Top three must-haves in a mountain bike?

Jason's advice is solid.

You will have to do some research and thinking about what you want to ride / accomplish with the MTB. HT or FS, Wheel Size, Geometry (Trail, All MTN, etc). I'd say generally speaking if you want a good all around MTB, a Full Suspension 27.5 is a popular choice. Typical catagories of geometry would be "Trail" or "All mountain".

Sorry to say but $1200 is going to be a bit low on the budget for anything decent new. Used is a good way to go, but a tricky thing because typically MTBs get some serious abuse, so buying a used one means having it checked out at your LBS first. Maintenance can be costly on some components like shocks and replacing worn components can also hit you in the wallet.

Hard tail bikes are great for general purpose riding, you can get a good one for $1500, and up. Full Suspension, you would be looking at starting around $2K. Yes lots of cheap bikes to confuse you but in the longer run you will be happy with something of good quality, if you buy a low end MTB, it will be less than satisfying IMO.

Good components for braking and shifting.

Strong unbreakable wheels.

Pedals that are easy to get in and out of even when they're covered in dirt.

I was under the impression hard tails were better for racing anyway. That's been my preference but they aren't nearly as comfortable.
I'm still hopping around on 26" which I read is more available in undeveloped countries overseas but inferior to 29" for racing with some climbs as long as you aren't dealing with a lot of downhill handling. Disc brakes are a must for me.

Good frame first.

Components are replaceable.

Personally, I have to have a full suspension bike even on our cross country trails here. The hard tails are just too hard on my back. My husband stuck to his hard tail for a while, but eventually gave in and feels much better. So, personally, I would make that a priority.

Good brakes - we have had awful experiences with our Avid disc brakes. They drag and just tend to lock up. We replaced both of ours with Shimano and have had no problems since. Maybe Avid had improved, but it would be a cold day in you know where before I would use them again.

Decent components

I got lucky with my ride and found an almost new Anthem 29er on our local craigslist. I was suspicious because the price seemed quite good at $1000.

Turns out the owner was a friend of a friend. He bought it, never rode it etc... It was only a year old with no wear. So keep your eyes open for a good used deal too. You can get a lot more bike that way.

If you can find any demo days near where you live, they are a great way to try a bike.

Edited by lmihalcik 2016-06-01 1:13 PM

In some cases I'd agree, but the problem, at least for me, is that hard tails are not very comfortable when things get rough. Yes they do climb better but I like the FS handling & control on technical / downhill and rough terrain. There isn't much lost on the climbing anyway, and most rear shocks have a switch for uphill.

Also IMO, FS is a lot more versatile if you have only 1 good MTB.

I went through this process last year, with similar goals and a similar budget. What I learned is that MTBs are expensive, even for middle of the road ones.

I had an "idea" of what I wanted, based on input from friends and a few test rides. I searched Craigslist for a few months and found nothing. The problem, for me, is that I have very long legs (so I need a M frame) and I wanted a 27.5" wheel. That was a unicorn that I was unable to find used for a "beginner MTB'er" budget.

I ended up going to a few bike shops and test riding out several new bikes. This was so I could get a feel for 29 vs 27.5" wheels and hard tails vs full suspension. I did NOT like the 29'ers I rode - they felt too big and too hard to control. Then I went to a different shop that had a bunch of 27.5 wheels in full and hard tail. I really thought I'd get a hard tail, for budget reasons, but the shop had a Liv Lust 3 (Giant's "low end" full suspension women's MTB) for $500 more than the hard tail I was looking at. I test rode it just to see what the difference in suspension was like and in 15 minutes my confidence soared. Mostly because of the full suspension. I ended up buying the bike that was out of my budget (on sale for $1900, which I thought was a good deal). I figured that as a beginner, spending the extra money to feel more confident was worth it.

My bike has Shimano Diore XT components, which from what I could figure out was the equivalent of Ultegra components. Here's a handy graphic for MTB components. https://s.graphiq.com/sites/default/files/796/media/images/_6583478....

My husband managed to find the CL deal of the century - a used FS Pivot with XX and XO components for what I paid for my new bike. I kind of hate him. I think its just easier to find better used bikes if you're a guy and like 29'er wheels.

Oh, it may also be helpful to know what upgrades I'm making, a year later.

I converted my wheels/tires into tubeless. We have loads of goat heads around here and while I've been lucky while riding, I was getting a slow leak in my inner tube at least once a month. I got tired of spending $$ on tubes and got a Stans Conversion kit. Super easy to install, but I did have to buy different tires with a tubeless bead for a better seal.

