So I’m road/track cycling vet but want to get into MTB after riding some gravel recently. I’m a big guy (6’3” 225lbs) so 19” is the smallest I can go I think. Recently I received a company gift card for $600 and want to throw it at a mountain bike. Problem is the card is only good for specific outlets and the only ones that have anything decent are Amazon or Walmart (if the FS.3 ever gets restocked). I’m just a beginner so I’m not interested in buying it forever bike just yet, I figure I get my feet wet and then figure out what I want. That all being said I see a couple options by SAVA (hard tail https://a.co/d/03ua0s4 or full squish https://a.co/d/anbpA9a ) on Amazon that look legit and there are the Ozark bikes on Walmart that seem to be decent with a few upgrades after buying. What are your thoughts? How would you go about using $600 towards a MTB on Amazon without breaking the bank (budget is about $1k + $600 gc) and should I look at a hard tail or full squish? 29” only or is 27.5” still useful at my size in its own right? This is my first foray into MTB riding so i thought I’d ask for some advice before diving in, all thoughts and recos are appreciated.
by rootaford