| Buying a house is just about the most important | | | | Wal-mart or Target. Why? Because they buy bottom |
| investment you can make in your life. Various means | | | | of the range bikes which they can sell cheaply, and |
| of transportation come second - from yachts or | | | | the bikes are not necessarily put together well. |
| boats and cars to motorcycles. Acquiring a bicycle is | | | | Whereas if you buy even the most inexpensive |
| not quite as expensive as that - but there are so | | | | child's bike from a bike store, it'll be lighter than the |
| many brands available, at so many different price | | | | mass market version, and the store people will |
| ranges, that it behooves you to do a bit of research | | | | ensure that it fits your child. |
| before you go out and spend any money. | | | | So, you can either support your local bike store or |
| Bikes can vary from used beaters to the top-of-the | | | | buy online. It's usually best to buy from your bike |
| line road or mountain bikes. This article discusses how | | | | store to begin with, as they can help you fit the bike |
| to go about buying a mountain bike. | | | | and give you advice. If you've ridden for years and |
| How Much Will You Pay? | | | | years and know what you need, buying online does |
| Are you already a biker, or are you just taking up | | | | make sense. |
| the sport? Do you intend to ride daily, or only on | | | | What Will You Buy? |
| weekends? Do you have a safe place to store your | | | | You'll ask yourself this question in conjunction with |
| bike when you're not using it? | | | | "how much will you pay." Again, it all comes down to |
| All of these are questions you musts ask yourself | | | | how often you expect to use the bike. If you're |
| before you purchase your first bike. If you've only | | | | planning on doing mostly road biking with the |
| just become interested in the hobby of mountain | | | | occasional cross country trip, and only once in a while |
| biking, you don't want to buy a top-of-the-line | | | | going down an actual mountain... then you won't need |
| thousand dollar bike until you're sure you'll get the use | | | | the same kind of bike as someone who is strictly a |
| out of it. Of course there's a catch-22 there. | | | | downhiller. |
| Top-of-the-line bikes are so light and soooo nice that | | | | Mountain bikes come in two different kinds - hard tail |
| you'll probably fall in one, whereas if you get a poor | | | | and full suspension. The hard tail has suspension in the |
| bike to begin with it might sour you on the sport | | | | front but not in the back - hence the term "hard tail." |
| forever. | | | | Full suspension bikes are more comfortable... but |
| The best thing to do is test-ride as many bikes as | | | | correspondingly more expensive. |
| you can in the various price ranges. Your local bike | | | | When Will You Buy? |
| store won't let you test ride their bikes down a | | | | Just as car dealers sell models off at a discount at |
| mountain - but you can rent bikes at the trailheads | | | | the end of their selling season, so will bike stores. If |
| and give them a try. | | | | you live in an area with a "winter season," you're |
| Where Will You Buy | | | | bound to see some winter season sales. |
| Any book or article you read will advise you not to | | | | So don't be impatient... but don't deprive yourself of a |
| buy a bike from a mass merchant store such as | | | | summer of fun, either! |