# Looking for help. First time bike owner/shopping for new bike



## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to look at this thread, it is probably a question you all get asked very regularly.

I'm in the market for a bike, it's my first. I'm 34 years old between 6' and 6'1, am about 240 lbs and hope to drop 40+ of that this year, (was 299 this time last year).

So I feel pretty sure I'm going to be going with a low priced 650b for my first bike but am still open to the idea of a 29er. My reasoning is I think the 650b will feel more fun, I have recently tried a 2014 GT Karakoram Comp 29er and sort of felt like it was a really big bike and didn't have a lot of fun. I dunno, but that has me leaning toward the 650b. I will be trying out bikes before making a buying decision.

I will be buying from one of two LBS in my are, they carry different lines. One carries Norco and Trek, the other carries Giant and Specialized.

In my price range I'm looking at the Norco storms, or Chargers, and the Giant talon 27.5's. I will provide links to each bike at the bottom. Both Lbs are willing to offer me the bikes without tax (sales tax of 15% where I live, so it's a chunk).

I'm looking for advice about the value of the bikes, is it worth it to spend more? I'm looking to do some pretty simple biking at first, flat walking trails, and near my home there is a wood trail that is pretty rough, but doesn't have large downhill sections or jumps, just roots rocks mud and that sort. I do hope to fall in love with the sport and someday be hitting real trails, but pretty sure i'd be considered a casual rider.

Price wise, it breaks down like this (prices are out the door and in CAD). It would have to be a very very good reason for me to bite the bullet and buy the ones closer to the $1000 price point, but i'd like to hear your advice all the same.

2015 Norco Storm 7.2 $610
https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/cross-country/storm/storm-72/

2015Norco Storm 7.1 $740
https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/cross-country/storm/storm-71/

2015 Norco Charger 7.3 $955 aprox.
https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/cross-country/charger/charger-73/

Norco Charger 7.2 $1100 aprox.
https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/cross-country/charger/charger-72/

2015 Giant Talon 27.5 2 $1035
Talon 27.5 2 (2015) | Giant Bicycles | United States

2015 Giant Talon 27.5 3 $655
Talon 27.5 3 (2015) (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Picking a bike with an air fork will allow you to set the sag for your weight which is outside the spring range for forks with a metal spring.
and that makes the choice easy...only the 7.2 has one.


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## giangnguy3n (Nov 14, 2012)

If I get to do it all over again I will buy me a full suspension with at least 6" of travel. That I can take it anywhere without worrying about the bike can't handle this or that.
I still had my xc bike as a spare. I been taking my 6" bike out all the time now. It's more fun on the down not bad on the up. I wasted my money on the xc bike in order for me to find out what I want in MTBiking. Again it's just me if I get to turn the clock around.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

If you can afford it, I'd get a better bike with a more adjustable suspension fork, but if you cannot afford/justify it, it won't mean the bike is junk like eb1888 likes to portray. It will be kinda hard to tell the difference without the experience, though. At your weight, you'll be above the typical range of adjustment possible from most of the inexpensive coil forks. What that means is that you will compress the fork more just by sitting on it, and when you are riding, it will bottom out easier. Better coil suspension (of which there's less and less every year), you could install a heavier spring to tune it for your weight.

A more adjustable air fork, you can just add more pressure so that the fork sags maybe about 20% or so of its total travel when you're sitting on it. You can ride it firmer or softer if you like, too. It will be harder to bottom out, and it will absorb rough terrain better.

On bikes that cost less, I'd say the biggest differences between them (components-wise) tend to be the suspension components, the wheels, and the brakes. You definitely want to spend the time to make sure you're picking a bike that fits, and feels comfortable. But the flashy shifty bits don't matter THAT much. When I buy a bike, I want better suspension, wheels, and brakes. Of the shifty bits, I like better shifters, but don't care so much about derailleurs. Which is the opposite of how most bike companies will equip stuff that they want to sell you. Unfortunately.

