decent MB bike that does not cost an arm and leg?

[atavuss]

I was going to get 2 K2 Sidewinders but none of the Sports Authority stores had any large framed bikes, they were on sale for 399.00 (all the reviews I could find said they were decent beginner bikes for the money). any other bikes that are decent and low cost? the bikes will be used for mild trail riding mostly. I do want front and rear suspension and disk brakes front and rear.

 

[ntsqd]

From my research a decent hardtail with disc brakes starts at around $700 (Giant Rainier)
I don't see $400 buying much of anything unless you're incredibily lucky & diligent on mtbr.com and ebay; and then build it yourself.

 

[RHINO]

your desire for discs and dual susp. in that price range is going to bring your components so low you might not enjoy riding it so much, really only be a step up from wal mart. discs are not needed for mild trail running and rear susp. is going to bob and bounce alot. rim brakes will outperform the low quality discs you'll get anyway. i would urge you to take a good frameset and a bump to midrange components over the desire to have what will be poor discs and bad components. for about $4-500 you can get a great entry level hardtail that will perform well and hold up to some riding, then upgrade as you go along.
i can understand not wanting to over spend,, but at the same time you want to get a good bang for your buck. the kind of money your spending also look at iron horse, specialized, giant, gary fisher and i'm sure a couple others.

 

[ThomD]

+1 to above.

Get a hard tail and forget disks. Rim brakes work fine for most people in most places. For trail riding there is no point in the expense and complexity of rear suspension. At that price point the suspension will not be very durable or useful. Also, while I'm no weight weenie, at that price any suspended bike will weigh a ton.

Look on Craigslist. Used MTB are cheap(ish).

 

[Christophe Noel]

The entry point for full suspension is usually around $1000. Below that, you get such crude components it really isn't worth it.

A hard tail is the way to go. As for discs, don't make it a priority one way or the other. The fact is, discs don't add much expense to today's bikes at the sub $1000 range. The only bummer is, the discs offered at that sub $600 price point often sorta stink. Hit or miss.

Shop the closeouts. Don't try to get two of a kind. I assume one of these bikes is for the wife? She might need a different bike from you. Actually....she will.

Personally, I think the quality differences between a $400 bike and a $600 bike are MASSIVE.

 

[atavuss]

lots of good info! the K2 Sidewinder bike had a regular price of 600.00 and was on sale for 399.00. since I am an older guy I figured full suspension would be easier on me instead of a hardtail.
I am not a diehard rider and won't be jumping boulders, etc.
the bikes would be for my son and I, I am 6'3" and 205lbs., my son is 6' and about 180lbs so we could probably use the same bikes.

 

[ntsqd]

If the hardtails ride a little too rough you might look at a quality suspension seat post. Do not think that you're getting rear suspension with one, but they can take the edge off the hard hits.
If the trails you ride progress towards the more technical you probably won't want one, but for bike path/graded road/etc. riding they're worth having a look at.

 

[keepontruckin]

http://www.ibexbikes.com/

 

[Grim Reaper]

You can get a reasonable disc trek hard tail for $599.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/mountain_hardtail/4_series/4300disc/

Personally I would watch Craigslist. I picked up my Cannondale for $120 and it was a $500 bike when it was new. It is a full rigid but I am using it as a commuter so I was more interested in staying light so when I got my rack and pack on it it wasn't killing me.

Disc brakes I'm still not sure about. There is actually a Lawsuit on design flaw that most disc bikes share. The torque the disc applies to the skewers causes them to loosen. The placement of the caliper and vertical dropouts mean that when you apply the brakes it tries to push the axle out of the drop out. Many wheel loss stories out there now.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/disk_and_quick_release/

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Anybody in Phoenix want my old MTB? It's just sitting in the garage collecting dust....1998 Gary Fisher Aquila....first $100 takes it.

 

[atavuss]

I want to thank everyone for their input. we ended up with two Trek 4500 series. the air quality here in the central valley of California is so poor from all the fires we can't ride them now though.
the bike shop we went to (City Bike in Lodi California) had one 08 model left but we were able to snag two 09's at just a few dollars more than the 08 model.

 

[jatibb]

agreed, stick with a mid-range hardtail. at your size maybe even a used 29'r.
the problem with "cheap" full suspension bikes has been stated already. there is a reason there are so many big box bikes sold and so few riden. if they are heavy and dont operate correctly then they are no fun, as with anything, and pretty soon they will be hanging in your garage taking up room. a decent hardtail, with v brake s and a NAME BRAND front fork will serve you for a good long time. trust me, youd rather ride a 25 lb bike uphill then push a 33 lb bike.as for the disc brake failures, if you can find a good used bike with NAME BRAND discs then go for it. evry bike i have has discs and i have never had or seen a problem like that (nbike shop emplyee for 5 yrs, riding discs for 7). im sure you could seach the internet and find something faulty and potentially dangerous in every product made in the world. most of the time it boils down to ..pay attention

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I second the craigslist route too. I was able to get my fiancee a very nice Giant (disk ready but without the disks) for less than $500 (and just about brand new). I would get a used and upgrade or just a quality used, see if you can drag along someone who knows something about bikes (and repair). The other solution is unfortunately bikesdirect.com which is a Taiwanese made/assembed frame and bike. No bike shop/distributor for markup so fairly cheap... Good starter bikes, and the manfacturer is the same as Jamis / Trek etc (Kenesis).

 

[RHINO]

congrats, i'm glad to see you went to a bike shop. you should be quite happy with the trek 4500's, if its what i think you have much better deore components than you would have gotten with a full susp rig, and the shock is an upgrade also. should be a trouble free bike for your intended purpose.