A good, cheap bike.

[KGBoundy]

iHi i have about 600 dollars budgeted for a bike that doesn't absolutely suck. really anything would be better than what i have.

[AZTtripper]

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12149820

http://www.rei.com/product/837480/novara-matador-29er-bike-2013

That's just a quick search for a couple of options.

To be honest I think you would be better off trying to find something used. At that price point even a rigid single speed is hard to find new.

At least with the REI bike you have their warranty if it really sucks.

Or http://surlybikes.com/bikes/karate_monkey

Hope that helps.

Tim

[bicyclehobo]

I would say we need a little more info about what your riding needs are but I'm going to take a crack at this right now:

If you are looking for dual suspension and disc brakes I think that you need to raise your baseline price.

If you are okay with a hardtail with rim brakes and an older fork, and you know your way around a mechanic stand, and you are not in a hurry, you can get a very nice old hardtail on ebay for less than $600. I am riding a 1994 M2 Sworks outfitted in that I paid less than $800 shipped to my door. This bike retailed for approx $3k in 1994. The person who auctioned it was upfront with many photos and made himself available to answer questions. I have ridden this bicycle across the country twice.

If a hardtail works for you, and you are willing to look at bicycles manufactured before 2000 there are usually a couple of really nice Bridgestone MTB's on ebay. These are Grant Petersen designed frames [rivbike.com] and are very nice all around bicycles. Specialized made a number of 'handmade in the US' frames for their Sworks line in this time frame, and all of the Cannondale frames in this era were hand welded.

The Cannondale M800 circa 1990-92 is a really aggressive frame that I see on ebay quite often. Some of them have a 1/4" headtube that may be hard to source parts for.

I would also look in craigslist. I lived in Boulder, Co for a couple years and there were more than a few pros selling unused factory race frames every winter. Depending on where you live you can find a really good deal.

Make sure to ask a lot of questions to see if the person really 'knows' the bicycle and can accurately describe it's condition.

Good luck and tell us what you end up buying.

[KGBoundy]

Thank you both for the guidance. and To be honest, as far as bikes go I don't really know anything. my last few adventures have turned into- Strange and Grueling Travesties, in the Wild- mostly due to terrible equipment (and perhaps poor judgement). I have a couple of smaller excursions along with a large trip planned for the summer. I would like a durable  bike, a little less geared towards really nasty technical singletrack; more oriented towards really long days on jeep trails and forest roads.  a large range in gear ratio but not too many gears would be nice for simplicity's sake but it's not that important.

I hope that narrows it down. thank you in advance for any input.

[JRA]

I would always say it's worth talking to the folks at a local bike shop.  The slight extra you might pay is probably well worth it in the long run, especially when you don't know much about bikes to begin with.

But if money is really that tight, cheap deals can be found at - bikesdirect.com
Keep in mind there is NO service whatsoever and what you see is what you get - no options to change anything.

[bicyclehobo]

Ok...I'm sensing used is out, unless you stumble onto a perfect deal from someone you know and trust.

I would start looking at bike shops in the are for 2010 and 2011 year models. Chances are if it's been sitting there for a while you may get a deal.

Note that it's summer time and bike shops are moving bicycles right now. I'm in NY. During February a bike shop is not as busy as it is in June. You will be able to negotiate more in the off peak seasons depending on where you are.

Also know that most bike shops don't make their living on selling bicycles. The markup on a $600 bike is probably less than $150 [any bike shop owner/employee can feel free to correct this statement]. For that $150 they need to store the bicycle, assemble the bicycle, and then keep it clean on the sales floor where it takes up valuable real estate. Don't begrudge them for not wanting to lower their price because they aren't making too much off of it in the first place.

Accessories and service is where they make the profits.

[wahday]

You might consider the Airborne Guardian. They are mail order only and get very good marks for that price point. Airborne also apparently has top notch customer service. I do not own an Airborne bike, but I have been eyeing the Goblin for some time.

