Mountain Bike help.

[RC10Talk]

So I have not been on a bike in 10 years and I want to get active this year!

I have it down to two choices in my price range,

First off is a Giant Brass 2
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/mountain/2341/32143/

and the next is a Cannondale F8
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/09/cusa/model-9FS8.html

Anybody know anything about either of these bikes? Any help would be appreciated!

[wts873]

It matters on what type of riding you want to do. The Giant looks more like a downhill.

[RC10Talk]

I'llbe ridding the back roads in the kettles and a few trails perhaps.

[pituk]

The Cannondale would make a better trails bike , looks like the Giant does not have a front derailer. I have a Cannondale f500 that I purchased in 96 and it still rides perfect .

[RC10Talk]

The Cannondale would make a better trails bike , looks like the Giant does not have a front derailer. I have a Cannondale f500 that I purchased in 96 and it still rides perfect .

Wow! i never even noticed that the Giant has no front derailer. These more expensive bikes dont come out and list how many speeds it has like the cheaper store brands.

They both say that they are 8 speeds.

[Halgar]

Once you narrow down the bikes you're interested in, I highly recommend going around to the various bike shops and test riding them. That's what I did when I bought my bike and I'm glad I did because every bike rides differently, and it took a while to find one that rode the way I felt it should.

[MelvinsArmy]

Why do you only have two choices? Are those the only brands available in your area? What about Gary Fisher, Specialized, Jamis, Trek, Bianchi, etc, etc, etc?

I agree with Halgar. The best way to find out if a bike is for you is to give it a test ride. What might look good on paper (or the internet) might not feel right when you actually ride it.

Personally I prefer chromoly mountain bikes with no suspension.

[RER40]

The other thing you might want to consider is a test-ride, if your local bike shop allows it (many do). Too often people buy bikes just on looks alone, but after getting it find their body type doesn't fit a particular model very well and leads to uncomfortable ride experience.

[RC10Talk]

reason why those are my choices at the moment are the local bike shops carry those brands. However both would have to be special ordered for me. So they are not at the stores for me to test.

I have not ridden a bike since 14 or so. anything I ride will be uncomfortable! lol

Gary Fisher does not have disc brakes in my price range, Looked at bianchi, same situation...... Specialized has some potential

[aconsola]

I'm partial to cannondales myself, having 2 of them. The best advice from above is to ride something from the local shop to get an idea of what you like before plunking down the $ for a bike. Most shops stock at least something in every size for you to try out.
There is also the possibility of buying a used bike to get a better spec while saving quite a bit of money, which is how I got my second MTB. Had I bought it new my wife would have seriously injured me

[RER40]

Had I bought it new my wife would have seriously injured me

That alone is reason not to have cast iron skillets in the house.

[MelvinsArmy]

Disk brake definitely look cool, but a cantilever brake will throw you over the handle bars just as easily. In other words, there is not really any noticeable advantage in stopping power, as long as the brakes are set up properly. The one advantage that disk brakes have over others is when it comes to riding in very muddy or very wet conditions, going through thick mud, or big puddles, or very heavy rain. You don't have to worry about water or mud getting on the rim and compromising your brakes. Most people don't have to worry about those kinds of riding conditions though. One other note, and I don't know what brand and model of brakes are on those bikes, but I have Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes on my Soma and they are in my experience, hands down the easiest bicycle brake to set up and keep properly adjusted. They're very easy to adjust, just turn a knob on each side of the caliper. Cantilevers are pretty easy to figure out and keep working well, but disks (at least BB7's) are the easiest.

If your shop doesn't have the model and size you're looking for to take for a test ride, see if they have a model up or down in your size to try out. It will at least give you the feel of the bike. If I remember correctly, you are a fairly big guy right? 6'3"ish or so? Probably going to need a size L frame if that's the case, that's a pretty popular size and most bike shops should have something in their inventory in that size. The models you posted, I assume there are similar bikes with the same frames and upgraded/downgraded components to fit different price points in the line. The most important thing you are trying to get out of a test ride is the general fit and feel of the bike. You're probably not going to notice much difference in upgraded or downgraded shifters, wheels, brakes, etc, on the test ride, especially if you haven't ridden a bike in years.

I think Cannondales are still made in USA. That's a big selling point for me. I've owned two Cannondales, a few years ago I bought a new F400, and before that I had a mid-90's Super V 900. They were both good bikes. I ended up going back to chromoly rigid frames though, just because they feel better to me.

[Halgar]

Have you been watching Craigslist in your area? There's usually tons of bikes there and some are pretty reasonably priced. You'd get to give it a short test ride to see if you liked it as well.

I would caution against riding different models of the same brand when trying to decide on something unseen and unridden. I rode a lot of bikes when I was choosing mine and even the same brands had major differences between the models. The ONLY bikes that were near identical were the Gary Fisher and the Trek, which in essence are the same bike. As I recall from the guru's here, Gary Fisher makes the Trek and one other brand as well. I ultimately chose a Trek for some untangibles that I just didn't get from the Fisher.

At any rate, I personally think it's extremely important to test ride exactly what you want to buy BEFORE you buy it, otherwise you could be stuck with a bike you don't like and consequently won't ride because it's not the right bike for you.

[RC10Talk]

Lot of good info, I was looking at some Jamis MTN bikes (Yes I am looking at others now that I know some name brands) in my price range and saw 21 and 24 speeds. Most of the MTN bikes are either 7 or 8 speed in this price range. How many gears do I really need? Like I said this is a kettles bike. Lots of hills, steep hills, and will be taking it off road on the trails out here.



MelvinsArmy you were close, I am actually 6'7". A guy at the bike shop said I should go with dual walled wheels do to my size. It seems all bikes I am looking at are equipped with those. Reason for the disk brakes wanted is I will be on muddy trails. Hell, most of our roads are muddy and sandy. A reason I never roller blade out here.

[highwayracer]

Used bikes are a little risky. Aluminum, carbon fiber and titainium will all go bad eventually.

The fit is most important...which is also dependent on your body type. Make sure you are able to ride one. On one of my builds, I went through 3 different frames until I found the right one.

As for brakes, discs are the way to go, but don't let this one feature steer you away from other bikes. You can always upgrade...make sure that the bike has the mounts for this.

You will need gears...do not settle for a single speed (front) bike. That granny gear will come in handy.

Good luck...and have fun riding.

Regards,
Roger