mountain/trail bike for ~$500

[lowthreeohz]

I need a bike to hit the trails up here. Mostly going to be riding on dirt/mountain trails - I'll also be riding it up at the ski resorts during the summer. Not sure what brands are worth a damn anymore? Will front suspension suffice, or do I need full? Are disk brakes worth the coin? What's a good entry level bike to get me back on the trails but isn't going to break every ride? Trek? Giant?

[mk5.0]

Huffy ?

[talisman]

You saved me the trouble of starting this thread. Good lookin' out bro!

[racrguy]

Paging Adam.

[Moose242]

My dad buys those beer promotion trail bikes (miller, amstel, ultra). They are nice and cheap as well and he rides an amstel light Trek that he got on ebay for $300 every day. He only gave $150 for the mic-ultra bike and it is pretty nice.

[HarrisonTX]

http://dallas.craigslist.org/bia/

[Pokulski-Blatz]

http://dallas.craigslist.org/bia/

Don't you mean http://lynchburg.craigslist.org/bia

[lowthreeohz]

Been browsing; but don't know what's a good deal and what's garbage.

[Ratt]

Specialized makes some nice bikes. I have a Specialized and it rides great. Front disc brake is squeaking under normal riding conditions even when I'm off the brakes, gotta look at that, but it's a minor annoyance. Everything else has been great.

This is the one I have:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/hardrock/hardrock-disc-29

[noyb2001]

In the $500 price range, check out the

Trek 3700 Disc (http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...ies/3700_disc/)
Richardson Bike mart has it for ~$520

or the Specialized Hardrock

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/hardrock

[Buick355]

I've got a 2010 Specialized Rockhopper and I like it pretty well. I bought the frame and built it up with separate components though, so it's a bit different than the stock version. I think if you get any recent year model Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, etc with disc brakes you can't really go wrong.

[2011GT]

Do NOT buy a full suspension bike for 500 bucks. Best bet will be Craigslist for a nice giant, specialized, kona, etc. if you are going to buy new 500 bucks will buy you an entry level hard tail from any of the above.

I bought a GT avalanche 3.0 disc about 5-6 years ago and it's been a decent bike. I've upgraded the front fork and brakes though.

Welcome to the sport. It's the only way I get exercise because hitting the trails is actually exciting versus running or something else...

[YALE]

http://dallas.craigslist.org/bia/

I love that the last three letters are, "bia." I thought for a second you were slipping 90's insult into the link, lol.

[juiceweezl]

I've bought from www.bikesdirect.com and not had any trouble. I just had to mount the front wheel and do slight adjustment of the shirfters and fit the seat and handlebars. They have videos online to walk you through the process. This was for my road bike. I'm looking at buying another bike from them for my son now. Here's an example of what appears to be a nice MTB: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...venture_x5.htm

[MustangPoser]

I don't know what your budget would be for your dream bike if you actually get into it, but $500 seems like a lot for your starter. Don't get me wrong. My dad and my bro both have a couple grand in their bikes.

From watching people ride with my bro/pops I see a lot of people go buy a bike and ride it twice.

Get something with disc brakes. Weight savings on the bike don't matter for most people, it's far better for you to drop in weight than your bike, and when you done dropping to your ideal weight then you can start spending money to lighten your bike.

Anyways..

1) Borrow a couple types of bikes to see what you like
2) Buy a cheap used bike that fits the style you like
3) If you are into it, go buy a badass bike.

Don't buy something you think you need, because when you start riding you will quickly learn what is important to you.