But ya know what? When I started riding, I couldn't tell the difference anyway. If it went "squish", I knew that was better than if it didn't, but that's all I could tell. I started on a $300 rigid bike about 18 years ago. A few bikes and quite a few upgrades later, I ride a bike that would cost $6,000+ retail (though I paid a lot less because I work part time in a shop to help pay for my hobby). I had an absolute blast on that $300 bike. I wasn't doing the same riding then that I do now, but it got me out on the dirt and kindled a long-term passion. That's all that matters. You can quibble about details on websites like this all you want afterwards, but as long as you're riding, that's what's cool.


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Thank you guys very much for taking the time to read and reply. 

eb1888 you brought up a great point and one that I hadn't even considered, I just sort of assumed that any fork would handle my weight. thank you.

giangnguy3n haha I wish I were in a situation that I could just pick up a full suspension, they look so damned cool and I'd be pretty stoked to have one. Hopefully I fall head over heels for this sport and buy one in a year or two!

Harold, what can I say man, what an awesome response to my post, I really appreciate it man, and I'd love to see your bike, sounds totally amazing. As I originally stated it would have to be a pretty damned good reason to get me to consider spending the $1100 on a bike, but it sounds like it may just be a good enough reason. But thanks to your comment I'm confident that most importantly I just get a bike, thanks for that man, it really should be about just getting out there.
Seriously though, is there somewhere I can go to see a photo of your bike?lol


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Let's see...i think I have one on my phone.

Salsa Bucksaw full suspension fatbike. I have more...just not on my phone.










Built it from the frame up, always more expensive to do it that way but you get exactly what you want. Carbon rims.


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## giangnguy3n (Nov 14, 2012)

^Nice!


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Man oh man that bike is so cool, thank you for sharing the photo! The yellow rims are just bad ass with that bike. Really cool!


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## tardman91 (Dec 29, 2014)

I say go ride them and pick the one you like best and are comfortable spending money on. I was in a similar situation to you. I'm 6'3 and was at 292 a few years back. I swore to myself I wouldn't cross 300 and went and got a bike. I started on a hybrid I got at Target. That lasted a few months until I really decided I liked riding. Then I started road biking. Started out cheap and upgraded a couple of years later as funds allowed. I sold one of my road bikes to buy a mountain bike last month. Went in at a lower price point because I have a baby on the way and my wife and I don't really see eye to eye on the value of $1500+ bikes. Everyone who gets into riding seriously always says "I wish I would have spent more up front." Always. The reasons being, you don't always know how much you'll enjoy it, and a $500 "mistake" is easier to swallow than a $1000+ one, and secondly, no matter how much you spend on your first bike there will always be something better or different that you'll want once the newness wears out. Point being, buy what you're comfortable spending and fits you well and ride the crap out of it. Then when you learn more about what you really like/want save up and get something better. Then repeat. And repeat again, etc.


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## Max24 (Jan 31, 2013)

Harold said:


> Let's see...i think I have one on my phone.
> 
> Salsa Bucksaw full suspension fatbike. I have more...just not on my phone.


Wow, looks amazing. Great work!


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

OP - have you checked out the used market in your neck of the woods?
You're very likely to get a much better deal that way, though it can require some more legwork and of course your own comfort level with buying used is a factor.


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## Redforce (Feb 1, 2015)

I just bought a Giant Revel 29er for $530 out the door. It is my 2nd mountain bike. My first is 25 years old. I want to get back in better shape and I love riding. I got lucky that my work is 8 miles away. 3 of those miles are over rough terrain. So the road bike was out. The 25 year mountain bike didn't cut it. I did a lot of research. Then I hopped on a 29 and fell in love. Bought it on the spot. I have owned it for 5 days now and I've been out riding for 4. 

Budget and life circumstances dictate a lot of what you can do. I'm a dad with 4 kids. No way my wife was going to go for me buying a $1000 bike or higher. She was a go for the $500 one and I am planning out my upgrades for the next 2 years. Then I fell I will have a decent bike. I'm already enjoying it a lot and I know that feeling will only get better.

I recommend you do your research, test ride bikes and go with what feels right to you and buy what you can afford. Upgrading may cost more in the long run but who has $2000 lying around?? Plus when you upgrade you get to pick what you want. I look at my bike as a blank canvas that I get to pick and choose what I want to do with it. 

