Is this Pinnacle full suspension mountain bike a wise buy for the features and price?

Question

I ride paved trails mostly for exercise and recreation. Sometimes I do small jumps, so I like full suspension.

I'm accustomed to buying $90 department store bikes. I was going to get a Mongoose from Wal-Mart for around $300, but I figured if I was going to spend that much, I might as well get something OUT of a department store with better components.

I came across Pinnacle Ouray bicycles. I like the disc brakes, the Shimano Tourney component (I'm aware it's Shimano's lowest component), the Rock Shox fork (I'm guessing it's among Rock Shox lowest component), I like the Pinnacle Ouray bicycles over-all.

I wanted to try tubeless tires, unfortunately these bikes DO have tubes, but I can work with that. I've had nice experiences with the slime + tube tires to stop flats

Anyways, I'd like your input on if these bikes are a wise buy for the features.

Please see ebay item numbers:

170084544722
170028577172

www.pinnaclebikes.com *click on* bike models-->Ouray-->view specs

Please state WHY you say what you say as well.

Recommendations on wiser purchases with better features in the same $388.50 price-rance are welcome and requested!

Thanks for your time!

Please state WHY you say what you say as well.

Recommendations on wiser purchases, with better features in the same $388.50 price-rance, are welcome and requested!

The direct links to the ebay items are:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170084544722&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D170084544722%26fvi%3D1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170028577172&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D170028577172%26fvi%3D1

Thanks for your time!

Answer 1

I'm with Rambling Vine on this. It looks like an OK bike, but for what you have described you intend to do with it you could get a much nicer bike by moving to a hardtail. Cheap suspension parts tend to exacerbate the downsides of full suspension bikes.

For example, I caught the full suspension bug and ditched my reliable, non-suspension early 90's Specialized Rockhopper for a Cannondale Jekyll, a $1200, "low end" full suspension bike with reasonably decent quality components. For $1200 the only advantages I gained from full suspension were better confidence on technical descents and an more comfy ride.

The downsides? The suspension components were fairly decent quality, but the coil-sprung front fork slowly deteriorated to the soft and mushy side. This put a lot more stress on my rear shock which lead to more flexing and a significant power loss when pedaling. This killed my ability to climb and caused me to rapidly fatigue. Furthermore, the breakdown of my shocks lead to a squirrelly feeling on the technical descents and an unpleasant rebound on drops. And the weight... oh the weight!

My point is - do not buy a cheap full suspension bike! From the sound of it you ride bike paths and occasionally jump. Full suspension is overkill for these tasks. Most jump-oriented riders prefer hard tails with good, 100+mm forks, unless they are doing huge gaps or big hits, in which case they are riding hefty downhill rigs that cost as much as a used Honda Civic and last a third as long. A good front fork can do a better job absorbing the pumps than a mediocre full suspension setup.

Buy a hardtail and focus on a decent front fork and a better drivetrain. A hardtail will serve you much better and last a lot longer.

This bike would be a good choice at the low end - not great, but overall it has better components than the Pinnacle - especially in the fork.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/motobecane_400HT07.htm

REI, Sierra Trading Post and Peformance Bike are other places to look online, though they may or may not have bikes in your price range.

Answer 2

Sorry, but I don't believe any experienced cyclist would consider it a very good buy. It appears that the Pinnacle bikes in those ebay listings are very equivalent to the average Walmart/Costco/Sams type bike. You would be MUCH better of served buying a hardtail bike than a so-called full-suspension bike at your price range.

This same question is submitted over and over to the major bike magazines, like Mountain Bike Action. The standard answer is that full-suspension bikes under $1000 are usually not worth it. There is a reason that the average selling price of a full-suspension mountain bike in a specialty bike store is over $1300 (2002 nbda numbers). Such bikes are engineered to to be efficient and long-lasting. Department-store bikes are engineered to look flashy so they can be sold - not to actually perform well.

To more specifically address the Ouray in particular: The "Y" design has been largely abandoned by the bicycle industry as it is an inefficient design. The Shimano Revo components are extremely prone to breakage - (note how many pieces are manufactured with cheap plastic when compared to Shimano's higher end components) - Ask any bike shop mechanic about the Revo group and how oftern they are come in for repair. Note also from the specs how many parts are made of heavy steel and not aluminum or other composites - I would be willing to bet that they're "estimated" weight of 31 lbs is extremely optimistic. And steel single-wall rims? There is nothing on the bike that could be considered a quality part, and the frame is not worth upgrading.

You mention that you like small jumps - this bike is not a good choice for that. The suspension design is such that most of the compression is taken up by your pedalling action, with little left over to actually absorb bumps. So, most of your energy that should be going to propelling the bike forward is wasted in making the rider bounce up and down. In fact, this bike would be better off without the suspension, as it adds weight but does little else.

To summarize, a heavy bike with an inefficient single-pivot suspension system and unreliable parts will only be a chore to ride - not fun for you. Since there are better options in the same price range, this would be a poor choice.

As to those options, go to a bike store and see if there are any 2006 model year closeouts on a quality hardtail. The Specialized HardRock Sport Disc runs about $450. At closeout, you may find it in a similar price range as one of these Pinnacle bikes. I believe the Trek 4500 is in the same price range as well.

Buying used might also be an option. If you can find a late model bike from one of the major bike manufacturers (Giant, Trek, Specialized, Gary Fisher, etc.) in your size that hasn't been abused, and in your price range, you would be much happier buying it then the Ouray.

In the end, you will enjoy a higher-quality hardtail WAY more than this bike. I speak from experience (I have 2 hardtails and 2 full-suspension bikes, one which cost more than $3200).

Whatever you choose to do, have fun!

Answer 3

It looks like it's a good deal, but I wouldn't buy it. It's going to be pretty heavy and bouncy. That means a lot of energy from your downward stroke on the pedal is going to be lost - absorbed by that cheap rear shock. I think it will be very annoying for you. Also, depending on how tall you are, that kind of frame setup might have the bottom of your seatpost banging right into the side of your shock.
(The front shock might be decent, though)
For that money, you could get a hard tail with a front suspension and better components.

Answer 4

Funny, I was wondering the same thing myself

Answer 5

I'm sorry but I don't know about this