basic mountain bikes

08-25-2004, 12:34 PM

Hello,

I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?

Thanks.

08-25-2004, 06:49 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote in message news:<7b060655.0408251234.182fa9a6@posting.google. com>...
> Hello,
>
> I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
> town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
> with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
> There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
> catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
> Thanks.

There are very few rigid fork mountain bikes on the market these days.
You found one of the few. Your idea of avoiding the front suspension
is wise. Inexpensive suspension forks are mushy, heavy, and are not
needed for city riding. But if your goal is around town riding, you
probably should be looking at comfort/hybrid/city bikes. They give you
the more upright position, and low gears of a mountain bike but with
narrower, less knobby tires that have less rolling resistance. A trek
7100, specialized crossroads or similar bike might be a candidate. If
these "comfort" models may have a too upright position for your tastes
you could get the bike shop to swap out a stem with less rise. Having
owned both mountain and hybrids, I can't imagine why anyone would want
to slog around on knobby, low pressure tires when riding on pavement.
Finally, if you are set on a mountain bike want a real steal, you can
look around for one from 4-5 years back or so when more low end bikes
still had rigid forks.

08-25-2004, 06:49 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote in message news:<7b060655.0408251234.182fa9a6@posting.google. com>...
> Hello,
>
> I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
> town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
> with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
> There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
> catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
> Thanks.

There are very few rigid fork mountain bikes on the market these days.
You found one of the few. Your idea of avoiding the front suspension
is wise. Inexpensive suspension forks are mushy, heavy, and are not
needed for city riding. But if your goal is around town riding, you
probably should be looking at comfort/hybrid/city bikes. They give you
the more upright position, and low gears of a mountain bike but with
narrower, less knobby tires that have less rolling resistance. A trek
7100, specialized crossroads or similar bike might be a candidate. If
these "comfort" models may have a too upright position for your tastes
you could get the bike shop to swap out a stem with less rise. Having
owned both mountain and hybrids, I can't imagine why anyone would want
to slog around on knobby, low pressure tires when riding on pavement.
Finally, if you are set on a mountain bike want a real steal, you can
look around for one from 4-5 years back or so when more low end bikes
still had rigid forks.

08-25-2004, 06:49 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote in message news:<7b060655.0408251234.182fa9a6@posting.google. com>...
> Hello,
>
> I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
> town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
> with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
> There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
> catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
> Thanks.

There are very few rigid fork mountain bikes on the market these days.
You found one of the few. Your idea of avoiding the front suspension
is wise. Inexpensive suspension forks are mushy, heavy, and are not
needed for city riding. But if your goal is around town riding, you
probably should be looking at comfort/hybrid/city bikes. They give you
the more upright position, and low gears of a mountain bike but with
narrower, less knobby tires that have less rolling resistance. A trek
7100, specialized crossroads or similar bike might be a candidate. If
these "comfort" models may have a too upright position for your tastes
you could get the bike shop to swap out a stem with less rise. Having
owned both mountain and hybrids, I can't imagine why anyone would want
to slog around on knobby, low pressure tires when riding on pavement.
Finally, if you are set on a mountain bike want a real steal, you can
look around for one from 4-5 years back or so when more low end bikes
still had rigid forks.

08-25-2004, 06:49 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote in message news:<7b060655.0408251234.182fa9a6@posting.google. com>...
> Hello,
>
> I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
> town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
> with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
> There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
> catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
> Thanks.

There are very few rigid fork mountain bikes on the market these days.
You found one of the few. Your idea of avoiding the front suspension
is wise. Inexpensive suspension forks are mushy, heavy, and are not
needed for city riding. But if your goal is around town riding, you
probably should be looking at comfort/hybrid/city bikes. They give you
the more upright position, and low gears of a mountain bike but with
narrower, less knobby tires that have less rolling resistance. A trek
7100, specialized crossroads or similar bike might be a candidate. If
these "comfort" models may have a too upright position for your tastes
you could get the bike shop to swap out a stem with less rise. Having
owned both mountain and hybrids, I can't imagine why anyone would want
to slog around on knobby, low pressure tires when riding on pavement.
Finally, if you are set on a mountain bike want a real steal, you can
look around for one from 4-5 years back or so when more low end bikes
still had rigid forks.

08-25-2004, 09:17 PM

On 25 Aug 2004 13:34:49 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
>town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
>with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
>There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
>catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
>Thanks.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

To start.... What I found last year when looking for what you
describe- a mountain bike for road use, no shocks- was that they are
now called 'urban' or 'asphalt' or something like that. I spent a lot
of time looking for an older used MTB with no shocks but couldn't find
anything. Ended up with a Marin Muirwoods, and it has worked well,
even off-road.

But used is your best bet. A month after buying the Muirwoods I found
a used Trek 950, nice price. It can take some time, but the search
can be worth it.

08-25-2004, 09:17 PM

On 25 Aug 2004 13:34:49 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
>town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
>with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
>There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
>catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
>Thanks.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

To start.... What I found last year when looking for what you
describe- a mountain bike for road use, no shocks- was that they are
now called 'urban' or 'asphalt' or something like that. I spent a lot
of time looking for an older used MTB with no shocks but couldn't find
anything. Ended up with a Marin Muirwoods, and it has worked well,
even off-road.

But used is your best bet. A month after buying the Muirwoods I found
a used Trek 950, nice price. It can take some time, but the search
can be worth it.

08-25-2004, 09:17 PM

On 25 Aug 2004 13:34:49 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
>town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
>with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
>There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
>catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
>Thanks.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

To start.... What I found last year when looking for what you
describe- a mountain bike for road use, no shocks- was that they are
now called 'urban' or 'asphalt' or something like that. I spent a lot
of time looking for an older used MTB with no shocks but couldn't find
anything. Ended up with a Marin Muirwoods, and it has worked well,
even off-road.

But used is your best bet. A month after buying the Muirwoods I found
a used Trek 950, nice price. It can take some time, but the search
can be worth it.

08-25-2004, 09:17 PM

On 25 Aug 2004 13:34:49 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Libuser) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am looking for a basic, inexpensive mountain bike to ride around
>town. I would rather not pay for the cost and trouble that come
>with suspensions. So far I only found the Trek 3500 (MSRP ~$250).
>There are no such things in the Gary Fisher and Specialized
>catalogs. Do you know similar bikes from other manufacturers?
>
>Thanks.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

To start.... What I found last year when looking for what you
describe- a mountain bike for road use, no shocks- was that they are
now called 'urban' or 'asphalt' or something like that. I spent a lot
of time looking for an older used MTB with no shocks but couldn't find
anything. Ended up with a Marin Muirwoods, and it has worked well,
even off-road.

But used is your best bet. A month after buying the Muirwoods I found
a used Trek 950, nice price. It can take some time, but the search
can be worth it.

08-26-2004, 04:47 AM

"WTD" wrote...
(snip)
> Your idea of avoiding the front suspension
> is wise. Inexpensive suspension forks are mushy, heavy, and are not
> needed for city riding.

"not needed" ... maybe ... but they sure make the ride a *lot* smoother. My
TREK 830 "mountain" bike (steel framed, no suspension) is down for repair
and I've been commuting on a cheap aluminium framed "department store"
Mongoose with front suspension and seatpost suspension. It's a *world* of
difference between the two. I've bought a suspension seatpost for the TREK
but it's still not ready to go back into service. Just because you ride in
the "city" does not mean the surface is nice. There is a stretch of road
that I ride that has been patched, dug up, patched again, dug up, patched
agan ... and so on .. most of this to the side of the road where bikes ride.

Richard in Boston, MA, USA