yeah shiv - what do you plan on doing with this bike?

well, I must admit, I don't know the first thing about mountain bikes, so for that reason alone, I can't tell you which bike will work best for you. What I will tell you is that you need to ride the bike first. Don't buy anything without riding it first. And as much as I respect Finchy's mtb knowledge, it's very hard having someone else tell you what you should get, because he's in a different league than you, riding-wise. Things that will matter to him may not matter to you.

5'9"....and you're getting better.



I like mountain bikes better than road bikes for some reason. I think I'm over the full suspension thing. No one's answered me yet if discs are better than regular brakes.

Can most bike shops order a bike for you from the manufacturer? Like if I want a specific bike, will they get it for me? I'm probably gonna go to Cambridge Bicycle again, they were pretty helpful when I bought my last bike, even if it's a POS.

Whew, I'm so relieved!

Mountain bikes are much better than road bikes. Road bikes are gay. (That's a joke, folks).

Suspension bikes are fun, no bout adout it. That's why I use mine to commute. There's a lot of curb hopping, some dirt sections and crap in the road that a road bike would want to avoid. The fat tires on an mtb alleviate a lot of those problems, and adds to your comfort on a bumpy commute.

Discs are better than cantilevers (rim brakes, i.e. cantis), but only if you get good ones. Good cantis are better than bad disc brakes. There are basically 2 versions of discs- cable-actuated and hydraulic. Cables are usually cheaper, altho there are incredible versions of these, Avids for one. The disadvantages to cable discs are you need to keep the cable clean, or else the brakes won't work well when the steel cable in the housing gets dirty. So, if you live in an area where it rains a lot and you'll be riding thru mud & muck, they will be a higher maintenance item. Hydraulics, on the other hand, depend on a closed line running to the brakes, filled with oil (hydraulic or mineral). Bad thing about these is that if they are not bled properly, or air gets in the line, you're fucked. A bit of tech knowledge needs to be happenin' in order to correct this if it goes awry. You need to be aware of what you need to do to avoid screwing these brakes up. For instance, say you take your front tire off to put your bike on the roof rack of your car. If you squeeze the front brake lever w/out the tire in place, you will mess up the braking, and you will need to correct it before you ride.

I have had great luck with my Hayes hydraulics, and bad luck with Maguras, altho there are thousands of people out there that swear by Maguras. Me? I swore at them.

More benefits of discs: You'll have much more power, without having to squeeze the shit out of the lever on them fast, scary descents you'll find yourself doing soon enough. Another benefit is modulation. A brake with good modulation allows you to control your speed without coming to a complete stop by "feathering" your brakes. Good modulation is important because we use our brakes more often to control our speed than we do to stop completely. (I stole that from a poster on mtbr.com).

Bike shops sell specific brands. Fir'instance, a Cannondale shop probably wouldn't be able to get you a Specialized bike.

What's your current bike, and why do you consider it a POS? I like your idea of doing bidness with the LBS (Local Bike Shop). They'll be able (hopefully) to help you w/ problems you may have with a bike you buy from them, along with helping you with warranty issues. If you should crack your frame, they'll go to bat for you and try their damnest to resolve the issue and keep you as a satisfied customer. They'll also be able to help you with questions. Don't be afraid to ask them. Find a guy you like at the LBS and pick his brain. Reward him (and your favorite mechanic) with a six-pack every once in a while. They're like you, they like swag; and they'll bend over backwards to welcome you to the cycling community and hopefully cut you a little slack on the higher-priced items.

MTBR.com is the best site out there for asking questions like the ones you have. They also have Regional forums, so you can find out about local trails, and they have a General forum where you can ask your tech questions. They have a Brake forum, and individual bike brand forums (i.e. Rocky Mountain, Specialized, Kona). They have a Downhill forum, a Singlespeed forum, a Where Are The Best Deals forum, you get the idea.

If you get a nice bike (and you'd better, after all this), get a good lock, and take it every-fucking-where. Thieves will stop at nothing. NOTHING. Get a helmet, too. Yeah, they're geeky. But it's worse visiting you in the hospital with a broken head. Because you will fall. And tarmac is the hardest thing out there.

fp

This is my POS, though it may be a 2003. It's adequate but ugly as fuck.



Yeah I think I'm leaning towards that KHS Alite 2000, and that bike shop I mentioned stocks KHS so maybe they already have one. I'll just use the stationary bikes at the Y until I can get a bike.

There are only 3 reviews on the KHS Alite 2000 on MTBR, but it doesn't sound like a bad buy. I'm confused about the brakes- one poster says it comes w/ mechanical (cable) brakes and another says it's hydraulic. At that price, I'd be willing to bet they're mechanical.

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/XC_Hardtail ... 3268.shtml

Yeah the KHS website says mechanical.

yeah so i bought this today. i'm picking it up on friday.

[img][650:411]http://www.khsbicycles.com/Images/Bike_Images/Full06/full-a2000-06.jpg[/img]

Great! Now get one of these!

PM me w/ your address and I'll send you some bike swag (don't get too excited ).

i don't think i could get rid of my car. it would make work insufferable.