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wtb: Entry Level MTB 16/18


exSRAaron

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Try Once Ridden Bikes, a used bike shop on campus.

310 E. Hudson

614.447.9997

My buddy Joe owns the shop and will treat you properly. His stock is always changing, so he may or may not have anything you'd be interested in.

I've known him for about 32 years, and he was the best man at my wedding. :eek: Wow, I'm getting old...

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Depends on your price. If it is say under $1000, stick with a good hardtail and look for good components. The problem is that many people say they will buy a cheaper component decked bike and change them out afterwards. Price the components and see that you'll spend more later than at the time of buying.

SRAM which owns Truvativ and Avid are some of the best components out there. X9 and up are the best shifters and derailleurs available. Sure, they have junk, but so does Shimano...

Essentially, look for X9 front and rear with X9 shifters as a minimum. Right now, you'll see X0 and XX and they are higher ranked than X9, but are for weight wienies...

Avid Juicy 5 and higher (Now called Elixir family - Elixir 5, etc...) are solid brakes.

Look for tubeless ready wheelsets - most are compatible and ready to be converted, but if not, easily done in a ghetto fashion...

If you are looking at the bikes you listed, think Trek, Fisher or Specialized. Cannondale is cool, but they use a lot of proprietary components and makes it tough when needing to replace worn parts, etc. Rocky Mountain is no longer made in Canada so, they are made most likely in Taiwan like a majority of them are. If you are to buy a foreign made bike, make sure it is made in Taiwan - best welds and best building of frames right now outside hand built here...

Try and stay with a complete family. It's tough at the lower priced bikes as they will mix SRAM, Shimano, etc. as they get better deals in bulk buying for certain items and mix them.

If money is no issue, buy a boutique style bike where you choose a frame and a component family. That's the best. It allows you to choose everything and suit what you are wanting to ride...

As far as trails go, you need to ride in the winter, too. Alum is open and is great when there is snow. No studs needed and is a great workout.

Just my $.02 on it all...

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Brian, thanks for the advice. I was planning on sticking with a hardtail, I think I'm gonna check out the Trek store this afternoon and see if they've got any leftovers and get a feel for a few different bikes. Right now I'm looking at the 3 and 4 series with the chance of a 6 series. I need have a ton to learn tho, so I'm in no rush to buy one. Thanks again guys.

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I thought Alum was closed until spring.. at least that is what the big STOP/Closed sign says when you try and enter the trails... says something about getting a fine if caught??

I rode on the trails last spring (if you remember we had a few warm/dry weeks in March) and there were a bunch of people on the trail when that STOP/Closed sign was posted.

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I thought Alum was closed until spring.. at least that is what the big STOP/Closed sign says when you try and enter the trails... says something about getting a fine if caught??

I rode on the trails last spring (if you remember we had a few warm/dry weeks in March) and there were a bunch of people on the trail when that STOP/Closed sign was posted.

It's open. However, the best time to ride is when the ground is frozen. Otherwise, you rut the trail and damage it. Frozen with snow is AWESOME!

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Well, I check out the sawmill Trek store today, pretty much out of leftovers. Felt a lot better on the Fisher than the Trek too.

Consider a 29er. If you are wanting a HT, they are great choices. I just got a Paragon (09) and I can't wait. It'll get it's first ride here when the ground freezes...

You can grab a Cobis or Mamba for under $1k...

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