$300 bike suggestions? - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

77Blaza · 05-30-2002, 08:07 PM

Ive been BMXing for a long time but dont know how well the BMX bikes cross over in the Mtn biking department ( GT, Mongoose, etc). Anyway Im gonna spend around 3 bills and want the most durability for the $$$ and would like to know what brands can be trusted besides those I think I have a clue about.

YellowSub1962 · 06-01-2002, 11:34 PM

I'm a die hard GT fan. I grew up on em and around 'em and its one of the few I couldn't break...

BUT, since they are BK and bought by Giant, I'm less than happy with their service. I've been waiting for my warranty on my i-Drive rear triangle since February! I'm not sure what happened with the frame but the weld pulled apart and they (Giant) were very willing to fix it - I later found out that almost every one of the 1.0 i-Drives has cracked along the same weld and I'm way down on the list...

In their defense, They are warrantying a product they did not build, but that they agreed to do as a service for their customers... I guess I'll have to give them props for accepting responsibilty of someone elses products, but negative points for being up front with me a bout how long it would take to fix

So basically, swing over to Santa Monica and check out Supergo Bikes (www.supergo.com) and see what they got....they're always having sales on stuff....then when I get m junk back we can ride

77Blaza · 06-02-2002, 04:41 PM

well I found a good deal on a Specialized so thats what I got thanks for the input

YellowSub1962 · 06-02-2002, 06:15 PM

Sweet..what'd you get?

spoolnaround · 06-10-2002, 09:46 AM

I was in the same boat. I just bought a Diamondback Response. I should have checked the net before purchase but oh well. I paid $300 for it, I dont have a clue what I could have found it for and dont really care. The shop I got it from locally here the people are pretty cool. So far I like it. I need to get to the hills and ride.

TRD · 06-14-2002, 03:12 PM

i am selling my lite speed if you are interested, it is a little more than $300 though ($500) but i am negotiable.

VT_Toy · 06-21-2002, 08:52 PM

GT, Mongoose and Schwinn are all owned by Pacific Cyle now. aka WAL-MART bikes. We got a catalog from Pacific the other day, they're trying to get bike shops to carry them still. No way. They've kept the model names and seriosuly downgraded the frames, a lot of heavy crappy "hi" tensile steel with some nice labels on the components to look good. But it's very much CRAP. It's too bad

VT_Toy · 06-21-2002, 08:59 PM

Oh yeah, I figured you might want some suggestions instead of just crap news.

Hmmm. $300. Whatcha using it for? If off road, it's hard to get a real fork in the $300 range. Slightly higher, around $350 gets a better fork. Gary Fisher Wahoo has a Judy TT and is $360. Or $440 get a Fisher Marlin with the better Genesis Geometry, made in the US frame. If just bike paths, get a nice rigid bike for around $250.

Marc Hanses · 06-26-2002, 12:09 AM

Hi I'm Marc and I own a bike shop.It's hard to get a mtn bike that packs alot of strength for 300.00 these day's.You can get some nice bikes for that much but not very strong for jumping etc.There is a new brand that just came out called Tank bikes and I have been selling them for about 2 months know they make a hell of a bike for 329.00 full susp all alloy frame and components with good disc brakes.You wont find these bike in allot of shops yet they have a fit range from 5ft to 5' 10".You can veiw some of them at http://www.bi-tank.com
It's no biggie If you want to buy one from me , I have a few blue ones and a black one in stock.Good Luck!

injectedEB · 06-27-2002, 09:36 PM

what about Haro bikes?

I know they made some sweet freestyle bikes, but what about Mtn bikes - a local shop has one for $350...

LabradorBoy · 06-29-2002, 07:21 PM

[/QUOTE][/B]
Hmmm. $300. Whatcha using it for? If off road, it's hard to get a real fork in the $300 range. Slightly higher, around $350 gets a better fork. Gary Fisher Wahoo has a Judy TT and is $360. Or $440 get a Fisher Marlin with the better Genesis Geometry, made in the US frame. If just bike paths, get a nice rigid bike for around $250. [/B][/QUOTE]

Hi,

you seem to be fairly in the know, so I wonder if you could answer a few questions for me too. I'm looking around for a bike as well

I'm in about the same ramge, price wise, and I am looking for a good starter bike for some fun.

