I'm looking to get back into mountain biking again after 15 years. I have no idea of what's good these days. I'm looking to ride off and on road but probably more on trails than the road. What would be a good mid level bike? I don't need the top of the line right now but I also don't want an entry level or bottom of the barrel cheap bike. Any suggestions?
I'd recommend any good Chromoly or Aluminium hard-tail from a reputable manufacturer. I really like the new Transition TransAm as a hard-tail. It can take suspension forks from 4" to 6" travel and really rides nicely. With that variability in the fork you can use, it really gives you a lot of room to adjust the head angle with a shorter or longer fork if you want a bike that's more slack or more snappy.
A couple other good options you might want to check out that make good all-around bikes for someone getting back into riding.....
Kona Caldera
Specialized "P" Series, All mountian
Trek 6500
Santa Cruz Chameleon
Orange Crush or Orange P7
Rocky Mountain Reaper
Good luck with your choice and happy trails.
PS- I typically wouldnt recommend going full suspension until you know what kind of riding your heart is really in. The teocalli that's Ed listed are solid bikes but pretty low-end for full suspension. You'd be much better off spending that kind of money on a hardtail and waiting for a duallie... you're riding will thank you for it too since a hardtail will force you to pick better lines than you might with a dualie. I'd say, until you're ready to drop >$2000 and know just what kind of riding you want to do, stick to hardtails...
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