So get out and ride and enjoy it!! Have fun.


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## twall06 (Aug 6, 2014)

I bought a talon 4 in August and have loved it so far . Alot of the people I ride with have nicer bikes but I am happy with what i have it was in my price range and has held up through all my crashes so far. Wish I had gotten someting with an air fork but like you wanted to keep budget down and make sure I was going to stick with it. What ever you get just enjoy riding it and have fun.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Max24 said:


> Wow, looks amazing. Great work!


that photo is a crappy one and doesn't do it justice.

This one shows the actual colors better.



I don't have any digital pics of my first mtb, the $300 one. That was before I had a digital camera. But here's the second one I had. It was a $550 bike new.



The fork on this one worked worse than any coil fork you're going to find on the market right now. Its internals were rubber elastomers. I rode that bike for 10 years before I sold it.

This was my third bike.



Bought new in 03, and I still have it. Bumped up the amount of money I was willing to spend again.

Point is, start out with whatever. If you love it, you'll find a way to get something new/better. The two FS bikes, no way I had the money just "laying around" for those. I planned for those bikes for a long time. The new Salsa, I got a second job and worked about 9 months, saving up for it. Last year, my wife got a bike that would have cost $6000-$7000 new. She got hers for an even better price by buying a used bike.



If you're patient, you can find some serious prizes. This one came from the mtbr classified ads. They tend to be limited to high end stuff, so there's a bit of a cost of entry there, but we still paid less than $2k for that bike, with $100 of shipping included. If you buy used, you need to make sure you factor in some service. My wife's bike, for example, didn't need anything immediately, but in less than a year after she got it, it did need new chainrings and chain, as well as some significant work on the wheels.

If you set your budget around $1,000 and you look on the used market, with some patience, I bet you could find some great $2,000+ bikes that might just be a few years old. That way, you'd wind up with something WAY nicer.

Then we got extra lucky - a local professional trailbuilder I know had some spare parts for this exact model of bike. He used to own one, and had a spare upper link and some pivot hardware and extra derailleur hangers. He ended up just giving that stuff to me.


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## Bethany1 (Jan 18, 2012)

Harold,

*sniff* Had to sell my fat bike last year to pay bills *sniff*. Yours looks fabulous! Love the colors.

OP,

With your weight you would probably want an air fork. I loved my fat bike because I could set the tire pressure at whatever I wanted for the trail usage. The fat tires acted like a suspension fork. Fat bikes are super expensive so don't worry about that right now. I got mine several years ago when they were better priced.

Fork, brakes and easy to use shifters are what you are looking for. Size matters as well so make sure it's comfortable. 

Nothing wrong with used bikes either as was posted above. Sometimes you can get a really nice bike that way.


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

A fat bike would be a good alternative to consider. Look at Bike Direct for a few different models, some in your range and for a couple hundred more you can get a Bluto air fork on one.
Check the Fat Bike section for info on the models.
http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/boris-evil-brut-937998-5.html


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Thank you all for the responses, what a terrific community. The used bike market near me doesn't seem to be all that active, mostly it's though a site called kijiji. Do any of you know any online bike marketplaces that service Canada? I am really grateful that I posted this question here, can't believe all of the helpful and insightful replies. I will be getting a bike for sure this season, I'm just going to keep my eyes peeled on the used market and hope to find one there, if not new it is. One issue I do foresee with the used market is the lack of 650b's that are going to be there as they are still pretty new around here, but maybe I will get lucky. Thank you all again,and I will be sure to post again when I've made my decision. 

Harold, those photos are terrific man, thanks so much for sharing them and your stories about the bikes man. Just awesome.


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Buy and Sell Mountain Bikes, Gear and Parts - Pinkbike


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

For where I live, the best places to get good deals on used bikes are the local mtb club's classified forums, and the local road club does a big annual swap meet (it's actually on Sunday). last year they did another in the fall, but not sure how successful it was. The Feb one, at least, gets a TON of crossover with mtb stuff.

I'd keep an eye out for those sorts of local resources, also.


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## Phinias (Aug 28, 2014)

OP Look in the Clydes Forum too, there are tons of considerations for us healthy eaters. Inexpensive means really cheap rims and hubs which equals taco'd wheels.


