Would like to purchase myself a good mountain bike.  I see wally world carries Huffy, Schwinn, and Mongoose.  Are any of these very good.

No.  They are not.  Get a Gary Fisher, Specialized, or Giant.

Another vote for Specialized.

I would avoid any bicycle from large retail stores, your much better of buying online or finding a bike shop.

Specialized?  Gary Fisher?  You are comparing a 3200 bike to a 300 bike!  

Quoted: Specialized?  Gary Fisher?  You are comparing a 3200 bike to a 300 bike!

He asked about a good mt. bike. $300 is not going to get you a good bike.

Now if the question had been "which bike is the best value for under $500" that would have been easier to answer.

Quoted: Quoted: Specialized?  Gary Fisher?  You are comparing a 3200 bike to a 300 bike!   He asked about a good mt. bike. $300 is not going to get you a good bike. Now if the question had been "which bike is the best value for under $500" that would have been easier to answer.

What are the significant differences that you see bewteen a "real" bike and a Mongoose?  Is is bearings, availiable parts, general construction, or what?  

Try trek.com. I love mine. I have had it for five years and I just up-date.

Poster: "I was thinking about buying a good garden hose, are the ones from Wally World decent?"

Arfcom: "No, get a Ultracore Viper hose reel system, rated at 250,000psi. It's made from ballistic kevlar, you can lift an M1 Abrams with it, and it's only available at 2 dealers in the US. The current wait for this hose is 2.3 years and you must pre-order it in 1,500 ft. lengths. It costs $1150 per ft. By the way, what are you going to be doing with it?"

Poster: "Watering geraniums."

Arfcom: "Well, you get what you pay for. Don't come to us if your Wally World hose can't lift a tank."

Poster: "Think anyone will have a group buy on the Ultracore? Funds are a little tight right now."

Arfcom: "Cheapskate."

There are some terminology differences when you talk to bike people. A "good" bike should be able to be ridden for thousands of miles per year with no major issues other than routine maintenance, and have all its components actually work when you get it from the store. The crap you get at Wally World will fail on both counts.

If you're looking for a good bike and are willing to spend only under $500, take a look at used bikes. They depreciate fast after purchase, and because they're a) good bikes and b) most owners only use them to a fraction of their potential they still have a lot of use left in them.

If you really do want to ride offroad, you can get one with a front suspension fork. I think the rear suspension bikes are marketing BS that just make bikes needlessly complex, but I'm a reactionary, so others may have different (but wrong) opinions on the matter.

if you want to ride five blocks to the ice cream store once a month almost anything will work. But I'd still get a "good" used bike.

Quoted: Poster: "I was thinking about buying a good garden hose, are the ones from Wally World decent?" Arfcom: "No, get a Ultracore Viper hose reel system, rated at 250,000psi. It's made from ballistic kevlar, you can lift an M1 Abrams with it, and it's only available at 2 dealers in the US. The current wait for this hose is 2.3 years and you must pre-order it in 1,500 ft. lengths. It costs $1150 per ft. By the way, what are you going to be doing with it?" Poster: "Watering geraniums." Arfcom: "Well, you get what you pay for. Don't come to us if your Wally World hose can't lift a tank." Poster: "Think anyone will have a group buy on the Ultracore? Funds are a little tight right now." Arfcom: "Cheapskate."

Quoted: If you really do want to ride offroad, you can get one with a front suspension fork. I think the rear suspension bikes are marketing BS that just make bikes needlessly complex, but I'm a reactionary luddite, so others may have different (but wrong) opinions on the matter.

I agree with the rest.

Go to a good bike shop and see if they have any end of model year left overs

you can usually get 20%+ off and get a ton more bike for your money

Most anything a dedicated bike shop will carry will be decent

It will last more than a year will not need constant adjustments

will not have a ton of plastic crap that will break

and will actually shift correctly and stay in gear

bargain basement TREKs and Gary Fischers can be found for $300-400

and will serve you much better than a $200 wallymart bike

plus most bikes shops will stand behind their bikes  plus they will tune up a better bike

alot of shops won't touch a wally mart ike if you have a problem

I like my Giant, but I should have sprang for a lighter model. For streets, it wouldn't matter so much, but if you plan on hitting any decent trails, weight matters.

I own a Trek, and it's a good bike.  Cost was was near 500.00

John

Trek Fuel 70, I've abused the crap out of it, runs like a champ.

I've led UCPD on many chases across campus on a Trek 4500. She may be a hardtail, but the cops just could not keep up when I was running down hills and stairs.

ETA: Purchase price in 2000? <$400

Specialized, Trek and Cannondale make good quality mountain bikes.

Quoted: Poster: "I was thinking about buying a good garden hose, are the ones from Wally World decent?" Arfcom: "No, get a Ultracore Viper hose reel system, rated at 250,000psi. It's made from ballistic kevlar, you can lift an M1 Abrams with it, and it's only available at 2 dealers in the US. The current wait for this hose is 2.3 years and you must pre-order it in 1,500 ft. lengths. It costs $1150 per ft. By the way, what are you going to be doing with it?" Poster: "Watering geraniums." Arfcom: "Well, you get what you pay for. Don't come to us if your Wally World hose can't lift a tank." Poster: "Think anyone will have a group buy on the Ultracore? Funds are a little tight right now." Arfcom: "Cheapskate."

