so let me tell my story
2 or 3 weeks ago i tried mountain biking for the first time on my friends sisters walmart bike at sme..and i had a blast. i didnt have much to spend on a bike, and picked up a fairly rusty 2001 GT saddleback off craigslist. i stripped it down to the frame, cleaned out everything (including regreasing the bearings...i mean everything) and got it in decent riding condition. and with its 1000 lb steel frame i was ready to ride. someone on here (i cant remember his name) hooked me up with a real cheap clipless setup and thats been awesome
now for the not awesome...this bike was not at all made for the abuse im putting it through. some of you may have seen me around jordan trying to bang out bent parts with rocks (bright green helmet, you cant miss me). anyways i currently have a bent rim, bent axle, and am running no front derailer because thats bent. my haandlebars are bent and yesterday my stem spun around but thats just a loose bolt. im only 130 lbs, im a tiny guy, so i cant believe that its my fault that all these parts are going to crap.
so ive decided by the time i pour money into replacement parts, im better off buying a used bike thats actually meant to be used on trails. Im not saying i have 500$ to spend, but i can spend more than my original $60 for the saddleback. anyone got anything lying around they want to get rid of? it can even have small problems, im getting pretty handy with bike repairs at this point.
oh id probably need a small frame, im only 5'8" and 120 lbs.