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Tom
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Tom
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PostMon Feb 18, 2002 5:52 pm 
I'm thinking of getting a mountain bike and am looking for suggestions. Primary use would be to cover abandoned / gated logging roads (i.e. not necessarily trails) that would otherwise require foot travel (Bessemer Mountain would be a good example). I figure a good ol' cheapo mountain bike will do the trick - I plan to keep both tires on the ground for the most part biggrin.gif. Or are there some features that are worth paying for?

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Lazyboy
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PostMon Feb 18, 2002 6:48 pm 
Don't skimp on a mountain bike. The cheapos are truely junk. Impossible to keep in tune and impossible to correctly repair. If you shop around, you might find a decent bike in the 500 dollar range. You don't need full suspension but suspended front forks are a must. The cheapos have suspended front forks also so don't get fooled there. Go to a speciality bike shop and talk to the experts.

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Benjamin
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PostMon Feb 18, 2002 7:29 pm 
A quality front suspension is mandatory, as well as common equipment for most bikes. If you want to pony up the cash for a rear suspension be prepared to pay a lot more. However your rear-end will thank you every time you ride. The drawback to a rear suspension is that when climbing there is a small amount of power lost as the suspension flexes. An aluminum frame is also a nice feature as weight is cut down considerably. Name brand bikes usually put decent components on their products, so stick with them. GT, Cannondale, Trek, Gary Fisher, Haro, Diamondback, K2, and Specialized are all examples of brands which are decent and have some mid to low priced bikes avaliable. There are dozens of others out there so shop around. I would consider shoping for a used bike so you can get a higher-end bike than your price range would allow for a new one. A bike should last many a year with proper maintenance. Also keep in mind that you get what you pay for with bikes.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 12:44 am 
You can spend a lot of cash here. Go down to Greggs greenlake cycle in Bellevue. They have some VERY nice high end bikes. Learn what makes a 5000.00 bike FIRST, and understand all that goes into them. Then work your way down in price while you learn and understand quality parts that make up the groupo and you can then find your comprimise between price and quality! You need to learn where to cut costs and where not to! TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Mike Collins
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 1:07 pm 
Hey Tom, If you are just going to be staying on the abandoned logging roads then go with whatever is on sale at COSCO. You will save a few hundred dollars. With the money you save you can go out to eat at a really nice restaurant and impress your date with several appetizers and decent wine.

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lopper
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 1:22 pm 
You can waste a lot of $ on gimmickry. A lightweight bike with a low-tech derailleur setup will give you many years of service, and will let you avoid hundreds of hours of road-plodding. I have a Klein Pulse with no suspension (front or back) that has absorbed untold punishment and will grow old with me.

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Lazyboy
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 2:06 pm 
Mike Collins wrote:
go with whatever is on sale at COSCO.
I disagree completly. It's false economy. I've riden with many friends who went the cheap route, thinking they would be just fine on a 200 dollar bike. After many breakdowns they got with the program and bought good equipment. Maybe one should also buy 19 dollar boots at Big 5? Heck you can save money and do other stuff?

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Benjamin
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 3:14 pm 
If you think walking the road out of Bessemer sucks then consider what it would be like to carry a HEAVY Costco mtn bike as well. Sounds like a blast! I would prefer to pay a bit more and RIDE my bike to the car!

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salish
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 3:16 pm 
Tom, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that, dependiing on what you want to do, you might consider looking at the cheapest POS (piece of xxxx) you can find, for the purposes you have described. I own two bikes; a high end mountain bike and a cross bike for commuting (I commute year round in all weather). If, for instance, you are talking about getting yourself down gated roads such as the road to Monte Cristo, I would suggest a POS. If you plan to not encounter any serious terrain I wouldn't really worry about shocks, but then that's just my humble opinion. I am selling my mountain bike to a coworker and buying a buddie's kids bike, which is a cheapo. The cheapos I've ridden in situations like gaining access to old gaited roads and the like worked just fine. Besides, if you spend $40 on a POS you won't mind all that much of you muck it up or if it gets stolen. If you want a cheapo (but not a POS) don't go to COSTCO - go to Recycled Cycles on Boat Street and find a perfectly serviceable, reconditioned mountain bike for under a hundred. And don't forget to weigh it on your new scale smile.gif Cliff

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
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Mike Collins
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 3:46 pm 
Tom A POS sounds like the best idea yet. It may even be on next year's "interesting items found" list.

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Tom
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Tom
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 5:24 pm 
Actually, this will probably be one of the cases where I buy something from Return Equipment Inc. They had some $500 front suspension bikes on sale for around $300 early last summer, but I never sprung for one. I've seen the bikes at Costco but wasn't really tempted - didn't want to take a chance on a "PPOS" (Potential POS) brand lol.gif. Theft is a big concern in my mind which is another reason I don't want to shell out the dough. BTW, Salish. Thanks for the tip on Recycled Cycles. I may give that a shot.

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Two Tired
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 5:28 pm 
I agree with the POS concept, for the use that you mention, Tom. I've had the best bikes during my racing phase, and I've had the worst campus cruisers that barely held together. Unless you plan to ride a lot, it doesn't make a lot of difference. I second the motion on a name brand bike (used to save $$) because the components can be adjusted properly, and stay that way. I used to work at Monkey Wards and those crummy department store bikes are worthless even brand new. Much rather have a trashed out name brand bike (and Costco does sell some name brand bikes, so I've heard). If you get serious about bike riding, you will change your mind about what is the best bike for you. Would you buy the same hiking boots/stove/tent you first got? Same for bikes. Hey, the American Way says it's more fun to buy good gear than use it. I love seeing guys like the climbing kitty doing hellaciously long trips on trashed out snowshoes that barely hold together. Now that's using gear!

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polarbear
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PostTue Feb 19, 2002 9:39 pm 
Monkey Wards? Are they still around? That's the place my sis got her 3 speedster from many moon.gif 's ago. I think it's still rusting beneath her deck as I type. Hopefully department store bikes have improved a bit since then. Not? I've thought about getting a mountain bike, but there's too many good places I haven't been yet that don't require it. Having someone lift your bike so *they* could get a ride back down the road would be the truest insult lol.gif ...even if you got back to your car and found the bike parked there.

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Beave
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PostFri Feb 22, 2002 12:34 am 
eek.gif Tom, I'd advise going to a REAL bike store and getting a REAL bike.... Look in the phone book... Plenty of places to shop around.... Advantages of going to a real store are that you often get free maintenance with your purchase, and the most important thing is you will be fitted to a model/size that will be comfortable to ride and suited to your needs... This becomes more and more important the more time you spend in the saddle.... With a department store bike, you get what you get and I can 99.9% guarantee that you won't be happy and the fit will not be correct.... Would you buy hiking boots that were too big or too small?! REI has some nice ones i.e. Marin, K2, Kona etc... For a front suspension, I'd spend between $500-$1000 for something you'll enjoy riding and won't have to worry about... For a full suspension (what I would recommend) $1000-$2000 will get you on a plush, comfortable ride..... Department store bikes are a joke.... You'll spend more money upgrading and fixing parts than you would if you bought a real bike... Trust me, go to a true bike store... If you wanted a dependable car, would you buy a POS?! Plus, the stakes are higher when you are 30 miles in somewhere and your bike breaks down... If you have any questions about parts, manufacturers, accesories or retailers, let me know.... Mtn biking just happens to be my 2nd favorite method of travel, hiking being the first... I'm trying to put together some hike/bike combos for this Spring and Summer.... "Seattle Outdoors" by Bob Dreisbach has more than a few..... Check out my ride! Craig cool.gif
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