So I have a road bike at home (actually it's a touring bike, but whatever). I've just gotten back to riding and gone on a few paved trails up here in New England. The problem is there are plenty of trails that are either ballast, gravel, dirt, grass, etc. I'm afraid of taking my bike on this since there's a greater risk of a bent rim which would be a needless expense in my mind.

I was thinking of picking up a cheap Mountain Bike just go go on these trails. The trails are fairly level and flat so it's not like the added weight of a cheap mountain bike is really that big of a deal. If anything, it's a better workout trucking my fat butt on a heavier frame. All I really want is something that can hold up better on these surfaces for a lower price than it would to fix the occasional bent rim or popped innertube. In addition it can serve as a good tinker bike for me to pick up on certain repair nuances like spoke tightening.

Any thoughts on this? Is this a wise thing to do? Or is there something I'm not thinking about here?

Also I noticed that most women's mountain bikes are really cheap (like under $100 for lower end brands, I picked my wife up one for $15 which was in pretty decent shape). But the men's bikes are all up above $150 on craigslist. What's the reason for this? I hate to go out and buy a new one at a big box store, but those are at least selling for between $65 and $90 dollars. What am I missing here? Yard sales are another option too, but I don't know what to expect there. I was thinking of just bringing $50-$70 with me and seeing if I can barter it down to that price.

I'm not all that on top of mountain biking, but I'll try to help you.

I have a mountain bike that I got years ago - probably middle of the road in regards to terrain. I think it's built for intermediate terrain. In all that time, I've never had a problem with it on trails that you describe and on some stuff that's been a bit rougher.

From what you're describing, it sounds like you'll be on bike trails that are basically graded bike paths but aren't paved. I would think that an entry level mountain bike would be fine for that - you wouldn't need anything that was overly specialized. The most important thing is to have a bike with larger tires so that you avoid that bent rim and just have better handling on the rougher terrain.

Jeff

Right. I just need something with decent tread so I can get a grip on the surface, gravel especially. I don't know if I even need any shocks because my wheels should theoretically never leave the ground. I'm just thinking if I take my touring bike, I'll likely bend one rim every year and I'd fall off constantly because of stability. I mean, it's not like I'm going to Vermont to scale the mountain ranges there. Besides, I have two small kids and last thing I need to do is to be in a sling for a month because I wiped out on a mountain trail.

The other thing is I'm wondering why I can get a decent low end women's mountain bike for $15-$35 off craigslist yet the same men's bikes are often over $100? I might have to do some yard saling this weekend.

I'd doubt you would need the shocks - my bike doesn't have them and even when I've used them on rougher terrain, it hasn't been so bad. On the smoother stuff you're talking about - you'll never miss them.

I don't understand the difference in prices between men's and women's bikes - seems that they are pretty much the same except for a few design elements.