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> you don't need to spend 5K+ to do so links to two five-thousand-dollar bikes

jmspring 12y ago
You don't need to, that said, there are a lot of riders that have more bike than they have the skills for. Sometimes I feel like I am in that category. I just spent a weekend in Whistler at a mountain bike camp where a young lady on a maybe $1400 hard tail bike was rolling the same stuff I was on the rented $5k bike. She grew up riding Vancouver's north shore. My advice for those looking to buy a bike that aren't already gear heads is: 1) Pick your budget 2) Test ride a bunch of bikes in that budget range 3) Pay attention to how the shop you test ride at is treating you -- you want a shop you are comfortable with Fit of bike and how it feels to you is probably most important. If the bike you like is at a shop you aren't fond of, you can always use another shop for service.
mmariani 12y ago
Pick your time. Usually bike shops have their sales in the fall when you can get a previous year model at a good discount. Avoid carbon fiber frames and pro level gruppos. Go for an alumninum frame and a Deore gruppo as it's gonna save you a load of cash and give you a good bike to get started. Save some cash to buy a new saddle. Usually the saddles that come with lower cost bikes are incredibly uncomfortable. Money spent on a good saddle is money well spent. Most importantly, enjoy your bike as much as you can!
jedrek 12y ago
The thing about these bikes is that they're bikes you can take out to a DH race and win on. They are the F1s of cycling. I think the most expensive DH bikes top out at $10-15k. It always bugs me when amateurs look at professional equipments (literally: equipment you use in your profession which you should be making money on) and go, "hmpf, that's too much!" Same thing with tons of software - if you're not making money with it, there's rarely reason to buy it. And if you are, then it shouldn't be a major expense in the context of your profession.

You don't need to, that said, there are a lot of riders that have more bike than they have the skills for. Sometimes I feel like I am in that category. I just spent a weekend in Whistler at a mountain bike camp where a young lady on a maybe $1400 hard tail bike was rolling the same stuff I was on the rented $5k bike. She grew up riding Vancouver's north shore. My advice for those looking to buy a bike that aren't already gear heads is: 1) Pick your budget 2) Test ride a bunch of bikes in that budget range 3) Pay attention to how the shop you test ride at is treating you -- you want a shop you are comfortable with Fit of bike and how it feels to you is probably most important. If the bike you like is at a shop you aren't fond of, you can always use another shop for service.

mmariani 12y ago

Pick your time. Usually bike shops have their sales in the fall when you can get a previous year model at a good discount. Avoid carbon fiber frames and pro level gruppos. Go for an alumninum frame and a Deore gruppo as it's gonna save you a load of cash and give you a good bike to get started. Save some cash to buy a new saddle. Usually the saddles that come with lower cost bikes are incredibly uncomfortable. Money spent on a good saddle is money well spent. Most importantly, enjoy your bike as much as you can!

jedrek 12y ago

The thing about these bikes is that they're bikes you can take out to a DH race and win on. They are the F1s of cycling. I think the most expensive DH bikes top out at $10-15k. It always bugs me when amateurs look at professional equipments (literally: equipment you use in your profession which you should be making money on) and go, "hmpf, that's too much!" Same thing with tons of software - if you're not making money with it, there's rarely reason to buy it. And if you are, then it shouldn't be a major expense in the context of your profession.