Low end mountain bikes.....

[xeney]

My husband thought my wheels and also my tires might be a big chunk of the weight -- he's going to swap our wheels on the next ride to see if I can feel a difference. He is very excited that I had fun yesterday so I think I might be getting mountain bike components for Christmas. Awesome.

Steel: his mountain bike is a relatively ancient steel Bianchi that he is never tempted to replace because it is so much lighter than, for instance, my bike. It was pretty low-end, I think, when he bought it ten years ago, but he just keeps upgrading it and I sure couldn't find anything as nice that I could afford when I was looking. (He offered to build up this frame for me but it doesn't come in my size.)

Thanks for the feedback ... I think what I will do is keep riding this one for the next couple of months and get a better feel for what I would like to upgrade/replace, and if it seems like what I want to upgrade and replace immediately is going to be in the $500 range, then I will buy a new bike. Because at least around here, a used/excellent condition Rockhopper can be sold for almost what you paid for it.

[southtxrider]

I will look at that Specialized. Nice price range I guess I keep trying to go toward the WSD b/c the only bikes I've climbed on that felt "right" were WSD (Specialized and Trek) I have a short torso and long legs.

The shop I bought my bike from is www.bikeworld.com They did not try to push me towards stuff I didn't need in fact going so far as to tell me NOT to buy a few things I had picked out. So they have scored well with me. They spent over 3 hours with me yesterday getting the bike that fit me right and all the adjustments. So I will prob go back there and look at the Trek MB's again. They had adorable kids bikes too which I am contemplating

Thanks again for the advice!

[xeney]

Well, here is a vote in favor of the low-end Specialized if it fits you: yesterday I went to a bike shop to get an idea of how much I would have to spend on a new bike in order to see a significant weight difference. And if I stick with Specialized, I'm going to have to jump up several price points, it looks like. The $800 Rockhopper is just as heavy as the $500 Rockhopper and the $1100 Rockhopper is only slightly lighter, and I am not sure that wasn't my imagination and the fact that they only had it in a very small size. And the $1400 base level Stumpjumper was also pretty heavy. On the other end of the scale, the Hardrocks aren't dramatically heavier than the Rockhoppers. In the 2005's, the frames on all three bikes are really very similar, although the current models are a bit different.

I could probably get about $300 for my bike but I could also do a whole lot of upgrading for that price differential. So I think I am going to keep it, since the frame is a really good fit -- Treks were a bit lighter in this price range but didn't feel as good to me -- and just plan on upgrading a little every year as I feel like I need to.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice.

[uforgot]

Well, here is a vote in favor of the low-end Specialized if it fits you:
So I think I am going to keep it, since the frame is a really good fit -- Treks were a bit lighter in this price range but didn't feel as good to me -- and just plan on upgrading a little every year as I feel like I need to.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice.

Do you have the women's Rockhopper? I test rode those and the Treks. The fit on the Rockhopper (and Hardrock) was perfect! After that I didn't even give the Treks a second glance. I tested the 2006, didn't care for the Burgundy or the matte Hardrock, but this year, I love the colors!

One of these days I'm gonna have one, I just can't justify it right now when I have a perfectly good Gary Fisher. Even though I'm a tad stretched on it, it doesn't seem to matter as much to me on a mountain bike like it does my road bike.

[xeney]

The bike shop didn't have a women's Rockhopper in stock for me to try, but the men's 15" was a great fit.

[Kitsune06]

My 'hopper is 16". I'm not sure how much she weighs, though, just the frame and wheelset. Outfitted for commuting and errands, though, she's a little heavy.

For road bikes, I vote also that "Steel is Real" just having read the various facts and testimonials from ladies here. On Mtn bikes, though, I'm not so sure. I'm sure it depends... I like my aluminum bike, though. I'm not sure if the thickness of modern mtb designs is out of necessity for strength, enabled by lighter materials (double butted aluminum) or simply for visual appeal "It's thicker so it must be stronger"... likewise enabled by lighter materials. *shrug*