[ralph029]

I am new to mountain bikes. I have riden road bikes prior and hated doing it. Always felt very uncomfortable on a road bike. I am thinking about a steel frame bike for my first mountain bike. I believe that the steel would be much more forgiving to vibration. I remember the awful vibration of my old Trek 1500 on the road. I know that steel will be heavier but the trade off, I believe, will be worth it. I am considering the Jamis Ranger XR as an entery level with the plans to upgrade components rather quickly if not at the time of purchase. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[ralph029]

Oh yeah... The intent is to do moderate trail riding (for recreation) and occasional local trips around town for errands. You know, the whole freakin' gas price thing. So I think that it would better described as a "utility" bike. Thanks again

 

[velopax]

A steelframe for comfort is a good idea but not a Jamis Ranger, :madman:
if you are looking for bike with a good comfy and light steelframe you must
go for a Jamis Dragon Comp, Pro or Team for example

 

[ralph029]

Thank you. Going to the Dragon line goes way beyond what I want to spend. Let's say for argument sake we are looking at a $350 budget. What ideas are out there for a steel frame within this amount?

 

[velopax]

Bikes with steelframe at 350$ are heavy gauge Hi-Ten steel, these frames are not comfy,
so you can go to aluminium for lighter weight, maybe get some wider tires.

 

[mtnbiker72]

Look Used for $350

Thank you. Going to the Dragon line goes way beyond what I want to spend. Let's say for argument sake we are looking at a $350 budget. What ideas are out there for a steel frame within this amount?

Look for a used bike at this price range with a Steel Frame.

Some suggestions would be to look for used Rocky Mountain, Jamis, KHS, and Marin bikes that use or used steel frames. Specialized made steel Rockhoppers in the late 90's using Ritchey Nitanium steel frames. Also, FIsher made steel hardtails in the late 90's (Aquila and Hoo Koo E Koo) that were nice frames. If you think you could live without a suspension fork...here is the best new steel frame bike you can get for $350
Kona Smoke

But personally, I would look for a nice used one...just check closely for rust if you live in a wet area.

 

[trailville]

I remember the awful vibration of my old Trek 1500 on the road.

Be aware that the lower pressure fat tires on a mountain bike will absorb that vibration. That's assuming that you do intend to run lower pressure fat tires.

I would 2nd the recommendation to look for a good used bike. You can get a lot more bang for your buck. Unfortunately, if you are new to mountain biking, it's kind of hard to know a good used bike when you see one. I would suggest you look around to see what is available used in your area then check the reviews on mtbr to see what riders had to say about that make/model.

 

[StompinStu]

I understand your point, but just can't see the benefit of increased ride comfort, especially on a trail, by going to a heavier steel frame. Sure, you will have a "smoother" ride, but you'll be exhausted from pushing around all that extra weight. And be realistic, how much smoother will steel be when cruising down some singletrack strewn with roots, dips, ruts, rocks, etc?

 

[mtnbiker72]

Don't knock it unless you've tried it

I understand your point, but just can't see the benefit of increased ride comfort, especially on a trail, by going to a heavier steel frame. Sure, you will have a "smoother" ride, but you'll be exhausted from pushing around all that extra weight. And be realistic, how much smoother will steel be when cruising down some singletrack strewn with roots, dips, ruts, rocks, etc?

If you have to ask...then you haven't ever experienced the ride of a good steel frame

BTW-a good steel frame (Reynolds, True Temper, Tange) weighs about 1 to 1.5 lbs more than a comparable Aluminum frame...so its not a big difference. My True Temper KHS frame was 4.5lbs for a 19 inch...not a huge difference and very much worth the ride quality over Aluminum (and I've owned aluminum and carbon fiber hardtails and I'd still only ride steel these days)
:thumbsup:

 

[ralph029]

You guys are great! Thanks for the all the help so far. I like the idea of used and hopefully I will be able to notice any glaring mechanical problems ( I hope I hope I hope). I take it I should not be fiddling around with ebay since I really can't see what I'm getting? I have some questions about the Kona Smoke. The tires are only 1.5" Is the extra .5" found on most "mountain bikes" can to make that much of a difference? Forgive my naiveté with these questions. Will the Smoke be solid and stable enough for a good weekend workout on an intermediate trail? Again, I'm new to this so the best analogy I can think of is, I'm not going to be hitting any black diamonds any time soon. Also, any questions that I just don't know enough to ask at this point feel free to answer too. Thanks folks!

 

[ralph029]

Oh yeah, also along with buying something used comes the whole sizing question. After reading the 800,000 posts about that topic, it seems to me it's just a little important. hahaha.

 

[mtnbiker72]

Change the tires for off-road

I have some questions about the Kona Smoke. The tires are only 1.5" Is the extra .5" found on most "mountain bikes" can to make that much of a difference? Forgive my naiveté with these questions. Will the Smoke be solid and stable enough for a good weekend workout on an intermediate trail? Again, I'm new to this so the best analogy I can think of is, I'm not going to be hitting any black diamonds any time soon. Also, any questions that I just don't know enough to ask at this point feel free to answer too. Thanks folks!

The Smoke offers a decent double butted CROMOLY steel frame...way better than HiTensile but not as nice as the name brand steel. The bikes intent is a commuter.

However...with the removal of the fenders and 1.5 street tires, and the addition of the some decent 2.1" (might even go 2.3" in the front for extra cush) tires, it would be a nice riding mountain bike. It has good geometry for off-road riding. Besides...at $350 the suspension forks that come on bikes are frankly PISS POOR so having a quality rigid fork (the Kona P2 is a great rigid fork) is a good trade-off.

:thumbsup: