3 Essential Mountain Bike Buying Tips – What You Need to Know

By Lee Myring

With summer in full swing you may be considering buying a mountain bike to improve your fitness and to have some fun in the fresh air, but it is easy to waste a lot of money buying the wrong bike.

When buying a mountain bike there are a few simple but essential tips which you must follow to ensure that you get the bike most suited to your needs and the best deal for your money. Like a lot of things in life, cheap is normally cheap for a reason so follow these three simple tips to get the most from your money.

Tip Number 1 - Decide what are you using the mountain bike for?

Arguably the most important consideration is to ascertain what the bike will be used for - this will dictate the kind of bike most suited to you. If you are just going for cycling with a little off road stuff then there is little to be gained by going for a full suspension bike, however if you are an all terrain or downhill fan then a full suspension will fit the bill. Be careful however that unless you have a lot of money for your purchase for the same budget a hardtail will most likely be lighter, better specified and more suitable for general use.

Below are a sample of the best mountain bikes right now on eBay:

Specialized HARDROCK 19 Large Mountain Bike Lime Green    US $250.50

Voodoo Wanga Steel Mountain Bike Frame Single Speed or Geared Size 21 Red    US $369.95

Tip Number 2 - Set yourself a budget and stick to it

Following on from above, it is too easy to spend a lot of money needlessly, or talk yourself into buying something that you don't really need. If you are just going cruising or cross country then spending a lot of money on a high end full suspension will be a waste of money. Conversely if you intend on free riding and downhill then a hard tail will not be the ideal choice of ride. Be aware however, at the budget end of the market, full suspension bikes tend to be heavy, components are cheaper to offset the cost of the additional parts required, and maintenance requirements are more than with a hard tail.

Tip Number 3 - Go for quality where possible

This might sound obvious but a cheap mountain bike is exactly that, a compromise of quality over price. In order to get the price down there will be compromises on every level, materials, quality of the running gear, how it has been assembled. Buying cheap may prove to be a false economy and end up costing you more in the long run. A cheap mountain bike is likely to be heavy, prone to breakdown and require more repairs and maintenance. In a lot of cases buying a quality second hand bike is better than buying a budget new bike.

For more FREE TIPS and information on Mountain biking please be sure to visit our site.

For more essential tips and hints on mountain biking please visit our website at;

http://www.mountainbikescheap.com

Lee Myring is a former semi-pro cyclist, having worked in the cycle industry both on the sales and technical fronts for over 15 years. He is currently one of the team at http://www.mountainbikescheap.com a website dedicated to helping cyclists of all levels from novices to wannabe professional riders get the most from mountain biking as a sport. The website has a huge range of bikes, accessories, apparel and upgrades to suit all budgets as well as a comprehensive reviews and tips section. Be sure to check it out!