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.
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.