Mountain Bike Help

[jd1020]

I've never heard of Airborne nor can I find any reputable website even mentioning the name.

If it was my money it's going to be spent on a bike from a company with a solid reputation.

EDIT: Just reading forum posts about Airborne it seems that they aren't near the quality as they were before going under and they now operate under Huffy... I'll gladly pay the extra $200.

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by jd1020

I've never heard of Airborne nor can I find any reputable website even mentioning the name.

If it was my money it's going to be spent on a bike from a company with a solid reputation.

Airborne is a sister company to DK Bikes(google DK, they are huge in BMX and BMX racing). Their parent company is probably bigger than Spec and Trek.

I don't work there but I'm good friends with the Airborne guys and ride with them all the time.

[Bugeater]

Trek has a great selection of entry level bikes. If you don't mind used, Craigslist is a good place to find them, many people buy mountain bikes without realizing how physically taxing it is, and quickly give it up. If you do go that route, look up the bike on bikepedia.com and make sure they're not screwing you on the price.

[SAUTO]

My buddy owns Truman lake bikes, he usually has some used units around. Check him out on that Facebook thingy.

He also has built some absolutely bad ass trails around here
Posted via Mobile Device

[WV]

I thought I wanted a hybrid until I saw them and sat on one. I felt like an old man and didn't like the feel at all.

Go to a good dealer and test ride a few, that's how I found I didn't care for the larger wheels either.

[Bugeater]

Yeah, I know MO is full of cool trails, I rode part of the Frisco-Highline trail outside of Springfield a couple years ago. I need to get back down that way sometime.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Yeah, I know MO is full of cool trails, I rode part of the Frisco-Highline trail outside of Springfield a couple years ago. I need to get back down that way sometime.

Dude.


I'm out of Shape and buying a bike. Come down and my buddy will take us in a great national race style trail
Posted via Mobile Device

[soopamanluva]

Look at diamondback. Those are pretty good in that range. You can find some of them with shimano derailleurs. Ive got a GT with shimano front derailleur and deore rear derailleurs. That was all I was willing to spend on my bike. Do some looking, you can find some deals out there

[headsnap]

Ok, the Trek downthread is a good bike but if you are looking at something speced like that, hit up the Airborne Skyhawk... these guys can throw together a good budget bike!!!

http://www.airbornebicycles.com/prod...2-skyhawk.aspx


the Guardian 9er is in your range:

http://www.airbornebicycles.com/prod...dian-29er.aspx


plus, the $ you save here you can use to buy a good helmet!!!

[COchief]

If you insist on going new stick with Trek/Specialized, they are by far the most value due to the sheer volume of their company sales.

I beg you to watch Craigslist for a month or two, you will get an absolute steal if you know what to look for and jump on deals. Many men who spent much more are dumping the bike they have ridden a handful of times. I picked up a $2k new specialized for $350 from the widow of a man who bought it years ago but died of a heart attack, the bike still had the tiny rubber rods that stick out on the edge.

Also for the riding you are going to be doing I would aim for a lightweight hardtail, you can get an epic hardtail on CL in your range if you look hard enough.

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by COchief

If you insist on going new stick with Trek/Specialized, they are by far the most value due to the sheer volume of their company sales.

LOL

Trek and Spec company value don't mean shit... take the $200 saved and take it to the best LBS(local bike shop)*, spend $50 on a tune up and $150 on gear and build a relationship with them... that'll get you much more than a warranty card with a well known logo on it!


* that's not always the biggest shop with the most advertising $s, check your local MTB forums for recommendations.

[COchief]

Originally Posted by headsnap

LOL

Trek and Spec company value don't mean shit... take the $200 saved and take it to the best LBS(local bike shop)*, spend $50 on a tune up and $150 on gear and build a relationship with them... that'll get you much more than a warranty card with a well known logo on it!


* that's not always the biggest shop with the most advertising $s, check your local MTB forums for recommendations.

You don't have any idea about big business do you? The reason I recommended Trek/Spec is very simple, they sell the most bikes by a goddamn mile. If you call shimano and order 1000 disc brakes for your crappy little bike company you get a shitty price, however if you order a million disc brakes you get a much better price and can pass that on to your customer. Now rinse and repeat for every single component on the bike.

