The 8 Crucial Steps To Buying A Mountain Bike

Buying a mountain bike is an expensive and often confusing process.  There are so many options these days that it can be quite overwhelming for the first time buyer.  Here’s 8 tips for buying the right mountain bike for you

Set Your Budget

When you start looking at all the different features available to you for your new mountain bike, the costs can start to spiral out of control.  There really is no limit to how much you can spend, but that said, there are plenty of options around for the entry-level buyer.  Make sure you decide how much you are going to spend to begin with, and then look in your price range for the bike that best suits you.

Know What Your Bike Will Need To Do

To know what bike is best for you, you need to decide what you need your bike for.  If you’re going to spend most of your time riding on the road or flat terrain, you’re going to be looking for a different bike than if you intend spending most of your time battling the hills.  Deciding this before you start looking will help you narrow your search and save you a lot of time.

What Suspension Do You Need?

Mountain bikes fall into two suspension categories – full suspension mountain bikes and hard tail mountain bikes.  Hard tail simply means no rear suspension.  If you want a lighter bike that’s more efficient to pedal, then hard tail is probably what you’re after.  However, if control and comfort are more important to you, then you’ll need full suspension.  Obviously, your budget may also affect your choice of suspension.

Choose Your Favorite Components

With so many mountain bikes available, it’s near impossible to compare bikes like for like, due to the great number of different components available in each.  The best way to narrow things down is to pick the components most important to you, and select a group of bikes that matches your requirements.  You can then get picky with the remaining components from a much smaller range of bikes to choose from.

Save At The Sales

Mountain bike prices can fluctuate quite wildly through the year, depending on seasons, retailers and manufacturers.  Generally, spring and summer are popular months to buy bikes, so if you can hold out (or plan ahead!) for the winter months, you can often grab a bike at a discount.  You can also shop around different bike shops and knock up to hundreds off the advertised prices.

Find A Good Bike Dealer

Finding a great local bike dealer can often be worth paying a slightly higher price.  The expertise, advice, and repair service they offer can really assist you to look after your bike well and gain maximum enjoyment from it.

Go For A Test Ride

Once you’ve narrowed down your search to a select few bikes, the best way to make a decision is to give them a test ride.  Often, you’ll find one bike really jumps out at you as the most comfortable or fun to ride and your search will nearly be over.

Finally – do your research!

Now you’ve got your mind set on a mountain bike, it doesn’t hurt to do some final research to be sure of your purchase.  You can find reviews of pretty much every bike on the market, from both official publications and websites, to biking forums and message boards, so do a search to see if there are any common problems or faults mentioned.

Now you’re a mountain bike buying expert, get out there and buy your dream bike.  Good luck!

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