I wanted to start biking trails and being more active. What sort of bike should I be looking at? I live in a rural area and own a car so I won't ride in the city too much. Googling suggests gravel bikes, is that a good option? I'm pretty handy so I can do maintenance myself and even upgrade parts. Is there something that has a good frame + decent parts that I could upgrade down the line into a great bike? I'm willing to spend a bit for something good quality but I'm not looking for a $10k bike. Sorry if this isn't the right board for this question
No.
>>2872420Why not a mountain bike? You can get awesome bikes used for a lot less $$ and then upgrade if you get to that point? a 2-3yr old bike would still be an killer bike for much less.
>>2872420perhaps reconsider
>>2872420If you just want to "try it out"....>goto walmart>find bike aisle>identify bikes with full suspension and 26" and larger wheels.>pick out a couple that "look cool".>sit on them.>seat height is easily adjusted with a quick release lever, do it while youre figuring this shit out in the aisle>pay attention to how handlebars feel.>+1 for any bike with "shimano" on parts the chain runs through (theyre bottom end Shimano but better than changsun)>choose (1)>grab a helmet.>GRAB A HELMET.>did I mention grabbing a helmet on yoir way out?>goto checkoutIf you ride it to the cashier shouting "im a pretty, pretty princess" and post the video ill assist with adjusting all the components until this thread 404sAt your stage you wont notice the difference between a $10k carbon fiber bike that weighs 12 pounds and a Taiwanese sweatshop special that weighs in at 35 pounds.Youre just going to be figuring out gears. If you get bored youre out 150 bucks.Dont do FBMP, too much of a gamble to save 50 bucks. Some rusted out cable or seized derailer might be an easy fix but just start with fresh and avoid the headache.
>>2872420>I live in a rural area and own a caryou sound lazy aleady. Rural areas for great for mountain/dirt biking for exploration, fun, exercise. Get one that has an electric motor and some solar panels to charge it. The electric motor is just for a little boost up steep hills to get you up there so you can have more fun riding down. Some e-MTB bikes with Bosch motors are discounted 20% or more because of new competition. Since you dont ride now just get an older version being heavily discounted. You need to learn to ride, shift gears, brake properly, body position, riding shorts for your taint, and get in shape which takes some consistency (you have to change your fat ways which is the hardest part).
If you man up and get a bike be sure you wear a proper helmet.Get a bike with tires 27.5" or 29", dropper seat post. At least 11 speed but 12 better. Shimano drailuere is more popular than the off brand I got with my Ghost mtn bike (harder to find parts). My bike came with Magura MT3 brakes and they sucked (basic model and leaked and failed often in the higher altitudes). I replaced the Magura MT3 with Magura MT5 and they are great. Margua uses mineral oil for brake fluid, shinmano uses some other common oil which absorbes moisture over time, mineral oil does not, but most bike shops do not service Magura so I had to buy all the tools and fluids to do it myself. Not hard, but had to buy and learn. I started with a cheeeep Nashiki Colorado with only a front "suspension" but it was a start. I rode the shit out of it, mostly road miles because I was busy and did not know where to ride trails. I spend a few days in Mammoth Lakes and saw all the people wearing full motocross gear (except the boots) riding full suspension bikes hits jumps and taking the Gondola to the top and riding down. Watch the vids about local to you bike parks in your area to see how great it can be. I came back and immediately started looking and found a 2019 Ghost all mountain bike with full suspension and dropper post. Bought it and started riding, bougth season pass to mammoth lakes and had an awesome time, except for almost braking my neck). I needed to tone it down and practice, practice, practice and get used to the handling. I rode and race motocross for 20 years and the mtn bike does not have throttle or the mass (momentum) the mx bike does so I need to learn to adjust. But the trails, clean air were amazing.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/E-BIKE/17329407156Wait for this to come back in stock and buy this. 29 inch wheels are faster, smooth out bumps more, and give you more roll over clearance for things like rocks in the path. Boost axles are way better for easy wheel removal. Dropper post is essential for a mountain bike IMO. They also make a version of this that isn't an e-bike that comes with a better fork (airfork) for $600, but honestly it's 2026 if you're not buying an e bike it's because you're either stupid or recalcitrant.
>>2872420If you want to bike through hilly terrain get an e-bike. Many people will call me a pussy for suggesting that and I was on the same camp as them, but after biking with a normal bike upstream along the Emms river in austria I went for it. One of the best purchases of my life. Going uphill is no longer a problem and I can enjoy biking through the alps much more.
Aventon Ramblas. Electric hardtail mtn bike. 3k>and even upgrade partsyou will want to replace the front coil springs with an air suspension there's no other e-mtn bike with that big a battery for that cheap >but honestly it's 2026 if you're not buying an e bike it's because you're either stupid or recalcitrant.well they are heavy just know that when you load it on your car rack and all that
>>2874673What's it's range of that bike? I can easily do 120km with my e-bike
>>2874672Just drive a car at that point.
