Choosing a Mountain Bike Provo UT

In the past few years, mountain bikes have gained a lot of popularity. A lot of people have gone into biking for health and fitness reasons, while others simply go for the thrill of adventure that comes with the sport. Certainly, it’s one of the most long lived sport in the USA, but how exactly do you choose a mountain bike? Do you just go to bike shops and pick bicycles that have a brand name? Do you choose the one with the best metal, the most features, or the lightest weight? What makes for a good mountain bike?

Price discrepancy and branding

The beauty in buying mountain bikes is that the brands do not really affect the prices. The prices of one brand will be more or less the same as the other brands as long as they’re made from the same material and they offer the same components. On the one hand, this will make shopping a tad easier for you; on the other, this will make bargaining for a cheaper price more difficult. Instead of bargaining for free components or a ridiculously low price for that mountain bike, you should look at the weight and the durability of the frame, components and wheels instead.

Looking at the frame

Your mountain bike can be made from aluminum, stainless steel, titanium or a chrome alloy. The frame is the first thing you should look at when you’re purchasing a mountain bike. This is because you can’t change the frame unless you want to buy an entirely new bike. If you’re not happy with the wheels or the other components, you can still change them. On the other hand, the frame is for keeps until you decide to purchase a new bike.

You need a frame that is light enough to maneuver but stable enough for you to have control of it. The lightest material for your frame is aluminum, and unfortunately, because biking as a sport depends on speed, this is also one of the most expensive. Titanium is a close second because of its durability; however, it has weight issues, and most racers don’t really pick bikes with this frame unless they’re planning to rough it out on that terrain. If you’re only a beginner, it would be nice to invest in a bike with an aluminum frame. You might be spending extra money on the purchase, but you’ll have an easier time maneuvering a bike with this frame compared to bikes made from other, heavier metals.

Components

Some people think that as long as you have all the basic components in your bike, it doesn’t matter if you’re purchasing the cheapest ones. This is actually wrong. While it’s alright to assemble your bike within your budget, it’s not okay to totally compromise the quality of the ride for the price. When you’re purchasing the brakes for your bike, for example, make sure that you read biker’s reviews first. You wouldn’t want to be stuck with faulty brakes just because you wanted to save up on a few dollars.

Wheels
The bike’s suspension is also one of the most controversial issues when it comes to purchasing mountain bikes. While your bike with run with or without a suspension, would you really want to strain your spine whenever you hit those bumps? A mountain bike with a suspension is definitely more expensive than one with a hard tail, but the extra money you’ll spend for good suspensions will be worth it in the end. This will give you a smoother ride which is necessary if you want to keep up with the sport. Remember, you’ll be traversing those rough terrains. Suspensions make sure that your wheels still touch the ground despite the bumps you run into. You’ll have fuller control of your bike with suspensions on.

Money saving tips

While it’s close to impossible to bring down the price of a good bike, there are still ways for you to save up on that mountain bike purchase. For example, you can wait for the right season (usually during winter when bike sales are down because of the weather), or you can watch out for sales. Some bike shops go on sale when they need to get rid of their old models because new once are arriving for the summer. You should take these opportunities to buy your bike because the prices can drop ridiculously low during these times.

If you can pool about 5 to 10 people to buy bikes with you, you can probably go straight to the warehouse as well. Warehouses usually announce their clearance sales through the newspapers. Just watch out for these ads and you’ll surely get a great deal for the bike of your dreams. One think you might miss, though, when you buy from the warehouse is the free service warranty that bikes bought from the shop have. Some people think that this doesn’t matter, though, because for sure, you’ll only be taking your bike to the shop twice a year for maintenance at very most.

Test Ride

It’s absolutely crazy not to take your bike out for a ride before you purchase it. The shop should have at least a week’s replacement warranty upon your purchase if you can’t take it out for a spin before you leave the shop. Before you take your bike out for a test drive, you should have the seat and the handle fitted for your body. This is also the shop’s responsibility. Your knee shouldn’t touch the handle, and the saddle should be low enough for you to stand up on the pedals completely from time to time. You should also not have to strain your neck so much when you’re riding the bike, otherwise there’s something wrong with the design.

When you’re taking your bike out for a test drive, examine the efficiency of the brakes, the suspension (if it is included in the bike features) and maneuverability of the bike. Look at the weight of the bike, too. It the bike is too light or too heavy, you can ask for another model if it affects your ride. Most new bikers, though, don’t notice the difference.