what is a good 26 in. wheel mountain bike??

Question

what is good 26 in. wheel mt. bike that costs under $500. thanks!

Answer 1

Depending on your needs, either a hard tail or soft tail (Suspension fork and rear). I would suggest to get a hard tail to start, more bang for the buck.

Look for an all aluminum frame, so the weight is lower and it will weather better. Next, look for good components. Beside the manufacturing name, i.e. Shimano, look for a higher level grade.

In all, I would suggest either a Forge Sawback 5xx Bike http://www.forgebikes.com great bikes with as awesome price. Or take a look at the Giant Boulder line. http://www.giantbicycles.com


Best of luck!

Answer 2

26" covers most mountain bikes, although there are the occasional weird 29"s. The question is, therefore, what type of riding do you do? If you want to do a tripple loop while riding your bike off of a cliff, then your requirements are going to be different to someone who wants to go across country quickly or downhill very quickly.

Assume middle ground, IE that you want an XC bike. This means that you need a good power to weight ratio, nice gears and can generally let you play in the woods without feeling like you are dragging several tons of steel behind you.

The Trek and Specialized are viable. I would also look towards the Claude Butler - Cape Wrath. Giant do a couple of viable machines in this price bracket, but you are probably looking at a Rock SE. Cube and Marrida are also viable option.

Overall, do not get an all singing all dancing machine. (Full Susser for $200). Get a hard tail with a good aluminium frame (A1, 6061, 7005). Components will wear out, but the frame is the heart of your bike. Get the best frame that you can. After that, look for branded components - SRAM or Shimano. (Prefereably X-7 or Deore). It is worth ensuring that you have a good shock. Again, stick with good, branded makes. Mazzocchi, Rockshocks, etc. For this price range, the most you can probably expect is pre-load adjustment, but the better the fork, the smoother the ride. However, this can be upgraded later.

Luck

Answer 3

The most important aspect is how you want to ride. Assuming you want to ride offroad trails, trek and specialized both make good mountain bikes that will fit in your price range. Look at a trek 4500 or a specialized rockhopper (I think that is the appropriate specialized, but I am not too familiar with their line). Talk to the dealers about the kind of riding you want to do, they should recomend a bike that fits your needs. If they don't, find a new dealer!