I broke my ****, so I had to get it fixed, simplified things so it's no longer a rolling billboard:



The rest:
Custom Blue Evo Paint - Album on Imgur

 

When you can keep-up with the group, switch to a CX bike on 28s.

 

who thinks of **** like this?
Give Your Neck a Break While You Ride with Bicycle Periscope: The Pedi-Scope

 

People so fat they cannot see their dicks.

 

Once the tri dorks hear about this, they will create a special aero "look-down" helmet and exploit the pediscope for an aero advantage. You wait.

 

Morning commute:

 

lots of watts

 

Bros.

Thinking about getting back into mountain biking as a more enjoyable workout and a way to keep the weight off.

Last time i was on a bike was probably a decade ago.

Just like computers, i have no idea what the **** i'm looking at anymore.

Want: ridable bike with a solid "name brand" frame i can upgrade components on at my leisure over winter after i beat the **** out of the bike the rest of this season. (Or just crash a few times then quit.)

Want: $500 max budget to start. $300 way better.

Want: Hardtail. Not interested in full suspension

Want: NOT 29er. I don't like them. 26 or 27.5 is fine.


Want: You to give me models to look for that fit my needs. I rode Kona a decade ago. They seem to have not caught on in the Midwest and/or are stupid expensive.

 

$300 doesn't get you much of a new adult sized bicycle. Sorta like asking which $1.59 cheeseburger should you consider. Run by your LBS first. If they have something in your price range, you will benefit immensely by getting it fit and built correctly. If they don't have anything that fits your budget, try Walmart or REI. $500 will get you a bare bones, but much nicer entry level bike. At that price point, it doesn't matter TBH. Just pick a color you like, in the correct size. Big box bikes are actually quite good these days. You'll get lots of use from it. Refrain from "upgrading it" however. If you get the itch to upgrade it, just sell it and look for stuff in the $1200 range. At that price point, you get some genuine high performance and durability. It'll just be heavier than the $2000+ stuff.

 

Sorry, i should have mentioned i'm totally open to used in the $300-$500 range as well. Primarily looking used at the moment since my budget doesn't seem to go super far in the new world.

There's 3 decent LBS within a 30 minute radius of me, i'll check them all out this weekend. I know at least one of them deals in used bikes.

I noticed REI had a big sale on one brand a couple weeks ago, but i wasn't thinking about it then. Derp.

Going to go look at this one later this week, it's an old, but solid Iron Horse frame with halfway decent, if outdated components. If it fits me (i don't remember how comfy i am on a 19) i'll probably bring it home if it's not a total piece of ****.

The North Face Denali Mountain Bike


Will probably hit the LBS closest to me tomorrow to chat and check out some stuff, try to get a feel if they're someone i want to get in bed with.

 

Don't bother with used. Folks sell 5 year old $400 bikes for $250. That is not a bargain. LBS is a long term thing. As much as finding a good deal on the right bike, it's finding the right vibe. A good LBS can make or break your cycling adventures.

 

Fair enough, seems like most of the "name brand"/decent stuff under $500 is pretty damn old anyways.

Agree on LBS being important. I was in the one near me growing up probably 2-3x a month for tune ups, work, buy new stuff, etc.

Trying to be less of a gear ***** this time around and just beat the hell out of something and mostly just use it as fun exercise/force me to go outside.

 

Does not compute.

 

Right? I just made the mistake of looking at bare frames on Ebay.

 

Welcome home, friend

 

With Vteckiller2000's help, i think i've decided on a Gravity 27FIVE G2.

Going to try to get out of work in time to run by LBS and see if they'll hate me forever if i don't ride something purchased from them. I looked on their site and didn't really see anything that interested me or my wallet. The closest was the Giant Talon 4, but the Gravity trounces it pretty hard in component quality and it has that old funky rockhopper geomtry i liked about my old bikes.


Nom.

 

My Fuji Nevada 1.9 is decent and was $400. Aluminium frame, front suspension with adjustable preload, and v brakes.

 

I don't see much worth riding in the sub 650 dollar price range.

If you must go 500 range go with a kona. I've been able to negotiate a few for well below msrp at my LBS, although I have a pretty oustanding reputation with them due to years of addiction.
KONA BIKES | 2015 BIKES | TRAIL 27.5" HT | LANA'I

other options
Fuji Nevada 1.9 27.5" Mountain Bike - 2015
Diamondback Hook Bike 2015 > Complete Bikes > Mountain Bikes | Jenson USA
Fuji Nevada 1.9 27.5" Mountain Bike - 2015

The thing to note is that all of them have mechanical discs, they all have miserable forks and miserable drive trains. You really don't need top of the line to have a great experience on a bike these days. A friend of mine just got a full deore build giant the other day and I took it for a spin, I was shocked at how good the base level shimano stuff has gotten.

Honestly I would just save cash until you can break into the 1200 dollar range. You can get a hell of a bike for that money from Giant, Trek or GT. Specialized is another option but they have the business practices that make me gag so I does not want personally.

 

Quoted for truth.... Speaking as a Specialized Dealer myself.

 

I have a 2015 Specialized crave comp 29er, and I think I need to change something as the handlebars feel way too low for me. I think I have the seat height right for my legs based on the angles, but there is no way to adjust the handlebar height. What are my options? I honestly just don't know a lot about bikes.