see what size is good for you.

I'm 5'8" and 190lbs..don't be so sad!! :-) It's a little disappointing when 50lbs kids blow by you on the uphills..they're climbing machines...
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Ideally I want to be around 180-185... here's to hoping!

Thanks for the recommendations about the sizing.
 
dr_sarcasm said:
I remember the days when Shimano XT components did in fact make a difference over the 'lowly' DX.
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There was very little difference between XT and DX. The big jump was between 730/2 XT and M900 XTR (ball bearings vs bushings, cold forged vs hot forged). Even then, the performance wasn't that much of a leap. The big difference was iin strength, durability, and longevity (the perfomance would stay consistent longer before dropping off due to wear).



And of course, the bling factor.
 
invictus43 said:
+1 I look at Cervelo and think "Wow..who would pay that for a bicycle..that isn't raced..with a guy that's 50lbs overweight.." I can think of better ways to blow $10k.. One thing I've learned after losing in cycling for 30 years is that the bike doesn't make much different.. :-)
Click to expand...

dr_sarcasm said:
Dont' get me wrong, it's true that you gotta "pay to play", and all things are relative i.e. what's expensive to me is a drop in the bucket for someone else, but still, given the amount of technology today and factoring in economies of scale, I'd have expected that those prices were a thing of the past (I mean, really, how much can the technology on a bike change from a $4k bike to a $9k bike - weight? Frame strength? Components? I remember the days when Shimano XT components did in fact make a difference over the 'lowly' DX...showing my age here).


P.S. A Norco, $9G?? Kill it. Kill it with fire.
Click to expand...

My road bike (it's actually a tri-bike) is a 2004 Guru Tri-Lite. It was $2800 new and has a Mavic Cosmic Elite wheelset on it. I'm the 3rd owner and I got it for a song. A guy in London had it up on Kijiji for $500, I emailed him and wanted to see it first. After reasearching the bike I was confident that the first person to see it would buy it. I actually offered the guy an extra $50 if he could let me see it first. I did. Checked it out, everything in good working order, and I now have a very fast bike that I paid very little for.

Granted, I do train a lot and I am a fairly competent rider but I do get some satisfaction out of riding my aluminum frame bike in with the carbon guys. Most of them riding bikes worth 10 to 20 times what I paid for mine. I was 6th fastest out of 123 - in the ride segment - at the Lakeside sprint duathlon this past september

Now... the flip side is that some of the modern carbon road/tri bikes are manufacturing works of art. The full carbon Scott Plasma makes me happy in my pants! It's also $10G.
 
caboose483 said:
My road bike (it's actually a tri-bike) is a 2004 Guru Tri-Lite. It was $2800 new and has a Mavic Cosmic Elite wheelset on it. I'm the 3rd owner and I got it for a song.
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See..there's a place to spend money if you're competing..a good aero wheelset like your Elite's will do far more for your times that a carbon frame. I'd take the money from a carbon frame and buy Carbone 80's. That will do more for you. And good on ya! I love seeing athletes win out over money.. :-)
 
I also mountain bike, and used to XC race. Motorbiking (and wrenching on the motorbike) has taken away somewhat from the mountain biking, but it's still fun.

A lot of good advice so far, and here's what I would add:
  • Don't discount rim brakes (V-brakes). I rode them for years, in the mountains, in snow, and on scary downhills. At the lower end, there are some pretty miserable disc brakes that are actually worse than V-brakes. The good cable discs are by Avid and Hayes (well, so-so);
  • Again, same for hardtails. I have taken a 10-year-old Specialized hardtail to hell and back - 3 yrs of XC racing, on hard trails in the mountains, and over 3' drops. A dual-susp is nice (I currently ride one), but it's also more maintenance and adjustment and I wouldn't say it's necessary. I prefer the newer bike of course, but there isn't anything the hardtail can't do that the 5" travel trailbike can;
  • Look at the suspension fork. Marzocchi, Rock Shox, Manitou and Fox are the big 4. Google the fork of whatever bike you look at. An oil damper, preferably a cartridge damper, and high-quality hardened stanction tubes would be nice.
  • Same with the component group. The lower end groups can work fine, but Shimano Deore or better is nice;
  • For all-around riding for fitness, would recommend against a 'Dirt Jump' hardtail - which would be heavier, beefier and meant for jumping off things, but worse-climbing and more frustrating on pavement.

Ideally, for $500, what I'd suggest is a 10-year-old race hardtail with a decent fork. Of course, it's always a matter of what you can find.

I agree that $9k bikes are crazy, but I've been riding for years and have yet to spend a third of that much. Long live the trickle-down.
 
honduhmatic said:
I also mountain bike, and used to XC race. Motorbiking (and wrenching on the motorbike) has taken away somewhat from the mountain biking, but it's still fun.

A lot of good advice so far, and here's what I would add:
  • Don't discount rim brakes (V-brakes). I rode them for years, in the mountains, in snow, and on scary downhills. At the lower end, there are some pretty miserable disc brakes that are actually worse than V-brakes. The good cable discs are by Avid and Hayes (well, so-so);
  • Again, same for hardtails. I have taken a 10-year-old Specialized hardtail to hell and back - 3 yrs of XC racing, on hard trails in the mountains, and over 3' drops. A dual-susp is nice (I currently ride one), but it's also more maintenance and adjustment and I wouldn't say it's necessary. I prefer the newer bike of course, but there isn't anything the hardtail can't do that the 5" travel trailbike can;
  • Look at the suspension fork. Marzocchi, Rock Shox, Manitou and Fox are the big 4. Google the fork of whatever bike you look at. An oil damper, preferably a cartridge damper, and high-quality hardened stanction tubes would be nice.
  • Same with the component group. The lower end groups can work fine, but Shimano Deore or better is nice;
  • For all-around riding for fitness, would recommend against a 'Dirt Jump' hardtail - which would be heavier, beefier and meant for jumping off things, but worse-climbing and more frustrating on pavement.
Ideally, for $500, what I'd suggest is a 10-year-old race hardtail with a decent fork. Of course, it's always a matter of what you can find.

I agree that $9k bikes are crazy, but I've been riding for years and have yet to spend a third of that much. Long live the trickle-down.
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A lot of sound, detailed advice here... I really appreciate it.
I had no previous knowledge of bicycles and this thread is definitely educating.
Thank you!
 
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