Quote Originally Posted by IntenseRide View Post
Just a thought...its not the suspension that will enable you to ride well enough, but the geometry of the bike. My first ever bike was a hybrid/comfort bike that made it nearly impossible to climb with. And I'm talking about any dirt climb what-so-ever. Hybrid/comfort bikes are meant for flat grade or reclaimed railroad tracks and riding around town. Ride your bike, but realize that climbing 'up' something that proves so difficult, is not your inability to do so, but the way the bike is built, in a way that makes it very hard to lean forward and grind up a dirt hill.

But my motto is...always to have fun and enjoy the joy-joy .
The bike I have is an old Schwinn High plains mtn bike. It does have the geometry of a mtn bike, not a hybrid/comfort bike. It is just that it is a rigid frame so the ride might be a little (understatement) rough.
All the reviews I read on the old high plains were good, they are tough little bikes and people are still riding them.

the reviews I read on the Tarpon were they fall apart when they hit something rough. So I am going to hold out and look around once I decide if this is something I want to pursue.

So I can start looking :P any recommendations for a good solid entry level mtn bike probably in the $5-700 range (I will not be jumping off any "cliffs" with it)