Rockhopper comp vs Trek 4500

i did 2 hard and demanding off road tourings on a pretty much standard Trek 3900 which is an entry Trek model and i was very pleased with the bicycle. And it also hold well the atrocious mishandling of bikes on airplanes, buses or ground transportation

Shifting was not great though, you need to constantly modulate shifting with the lever, specially on the back gears
Since 2 years when i bought it, i just now bought a new Frame and Fork in order to install mechanical disk brakes

...and it withstanded 3 robbery attempts in the city where i live !!

ride4him said:

I will be buying a new bike soon and I've narrowed it down to the Specialized Rockhopper comp disc and the Trek 4500. Both are about equal on the price very similar components. I plan on doing light off road and singletrack riding. So I'm looking for input from anyone who has ridden either one of these. Thanks

What are you currently riding?

IMO, your tire selection AND the fork will probably mean more to the way a Hardtail handles on a given trail than other factors.

The ROCKSHOX fork that both bikes seem to come with isn't the greatest fork -- is it better than the fork on your current bike?

Would you be better off simply buying a new fork and/or a new set of tires OR wheels and/or a new drivetrain?

OR, is your current frame the wrong size?

I ended up with a Specialized Rockhopper comp disc 29er. The geometry fit me very well. Now if it ever gets above freezing temps I'll take it out.