>>2872420Gravel bikes are a meme. Get an entry-level hardtail MTB from a respectable brand. Lots of options under/around 2k, or under 1k used. What really matters is that it's got decent geometry and that everything on it is a standard modern size so it can be upgraded, and then after that you want good name-brand components. (And don't be fooled, Shimano puts their name on some shit-tier stuff, so research what's actually decent.) My area is tough for used bikes, especially at this time of year, but I eventually found this 2018 Salsa Timberjack for $735 last month. It came with a decent dropper (critical upgrade if not stock) already installed and I've done some other small upgrades like stem and bars, pedals, seat, etc., and I've got a pretty solid bike for less than a grand.
>>2872903>you sound lazy>get an e bikeThe jokes write themselves
>>2872420Buy a used XR or All-Mountain bike. Maybe even just a hardtail. Especially with the latter, you can get banger bikes for relatively little money on the used market.Don't be afraid to look at the entry models of the reputable bike brands, either. They are well enough equipped for beginners.But my recommendation would be to buy a used hardtail of a quality brand. Doesn't matter if it's 5 years old if it has been taken care of.Source: I ride downhill on an entry level Canyon Enduro bike
When in doubt, a rigid steel 29er.(Just not a Kona Unit, that thing's a stiff dull piece of shit)The frame is more important than the parts, you can upgrade parts as they wear out, replacing the frame means you're basically moving your parts to a new bike.
>>2875921Stupid IMO. Frames are generally cheap while components are generally expensive and there's always some components that survive a fucked up frame. If a frame isn't relatively cheap you're doing something wrong and are getting ripped off.Usually the wheelset is the first thing you fuck up and the wheelset - again - is or should be more expensive than the frame and it has the most influence on the bikes characteristics. You can not really prevent using up a wheelset over time.Lastly this is all pretty much irrelevant, you got to be riding to damage anything in the first place so maybe start riding, worry later.
>>2874674To be fair I haven't tested it yet, but I got it because the range is huge compared to other entry-level front-suspension-only electric mountain bikes. I wanna say its like a 750 watt hour battery something like that and most of the others were like 400-500. I think it would be good for 40-50 mi but it realllly depends on how steep of a place you are going.
>>2874731Did it come with that sick kickstand?
>>2875987>Frames are generally cheapOnly shit ones.
>>2876008Literally what I explained:Frames are cheap. The materials and labour are cheap, hence the product is cheap.If it's not: You're doing something wrong.Either you're buying a boutique bespoke and hand made to fit frame, in which case you know very well what youre doing.Or you're falling for a brand that insists on commanding a premium for literally the same thing.On the extreme end I see new alloy frames for 25 to 50 bucks, delivered.Because frames are cheap.And you won't be able to tell the difference other than aesthetically and the fact that you'll have to put some work in reaming the ST and cleaning up the BB.
>>2876021>And you won't be able to tell the differenceYou really need to ride more bikes.
>>2876028>really need to ride more
>>2872420Personally I wouldn’t suggest a Walmart bike. Just look up Trek or Giant mountain bikes and the entry level model. Pic rel will set you back a little less that $700 but you can probably find it or an extremely similar model for cheaper if you look around. You might want to change the tires eventually when you find out what exactly suits you best but otherwise it’ll just be a basic bike that does what you’re asking about.
how are mountain bikes for bike touring or bikepacking? I want to get a bike mostly for that (and mostly off paved roads, don't want to ride along with high speed traffic too much) but I also want to try some beginner mountain biking trails in my area but I don't really want to get two bikes.
>>2876828Post your other bikes.>>2876903Again, rigid steel 29er.You can still ride it down a mountain, just not as fast as a suspension bike, but touring with a suspension fork is generally a bad idea.
>>2876906>but touring with a suspension fork is generally a bad idea.nta Why is it a bad idea? Sure it adds complexity and more repairs down the line but if you want some unpaved routes figured it'd be worth the hassle.
>>2876974Your options of mounting cargo or bottles to a suspension fork are severely limited, and the fork action saps your pedaling energy. At least that's what they say.And you don't really need suspension in a touring setting, you most likely won't be bombing down rocky singletrack. A suspension fork's main job is to keep the wheel pressed to the ground, it doesn't do a whole lot for comfort.
>>2876996>Your options of mounting cargo or bottles to a suspension fork are severely limited,Fair, I looked around since I want to use my trek marlin to do long bikepacking trips (maybe even cross the US at some point) and people mentioned old man mountain racks adapters for through-axles bikes, figured you could lock the suspension and go about your day like nothing happened.>And you don't really need suspension in a touring setting,I see, maybe I could swap out the suspension for a rigid fork? Seems like the way to go.