See, I posed about something similar in the Forum Pet Peeves thread in Team. You hit the nail right on the head.

Quoted: Quoted: Poster: "I was thinking about buying a good garden hose, are the ones from Wally World decent?" Arfcom: "No, get a Ultracore Viper hose reel system, rated at 250,000psi. It's made from ballistic kevlar, you can lift an M1 Abrams with it, and it's only available at 2 dealers in the US. The current wait for this hose is 2.3 years and you must pre-order it in 1,500 ft. lengths. It costs $1150 per ft. By the way, what are you going to be doing with it?" Poster: "Watering geraniums." Arfcom: "Well, you get what you pay for. Don't come to us if your Wally World hose can't lift a tank." Poster: "Think anyone will have a group buy on the Ultracore? Funds are a little tight right now." Arfcom: "Cheapskate."

 +1


on that note, I've got a Cannondale Prophet and am quite happy!

What say ye about the Iron Horse Yakuza Aniki?

I was pretty set on a Kona Stinky for a while, but 1600 is a little steep for me right now.  I've heard mixed opinions about Iron Horse.. but I can get a much better deal on one (damn near 1000 bucks cheaper).

Quoted: Another vote for Specialized.

+1, RockHopper Comp Disc here.. Love it.

Quoted: Go to a good bike shop and see if they have any end of model year left overs you can usually get 20%+ off and get a ton more bike for your money Most anything a dedicated bike shop will carry will be decent It will last more than a year will not need constant adjustments will not have a ton of plastic crap that will break and will actually shift correctly and stay in gear bargain basement TREKs and Gary Fischers can be found for $300-400 and will serve you much better than a $200 wallymart bike plus most bikes shops will stand behind their bikes  plus they will tune up a better bike alot of shops won't touch a wally mart ike if you have a problem

Big +1 here, I got my bike for 60% off retail and it was a last year's model.

Specialized Rockhopper....great bike...under $600.

For pure bang for the buck, go with a Jamis bike.

Better components and construction for the cost.

A Cannondale will be nice but you will not get the same quality bike for the same price as a Jamis.

But Trek and Specialized do make decent bikes as well.

Cannondale

Voted MBOTY (Moutain Bike of the Year)

Santa Cruz Heckler

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Specialized?  Gary Fisher?  You are comparing a 3200 bike to a 300 bike!   He asked about a good mt. bike. $300 is not going to get you a good bike. Now if the question had been "which bike is the best value for under $500" that would have been easier to answer. What are the significant differences that you see bewteen a "real" bike and a Mongoose?  Is is bearings, availiable parts, general construction, or what?

the inexpensive MOngoose will have a really soft suspension, very weak wheels and ineffective brakes.

On the other hand Mongoose makes a good High end downhill mountainbike for around 3K..

When I was buying recently I looked at several different brands.  What I noticed was that brands like Cannondale, Specialized, and Trek seemed to be over priced (paying for a name), IMOP.  Comprable setups made by Giant and Kona seemed to be better priced (at least in my area)  Ended up going with the Giant Trance...

Some advice, go to a good bike shop, look a several different models see what fits you the best and is in your budget, maybe see if they have a demo model they can loan you for a day.  Also bikes are like cars...  Every year they come out with new models, so bike shops want to push the old models out the door and will normally cut you a good deal...  I got and 05 model for 75% of the pirce of an 06.

Another nicey, but not nessacary are disc brakes.  If you plan on doing any riding where its wet and/or muddy disc brakes are well worth the little bit extra cost (becuase you can actually stop).

If I was buying a bike now for around $500, I'd look for a Giant Iguana.  Front suspension, disc brakes, reasonably light.  But since I just bought a $1600 bike 2 months ago, I wont be looking for another for a while.

i gots me a santa cruz bullit with the 5th element and a monster t

that might be overkill for you though......

try trek.  every bike shop carries em and the make a good product for the price, no matter what you get

Get a Banshee.

Last month I was shopping for an entry level mountain bike.  Looking for a hardtail because of expense. You can make yourself dizzy comparing frame geometry and equipment.  It is best to see the local bike shop to get advice and fitting.  I was partial to the Raliegh but it was uanavailible because of the end of year model change. If you know your sizing and can do your own fitting, I thought that this was a good choice:

cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALUMINUM-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-DISC-BRAKES-SHIMANO_W0QQitemZ140019181788QQihZ004QQcategoryZ98083QQcmdZViewItem

I love GT mountain bikes. Super tough, light and just kicks the shit outta trails. Very good quality bike.

GT

When you buy a brand name bike keep in mind all you are buying is the frame.  The rest of the components will be made by 2nd teir suppliers such as Shimano, SRAM, Avid, etc..  The frame determines the ergonomics of the bike the 2nd teir supplier components determine how well it goes and stops.  Any bike you buy at your local bike shop will have good components made by a supplier that does nothing but make bike components.  A department store bike will have all the pieces made in China by the lowest bidder.  

