What would you suggest? Biking?

Recently I've started doing some trail riding and I've been considering purchasing a new mountain bike. I have this older Trek that I ride and it has no front suspension so I pretty much get wrecked when I hit the trails on it so I often borrow one of my friends spare bikes.

now my question is:
should I buy separate parts and build my own bike? or should I buy a pre-assembled bike?

I know what I'm doing when it comes to building bikes so I'm good with that... plus one of my best friends repairs bikes for a living so I could always ask him for help. I want to know what other people think about this before I actually go out and buy a new bike. is it more cost efficient to build a bike? what would you advise as parts to start with if so. I heard Specialized frames are good and pretty lightweight, but cost a lot.

As a Trek dealer, here is what I would say...

The best solution is to get a front suspension fork (cheap Rock Shox), and put it on your old Trek, though you may not have the tools to do it, your local shop should be able to install it no problem.

If your Trek is more than 10 years old, a new fork may not be compatible, best to show your bike to a local dealer first.

In that case, get a new 3700, most shops carry them in the $300 range with front suspension included.

I know you can't get a top name brand bike in a box, if you prefer building your own bikes, I wouldn't know what mail order company to go through. What I do know from customers who bring their stuff in, is that in order to make self assembled bikes user friendly, mail order companies sacrifice alot of quality to make it easier to assemble.

Building your own bike is cost efficient if you want something comparable to a WAL-MART brand.

If you have an entire garage of spare parts it may be cheaper to build your own bike. Otherwise, it is much more cost effective to buy a complete bike than to build your own. This is because bike manufacturers buy components in volume at wholesales cost. You, on the other hand, must buy at "retail." It makes a huge difference.

You man also want to simply look for a suspension fork for you bike. You should be able to find a really good, used suspension fork for less than $200.00. A word of warning: be sure the steering tube is adequately long before you shell out money for a used fork.

Hope this helps.

If you are looking for a hobby, I think building your own bike is an excellent idea. If you want a better bike for less money, then buy something already built. The discount that major manufactures get on components is unreal. Plus, it's almost the end of biking season, so you can probably find a heavily discounted clearance model.

Build your own bike!
I am doing it now, and it is very much worth it. All you need is a local bike shop and your off. Buy a bike frame from an old model for cheap and your already off to a good start.
Then buy a Haynes Bike Manual, see what tools etc
Then go off and buy the parts for as cheap as possible(dont worry about the manufacturer, you may upgrade the parts later on).
It is well worth it as it gives you experience and hours of enjoyment.

Want any more tips?...
bluesrugby_93@hotmail.co.uk

Hope i helped!

If you want a project (and don't mind spending a few bucks), get a beater from a pawn shop and rebuild the entire bloody thing. I did that with an older Giant "Option" hybrid, and made a decent touring/commuter out of it. The only thing original besides the frame is the handlebar stem. Nashbar has good prices on parts, and Ebay's another place to find stuff dirt cheap. Only problem with getting a ready-to-ride bike is fitting it properly. I changed the threadless stem on my Moto 600HT because the reach was too long. Minor thing, though. That, and replaced the WTB saddle with a Brooks B66 Champion (that was on my touring bike). And put Avid brake levers on it. And Oury grips. I have since put 1.5s on it for street riding, since I rarely ride dirt anymore.