Told to start mountain biking. Which bike to choose?

Ares_II

So I'm a nordic skier who had to quit doing my off season running cross training because of bad knees. I was told by a ski coach that I should join a mountain bike race team instead of running because of the benefits.

Which bike should I purchase?
Hardtail or Dual-Suspension?
Disc or V-brakes?
26er or 29er?

I've looked at the Specialized Hardrock and the Fuji Nevada 1.9 but I have no idea what I should be looking for.

I'm looking for around $700-$800.

cooldad

Which $'s are you talking about? US, HK, Monopoly?
Might be easier to post links - specs differ between countries, but generally lower level Specializeds are nasty and heavy.

I may have missed something in the translation but joining a race team might not be as simple as your coach thinks. What sort of riding are you planning on doing? And where.

The Rookie

A race team on a 'lardrock'......not going to happen!

Which country are you in? Do you have Decathlon stores?

ddraver

I think if it's your first bike then really you re better off with a local bike shop as they can help settle you in to the sport a bit. Try a few different models and sizes to see which one fits best. You re looking to be sitting comfortably, with out feeling too stretched or cramped, you also need to be able to move around on the bike too.

Specialized have a bad rep on here but My Dad has one that he got in a sale and I have to admit that for what he paid for it, I thought it was great when I rode it. I assume you mean that you ll be training with the race team or club rather than competing for top honours so I think you re looking at the right sort of bikes to start out with. Fair warning though, this is a sport that can get very expensive very quickly!

raldat

The Beginner wrote:

A race team on a 'lardrock'......not going to happen!

Which country are you in? Do you have Decathlon stores?

What do you mean? I am part of a race team and I ride a heap of 13 year old v braked crap! Sure, we are called "team empty pockets" and if we place much better than half way up the field in the races we do we are extatic, but we are a team none the less. A very crap one who love Whisky and cigars as much as mountain bling but we have fun.

Ares_II

I'm in the US with no Decathlon stores around. I have no idea what type of riding or where it would be.
Not sure wether it'll be going for the trophy or just to train, but being of the competitive type, it'll turn out to be a mix of the both.

The Spiderman

Specialized have good frames, the components can be though tend to be less good than what you find on an equivalent price bike. If I was going to race it I'd be looking at a Rockhopper rather than a Hard rock.
I believe you have KHS over there? In the UK their bikes seem to be good value and get good reviews.