You want an ebike, trust me. Get the kind that makes you work it will help on those steep hills. you will love it and you will still get a work out
Member I
I recommend that you rent a few before you make a decision and go ride on terrain that you typically want to ride. Some bike shops will credit you the rental fees you paid to them towards the purchase of a bike. You could rent two different types of bikes for you and your wife to test ride and take turns on them. Repeat as needed with different types of bikes. This essentially makes the renting free while educating yourself about what you like to ride out in the real world.I plan on buying 2 mountain bikes (1 for my wife).
But unsure of where to start, and how much to spend.
My budget for the 2 bikes would be about $1000.
I'm not even sure if mountain bikes are what we want, mostly it would ridden on the beach paths, but also dirt and some trails.
We have a ton of bike paths/trails here (southern ca).
Member III
That's a great idea!I recommend that you rent a few before you make a decision and go ride on terrain that you typically want to ride. Some bike shops will credit you the rental fees you paid to them towards the purchase of a bike. You could rent two different types of bikes for you and your wife to test ride and take turns on them. Repeat as needed with different types of bikes. This essentially makes the renting free while educating yourself about what you like to ride out in the real world.
Enthusiast III
Don't buy Walmart bikes or anything like that......nevermind, there is an Ozark Trail bike that is a great staring bike, Just remembered. Seth (berm peak on youtube) has one. He bought the bike, and showed an upgrade path that was very interesting. The other thing you can do is buy 2 GT models at dick's sporting goods and get a reliable bike to start on. I have my wife and son GT's. I am upgrading them with a 1x drivetrain, hydraulic brakes and some lighter parts as time goes on. But the frame will be a great starting point to upgrade as you go.I plan on buying 2 mountain bikes (1 for my wife).
But unsure of where to start, and how much to spend.
My budget for the 2 bikes would be about $1000.
I'm not even sure if mountain bikes are what we want, mostly it would ridden on the beach paths, but also dirt and some trails.
We have a ton of bike paths/trails here (southern ca).
That's a great idea!
Member I
To heap even more options onto your dilemma see gravel bikes. They are kinda a middle point between mountain and road bikes.Those are cool. I'm having trouble deciding if I really want a mountain bike, but I also want a road bike. Ugh. You're giving me too much to think about.
Enthusiast III
Yes. 100 percent. I worked at one said big box store in Canada here as a bike technician, the ones who did the job before me did it poorly. I had to fix about 20 to 30 bikes because of incorrectly installed parts. They had a decently equipped pro shop, but the employees were not decently equipped.YT and Canyon are direct to consumer brands that offer high quality bikes and free demo's, and they are in your area:
YT Industries | Mountain Bikes | Live Uncaged
Young Talent is what YT stands for. Our direct sales approach maximizes your budget, bringing your dream Enduro, Trail, or Downhill bike closer than ever.us.yt-industries.com![]()
The YT MILL, San Clemente · 211 Calle Pintoresco Suite A, San Clemente, CA 92672
★★★★★ · Bicycle wholesalermaps.app.goo.gl
World-Class Road, Gravel, & Mountain Bikes | CANYON US
Shop the full range of carbon and aluminum road bikes, mountain bikes, triathlon bikes, e-bikes & more. Buy manufacturer-direct and have shipped to your home.www.canyon.com
![]()
Canyon Bicycles USA · 5600 Avenida Encinas STE 180, Carlsbad, CA 92008
★★★★★ · Bicycle Shopmaps.app.goo.gl
If you buy a bike from Walmart or any big box store, take the bike to a bike shop to have it inspected; I've known a few people that got incorrectly assembled bikes that let to part failures that could have been dangerous.
Enthusiast III
I love your two bikes, the wife's bike is awesome! what is it?
It's a Taiwanese brand...Kinesis. Purchased the frame and built it up from there...some secondhand stuff but groupset and wheels new.I love your two bikes, the wife's bike is awesome! what is it?
Traveler III
That looks wonderful! I'm in WV, Maryland, SE Ohio and PA making the rounds for 10 days of riding different trail systems. I'll post some pics when I'm home, but I'm not a big picture taker so we'll see what I haveNot much going on with this thread but I will try and revive ;-)
On a half year tour of western China. Currently in Fujian Province, heading up to Shanghai. White Flower Tea being grown everywhere and has been for a very long time. Beautiful quiet roads amongst some pretty spectacular scenery!
View attachment 293174View attachment 293175View attachment 293176View attachment 293177
Wow...nice part of the country. Do you use Strava to help find your routes and whatnot? We use it over here and is quite helpful. Plus my wife is a total segment nut...always hunting QOM's.That looks wonderful! I'm in WV, Maryland, SE Ohio and PA making the rounds for 10 days of riding different trail systems. I'll post some pics when I'm home, but I'm not a big picture taker so we'll see what I have
Traveler III
No, I usually use trailforks for trail hunting and then do some research on the trail org website or similar to get more info unless I have a trail system already in mind. Last year we went to NW Arkansas to ride the extensive trails there and stopped in Brown County Indiana on the way there to ride their great trail system. The year before was Utah with a few days in the north near Park City and then a few in the south near Moab and Hurricane. Next year my buddy wants to do a trans alps bike packing ride from Füssen Germany to Lago Di Garda, but we'll see if that's in the cards.Wow...nice part of the country. Do you use Strava to help find your routes and whatnot? We use it over here and is quite helpful. Plus my wife is a total segment nut...always hunting QOM's.That looks wonderful! I'm in WV, Maryland, SE Ohio and PA making the rounds for 10 days of riding different trail systems. I'll post some pics when I'm home, but I'm not a big picture taker so we'll see what I have