Things You'll Need:
- Biking shorts
- Biking jersey
- Mountain bike shoes
- Socks
- Bike shop
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Step 1
Determine your budget. Mountain bikes come a variety of materials including aluminum, carbon fiber, chrome molybdenum (a steel alloy), titanium and even bamboo. Aluminum is the most durable of the three materials, along with being affordable. Mountain bike prices can range from around $700 for a basic aluminum frame model to thousands of dollars for a top of the line carbon frame bike.
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Step 2
Determine the type of bike you want to purchase. Mountain bikes come in hard tail or full suspension models. Hard tail models are more versatile, in addition to riding it on the trails, you can place a set of slick tires on a hard tail bike and use it for occasional road riding. Full suspension mountains bikes are the way to go if you plan on riding on a lot of technical, single track trails, filled with log overs, tree roots, rocks and other obstacles.
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Step 3
Decide what brand of mountain bike you are most interested in. Bike manufacturers, such as Trek, Cannondale, Bianchi and Felt make a variety of mountain bike models to choose from.
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Step 4
Visit each bike manufacturers website to find local bike stores in your area that carry the brand of bike you are interested in.
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Step 5
Get a bike fit. Fitting a mountain bike isn't as precise as fitting a road bike. Many mountain bike frames come in small, medium, large and extra large. The employees at the bike store can help determine which size is appropriate for you.
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Step 6
Order your bike. You may get lucky and find that the bike store has the exact brand and size of bike you want in stock. Otherwise, the bike shop will call their manufacturers representative to see if they can find an already built bike that can be sent to the bike shop. Or the bike shop may have to place an order through the manufacturers representative to have the bike built for you. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to get a special order bike in stock.