It's called purchasing power, which is why Trek/Spec bikes are typically much better equipped than smaller brands at the same price point. There is a company that has used this exact formula to become relatively successful in business, you might have heard of them, they call themselves Wal-mart.

Plus really, who is going to have a better frame? The company that has kicked out a thousand frames this year, or the companies that kicked out a thousand yesterday? Who has more riding on a bike design, the stoners that are trying to sell a few hundred, or the company that is planning on selling a million? Who do you trust more, names every person recognizes or your shit brand that no one has ever heard of and can barely be found on the internet? What happens when your frame cracks, I used to ride Cannondale and cracked a frame, 5 years later they gave me the equivalent frame with no questions asked. Will these little crap companies even exist in 5 years?

Where did the $200 savings come from? Did you just decide to start making shit up? Because the reality is he will get the best value for going Trek/Spec and would save the most. Where is this magical $200 coming from?

Also don't "LOL" people when you seemingly have no idea what the F you are talking about son.

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by COchief

You don't have any idea about big business do you? The reason I recommended Trek/Spec is very simple, they sell the most bikes by a goddamn mile. If you call shimano and order 1000 disc brakes for your crappy little bike company you get a shitty price, however if you order a million disc brakes you get a much better price and can pass that on to your customer. Now rinse and repeat for every single component on the bike.

I guess you missed the part in my earlier post about Airborne's parent company... they are BIG, probably sold more bikes yesterday that Trek and Spec did all year!!! So yes, they have buying power with Shimano, SRAM, etc....

It's called purchasing power, which is why Trek/Spec bikes are typically much better equipped than smaller brands at the same price point. There is a company that has used this exact formula to become relatively successful in business, you might have heard of them, they call themselves Wal-mart.

Like Huffy?

Plus really, who is going to have a better frame? The company that has kicked out a thousand frames this year, or the companies that kicked out a thousand yesterday? Who has more riding on a bike design, the stoners that are trying to sell a few hundred, or the company that is planning on selling a million? Who do you trust more, names every person recognizes or your shit brand that no one has ever heard of and can barely be found on the internet? What happens when your frame cracks, I used to ride Cannondale and cracked a frame, 5 years later they gave me the equivalent frame with no questions asked. Will these little crap companies even exist in 5 years?

the frames for the three bikes in question(Trek, Airborne and Specialized) more than likely came from the same factory in China. Airborne has awesome customer service and will definitely be around 5+ years from now... they are building a great brand and they aren't hurting.

Where did the $200 savings come from? Did you just decide to start making shit up? Because the reality is he will get the best value for going Trek/Spec and would save the most. Where is this magical $200 coming from?

Trek 3700 Disc $549 - Airborne Skyhawk $349 = $200

the $200 is from direct from manufacturer sales(no LBS overhead) and that buying power that you seem to think I don't know about.

As for the specs on the two bikes, they are almost identical. They have the same front fork, Shimano Altus and SRAM X3/X4 drivetrains are comparable, and the Skyhawk has much better hydraulic disc brakes.

Also don't "LOL" people when you seemingly have no idea what the F you are talking about son.

Also don't 'son' people when you definitely have no idea what the F you are talking about... I've been racing bikes for 30+ years!!!





We're in this thread to help this guy out, he is on a budget and wants the best bang for his buck, I gave him that route...

[COchief]

Originally Posted by headsnap

A bunch of pretty good info

Did some checking on that Airborne company, very interesting business strategy, wonder if it will pay off. Seems they do offer a hell of a bang for the buck and interesting they only deal direct. Seems odd to offer those kinds of models with no dealer network when your typical $500 buyer is a walk into the store type. I'd think that would really only work with high-end bikes with customers in the know.

I spent a lot of time reading mtn bike mags a few years ago and it seemed like everytime they had a comparison test some tiny unknown company would win. Seemed to me like it was always about "rooting for the little guy" when common sense would tell you that the Trek/Spec is a much safer bet in all areas.

Still would beg anyone to go the CL route, so many guys throw down huge amounts of money on new bikes and hardly ride them.

[Saccopoo]

http://www.bikesdirect.com/

You probably won't find better bikes with these level of components at any price.