Conference noted::bicycle

    
    
    
    You havn't said what type of riding that you will be doing. 
    If you plan on riding off road most of the time, I would go 
    for the Rockhopper FS or the GT Timberline. 
    
    doug
    

    
    
    
    >>You havn't said what type of riding that you will be doing.
    
    
    It'll be mostly off road.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Albrik

    
    	It's most important to get he bike that fits you best; that being
    said, it's also important (especially offroad) how you like to ride.
    It you really like to hammer down fast bumpy trails , you will probably
    prefer one of the 2 front suspended bikes. If you enjoy technical
    riding (uphill, singletrack, woods riding) you'll probably regret the
    extra weight and sloppy handling of the suspension forks and like the
    precision and finesse of the rigid fork. If you prefer the rigid, go
    for the Barracuda- well made bikes in many varieties of sizes and I've
    only seen two or three so far but the owners raved about the ride and
    the handling. The Gt's are slightly heavy, but very rugged, the Treks
    are adequate for most riding.
    
    Mike

    
    
    Just to add my 2 cents, I do not agree that front suspension
    neccesarily adds a lot of weight and effects handling. I have 
    two mountain bikes, both with fron suspension, a KHS pro fz with
    rock shox mag 21, and a mongoos iboc pro with a lower end rock 
    shox quadra 10. The KHS with shox is lighter than most bikes without.
    My Mongoose which I use more for trashing and super fast rides downhill
    I just recently replaced the fork with the Quadra 10. the weight 
    difference if any is not noticable. Bike weighs around 27 or 28 lbs. 
    As for sloppy handling, NOT!! all you got to do is adjust the
    suspension stiffness to the kinda of riding you do. Softer if you 
    do moderate speeds off road and stiffer if you like jumping off of 
    rocks and going fast down bumpy rides. If anything I feel the handling
    has improved as the front end doesn't bounce around as much. 
    If you plan on riding off road, you will be depriving yourself of some
    real nice luxury by going without suspension. Especially in the lower
    end bikes as listed in the original note. 
    
    Shaw
    
    

   I would suggest going with a bike without the suspension for your first
   Mt bike. 

   1. AT the $500 level bike, you are not really getting a quality suspension
      and you will feel a weight differance. Let's face it, A Rock Shock goes
      for about $290-$390 so what kind of suspension are they going to put
      on a $500-$600 bike. Ans: A heavy elastomer Shock with probably 1.6"
      travel.

   2. The standard Mt bike without the shock will also be stiffer and ligter.
      This will help you get up those hills. Coming down will not be a issue 
      until you master gettng up the hills.

   3. Less Maintainace

   The $500 bikes with shocks looks cool but I feel they are target the
   younger kids market. You should also check out the Bridgestone MB5 and MB6.
   I just saw an article in the Globe and they are selling them for $100 less
   then the competitors because they are getting out of the US market.

   Just my 2 cents,

   Dave

    
  

    As for the bikes/frames I'd go with either a Specialized or a GT. But
    just remember that the Barracudas' have an unconditional lifetime
    gaurrenty on it's frames!! I wouldn't be too concerned about front
    suspension just yet. You can always add that later once you've found 
    out if you're going to ride or hammer the trails. Components aren't
    really much of an issue since this is your first mountain bike. If
    you go nuts you'll dump it a couple of times sideswipe stuff etc.
    You'll probobly replace some of the components with in a year or
    two. So basically concentrate on the frame and upgrade to some 
    Manitou III forks when you want. They are supposedly the best all
    around shock for the Northeast terrain.
    
    
      Hope it helps-
      Tim

    
    
    Good/fast/friendly advices. Thanks.
    
    I think I'll lay off the front suspension. I could always add a semi-
    realiable one next year (or so) for $200-250.
    
    How is Bridgeston's frame ? if I could find a MB-4 that goes for $600
    and get a $100 discount, that could be a good deal. No ?
    
    Couple of years ago Consumer Report (CR) had rated Giant Iguana "the 
    best deal". I know CR is not the authority on Mt. biking but I figured
    I'll ask you guys.
    
    I, myself, like the Barracuda frame design. Is it a frame to count on ?
    
    One last question. Should I prefer Alivio over STX ? or not necessarily.
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Albrik
    

  CU is a joke when comparing bicycles. By the time the article came out on the
  Iguana, the follow year Iguana has already been shipped to the dealers.
  Therefore, the components did not even matched the CU article because it was
  one year behind.

  The Giant Iguana matches up to the Bridgestone MB-6. Considering the MB-6 is
  selling for $319 and the Iguana is going for $380 to $400. I thinkmit's
  almost a no brainer unless you really preferr the fit of the Iguana.
 
  As for the components, I would not worry about the derailluers to much
  considering that is the first component you will replace when you get a stick
  in it. But I would try to find a bike with a bolt on Chainring instead of
  the one piece units. Therefore I would do the STX or Sugino Crank. 

  Good Luck,

  Dave

    
    For your price range. For a suspension bike I would check out the
    Diamond Back Response Sport ($599 according to the price guide).
    On paper it sounds pretty nice. STX components and RockShox Quadra 10
    front fork).
    
    For a non-suspension bike look at the Trek 930, that is in your price
    range ($529 accoding to the price guide) and it has STX components.
    (You mentioned the 920 in your note, but offline you had mentioned
    you didnt want the grip-shift shifters, that the 920 has)
    

    
    
    >>(You mentioned the 920 in your note, but offline you had mentioned
    >>you didnt want the grip-shift shifters, that the 920 has)
    
    You're right Paul. 
    
    The magazine didn't have any indication that the 920 is a grip-shift 
    shifter. So 920 is out of the picture.
    
    Today I will be testing the Rockhopper and the GT's. This'll give me
    a very good idea what's my choice (is the rain stops long enough so
    that I could take the bike out of the shop).
    
    Does anyone know a Barracuda dealer ? I'd like to test-ride one.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Albrik

    I don't know of any barracuda dealers around but if you call them,
    many bike magazines have a 1-800 number to call that they'll give you 
    a list of dealers. Also I think any good bike shop would order one for
    you, but probobly don't have them in stock to test ride.
    
    Tim

albrik,

all i can say is after putting all this effort into selecting a decent mt 
bike i hope we can get you out there with us!  there are a few of us here in 
shrewsbury who try to get out wed or thurs after work or on weekends.

and it's good training for that other game where you have been loafing 
lately!

cheers,
craig

    
    
    
    Craig, buddy. You found me. I figured soccer and quilting were your
    only two passions.  ;-)
    
    >i hope we can get you out there with us
    
    By the end of this week I will have bought it and I may even bring 
    it with me to our next tuesday's soccer game ... just to show off.
    And after that I'll be ready to rock.
    
    I'll tell you this though. For a novice like me this purchase has
    been as complex as selecting a coffee brand. There are so many
    choices that one goes overload. Amazing.
    
    See you out there.
    
    Albrik