# The best entry to mid-level mountain bike



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

All,

There are hundreds of posts on the Beginner's Corner asking which bike or bike manufacturer makes the best entry or mid-level mountain bike. And there are a lot of responses offering suggestions on which bike the poster should look at. Most of those suggestions are given with good intention but the bike's the responder is recommending happens to be the one that they've just purchased.

Here's the answer on the best bike for you:

The best bike for any rider is the bike that fits that rider best. All bikes by major OEM's are good bikes. What's most important for you is to pick the bike that fits _you_ best.

The way to get the best bike for _you_ is try as many different bikes by as many different manufacturers and pick the bike that "feels" best to you. That is the right bike for you.

A $5,000 bike that doesn't fit a rider will be worse on the trail for that rider than a $500 entry level bike that fits the rider perfectly.

I hope this helps.

Ken


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## holycrikey (Sep 7, 2008)

Well, yes... to a certain extent. 

I've ridden several frames that felt absolutely comfortable, but were loaded down with pretty junky components.

To me, there are only four things one should look at:

-Fit
-Component Set
-Intended use
-Price

Find the best fit and component set for your intended use while compromising on price. There is no perfect bike, unless you are inordinately rich. It's a balancing act.


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## Keatan (Apr 23, 2008)

I would agree with Ken on this one and even tried posting something like this before, it was buried quick. Fit is by far the most important factor when looking for a bike. Once you know your price range and what you want to use your bike for, the components will most likely be similar. Brands are a preference....usually based on fit.


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## Eric Z (Sep 28, 2008)

well said, ken! i think many people are looking for an easy answer so they can just go out and look at one bike an buy it. i think it's part of the experience to try as many bikes as plenty of LBSs.

also, good points about components being around the same as similar prices- it's not like one brand is doing something way different by offering x9s when another is x4s at the same price point (unless it's an online brand- and that's a big stretch).


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## EnglishT (Apr 9, 2008)

Well, I remember a thread recently where alot of names were thrown around.

There were several good responses, but (as usual) they were buried amongst mountains of posts recommending what the poster had bought.

I spent a little time thinking about the most appropriate reply, and this is what I came up with:

________________________________________________________________________________________________
_These threads have a somewhat limited use...
*Its mostly about knowing how best to interpret and use the posts you get in response.*

You want to use informations in these threads to make your own shortlist of bikes to find in the flesh - when you see them in person, and feel the cockpit positions, the decision will often make itself.

You can do worse than to (mostly) ignore peoples opinions on bikes in threads like this one. Not because the opinions are wrong, or not worth listening too - but you should have a vague idea already of what is most important to you.
Alot of people get overly hung up on other peoples opinions, some things that are said are helpful, some are not - however, your own opinion is the most important because its YOUR hard earned thats being spent.

Youll ofcourse get a few "fanboy" posts, and ofcourse everyone's recommendations are based on what matters most to them: Some will think that "value" is the most important, some care more for components, some for different components, some who care more for geometry, and then those who care most for the name.
The priorities of people posting are not neccessarily the same as yours.

The thing to remember, is that very few bad bikes become popular - if you get alot of people recommending the same bike - its unlikely to be a bad one. 
What that means is, that its worth finding more information - and if the specifics fit what you want, then its definately worth adding to a shortlist of bikes to find in the flesh.

If you simply write up a list of suggested bikes from the thread, and do some quick research on them (parts lists, basic geometry, specific pricing etc), you'll find its not overly difficult to knock up a basic shortlist of bikes that are worth going to look at.

Good luck.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
__
_For me, the most important thing is to remember that fit is the most important thing, and that its very much a personal thing.
People rarely recommend bad bikes - but whether or not they fit you will determine whether they are good or not to the buyer.

I definately feel that some advice on how to interpret such threads is useful - and that really since fit and feel are so personal, its better that people use recommendations as recommendations: meaning that theyre taken as leads to check into and not as "<x, y="" and="" z=""> say its good so I'll buy it"

</x,>Since I feel this is good advice - I dont see any reason not to use it in threads where people are asking for recommendations, and I wouldnt be offended at all if someone decided to use it/modify it to suit such threads


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## glahnb (Jul 17, 2008)

I've only been into serious biking for a short time, so maybe I am not qualified to post, but I agree. In my experience, the bikes in a given price range are all pretty much the same, and all good bikes, it comes down to which one feels the best to you.


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## gatordog (Dec 26, 2008)

*No names but*

I was literally SHOCKED by the difference between LBS and LW...mart bikes.

As a fairly new rider  I would say start with a good reputable bike shop and see what happens from there. A quality brand will follow you out the door I suspect.

Only my opinion trying both routes.


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## RichmonS (Aug 18, 2008)

For me I tried as many shops as I did brands. It was important that I was comfortable with the LBS that sold the bike. I hope to develop a good relationship with the LBS and the brands that they carry has I become more involved in the sport. 

Good Post.


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## vertex112 (Nov 23, 2008)

oh man, If I took my old walmart FS bike out onto the trails like I do my wolverine, It would blow up. I had so many parts break on that bike due to normal use. I had the BB completely shatter and disintegrate within itself.. The forks bent under heavy breaking, the shifter would go out of alignment all the time, I got like 7 flats on the road with it, and destroyed the cassette. I took really good care of it too, but it still fell apart. The bike wasn't too bad though, It had a front disc, and the rear suspension had no pedal induced bob, so +1 in design, -3 in quality. After all that trouble, I decided to go to the lbs to buy a bike out of jealousy of my friend's sexy new Norco Kokanee. Even though I bought my bike with the wrong intentions, it was the best thing I could of ever done. Now that I have my wolverine, I truly experienced MTBing in the way it was meant to be.


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