I'm thinking hardtail to keep the price down and to keep the weight down as well. I'd rather not end up with a full-suspension bike that has a heavy steel frame due to my budget.

I have been hanging out on www.mtbreview.com and eBay and have seen the following appealing bikes:

1 - Specialized RockHopper (a bit more expensive)
2 - GT Aggressor 3.0
3 - Various other GT bikes

I'm thinking a GT would be the way to go b/c they're strong and due to the recent buy-out, they're also fairly low-cost.

Can you suggest a GT model in particular that is a good used bike?

I was thinking about buying a GT Zaskar frame and another fairly crappy bike and then switch over all the components, but I'm afraid that the cranks/cables/fork/headsets won't be compatible.
Is this fairly standard between bikes, or is there a lot of variability?

Thanks,

-Rob

robpilgrim@adboivin.com

77Blaza · 07-01-2002, 12:24 PM

the type I ended up getting was a 19" hardrock and so far its been able to hold up to about 6' of air we will see how long this bike will last.

05-30-2002, 08:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
77Blaza Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Member # 9666 Location: SO CA Posts: 186	$300 bike suggestions? Ive been BMXing for a long time but dont know how well the BMX bikes cross over in the Mtn biking department ( GT, Mongoose, etc). Anyway Im gonna spend around 3 bills and want the most durability for the $$$ and would like to know what brands can be trusted besides those I think I have a clue about.

06-01-2002, 11:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
YellowSub1962 1962 YellowSubmarine Join Date: Aug 2000 Member # 1494 Location: The Land Of The Free, Thanks To The Brave! Posts: 8,288	I'm a die hard GT fan. I grew up on em and around 'em and its one of the few I couldn't break... BUT, since they are BK and bought by Giant, I'm less than happy with their service. I've been waiting for my warranty on my i-Drive rear triangle since February! I'm not sure what happened with the frame but the weld pulled apart and they (Giant) were very willing to fix it - I later found out that almost every one of the 1.0 i-Drives has cracked along the same weld and I'm way down on the list... In their defense, They are warrantying a product they did not build, but that they agreed to do as a service for their customers... I guess I'll have to give them props for accepting responsibilty of someone elses products, but negative points for being up front with me a bout how long it would take to fix So basically, swing over to Santa Monica and check out Supergo Bikes (www.supergo.com) and see what they got....they're always having sales on stuff....then when I get m junk back we can ride __________________ Peter S. Di Primo PSD Enterprises, LLC - Waterjet, laser, metal forming, CNC work, Fiberglass and Carbon work, patterns and molds. No job too small. Prototyping and small production is our specialty, but we have the network to handle large jobs as well. Email me if you need something cut, bent, formed, milled, machined, etc. Founding Member - VCAS4WDC www.axlesnappers.org Help Fight Global Warming- turn your A/C on high and open all your windows. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store - NOT a government agency!!!!

06-02-2002, 06:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
YellowSub1962 1962 YellowSubmarine Join Date: Aug 2000 Member # 1494 Location: The Land Of The Free, Thanks To The Brave! Posts: 8,288	Sweet..what'd you get? __________________ Peter S. Di Primo PSD Enterprises, LLC - Waterjet, laser, metal forming, CNC work, Fiberglass and Carbon work, patterns and molds. No job too small. Prototyping and small production is our specialty, but we have the network to handle large jobs as well. Email me if you need something cut, bent, formed, milled, machined, etc. Founding Member - VCAS4WDC www.axlesnappers.org Help Fight Global Warming- turn your A/C on high and open all your windows. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store - NOT a government agency!!!!

06-10-2002, 09:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
spoolnaround Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Member # 5472 Location: Cent Ca Posts: 1,354	I was in the same boat. I just bought a Diamondback Response. I should have checked the net before purchase but oh well. I paid $300 for it, I dont have a clue what I could have found it for and dont really care. The shop I got it from locally here the people are pretty cool. So far I like it. I need to get to the hills and ride. __________________ Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "Theirs?"

