Best mountain bike for no more than $1000

[Dave-in-LK]

That's sound advice and common sense

Budget is now 1200 not a cent more

I was looking at giant talon and trek x calibere 8 but trek won out, it road better for me

It was handling, took both for a quick spin and the trek responded better when peddling and just handled a smidgen better. Customer service by trek store (impulse cycles) was also outstanding

Plus oddly and this may sound weird but the parking at the impulse store was good and easy.....I get my roadie serviced there also. So it makes sense to buy a mountain bike from them also.

[silentbutdeadly]

Sounds fine to me though I'm no fan of X5 shifters and the G2 offset fork makes upgrading it a little bit of a hassle. Good buy for the price but...

[Dave-in-LK]

Yeah for a mountain bike it will do

It will be used for mainly weekend 20-25 km trail riding with little bit if descending

Family rides to the beach and camping trips and the maybe when work is quieter some mundabiddi riding

I'm really buying it to just do some different riding to road riding.

Just a question on the forks ...why do they offset them ...is it to make the bike longer so it makes descending easier as in easier to get further back ...curious

Again sorry for the novice question. I've ridden all my life but rarely do I take much technical info into account. My excuse is my work makes me think non stop ...get our of work and I just want to let the brain rest and not think too much.

[mitzikatzi]

Google Gary Fisher G2 geometry.

G2 forks have a lot more offset than what normal forks have/had. All the new modern 29er forks have more off set closer to G2 geometry.

[bychosis]

I've ridden all my life but rarely do I take much technical info into account. My excuse is my work makes me think non stop ...get our of work and I just want to let the brain rest and not think too much.

Nothing better than getting out on the trails after a hard day. Throw in a few tech bits and the adrenalin will clear your head nicely.

[Dave-in-LK]

Yeah it does .....I even have a few rides like that close to me

[Calvin27]

My spanner in the works:

Buy a $600 MTB with the best brake (minimum hydro) and gear specs you can find. Then spend the remaining on a set of rock shox rebas.

I reckon after brakes, forks are the next biggest thing you notice - both for weight and performance. Most of the up to $1200 mark will still be running xc32 at most - moving to air forks will make the most noticeable difference.

[Dave-in-LK]

I considered this as I have seen a few guys do this

However

Running gear isn't that good on $600 bikes...some, wheels were the biggest jump I saw growing from the x-caliber 7 to the 8.

I just want t buy a bike that can be ridden and has decent gear on it ...I'm not going to race or anything

I will do some downhill or some trail riding and little bit of technical work without getting too serious.

I also dont want to spend hours on ebay or forums (few minutes here and this is ok) searching for components and then having to fit them myself also.

I just want to do things simply, I have very little disposal time on my hands so even fitting the gear would be time consuming for me.

However appreciate the input thanks

[Dave-in-LK]

Pulled the rigger this afternoon

Well lay by till christmas ..wife said I would appreciate more if I have to wait for it ...

Fair enough .....shoes were 99 plus pedals I wanted 65 odd


So all up $1364 ....yay I'm getting a bike for Xmas ..like being a little kid again at 44 .



I went the green ...not everyone cup of tea but black bikes are bring tad boring ...nothing wrong with some bling on your wheels I say plus easier visibility for cars when I do some road riding with it.

So I started google earthing last night and found a heap of trails I didn't even know existed not far from where I live

17 sleeps to go!

Happy days. Thanks to all those that helped, cheers and don't worry I won't disappear like many posters do after getting what they need

Happy rolling

[ozjolly]

Nice one. Been looking at the x-calibers too and love that green.

Have been thinking of the x-caliber 7 myself. Colours not as good and component specs a bit lower, but hoping to use it for the odd bike packing trip and towing the young fella in the weeride. Was concerned about 28 hole rims on the xcal 8 - as lighter and faster as they may be. Plan is to stick to the lower spec and upgrade as required.

Let us know how she rides.

[Dave-in-LK]

Yeah will do, it's actually my first mountain bike at 44, had racers, hybrids no mtb.

Can't ride till Xmas ...18.5 size for me

Took it for another ride at store...all good. They had to order a 18.5 inch in

[Dave-in-LK]

Ok, last point I went to store today for sizing

They didn't have an 18.5

Only 17.5 .....I'm 181.5cm tall

He said the way to measure is from when I straddle the bike I should have 2-3 cm clearance on that with feet flat on the ground. (Never had a mountain bike I must add) so I'm trusting this

I don't have long legs for my height ...in fact they are shorter legs, he put a longer stem on the bike and the 17.5 and this felt ok

My dilemma is 17.5 in my head feels small ...riding wise it felt ok but again I'm not expert. He said the smaller frame will make the bike more nimble. Seat posts adjustment is huge so no issue there.

Other dilemma is he said the dealer would take 3 weeks to get the 18.5 and bike won't get here till 5th January. I want the bike badly for my holidays from the 19th December till 12 January

Looking for comments on other guys similar to my height. So is crotch clearance important on the main frame bar (sorry for my non cycling terminology)

Or is it just my head and is 17.5 ample for this bike

Here is the link and click on sizing ...


http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes/mo ... iber_8/%23" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Baalzamon]

I'm 183cm and I ordered a 19" Nukeproof scout frame which I've been slowly building up, I'd be dubious about 17.5" as well.

[Dave-in-LK]

Well I did some measurements

Ok inseam I'm 30.5 inches ....I don't have long legs

Height 180cm .......(may have shrunk...hey I'm 44 now)

all the websites and you tubes all said medium is fine which for trek is the 17.5 inches ....

