Help needed...Which Bike???

c'mon pplz 31 lookers and no replies...sheesh

REVO said:

c'mon pplz 31 lookers and no replies...sheesh

Wish I could help, all I have to say is that we seem so be looking for relatively similar bikes!

I will apolgize first because I don't have a direct answer to your question, however, I too can't believe no one has offered up an opinion on your possible bike choices. So, I will at least give you an opinion, in general, that may help out.

I am and have always been a cross country mtn biker, but have owned two Trek bikes, one Klein, and now am the proud owner of a Giant NRS Composite 2 bike. Although I ride cross country, I am still hard on my bikes (I weigh 185) and all frames have held up and performed well.

I am probably partial to Trek because they are made here in Wisconsin...the good ol' USA. However, nowadays with our high labor costs, there are more frames, parts, etc... made overseas so it really doesn't make a huge difference where it's made. I would suggest Trek or Giant, or any other bike manufacturer that offers a lifetime warranty on the frame because if you are freeriding or downhilling, that is definitely the part you will spend the most money to replace if it fails. Most bikes these days are just differentiated by the level of Shimano or SRAM components they have, wheels, suspension, etc... so go high on the componentry. That's my 2 cents worth.

Good luck & good riding!!

I'm new to mountain biking as well. If anyone could help with an opinion it would be greatly appreciated.

So I've been reading posts around the forum and noticed that many people recommend buying a used bike. I searched on Craigslist for my area and found some cheap bikes though I'm not to sure if the bikes are worth buying.

Gary Fisher Mamba - detroit.craigslist.org175007580.htmlOpen ↗
GT Aggressor - detroit.craigslist.org174086413.htmlOpen ↗
Diamondback Topanga SE - detroit.craigslist.org173416590.htmlOpen ↗

DB pics - public.fotki.comdiamondback topanga seOpen ↗

I did a Google search on all the bikes. For all three bikes, majority wise it was recommend for entry-level, but was warned to upgrade some of the parts. I think the DB is the oldest of the bikes. I think it was new in the late 1990s.

The bikes I looked at in the LBS were the Trek 3700 & 3900 and the Gary Fisher Tarpon & Advance. I asked the sales guys at the LBS how to these compare with the Specialized Hardrock or Rockhopper. He told me that their shop stopped carrying Specialized and other brands because customers were having problems with their service (from Spec & other brands) and some of the components on the bikes weren't that great.

On my next day off though, I plan to buy a bike whether it's new or used.

Thanks for any help!

Fugitive said:

I'm new to mountain biking as well. If anyone could help with an opinion it would be greatly appreciated.

So I've been reading posts around the forum and noticed that many people recommend buying a used bike. I searched on Craigslist for my area and found some cheap bikes though I'm not to sure if the bikes are worth buying.

Gary Fisher Mamba - detroit.craigslist.org175007580.htmlOpen ↗
GT Aggressor - detroit.craigslist.org174086413.htmlOpen ↗
Diamondback Topanga SE - detroit.craigslist.org173416590.htmlOpen ↗

The GT stands out as the better bike to me, but I would want to know more about the actual components than the seller has listed. What frame size, shifters, brakes, derailleurs, crankset, cassette, wheels?

Be sure to educate yourself before buying used. There are better deals out there - check Ebay.

Scotty_Dog said:

The GT stands out as the better bike to me, but I would want to know more about the actual components than the seller has listed. What frame size, shifters, brakes, derailleurs, crankset, cassette, wheels?

Be sure to educate yourself before buying used. There are better deals out there - check Ebay.

Thanks for the reply!

It has been a couple days and only the GT and DB person have replied back about their bikes. I did ask for some specifics such as size, age, condition, and components (I just said components. I wasn't very specific on that).

Both replys were extremely vague and didn't answer much. Though, I did learn that the GT is 16" which is too small for me.

I figure that I'm too new at this to be buying a used bike and it would just take to long trying to get opinions from people if I keep posting what used bikes I find (Plus it'd probably get annoying).

Since I narrowed it down to a few new bikes that I like, I guess I'll just stick with those and figure out which feels better to ride.

Again, thanks!

i would suggest
wheeler

i ride their bikes no probs and they have a very good dualy that is in your price range

hornet or falcon ranges

i own a commuter pro39

the aboves will doyou very well

no idont own a bike shop

I'm also looking to buy my first mountain bike. I started on a Hybrid, moved to a road bike & now want to add mountain biking to my repertoire. Too many good trails around here not to head out & explore. My hybrid was a Trek 7200 FX & it was great. I'm seriously considering a used Trek 4500 WSD with very little use. The guy bought for his girl & she was not into mountain biking. For a beginner hardtail, is the Trek 4500 a viable option?

Fugitive said:

Thanks for the reply!

It has been a couple days and only the GT and DB person have replied back about their bikes. I did ask for some specifics such as size, age, condition, and components (I just said components. I wasn't very specific on that).

Both replys were extremely vague and didn't answer much. Though, I did learn that the GT is 16" which is too small for me.

I figure that I'm too new at this to be buying a used bike and it would just take to long trying to get opinions from people if I keep posting what used bikes I find (Plus it'd probably get annoying).

Since I narrowed it down to a few new bikes that I like, I guess I'll just stick with those and figure out which feels better to ride.

Again, thanks!

Topsi1208 said:

I'm also looking to buy my first mountain bike. I started on a Hybrid, moved to a road bike & now want to add mountain biking to my repertoire. Too many good trails around here not to head out & explore. My hybrid was a Trek 7200 FX & it was great. I'm seriously considering a used Trek 4500 WSD with very little use. The guy bought for his girl & she was not into mountain biking. For a beginner hardtail, is the Trek 4500 a viable option?

It hasn't even been a month since I began mountain biking, but I've been hitting the trails almost every day. Mostly intermediate trails and some advance.

The bikes that I looked at were the Gary Fisher Advance & Tarpon and the Trek 3700 & 3900. The Tarpon and the 3700 were the lower end of the 4 bikes. After getting a feel for them all I ended up buying the GF Advance.

The Advance is awesome! I have no complaints about it what so ever.

I guess the point I'm getting is that the Trek 4500 is several models above the bikes I looked at and purchased. It most likely has a better frame and definitely has better components.

If you can get it for a good price and if it FITs comfortably, I say go for it. You're hooked up!

Though, since it's a used bike, unless you know a lot about bikes, maybe take someone with you that does so that the bike can get the once over for anything faulty.