Which mountain bike should i buy?

[L3raven]

AVANTI RIDGE RIDER!!!! i do round 40 k a day on mine includin 1 of the most hard core down hill course's in aust so far the only thing ive had to upgrade was the pedals to fully sealed n a bottle holder. good price over all nearly as good as my carbon trek but there are certain things 2 look at as 2 what type of ridin u'll be doin a big plus to the ridge n other mid to top range bikes are the forks they lock out to become solid for road ridin then click off road set up..

[robracer]

Cool Buy with the GT man. I have an 05 Giant AC & its a great all rounder ... i've got a better shock on it & buzz saw rotors just to be different.... hey check out http://forums.farkin.net its a beaut site, no matter what type of riding you do

[Damon Z1000]

Go GT matey, I got an Avalanche 1.0 custom and it is the ducks nuts.

Keep your eye on Ebay for somebody elses machine with all the upgrades on, it's like motorbikes people buy all the go faster goodies but really can't use them to their full capabilities and get bored, sell it on and lose out big time on all the goodies.

I picked up my Gt with full XTR upgades, an $800 set of rims, Xt discs calipers and lever etc etc and had change out of $1000.

Estimated build cost around $3500- $4000

Never buy brand new, go for a high quality second hand that has been looked after, more for your money.

My 2c anyway.

[Gosling1]

.....Never buy brand new, go for a high quality second hand that has been looked after.......

Great advice when selecting a bride as well !!!

[Damon Z1000]

Gos, always better to get one thats been ridden hard and doesn't make you saddle sore

[sanarota]

What kind of Mountain Bike should I buy? It has been at least 15 years since I sat on a bike, and I am very out of shape. I would like to ride on the street, but would also like to enjoy the great Mountain Biking trails that AZ has to over. I am not looking to spend more than $400.00. I am 5' 11". What kind of bike would you recommend? What size bike would you recommend. Is there anything else I should know? I am quite clueless.

[MrStompy]

my GT has been great.
i put "road" tyres on it though as most of my riding is on the street.
if i ever plan on doing any extended off road stuff i would just refit the original offroad tyres.

i reckon you would be able to pick up a pretty decent bike for $400 these days.