Check it out: http://www.airbornebicycles.com/category/55-cross-country-29.aspx The Guardian appears at the bottom of the list.

Also search “reviews airborne guardian” and see what you find. I feel the mtbr.com reviews are generally really helpful in terms of content. For me, I would consider a bike that has a good quality frame that you can upgrade the parts on as they wear out. I feel the rest of components on the Guardian are of reliable quality right out of the box, though.

FYI, this is 29er and I don’t know if that is what you are looking for.

[juanesunpescado]

I suggest buying a used hard tail and keeping some cash on hand for upgrades, tune up, beer, etc. the only caveat being that if you don't know a lot about bikes, you should find someone to have a look who can spot a cracked frame, or a component which will need replacement soon. Here are a few ideas from a 5 minute search of CL Helena:

Offer them 300 for this. if they take it, you have 300 left over for upgrades and other equipment. http://helena.craigslist.org/bik/3886807662.html
at your price point I would suggest a hard tail, but if you have your heart (and butt) set on full suspension, this looks OK. Again you might try a lower offer: http://helena.craigslist.org/bik/3873004287.html

Guessing CL in Missoula has a lot of bikes being a college town, and that is what, like an hour from you?

Granted I don't know what size you need so those links might not help, but my point is that given your description of your needs, there are a lot of very serviceable used bikes out there. There was a video posted here somewhere this week about a guy who rode 1000km or so through Kyrgystan on some pretty nasty roads and trails. He did it on an old Specialized Hardrock. That is one model lower than the Stumpjumper I decided was not good enough for me 5 bikes ago. Needless to say I have not done anything as epic as riding through Kyrgystan with any of my fancy bicycles.

Good luck!

[KGBoundy]

Fantastic! I Settled on a used bike through the bike shop today, Put in my two weeks notice at work, and started sewing up some saddlebags for the trip. Thank you all for the help!

[zuren]

I don't know what kind of bike you ended up with but if it was a hardtail, a Cane Creek Thudbuster seat post can take the edge off bigger bumps during long periods in the saddle.  They are pricey ($150ish new) but you could probably snag one off Ebay for much less.  There is a possibility of transferring it to a new bike in the future as well.

http://www.canecreek.com/products/seatposts

[FatCloud]

Fantastic! I Settled on a used bike through the bike shop today, Put in my two weeks notice at work, and started sewing up some saddlebags for the trip. Thank you all for the help!

If this were facebook, I'd like this post. Radical.

[bicyclehobo]

Agreed Fatcloud!! Anytime I hear the term 'putting in notice' I get all itchy.

[bicyclehobo]

Fantastic! I Settled on a used bike through the bike shop today, Put in my two weeks notice at work, and started sewing up some saddlebags for the trip. Thank you all for the help!

What did you get?

[RossC]

If this were facebook, I'd like this post. Radical.

Yep, it made me smile on a monday morning.

OP: Take lots of photos and report back so we can all live the dream too!

[KGBoundy]

Got a hardtail 29er Giant. It's a beautiful machine. Leaving on the Fifteenth and there will be a trip report when i get back come september; heavy on the pictures. This giddy anticipation is really fun!

[tws21975]

Agreed Fatcloud!! Anytime I hear the term 'putting in notice' I get all itchy.

Same here. Looking forward to pics and stories from the OP's adventure!

[chrisx]

A brand new $600 bike is a piece  a ..
A fixer upper is the best cheap bike.  They made some good solid bikes in the 90s.  Parts are cheap for the "old beast" as well.  11 speed cassette $400, 10 $100, 9 $80, 8 $30, 7 $20, freewheel $14.

If your not afraid to get a little grease on your hands, you can ride a bike for under a $100
Bike coops exist to help people rejuvenate old bikes.
http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organizations&Itemid=100015
Example:
$40  -  97 moongoose from value village
$5    -  used stem
$28   -  Ergon gp5 grips from REI garage sale
$7     -  break cables
$5     -  used seat from bike coop