Mountain Bike People!

[Sjorge450R]

Well me and friend have started to get a little into mountain biking. He already has a nice trek and he has always have good luck with it so i figured i would give them a try. I am looking at this model(http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain_hardtail/3_series/3900disc/).

Is this a good base to start with? I mean, I would probably only add handelbars, pedals and a new seat. Also. Are the disc brakes worth the money? I cant find a answer to that question.

this is the one I want.

[Sjorge450R]

sorry. This picture is smaller. (I removed the first picture...)

[300ex_#387]

The disc brakes are nice but you can really tell a difference if you get hydraulic brakes. Those seem to be cable.

[Sjorge450R]

Originally posted by 300ex_#387
The disc brakes are nice but you can really tell a difference if you get hydraulic brakes. Those seem to be cable.

yeah they are cable. Its $70 more to get the disc. I feel like its just more stuff to break, but i will get them if you guys convince me lol. Also, the 3900 without the discs doesnt come in that sweet Special edition white and blue.

[300ex_#387]

Originally posted by Sjorge450R
yeah they are cable. Its $70 more to get the disc. I feel like its just more stuff to break, but i will get them if you guys convince me lol. Also, the 3900 without the discs doesnt come in that sweet Special edition white and blue.

Well if you get the regular brakes then they will tend to squeek and make noises when your braking. There really isn't a way around that. Also if you get a colored wheel with the regular brakes it will just scuff the paint down to the aluminum. In my town we have a pacific cycle. They have a store with blemished bikes and if there is a scratch or sticker messed up they drop the price drastically. You could get a nice mongoose with hydraulic brakes and bigger forks for cheaper than that bike is. Maybe you should see if you can find something like that close to you.

[Sjorge450R]

yeah see, I am trying to get away from the bad quality of those cheaper bikes. Im not saying that mongoose cannot make a good bike, its just that I've been though a dozen cheaper bikes and i just want to come over to the nicer side of the bike world. Just riding my friends Trek made me want it.

[300ex_#387]

http://www.rscycle.com/Mongoose-Tyax-Elite-Mountain-Bike-Cross-Country?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=2265&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=36302d35312d323031302d37323136

This bike was in there store for $350 because it has a scratch on it. I know mongoose is known as a cheap walmart bike but they do make more top of the line bikes that don't go in the Walmart line up.

[dns1764]

the discs are fantastic. depending on the riding you plan on you might want to consider a full susension. 3 years ago i started mt. biking again and took my outdated Giant down the beast of the east. the thing only had front suspension and it took my for a ride. :eek: after i blew the rear tire on the first run i rented a kona dawg. it made a world of a difference having rear suspension. i was at least twice as fast going down. but then again it was a $2000 bike

[Sjorge450R]

Originally posted by dns1764
the discs are fantastic. depending on the riding you plan on you might want to consider a full susension. 3 years ago i started mt. biking again and took my outdated Giant down the beast of the east. the thing only had front suspension and it took my for a ride. :eek: after i blew the rear tire on the first run i rented a kona dawg. it made a world of a difference having rear suspension. i was at least twice as fast going down. but then again it was a $2000 bike


hahaha. Im going to go with the hardtail to start. I am pretty sure that I am going to stick with riding (I need to be outside and not racing for the past two years has killed me!)

But yeah, I am just looking to get started and I wouldnt mind selling this bike next year for a full suspension setup. I would go with that to start, but I will prob be doing more city riding than trails for now and I feel like you loose a lot of power to the ground with that rear shock.

[yellowzo3]

If your just doing street/ normal trails (not downhill) then you wont break the discs or have any trouble with that system.

Like 300ex said, Mongoose does make top of the line bikes and everyone seems to like them, so don't count them out if you find a deal on one.

One of the biggest suggestions from experienced riders is for beginners to start out on a hardtail. You learn more control and aren't relying on the rear suspension to compensate for mistakes you might make. (It's actually the same principle as a new quad rider using his stock suspension to its fullest and only then switching to long travel when they've learned to out ride the stock quad) When you switch to a full suspension later on you'll be able to use it to its fullest since you already have your technique down. Plus riding a full suspension for anything but downhill kills you... The shock compresses each time you pedal and you waste a lot of energy... full suspension bikes aren't made for the city or anything flat really.

