Guys I know that this is not an atv related topic, but I am interested in purchasing a mountain bike and was curious on which brand to purchase and why? Also what features should I look for. This isn't for racing, but for riding around my house and also at the races. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I was also looking at a Giant (Brand) Mountain Bike any info on them would be cool too.
Get one with full suspension, it will help soak up all the bumps at the track. I have a specialized Full suspension FSR and it rocks, but I think any of the name brand bikes all have good stuff. Get a cdale MB, that way it matches your quad, that would be cool.
Specialized FSR! Great bike, great company. If your not interested in suspension travel, go with one of the XC bikes. They are lighter to push around the pits than a freeride or downhill. 3-4 inches of suspension is fine for a non downhill mountain bike. You don't need XTR components, but look for a mix of XT and LX. They last longer than some of the others.
http://www.mtbr.com is a good site with lots of user reviews on different bikes.
Good suggestions Will. I already started reading those forums.
Paul - Good to see you again. I may not be looking at a cannondale simply due to the Pegasus thing. I am going to a shop tonight that deals in Cannondale and Trek so my attitude may change.
There is a Cdale bike dealer about a block from our house. I wouldn't know the diffrence between those and the ones at Toy-R-Us. I need a 440 engine to haul my rear around.
But Trek is American made too. So it can't be all bad.
Trek owns alot of different companies (Gary Fisher, Klein, etc). You usually don't get into an American made frame until the $1000 and up. Some also clame to be American made, but they are not, just painted in the US. Some loop hole. I have a Gary Fisher Mt Tam hard tail with hydrolic disc brakes. Love the disk, no adjusting! You can also put a rock shox suspension seat post for about $60 on a hardtail! My wife also rides a Gary Fisher.
I have a Santa Cruz Heckler it's a great bike for aggressive XC and Light Freeride. It runs 6" travel up front and 5" in the rear, pedals up hill like a billygoat and drops bombs on the way down. Santa cruz bikes are customized and a bit $$$ but worth it. My bike weighs in at 27lbs with 6"travel not to shabby! High end I would go with santa cruz, ellsworth, or banshee depending on your riding style. If you ride your bike like a quad and do drops and hit the aggressive lines go with a bike with some travel that can climb