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Still shopping around and looking for used deals, but I did notice this bike for about $1200 new. what do you guys think? I like that it's 650b and I feel like there are benefits to a steel frame. As I mentioned before, I know nothing so I could use your input as to how it compares to the other bikes I mentioned earlier. Thanks a ton!

JAMIS BICYCLES


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

I agree with the buy it used sentiment. Just make sure it's the right size for you - the rest mostly falls into place with experience as Harold and others describe.


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## zygote2k (Jun 5, 2011)

FWIW, I built my modern bike from parts found on the bay, CL, and FB. I got a Ventana El Saltamonte frame for $247, Chris King wheelset for $300, Psylo fork for $100, full XT m750 for $100, and the rest of the parts- CK headset, Answer post, bars and stem plus tires, Avid Juicy 7 for the other $250 and spent a total of $1k. Bike handles anything I can ride on and offers plenty of suspension travel. I'm a big guy- 6'5" and 275#.
I suggest building your own bike and getting much higher valued and more durable parts for way less than you can find at the LBS.


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Hi again, it's been awhile. I've been looking around the used market in my area and very recently stumbled into what I hope is good luck. What do you guys think about a 2009 rocky mountain slayer ss350 for $600? I haven't seen it just yet but the owner says the bike in in perfect condition and has been sitting in his basement. According to him the only real use it's seen is some trips to the store. Do you guys think this would be a great bike for a great price assuming it is in the condition he says its in? I'm pretty interested and am currently trying to schedule a time to see it and drive it. Thank you again to anyone that can provide some input! Link to the bike

Rocky Mountain Slayer SS 350 - Pinkbike


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

If everything works, it's an acceptable price. Definately worth looking it up on bicycle blue book for comparison. However, that is more of a free-ride and downhill rig. It's got a seriously slack headtube angle. The other bikes you listed above are more cross country trail bikes. If you want to do downhill, it's a good bike. If you take it on normal trails, it won't be as much fun. Also, lots of technology upgrades since 2009. that 9-speed system might have been amazing back then, but now it's not.


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## VideoboyMatt (Feb 11, 2014)

Grombo said:


> Hi again, it's been awhile. I've been looking around the used market in my area and very recently stumbled into what I hope is good luck. What do you guys think about a 2009 rocky mountain slayer ss350 for $600? I haven't seen it just yet but the owner says the bike in in perfect condition and has been sitting in his basement. According to him the only real use it's seen is some trips to the store. Do you guys think this would be a great bike for a great price assuming it is in the condition he says its in? I'm pretty interested and am currently trying to schedule a time to see it and drive it. Thank you again to anyone that can provide some input! Link to the bike
> 
> Rocky Mountain Slayer SS 350 - Pinkbike


For the price that is a good deal. I would buy it if I was looking for a bike, and had the opportunity. However Grombo did point out something. That is more of a aggressive downhill type bike. Is this bad, not really. It just means it won't peddle as efficiently as a XC type bike on normal flat trails, or anything you have to climb up hills. However for the price, I still think it is worth looking at. Don't be super concerned about 2009, it's not THAT old. Just don't get suckered into a late 90's bike for $600 as there are many people who over value their waaay outdated heavily beat bikes on Craigslist.


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## Grombo (Feb 4, 2015)

Thanks for the speedy replies guys. I'm a little concerned about the downhill nature you both mentioned. I'm unfortunately pretty naive about mountain bikes in general and was under the impression a full suspension bike like the slayer would be well suited to most tasks. I would definitely be taking it into the woods, down some more natural style trails as there isn't a lot of pro built trails in my area, but I'd also want to take it on leisure type rides with my wife on well groomed trails in town that are also walking trails so very very easy terrain. Am I correct in thinking I'd be nuts to spend more money on a bike like a giant talon 2 or trek xcalibur that have inferior components to the Slayer? Or do you think the more aggressive down hill nature of the Slayer would just be out of my league as a casual rider and would actually make it less fun to ride? As always your replies and wisdom is really and truly appreciated!


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I think you'll be better served with a hardtail mountain bike. I'd keep looking for used stuff.


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