If you do switch to a full suspension be prepared to spend just as much as you did on your quad. They aren't cheap AT ALL and parts are expensive too. You'll wonder how something so small costs so much. You can get used bikes for a decent price but a lot of them are in Canada or states like Colorado so shipping is a pain.

Some of the biggest things of all.. KEEP THE BIKE CLEAN AND TUNE IT UP OFTEN.

When I got my bike I was so surprised at how finely tuned they have to be to perform well. If you let the bike get too dirty or don't tune it up it'll be a nightmare and you won't ever ride it. Don't be afraid to take it to a bike shop if you have trouble with the derailers and stuff like that. For me, ripping apart the engine on my Z400 was easier than trying to adjust the derailers on my bike. I took it to a local bike shop and let them do it right.

[stevo3176]

Go for a full suspension bike. I had a hardtail for my first ten years of riding bc I was too poor at the time to got all out. Now that I have a bit more cash I upgraded to a cannondale rush. It has full suspension with fox float shocks. I could kick myself in the butt for not moving over sooner. The bike is so comfortable i could ride forever on it. On a hardtail after 20 miles my back was done. As for the disc brakes I have them and wish I could get rid of them since I don't do any downhill there really is no need for them. The really don't feel or work any better then regular brakes. The other problem that I have been having with them is they can stick a bit and ride the disc which can tire you out when you ride for along time. And for the the issue of the bobbing when you petal that is for old school full suspension bikes. Now with the shocks they can be adjusted and locked out so they don't bob at all.

[Smoker]

Disc is a lot better, IMO. Many people are very happy with mechanical disc over hydro, so don't worry about that. You can always upgrade to hydro later. The brand of brake you select means a world of difference with hydro, regarding bleeding (which can be a pain and some need it often) and alignment (which is usually easy to do). I agree, full suspension. I still like hardtails but you will enjoy a full suspension bike, if you spend enough for one that has a well designed set up, some bob around like crazy when you pedal. Shop like crazy and get educated. Shop for closeout bikes on the internet, they are the best deal. I found this (not my pic, but same bike) at roughly half off because it was an 2007 closeout, and the design has changed very little for 2010, most of the components are good and was voted bike of the year two years in a row. Plan on spending more than you want to and you'll be happier with what you get (since things we want usually cost more than we expect). Read reviews before you buy anything at MTBR.com Good Luck!

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh279/hsbikes/072.jpg

[Mxjunkie]

I'm thinking the same thing man, I've been rockin 20inchers for yeaaaars now, I think it's about time I get a suspension unit this summer sometime :blah:

[Sjorge450R]

well. I went to my bike shop today just for the hell of it and they had that SE 3900 Trek. It was marked down and abour $75 under retail so I scooped it up. I just need some better pedals and maybe handlebars but thats it. I was riding so hard i blew out the rear tube.

Before riding this bike, I never knew how fun mountain biking could be.

[yellowzo3]

Originally posted by Sjorge450R
well. I went to my bike shop today just for the hell of it and they had that SE 3900 Trek. It was marked down and abour $75 under retail so I scooped it up. I just need some better pedals and maybe handlebars but thats it. I was riding so hard i blew out the rear tube.

Before riding this bike, I never knew how fun mountain biking could be.

lol... if you ride with a backpack get yourself a couple of tubes, a c02 cartridge kit to inflate the tire, and tire levers to remove/install the tire... or else you'll be walking home :ermm:

[Sjorge450R]

Originally posted by yellowzo3
lol... if you ride with a backpack get yourself a couple of tubes, a c02 cartridge kit to inflate the tire, and tire levers to remove/install the tire... or else you'll be walking home :ermm:

Haha. As soon as i get some extra cash i am gonna get a seat bag and then stuff that CO2 air gun in there with a few cartriges and a tube. I dont need the tire spoon with these tires. Its weird. They arent hard to take off by hand because they are made out of light rubber. Once summer comes I will be upgrading to a better set because the stock ones are more street and less trail tires.


The disc brakes are great. I love them. Its a little hard to keep this bike clean, but so far so good.

What are some good sites to buy mountain bike parts from?

[yellowzo3]

Yeah they are a pain to keep clean and everything is so small.

Oh be sure to get a good chain lube and cleaner also!

As for where to buy parts... I use Jenson and have had no problems. :cool:

www.jensonusa.com