How To Choose a Mountain Bike

Choosing a mountain bike that's right for you is easier than learning how to ride it. Keep these tips in mind when shopping for a mountain bike and you won't fall off.

1. Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike. Are you a novice rider who simply wants to cruise the great outdoors on the weekends, weather permitting? Do you intend to test yourself on the gnarliest backwoods single-track trails, every day, rain or shine? Or are you going to use your new mountain bike to ride to and from school or work? For every type of riding, there is a mountain bike made to do it. Be honest about your intentions, and you're more than half way toward choosing the right mountain bike for you.
2. Determine how much you are willing to spend on your new mountain bike. Unlike so many other products, the quality of a mountain bike is in line with its price. You will get what you pay for. New mountain bikes can range in price from a few hundred dollars for the most basic models, to many thousands for high performance machines. In terms of quality, brands are irrelevant—a $500 Brand X mountain bike is essentially the same as a $500 Brand Y bike. If you are clear about how you intend to use your new mountain bike, then your price range naturally narrows.
3. Visit your local bike shops. Any good bike shop will stock a wide range of quality mountain bikes in all price points and sizes. Your local bike shops will carry more than one brand of bicycle. And these shops are staffed by people from your community who know and love bicycles. Not only will they sell you a mountain bike that suits your needs and fits your body, but they will service what they sell. Visit at least a few shops. You'll get a feel for the ones suit you right away.
4. Forget the big box stores. Quite simply, the mountain bikes carried by big box stores aren't worth your time or money. In terms of quality, the highest-end mountain bike at a big box store is below the entry-level mountain bike at your local bike shops. In terms of price, an entry-level mountain bike at your local bike shop costs about the same as the highest-end mountain bike at a big box store. Go to a big box store, and you'll pay more for less. As for service? Forget it.
5. Don't be bashful. Tell your salesperson how you intend to use your new mountain bike, and how much you are willing to spend. Your salesperson will show you a selection of models and brands accordingly. He or she will also help you determine the right size of mountain bike for you. Mountain bikes come in a dizzying array of brands, sizes and styles, and your salesperson will cut through the tangle for you.
6. Take a test ride. All good bike shops let customers take test rides. There's a good reason for this beyond "try-before-you-buy" salesmanship. Since you already know your price range, and since your salesperson has already helped you find the right size, you now have to deterimne which brand rides the best to you. They want you to be happy with your purchase. They want you to ride your new mountain bike. So ride them. From more than one bike shop. One brand will feel too upright to you. Another will feel too long. Another too short. And finally, after only a few test rides (or many), the right mountain bike will choose you