Quote:
Originally Posted by r-ice
Im in the same market right now too, am looking at iron horse but hard to find ..
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Norco is a good make in Canada. And I love my Rocky Mountain Slayer, but that is in the $2000 price range.
Really until you get over $1000, there is not going to be much difference in most brands. 95% of the of the bikes are built on a basic 6061 robot welded Taiwanese hardtail frame or a full suspension bike that is nothing to write home about.
There is going to be little difference between a a bike like a Trek and a cheaper brand. From my experience in shops, Ironhorse, Marin, and Fuji are good out of the box with a decent quality wheel. I have seen Fuji and Jamis come in with wheels that needed tweaking more often, but at a good shop this should not be an issue.
Also under $500, look for something used. You will probably find several people who bought an $800 MTB that has been converted to a Coat Rack. You can probably take it off their hands for a few hundred.