The 18.5 is considered large

Al the you tube vids I saw actually said err on the smaller side but items far easier to adjust up ...as in make the bigger with seat and stem adjustments than it is to go the other way as in smaller on a bike that's too big

I tried an 18.5 and there was no clearance of the inseam ...excuse the French but the sack was sitting on the bar

The 17.5 was about 2cm clearance ....how often do you get on and of a mountain bike while trail riding ...I suppose sandy tracks and some steep ascents where you lose traction .....don't want to de knacker myself if ya know what I mean

Road bike I ride a Scott 56 cm and I have never ridden a 29 er so it felt ok actually. Is it just my ego and head saying buy the bigger frame .....all the sizing charts and you tubes said I was on the cusp of 18/19 ...but 17.5 was still within the range and comfortably

He did say the smaller bike in the trek has almost identical wheel base. In fact according to trek the sizing is almost identical everywhere on the bike bar the vertical bar (whatever that's called) that is 2.2 cm shorter (less than an inch)

I'm about 70% confident the 17.5 is fine .....

Thanks for your patience people and I truly appreciate the help. Cheeeerrrzzzzz...

[bychosis]

I too am around 181cm with short legs. I find variously, that medium or large frames fit me pretty well depending on the design. 17.5 does sound small though. I'd be dubious of a longer stem to make the fit, the latest trend is to go for shorter stems for handling reasons, especially with 29er frames.

[Nobody]

I'd also get the bigger frame with the shorter stem. The frame height isn't really the issue, but the length of the virtual or effective top tube is.
It is more important because stem length and center to front (BB to front hub) affect braking and stability. Also the adjustment range for stem
length is usually more limited than seatpost adjustment.

I suggest to try this calculator, being careful about your measurements.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store ... 9#measures" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also Reach & Stack measurements are useful only if you know what Stack height you usually use with spacers.
Frame Reach specifications at different Stack heights are fairly meaningless as the height that the Reach measurement is taken is critical to the measurement's relevance.
More in thread below.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=67990" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dave-in-LK]

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr ... ike-a-pro/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hmmm

Found this link ...times inseam .x .67 then take 4 inches off to get frame size

My inseam is 31 inches ...ok times that by .67 = 20.7 - 4 = 16.77

And this falls within the range for my overall height also of 180cm which means 17.5 inch 29er should be fine

Will keep looking at other sizing charts

[Dave-in-LK]

Ok went back to shop

They had an 18.5 inch in the black colour

...tried this bike ......and this is peeerrrfect

17.5 was too small .....19.5 was too big

So now it's the black with blue trim ...same bike x - caliber 8 2015

Would have love the green colour but not going to compromise colour over correct frame size.....

Can be asked waiting for green one to arrive in jananury ......

Happy days . .....

[ozjolly]

I went in and got sized up on the x-caliber 7 today too. I'm 184cm and ended up with the 21.5 inch. 19.5 inch also fit well enough, but there was not much room to adjust down if required as seat post was only an inch from max, so 21.5 inch allowed a bit more adjustment each way.

Was very tempted by the Farley too! That may well be the next bike.

[Dave-in-LK]

Ok huge thanks to everyone

I went back to the store today and they had an 18.5 in black/blue/silver color

I really wanted the green bike but alas frame size is more important than colour wave

I would have waited till January 11 and he said that might even be back order ...in other words ...they didn't really know and my holidays would have been over.

The 17.5 was too small and after riding the 18.5 it's perfect ...I did all the measurements again and in bare feet I'm 179cm with an inseam measurement of 31 inches .....I did heaps if of research today and after riding the 18.5 it was spot on.

I didn't like the the 17.5 with a longer stem ...it didn't feel right today. The 18.5 had minimal stand over room...but it felt right where my hands and arms sat. This was a new size trek introduced this year in the 29er.

Last year they had 17.5 then 19.5 .....the 18.5 was designed for guys in that 6 foot range with shorter legs (more commonly known as stumpy legs or billiard table legs) as rod marsh used to get called.

I'm glad they had an 18.5 and it was the last one as trek didn't have any 18.5,19.5 or 21.5 left till mid January or later.

Means I will have it on our camping trip also which I can't wait for. Kayaking, biking and running, swimming, boogie hoarding, sand boarding galore ....yup I don't still much bar sleeping and few beers after all that activity

All up 1400 with bontrager shoes and clip in pedals ...wife was a bit annoyed at the extras but she will get over it I'm sure.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and help. I will not suddenly disappear either and will keep posting, except for holiday as there is no phone reception and iPads stay at home where they belong.

Happy days.

[silentbutdeadly]

Well done...good choice. If thee were me I'd flip that stem and see how that feels. You'll have better handling if it feels comfortable.

[Dave-in-LK]

Will start with everything standard

Found a heap of tracks by using google earth last night

The 18.5 felt spot one

Can't ride it till Xmas day

[trailgumby]

Where ya based?

[Dave-in-LK]

Albany wa

Lower king is about fifteen minutes out of town ...near the upper kalgan bridge

It's paradise ....great road rides, trails and wonderful waters to kayak, all on our doorstep

I'm all about lifestyle, we bought a house on a half acre block before the boom hit in 2003...

We paid off our mortgage two years ago, for years we skimped on everything ......now we can afford toys like bikes and kayaks as we both work, boys are 8 and 9

Life is perfect, where are you?

[silentbutdeadly]

Gumby is in Sydney. You win. No contest.