Made a helpful bike comparison spreadsheet template for those who like to help people find their first bike (or for yourself)

Lately a few of my friends have asked for help deciding on a first real (budget) mountain bike. To make the comparison and decision process easier for both them and I, I decided to make this spreadsheet template that automatically rates the options for you.

All you have to do is:

• Fill in the few things at the top of column A (desired wheel size, desired max travel distance, preferred max price, etc.)
• Fill in columns C through R (stuff like price, wheel size, component rating, geometry rating, driving distance, etc.)
• Set the "importance" (how much you care) rating for each category

The final ratings will adjust automatically when changing these three things. Any cell used in the final rating will have it's background color updated automatically (worse=more red, better=more green) when you update it's value. Read the little "usage guide" in column A for full instructions.

One important thing to remember is to enter "0" or "1" for the two yes or no questions, not "No" or "Yes". It'll change to "Yes" or "No" on it's own after you finish changing the cell.

I included an example bike so you can see what it should look like. Make sure to overwrite this with your first option.

Here are the files for anyone who thinks they might want to use it in the future:

• .xlsx file (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets)
• .ods file (LibreOffice Calc)
• Link to folder containing both (if you're having problems with the download links)

Let me know what you think and if there's anything I should change. Just know that it's meant more for people just getting into MTB, since there's no specific geometry inputs, specific component ratings, etc.