economy mountain bike recommendation

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huffmuds9320

huffmuds9320

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I think its time to retire my 2000 Diamondback Outlook. That was a great bike but needs quite some work mostly on the gears so not really worth fixing now. Probably from all that wear and tear on off road riding. I ride a combination of street and off road trails (light to rocky). Looking for a new bike under $200, any suggestion? I would like quick release seat, front/rear wheel though. Don't need anything too fancy since I sometimes lock it outside when I go somewhere. Thanks.
 
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An older Specialized HardRock sport. I bought mine new back in 2004 for $335, so you should definitely be able to find an used one that'll fit your budget.
 
My wife has a GT MB she got from ****'s for a bit more than $200.

Look at getting an older Raleigh M40 or M50, then upgrading parts as needed to better stuff. The c. 2001 M40 frame was quite good, and the bike went for about $300 back then, so a used one now would be a steal.

I know you want new, but its a tough buy at your price point... You would be smart to stop by a few local bike shops and see what 2007 bikes they are closing out. They might have something decent in the low-end range or something refurbished that they could let out for that price...

JMH
 
GT, Diamondback, Raleigh, Mongoose, and Schwinn are all Pacific bikes...AKA department store...go to any bike shop and they'll tell ya the same...if you can stretch to $300 you can look at Giant's and Trek's or even Gary Fisher's which are owned by Trek.
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
GT, Diamondback, Raleigh, Mongoose, and Schwinn are all Pacific bikes...AKA department store...go to any bike shop and they'll tell ya the same...if you can stretch to $300 you can look at Giant's and Trek's or even Gary Fisher's which are owned by Trek.


From the website, Pacific includes
Schwinn
GT
Mongoose
Murray
Roadmaster.

Not Diamondback or Raleigh.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

My current Diamondback doesn't have front shocks and is heavy (steel) so thats why I was considering a new bike. When I got this bike back around 1999 or 2000 it was $179.99 at a sports store. I'm not planning to throw away this bike of course just wanted something a little better. Shouldn't cost too much for parts so that will be a mini rehab project. New shifters, gears and cables.

I did look around at some bike shops and they are $300 and up. My previous bike was Huffy ~$129 which didn't last more than 2 years. At a sports store (Sports Authority) I came across Columbia and Iron Horse. But I wouldn't mind refurbished, its the same as new. Looks like ~$300 range is more realistic.
 
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I learned the hard way that upgrading a bike is not the way to go. I bought a Cannondale years ago for 700 dollars and then two years later, replaced everything but the frame for a grand total of about two thousand dollars. I could have bought the bike new like that for 1500.

Check the internet for Nashbar, they bought a company called Supergo that sells closed out frames and parts for pennies on the dollar. A while back I bought a Manitou fork that was over 500 dollars the year before for 179 bucks. Are you handy? If you buy a kit can you assemble it yourself? Even this way, You still won't get quality for 200 dollars.
 
Originally Posted By: NYEngineer
I learned the hard way that upgrading a bike is not the way to go. I bought a Cannondale years ago for 700 dollars and then two years later, replaced everything but the frame for a grand total of about two thousand dollars. I could have bought the bike new like that for 1500......


I didn't say upgrade. I said FIX, although buying "generic" replacement components might result in a slight upgrade.
A $2-300 NEW bike is going to end up in as bad or worse shape as his current bike in less time. Especially if it has ANY suspension!

You don't need the QR stuff either. It just makes it easier for theives. How often do you adjust the seat? How much longer does it take to turn 2 nuts to remove a wheel. How many minutes/year is that?
After seeing a kid ride by with a "seatless" bicycle, I stopped by NAPA and picked up a 6MM bolt & nut and wrenched my seat on. That's 2 years ago and I haven't needed to adjust the seat in that time.
 
Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
I think its time to retire my 2000 Diamondback Outlook. That was a great bike but needs quite some work mostly on the gears so not really worth fixing now. Probably from all that wear and tear on off road riding. I ride a combination of street and off road trails (light to rocky). Looking for a new bike under $200, any suggestion? I would like quick release seat, front/rear wheel though. Don't need anything too fancy since I sometimes lock it outside when I go somewhere. Thanks.

keep your bike. do you trade in your car when it needs an oil change? bikes last forever w/ basic maintenance. an older bike will attract less attention when locked outside. a steel frame lasts longer and is repairable. anything new under $200 is a big steaming pile, really. unless you actually BROKE something on your gears, they just need adjustment, maybe new cables.
the outlook is a nice basic bike, something really hard to find in the marketplace anymore. it's just what most people NEED, but all the low end [censored] out there now appeals to WANTS and too much bling that doesn't work. the less you spend, the less features you want. if it's got a low price w/ lots'o fancy (looking) features, run away. spend a few bux and get your gears fixed, have the tires and cables looked at. NOW, if anything is actually broken, like a cracked frame or fork, well, then , it's not worth it. but cables, tires, etc, are consumables and need serviing/replacement once in awhile.

EDIT: I spelled the expletive w/ a K and it still got censored?!?
 
Of course I plan to keep this bike. I've done all the maintenance on that bike myself since new. Yes this bike is not fancy looking and has no shocks so its fairly basic. The reason I bought this bike was not only to replace my old bike but because it was basic. I replaced the brake and shifter lever I got from another bike. It used to have grip shift and changed to a one piece assembly. I did get new cables since the old ones were fraying. After installing new cables and shifter, shifts a lot more smoother. The only problem right now is the front end feels a little flexing when stopping. Everything else still looks okay. And yes I re-lubed everything.
 
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Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
The only problem right now is the front end feels a little flexing when stopping. Everything else still looks okay. And yes I re-lubed everything.


Does this bike still have a quill stem? You can easily adjust bearing tension, whether your bike has a quill stem or a threadless head set.
 
This one does not have a threadless headset, is has threads on the upper part. So I guess it is quill stem. I retighted the stem and works like new again. I guess I forgot to make sure it was tight enough after I relubed the ball bearings. Thanks.
 
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