How much should I be spending on a Hardtail Mountain Bike?
My budget was 0 dollars and I was wondering if that is a good price, or should I be spending more. I found a Hardtail Mountain bike I liked and it was 300 dollars. What do you think of it?
http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Mountain-Bikes/Hardtail/Details/1229-S9FRO-Frontier
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Tagged with: budget • frontier • hardtail mountain bike • mountain bikes
Filed under: hardtail bike
For an around town, mostly city setting this should be fine. Occasional smooth trails it would work just fine. But for serious riding off road, I’d be hesitant. That fork alone would make me wary of it. That’s because I can’t remember a time that a good suspension fork alone didn’t cost less than $300. I’ve seen too many cheap suspension forks break or fall apart when really going off road.
Option 1: buy a bike with no suspension fork at all. Then you could get the largest tires you can fit inside the frame and ride those for suspension. This is surprisingly effective. The best part is that you’ll often upgrade the bike’s grip off road too, a win-win scenario.
Option 2: Still buy a bike without suspension fork. Buy a suspension seat post and stem instead. The stems I’ve seen simply have a rubber cushion and take the hard edge off while making the bike act as normal. Simple, durable, and cost effective. I’ve even seen a number of bikes set up this way stock.
I’d check out what’s left over at a bike shop from this past season. You might step into a deal for last year’s bike and do pretty well at about this price as an entry level. They’ll be glad to show you anything you need to know about how to use it. Plus you’ll get at least 1 free tune-up after the sale. You can’t get that from a department store.
Most of all, make sure the bike is fun to ride and have fun!
The bike you are looking at is good but the cost depends on what you are using it for. If you are going to go trail riding you might want to get a bigger budget, but as i said it depends on what you want to use the bike for.
The bike you posted a link to looks more like a comfort or hybrid bike than a mountain bike. Like the above answerer said, it depends on what you intend to use this bicycle for. If it’s just cruising around town, that bicycle should be just fine. If you wanted to take to the trails then you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Good luck.