Next on my list is a dropper post. Right now, I have my seat on the low side, mainly so I can mount and start up my bike easily on uphills (for example when I walk up a trick section and then want to start riding again). The bummer with that is on easy uphill sections I'm not maximizing my pedal stroke. A dropper post will allow me to make on the fly adjustments as I ride, which will give me optimum position and pedaling efficiency the entire ride.

I'll second the handling and control....I had a good Cannondale Hardtail, but the full suspension Giant just flexes and grips the trail so much better.

Thank you for all your help.  What size of frame/wheels would I be looking for?  I'm 5'0" and want a good climbing bike.  The majority of trails I ride on are desert mountain trails, rocky and very dusty.

Edited by ingleshteechur 2016-06-01 3:40 PM

Depends on the kind of riding you will be doing. A hardtail is great for most mtb riding, however if you really fly downhills than you probably want a full suspension bike. I used to ride a 26" now I ride a 29er; the 29 does not handle as well as far as turning. So if you do a lot of fast quick turns you should look for the 27.5 or a 26.

What the 29er does do is goes over everything! The big wheels roll right over a lot stuff that I used to have a hard time with on the 26. With the hardtail I try to keep the airborne activities to a minimum, no more than about 3-4ft off the ground as the landings get rough.

It's been 5 or 6 years since I shopped for one but I would think you can get a good 27.5 hardtail for that money. For a full suspension you are on the low end.

What you do want is disc brakes, I think most are hydraulic these days. I have mechanical disc brakes which have always worked flawlessly, the hydraulics do have a nicer feel to them.

I would recommend the 27.5 tires since you will be climbing - however at 5' this may be a little big??. I am short also at 5'5" and the 29" felt too big and was not nimble to manage

Decent front fork with lockout - handlebar operated lockout would be nice.

Hydrualic disc brakes.

Less well none brands will typically allow you to get comparable frame and wheels but the next higher level of components for the similar price point I would probably shop used for a basic bike and give yourself a season of riding to make sure you stay serious. This will give you time to learn what features are important.

Jeff

I don't know... I was biking some trails a little while ago and I struggled up a steep incline and had to use my 26" torque while loading the rear wheel to not skid and it was a fight. This girl behind me about 5'6 on 29" just floated up effortlessly. I think you can get some good momentum with them but won't have the same torque as 26". 26 is probably better to hop boulders and provides better strength for downhill, but personally, I'm leaning more towards 29" on my next bike but 27.5 might be a compromise. Even though the 26ers are fun, 29" are better for my trails.

Being 5'0 might make things interesting. I bet the OP could find a shop to test some out and see how they feel.

Edited by runtim23 2016-06-01 7:13 PM

My husband has a 29'er and FLIES up the hills (unless its a long grade - he burns out and I eventually catch him, heh heh).

That is pretty frustrating, except I remember that I tried out a 29'er and I didn't feel stable on rocks or in corners. Stability was what I was looking for, not zooming up the hills.

Test riding a bunch of bikes will really help you decide if a 29'er is right for you.

If you're in the desert, I would assume there are decent bike shops around. If that's true, see if they have used demo bikes. $1500 will not get you much. My wife got a demo Yeti 575 (27.5) for $2300 last year in Fruita.

After 20+ years of mtn biking and 30+ year riding clipless pedals (started with Looks back in the 80's) I am now a proponent of flat platform pedals for mtn biking. It forces you to ride with better balance and form and it has made my riding much more fun.

At 5'-0" you don't have as many options. XS frame and you would likely only find a 26" in that frame size.
I just built up a road bike for my wife (5'-2") and the 700c wheels hit her feet if she has to make any sort of sharp turn. With a full MTB tire, a 26" wheel isn't that much smaller than a 700c with a thin road tire.
Keep in mind that the bike isn't doing the climbing. The motor is. I know we're all gear oriented here but you'd be much better served getting a good all around fit (26") and working on the legs/lungs to get you up the hill. (the physicist in me says that there really isn't much to a larger wheel being able to climb better)

Good idea, I have also seen good deals on bikes at mountain bike resort type places and ski resorts. The bikes are typically only a year or 2 old and are well maintained.

For wheel size at 5feet you are typically going to see a 27.5 inch wheel and the odd 29. Sometimes when you get to the small or XS sizes they will scale the wheel size down to accommodate the frame size otherwise you might end up with some wonky geometry. 26inch is pretty much done now although I still love riding my 26er hardtail.

What I would look for is a decent frame from a 2nd tier manufacturer so you arent paying "trek" or "speciallized" tax, hydro disc brakes and I would really want axles and not QR's. Other than that look at the fork and components - all of them not just the rear derailleur., Given your price point I would look at hardtail unless you can get a great deal on a used FS.