My wife rides casually.  She has a 14 year old Trek 820 (low end bike).  With a minimum of maintenance it runs as good as the day she bought it.

I have a 10 year old Trek 8000 (medium high end bike at the time).  With a lot more mainentance (I ride hard) it runs as good as the day I bought it.

I also have a 1988 GT Karakoram (medium high end bike at the time).  With a whole bunch of maintenance (I abused the hell out of it) it rides about as well as the day I bought it.

I can't say any of my Huffys I had as a kid survived more then a couple years before they got difficult/impossible to make run.  There are no replacement parts for huffys.

My opinion on disk brakes:  They aren't really required unless your are doing some serious mud riding or downhilling.  As long as you have aluminum rims (not steel) you will get braking in the wet stuff.  Disks weight twice as much as V brakes and the stopping power is the same.

My opinion on suspension:  If you are up for the maintenance, a good front suspension is nice.  You won't get good front suspension for under $500 with other decent components on the bike.  But then again I don't even think the front fork on My '98 Trek 8000 is good enough.

You won't get good front and rear suspension for under $1000 with other decent components on the bike.  Rear suspension is nice but it can convert pedalling energy into bouncing up and down if it's not a good design.

If it's any indication many top level cross country racers are running w/o any suspension and most of the ones that do run suspension run front suspension only.  If you are thinking of downhilling or freeriding then the suspension is the key and you won't get into a good bike for under $2k.

Decide what do you want to do with the bike.  Then go to your local bike shop and pick the most bike you can get with your budget.

Me riding the Ore to Shore race last week:



Kent

Ellsworth Epiphany
Ride it once and you will be hooked.
link

I have had a Trek, a Gary Fisher and currently have a Cannondale.  The first 2 were stolen by punks!

Just remember, you get what you pay for.  If you are just going to ride around town, any bike will probably do, but if you plan on using it for strenuous excercise and/or off-road mt. biking, then you should get something that will not break right away.  Plus, the more expensive ones are lighter-weight, too.

Quoted: Ellsworth Epiphany Ride it once and you will be hooked. link

My LBS carries the Elsworth line.  I usually end up fondling one before my wife hauls me out of there.

Too many expensive hobbies I wish I could just focus.   Nah... I'm having too much fun with all of them to waste time focusing.

300 dolla bike = breakage

I made the mistake of buying a bike from Wallyworld. It was around $200.00 (expensive for that store) and it is a POS.

I then sucked it up and bought a Specialized "Hard Rock".

NO COMPARISON! Not even close...

It was a pricey lesson, but well worth it.

Go Specialized...

Quoted: Would like to purchase myself a good mountain bike.  I see wally world carries Huffy, Schwinn, and Mongoose.  Are any of these very good.

Yes, those are perfectly good bikes for your specific needs and price range.  

+1 for the Specialized.

Had a Hard Rock about five years ago. It was the entry level bike and only sold for about $350.00.  It was a fantastic bike and my five year old could lift it with no problem. Some asshole stole it last year:(

I got my GT for $200.00, normally $850.00 but this guy worked for GT and he hooked me up with some upgrades too. Awesome mountain bike, I've put a lot of miles on it including 20 miles yesterday.

I hate the monkey motion of rear suspended bikes.  I LOVE the front suspension forks.  You can get a VERY decent bike for $500-$600.  Look at Giant, Specialized, Trek and Gary Fisher.

Depends on how much riding you will do. If you don't do too much, WM bikes will do. If not, I have always liked Trek bikes.

quality comes with price and price comes with quality. I sold bikes for over 3 years and you hear it all. Unless you just want to ride to the park and back, you will need to spend some money.

I like my Kona.

Quoted: I like my Kona.

Me too.

Kona

www.konaworld.com/

Quoted: I hate the monkey motion of rear suspended bikes.

Get a decent stable platform full suspension bike and you don't get 'monkey motion' unless monkey motion is what you get when you're spanking said monkey.

There are different solutions to the problem. Some rear suspension designs are less influenced by pedaling motion than others. The better shocks on the market have an inertial valve that stays closed, effectively locking out the shock, during low speed forces but open on of faster impacts to allow the shock to move.

Bikes with rear suspensions that remain active during braking are a lot easier to control on rough downhills because the rear end doesn't bounce and the braking tire remains in contact with the ground. Same with climbing - a hardtail will spin the rear tire easier on rough terrain climbs than a 2xsquishy. It becomes less of an issue as skill level increases. I would not recommend getting an FS bike unless you're willing to spend $800-1000 or more.

Bottom line though, how useful full suspension is really depends on where you ride.

Note that the 2nd rider in this pick appears to be on a hardtail.

Quoted: Would like to purchase myself a good mountain bike.  I see wally world carries Huffy, Schwinn, and Mongoose.  Are any of these very good.

No dude, and it also depends on what kind of riding you want to do, look at Treks website they have everything from beginner stuff to serious cross coutry bikes to downhill.........