Help, buying my first mt. bike

BlackBear

Everyone,

I am getting serious about mountain biking, I've had bikes but my last one got all rusted up and had to get rid of it. Now, I'm thinking of getting a "real" mountain bike. I am a bit tight budget-wise however. I need advice though since I haven't had much experience buying a mt. bike. I found a Mongoose Pathfinder at the sports authority for 185 down from the claimed retail of 500. I thought that sounded like a good deal and the bike feels decent. But my brother is a bit more serious than me and he bought a Gary Fisher bike and suggested that I look into some of the higher end ones because of quality. So I went into the bike shop and found some reasonable bikes like the Trek 3700 and the 3900. Also I looked at the Fisher Tarpon and Wahoo. The Wahoo is a bit more than I'd like to spend really. 300 is my limit for now. Well the point of this thread is I want to figure out do I go for the typically cheaper Mongoose that is loaded w/features like 24 speed full suspension and aluminium frame and seems reasonable. Or is it a better idea to go for a bike like the fisher or trek because of quality issues? Is rear suspension even necessary, (i've heard it makes it bouncy)? I cant make up my mind.. can somebody shift the tide to one or the other? P.S. I'm looking for a frame within 18 range and I weigh 150 at height of 5'9, with intentions to ride the new bike in Florida temporiarily then the rest in Oregon and New York since I'm moving.

VeganRider

Get the Wahoo, I got one and they are a blast and good bang for the buck and light. Looked at a Rockhopper and I didnt have to weigh it, just lifting each bike there was a big difference. Got mine foe $326, this year's model, maybe you could find an earilier year for less?

whackyscientist

spend the money on some lessons to beat up your brother and ride his bike.

if he tries to get the bike back, knock him out again.

don't go for an expensive bike if you are not going to look after it. If your previous bike rusted, it sounds like you are not interesting in maintaining the bike or that getting back into mountain biking is just a fad and you will forget about mtbs and leave the bike somewhere to rust. I hope i am incorrect about this being a fad.