Hey guys, I'm looking for a cheap starter mountain bike, but don't want a piece of crap. I found a 2001 Cannondale Terra for $150 and it looks to be in pretty good shape. Only thing is I'm 5'10" and think it might be too small for me. Any ideas?

DJ

what size is the bike?

What size is the C-Dale?

2001 is pretty old in MTB age. There have been lots of improvements over the past 8 years (ask me how I know...I paid $150 for a Stumpjumper and wound up dissapointed I couldn't upgrade some parts).

Haha, sorry, the bike is 17" I don't have alot to work with, maybe $200-$300 at max for now, but still want to get something good.

If your 5' 10" that bike may be ok for you. Do a thread search, we have sizing formulas in here somewhere. I do agree though that 2001 is pretty old and you may have trouble with parts.

What's your inseam? I'm 5'9", 30 inseam and 18" is pretty good for me. I find it depends on the bike too.

I disagree about being too old though. I have an older stumpjumper that I love. I bought all my bikes used and see only a few major breakthroughs on the newer bikes. I can't justify spending the money for upgrades either.

I've bought motorcycles for much less than some of the bikes on this board. I don't ride enough or am easy enough on my bike to not need bicycles that expensive.

You can buy cars for less than some of the bikes on this board. Yeah sometimes a decent old bike will do the trick. If you think you might want to upgrade or progress in the sport then think ahead, and buy a newer bike. If not, then an older bike will save you some coin.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm really not sure how deep I want to get into it yet. I'd like to start off with a bike I can start on and go from there. That's why I have a lower budget. If I really like it, I'll just go out and buy a newer bike when I decide. Anybody know of somebody selling a decent used MTB?

I'm rocking a Stumpjumper frame from 1995 :P You can buy new parts over time as your budget allows if need be.

It's probably a 2002. Can't seem to find any information on the Terra before that point. But folks on MTBR speak pretty highly towards that bike. You might not be able to mount disks, but otherwise it's a basic AL hardtail with entry level Shimanos. Should be fine.

if you can sit on the bike, butt on the seat, I was always told that the balls of your feet should meet the ground for frame/seat height sizing

as for the viability of the bike like other said it depend on your plans for the future, if you are going to get into offroading more heavily saving a little more adn waiting might be a good idea if you want a mtn bike for its seating position and generally all around usability that might include of dirt then this should be good

I'm 5'10", 30" inseam, I've always fit well on Medium Cannondales, 17.5".

Mountain bike fit is basicly personal preferrance. Somthing to remember is that you can always make a bike bigger (seatposts with setback, longer stems, etc.), but you can't as easily make them smaller.

Also, buy the most bike you can afford, starting on a cheap bike may become frustrating because of inconsistent performance and mechanical breakdowns. Some cheap bikes can't even hold a proper adjustment very long, if at all. This may turn you off to the sport, which would be a shame.

I found a great internet article on sizing for you do it yourselfer's. Thought I'd share.

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/fit-bike.htm