What is the best mountain bike for around 200 dollars?

I am an amateur at this and my girlfriend and I know we would enjoy it. I want to get something dependable because I know I would attempt to treat it rough. I would like the different speeds and such and I am not sure if I need full suspension or only front. Plus if you could explain the different lingo that goes with shopping for a mountain bike. Thanks

For $200 you will need to buy a used bike. Nothing new at that price will handle rough service.

Basic Lingo:

Fork- Holds the front wheel and allows steering.

Frame- Structure that hold everything together into a bicycle.

Hardtail- bike with front suspension only

FS or Full Suspension- Suspension front and rear. Not necessary except for extreme conditions

Speeds- Total number of gears. Does not dictate how fast the bike will go. Multiply front gears x back gears to determine number of "speeds"; ex: 3 in front x 7 in back =21 speeds.

Grip Shift- Shifters that are actuated by "twisting".

TriggerShift (or) RapidFire- Shifters that are actuated by pushing or pulling with thumb or index finger.

Front derailleur- Changes gears on the chainrings (by the pedals). LEFT shifter is used.

Rear derailleur- Changes gears on the cassette or freewheel (on the rear wheel). RIGHT shifter is used.

Rim- Metal "hoop" that holds the tire and tube.

Spokes- Metal "wires" that hold the hub to the rim.

Hub- Center of the wheel (comprised of rim, hub, spokes, tire, and tube) that houses the axle and bearings.

Quick Release- A cam operated unit that allows fast removal of wheels (if so equipped) or adjustment of saddle height.

Cassette (or) Freewheel- group of rear gears. Primary difference is the method of attachment to the hub.

V Brake (also Linear Pull)- a type of brake that uses 2 long brake arms, attached to opposite sides of the frame/fork and connected by a cable running across the top. These are the standard brake for most all terrain bikes and many mountain bikes.

Disc Brake- a type of brake that uses a small disc attached to the hub and a caliper attached directly to the frame. Used primarily on bikes used for offroad but seeing expanding use on "Walmart" bikes intended for onroad only.

Frame size- Measurement of frame between center of bottom bracket and (usually) top of seat tube to determine standover height. Larger frame, taller rider.

Bottom bracket- Area that houses the crank and pedals.

Mountain bike (MTB)- Intended for riding offroad on varying degrees of rough terrain. Secondary use for onroad but not optimum usage. Typical price is $600 and up- as price goes up it becomes more dedicated to offroad use.

All Terrain ATB (or) Sport bike- Intended for on road or off road on smooth trails (rain ruts/small rocks/gravel). Good choice for city commuters or riders that ride on a variety of surfaces. Typical price is $250 and up.

Utility bike- Appears as an ATB or MTB but is generally under $200 and intended for occasional onroad use only, NOT for offroad. "Walmart" grade.

Shimano- Largest manufacturer of bicycle components, on about 90% of the worlds bikes regardless of price. Makes a wide range of products in different price ranges. Most bikes that specifically say something like "Shimano Equipped" tend to have the lowest grade of components.

I hope this helps... everytime I defined something it forced me to define something else!

id look for a used bike, on ebay or pinkbike or kijiji. cuz for around 200 you honestly dont get much at all new anyways. but id say go hardtail(like the other guy said, only front suspension) good luck

I like the vintage Gary Fisher frames that you can find on E-Bay or Craigslist. Tange Prestige Steel is Light and resilient and a blast to ride. I prefer hard tail (no rear suspension) in case you ever want to set up your bike as a tourer because you will ride better on pavement that way.

Depending on where you live, craigslist can have a lot of bikes for sale. (Im in CO, and there are tons of bike listings in the Denver area)
You can also check out yard sales, and bike swaps.