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103 Posts
OK, so I know Im not too big for biking...but am I too big for mountain biking long term on a lower-end bike? Here's my story:
I havent biked in a few years, but since I am moving closer to campus I am thinking about getting a bike for commuting. But if Im going to be buying a bike, I want to get a mtb that I can take out on the weekends as well. However, the bike will be 90% commuting, 10% XC. That decided, I have started looking at bikes. What I have come across though is that recreational components (Acera, Deore, Alivio) tend to bind under high stress compared to higher end stuff like LX. Also, the forks on the few bikes I have ridden (Manitou Six and Axel Elite) have been way too soft and fully compressed when I stood up and pumped. Ive been told I need double walled wheels no matter what riding Im doing because of my weight.
Im on a budget though. I started off looking at Gary Fisher Advance, Trek 4300, Specialized Hardrock, etc. but saw that the forks and components would most deffinately perish under my weight. So I started thinking about budgeting more and have looked at Gary Fisher Marlin and Specialized Rockhopper and Rockhopper Comp. The Rockhopper Comp is out of my price range, but the guy at the store wanted me to ride it. He also wanted me to ride a Tassahara, but I had to go to work.
The guy at the shop said that springs could be added to most shocks for abour $30 to compensate for my weight. Is this a smart solution or will the wear on the fork (and the squishiness of the ride) be any less? The Marlin and the Rockhopper both have slightly better components (Mostly Deore, some Alivio) but how do I test a bike and make a decision without having the fork adjusted for my weight? Am I just too big for this?
Sorry about the incompleteness and rambling, its late and my head is swimming a bit from thinking about deraileurs and cranks and cassettes
Thanks in advance for any help, and I will deffinately be back to post more questions or to clarify some possibly incoherent statements made in this post
I havent biked in a few years, but since I am moving closer to campus I am thinking about getting a bike for commuting. But if Im going to be buying a bike, I want to get a mtb that I can take out on the weekends as well. However, the bike will be 90% commuting, 10% XC. That decided, I have started looking at bikes. What I have come across though is that recreational components (Acera, Deore, Alivio) tend to bind under high stress compared to higher end stuff like LX. Also, the forks on the few bikes I have ridden (Manitou Six and Axel Elite) have been way too soft and fully compressed when I stood up and pumped. Ive been told I need double walled wheels no matter what riding Im doing because of my weight.
Im on a budget though. I started off looking at Gary Fisher Advance, Trek 4300, Specialized Hardrock, etc. but saw that the forks and components would most deffinately perish under my weight. So I started thinking about budgeting more and have looked at Gary Fisher Marlin and Specialized Rockhopper and Rockhopper Comp. The Rockhopper Comp is out of my price range, but the guy at the store wanted me to ride it. He also wanted me to ride a Tassahara, but I had to go to work.
The guy at the shop said that springs could be added to most shocks for abour $30 to compensate for my weight. Is this a smart solution or will the wear on the fork (and the squishiness of the ride) be any less? The Marlin and the Rockhopper both have slightly better components (Mostly Deore, some Alivio) but how do I test a bike and make a decision without having the fork adjusted for my weight? Am I just too big for this?
Sorry about the incompleteness and rambling, its late and my head is swimming a bit from thinking about deraileurs and cranks and cassettes
Thanks in advance for any help, and I will deffinately be back to post more questions or to clarify some possibly incoherent statements made in this post