Mountain bike help

Hey guys, long story short, i'm buying a new bike.

been looking at this one:

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=336&parentid=253

but a very good friend of mine who's experienced in this sort of thing says that I should look at a bike with v-brakes instead of discs and better components. In his words some of the components (shocks, crank, derailleurs) are bottom line products that won't last 2 seconds off-road.

Now, I'm very keen to get a Kona bike cos i hear they have very strong frames, so any other suggestions? I'm looking for a hard tail bike around that price range that I can ride to uni and take out on the paths on the weekends.

So what should I do?

Check out the name brand "specialized" i think that how you spell it?

As for disc or regular brakes, disc will stop in water, mudd and basically anything that comes when you go off road. Yes the V brakes will stop but not as quickly as the disc brake.

Bike riding is just like a stereo system, what are you will to spend. My friend is looking a just rims (no tires) that are $800 for both. Another freind just spent $1700 on just a road bike frame.

I have the Diamond Back Topanga COMP. Disc brakes, modified de-railer's(SP) and i love the bike.

Just depends on how much your willing to spend :2cents: :2cents:

*EDIT* Here is a link to the bike my friend has
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=06Hardrock

"specailized" bikes are great. I like "Mongoose" also. Mongoose has disc brakes on some of their bikes. They probably have some bikes that'll take more of a beating ig thats what you're looking for. http://www.mongoose.com

I'm yet to find a Specialized dealer in NZ. Mongoose are nice, but they're waaaaaaaay to expensive for me. I'm looking to spend about $900NZ tops.

Another option I've found is the Kona Blast

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=334&parentid=253

Which is right at the limit of my budget...I'm only going to have $1000, and I still need to buy a helmet, lights etc etc...

I'll talk to them though and see if they'll pull the discs for v-brakes and instead upgrade the derailleurs. What are Marzocchi forks like?

I heard "Giant's" are great. I really don't know that much about mountain biking but I have a Mongoose and it's great. I have V-brakes which aren't horrible. Is a hard-tail bike one that doesn't have a rear shock absorber? I would think rear and front shock absorbers are good for mountain biking...

Yeah, but rear's are average for street riding. I've got to ride this bike to uni and shit as well.

Not keen to buy a giant.

the two bikes you've mention both definitely need upgraded components. The components on those bikes you're looking at are basically the crap they throw on K-Mart Huffy bikes. I would definitely upgrade to Shimano LX instead of that Acera whatever the heck is on the bike now.
The only advantage that V-Brakes have over disc is price. V-Brakes have become pretty much obsolete in mountain biking, but i guess if you had to downgrade to v-brakes in order to have the money to upgrade some of the components then it would be worth it. it sounds like you won't especially need the more powerful disc brakes for what you'll be using the bike for.
also, i agree that you don't need full suspension. they're heavier, more expensive and not as efficient and hard tail bikes for street riding, and since you're going to be doing a lot of onroad riding, hard tail is the way to go.

i don't see what's wrong with v-brakes...the higher quality ones do the job. i mean yeah they're obviousley not as good as discs but when you're a beginner and on a limited budget, discs are something you can cut to save money without really cutting THAT much in performance. i'm going to upgrade to discs eventually but it'll probably be one of the last things i'll do, as my v's work just fine for now.

i have a 2001 Trek 6000 hard-tail. the components are so-so, LX derailleurs, Acera crank-arms and gears, Bontrager rims and tires, Icon aluminum handlebars. but the frame is aluminum and it's ridiculously light, the whole bike (21" frame) with components and all, only weighs about 25lbs, so it's a good starting frame to build up. right now i'm running just about the shittiest shocks ever, RockShox Jett T2. they only have like 70mm of travel...fucking pitiful. but this summer i'm hoping to step up to a set of Marzocchi Bombers, RockShox Sid, or Manitou's. for now the rest of the components will get the job done. i don't compete, and i only ride for fun, so i don't really see myself needing to upgrade unless something breaks.

good luck buddy!

my roomate last year was big on biking, i forgot what he had, but i know it set him back $3,000. The bike's i had were $50 toys-r-us bikes, lol.

Got an article on the top 50 bikes in front of me. I take it you want mountain bikes only?

Kona Cinder Cone (£599)
Scott Genius RC20 (£2,799)
Specialized Hardrock Sport (£299)
Marin Bobcat Tail (£459)
Trek 3900 (£270)
Cannondale F600 (£1,100)
Mongoose Fireball (£400)
Trek Fuel 70 (£750)

I'd personally go for a hybrid.

Unfortunately, Mongoose are now owned by a corporate giant that don't give two hoots about the high quality the Mongoose name used to be associated with.

Dave, if you want, drop me a PM about this, I used to work in a bike shop up until last year so can help you answer a lot of questions.

As for V-brakes vs. Disk brakes....depends on many factors.
My FS bike has Hayes disks, unbeatable for stopping power, my hardtail has Avid Mag V-brakes, equally unbeatable but I know how to set up V's well.
Mechanical disk vs. hydraulic disk is another question ~ mechanical are single push style pistons normally (one piston is static and the moving piston pushes the disk over to clamp the disk when braking), hydraulic are self adjusting mostly and if you look after the bike, often only need pad replacement and a yearly bleed. Mechanical on the other hand want constant tweaking to keep them running smooth.
If you're looking at mechanical disk vs. V-brake, I'll advise a decent set of V-brakes!

A major overlooked component is rims, often forgotten but also critical!
Decent rims can make all the difference if you're going off road, you don't want to be truing rims every week.

Kona are a solid brand with good bikes, if you're planning on spending money once and never again, spend the absolute max you can. If you're planning on upgrading, look for a lower model which shares frame with a higher model (all companies do this, most of Trek's midrange have the same frame!) and plan on spending money later.

BTW, have you looked at Trek?

My xc bike had rim brakes on it, the front now has a hydraulic disc on it, also an air fork. Alot of what you put on the bike depends on what kind of riding you do. On my freeride bike I did shimano lx components, they are heavy but almost indestructable. Why spend 4 times the price for something that will bend or break the first time you fall on it? I agree with freakray, look at bikes that share frames, make sure the wheelset is setup for disc, that way if you want to upgrade the brakes later its one less thing you have to worry about. When I changed the front brakes on my xc bike, I had to change the front hub, and lacing wheels sucks. Just my :2cents:

Worry about having a good frame and good wheels. Nothing else matters. V brakes are just as good as discs so long as they don't get wet - derailleurs, don't even worry about them until they break, then upgrade.
People spend too much on the ancillaries when they should be spending it on the basics. Just worry about getting a good frame, because that's what you're going to be sticking with, wheels come in second in importance, and the rest is for when you have extra time and money. Or so my opinion goes.

Hah, jay : Funny shit, after looking at prices (and realising I get a 10% discount at the shop I was gonna go to) I've settled on the Cinder Cone. After discount it's the same price as the Blast.

I prefer the Blast's colour though but eh, I can deal.

Wheeeee :D