06-14-2002, 03:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
TRD Zeus of the Sluice Join Date: Nov 2001 Member # 8286 Location: Costa Mesa, Ca Posts: 4,685	i am selling my lite speed if you are interested, it is a little more than $300 though ($500) but i am negotiable. __________________ -Ryan

06-02-2002, 04:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
77Blaza Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Member # 9666 Location: SO CA Posts: 186	well I found a good deal on a Specialized so thats what I got thanks for the input

06-21-2002, 08:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
VT_Toy Zeus of the Sluice Join Date: Mar 2000 Member # 349 Location: Middlebury, VT Posts: 4,023	GT, Mongoose and Schwinn are all owned by Pacific Cyle now. aka WAL-MART bikes. We got a catalog from Pacific the other day, they're trying to get bike shops to carry them still. No way. They've kept the model names and seriosuly downgraded the frames, a lot of heavy crappy "hi" tensile steel with some nice labels on the components to look good. But it's very much CRAP. It's too bad

06-21-2002, 08:59 PM	#8 (permalink)
VT_Toy Zeus of the Sluice Join Date: Mar 2000 Member # 349 Location: Middlebury, VT Posts: 4,023	Oh yeah, I figured you might want some suggestions instead of just crap news. Hmmm. $300. Whatcha using it for? If off road, it's hard to get a real fork in the $300 range. Slightly higher, around $350 gets a better fork. Gary Fisher Wahoo has a Judy TT and is $360. Or $440 get a Fisher Marlin with the better Genesis Geometry, made in the US frame. If just bike paths, get a nice rigid bike for around $250.

06-26-2002, 12:09 AM	#9 (permalink)
Marc Hanses Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Member # 12465 Location: Arizona Posts: 4	Hi I'm Marc and I own a bike shop.It's hard to get a mtn bike that packs alot of strength for 300.00 these day's.You can get some nice bikes for that much but not very strong for jumping etc.There is a new brand that just came out called Tank bikes and I have been selling them for about 2 months know they make a hell of a bike for 329.00 full susp all alloy frame and components with good disc brakes.You wont find these bike in allot of shops yet they have a fit range from 5ft to 5' 10".You can veiw some of them at http://www.bi-tank.com It's no biggie If you want to buy one from me , I have a few blue ones and a black one in stock.Good Luck!

06-27-2002, 09:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
injectedEB Registered User Join Date: Apr 2001 Member # 3959 Location: ~Denver, Colorado Posts: 555	what about Haro bikes? I know they made some sweet freestyle bikes, but what about Mtn bikes - a local shop has one for $350... __________________ -Ben '74 Bronco - some assembly required... one of these years I'll drive it again..... When did common sense become uncommon?

06-29-2002, 07:21 PM	#11 (permalink)
LabradorBoy Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Member # 11499 Posts: 23	[/QUOTE][/B] Hmmm. $300. Whatcha using it for? If off road, it's hard to get a real fork in the $300 range. Slightly higher, around $350 gets a better fork. Gary Fisher Wahoo has a Judy TT and is $360. Or $440 get a Fisher Marlin with the better Genesis Geometry, made in the US frame. If just bike paths, get a nice rigid bike for around $250. [/B][/QUOTE] Hi, you seem to be fairly in the know, so I wonder if you could answer a few questions for me too. I'm looking around for a bike as well I'm in about the same ramge, price wise, and I am looking for a good starter bike for some fun. I'm thinking hardtail to keep the price down and to keep the weight down as well. I'd rather not end up with a full-suspension bike that has a heavy steel frame due to my budget. I have been hanging out on www.mtbreview.com and eBay and have seen the following appealing bikes: 1 - Specialized RockHopper (a bit more expensive) 2 - GT Aggressor 3.0 3 - Various other GT bikes I'm thinking a GT would be the way to go b/c they're strong and due to the recent buy-out, they're also fairly low-cost. Can you suggest a GT model in particular that is a good used bike? I was thinking about buying a GT Zaskar frame and another fairly crappy bike and then switch over all the components, but I'm afraid that the cranks/cables/fork/headsets won't be compatible. Is this fairly standard between bikes, or is there a lot of variability? Thanks, -Rob robpilgrim@adboivin.com

07-01-2002, 12:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
77Blaza Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Member # 9666 Location: SO CA Posts: 186	the type I ended up getting was a 19" hardrock and so far its been able to hold up to about 6' of air we will see how long this bike will last.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode