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      01-18-2016, 09:15 PM   #1
hau_nguyen91
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Mountain Bikes?

I am deciding to upgrade from a $300 Wal-Mart bikes to below:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...lin-7/p/519059

Anyone got any recommendation? I am doing trails.

5'8 @ 165 lbs.
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      01-18-2016, 09:26 PM   #2
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Switching from a $300 Walmart bike I'm sure you'll be happy with this one if you get it. Treks tend to run high in price for what you get. Maybe cross shop for a similar bike (front suspension, aluminum frame, 29er) to see if you can get something at a similar price point with better components (shifters, brakes, etc). That's where this bike is saving $. This time of the year you can sometimes find last year's model at a significant discount.
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      01-18-2016, 09:38 PM   #3
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If your trails are smooth and/or relatively flat get 29" if twisty and steep go 27.5 or 26". I love 26" wheels and would always choose them. Hydraulic disc brakes fade less than cable disc but cost more. I like fox forks but any of the big names are good(manitou,rockshox,etc.) Tires are the most critical part of bike. Find what is popular on your local trails and go with that. Tubeless is best option. Get as light a bike as you can afford. I like 3 ring front and would advise against the new trend of 1x. IMO it's a fad. Make sure you go to a good bike shop and try the model you want. I fell in love with a bike that ended up unrideable for me
Didn't buy it but had dreams about it for 9 months. I like shimano drive train and have broken a lot of SRAM gear(chains,rear derailures). I have a trek fuel ex and a Klein attitude, and had a specialized epic. Trek makes really good mountain bikes now. I hope this helps, I've been riding for 19 years and love rocks and roots and going fast. My last bit of caution is bikes can get retarded expensive once you get the itch. Good luck.
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      01-18-2016, 09:54 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 08njSTEP View Post
If your trails are smooth and/or relatively flat get 29" if twisty and steep go 27.5 or 26". I love 26" wheels and would always choose them. Hydraulic disc brakes fade less than cable disc but cost more. I like fox forks but any of the big names are good(manitou,rockshox,etc.) Tires are the most critical part of bike. Find what is popular on your local trails and go with that. Tubeless is best option. Get as light a bike as you can afford. I like 3 ring front and would advise against the new trend of 1x. IMO it's a fad. Make sure you go to a good bike shop and try the model you want. I fell in love with a bike that ended up unrideable for me
Didn't buy it but had dreams about it for 9 months. I like shimano drive train and have broken a lot of SRAM gear(chains,rear derailures). I have a trek fuel ex and a Klein attitude, and had a specialized epic. Trek makes really good mountain bikes now. I hope this helps, I've been riding for 19 years and love rocks and roots and going fast. My last bit of caution is bikes can get retarded expensive once you get the itch. Good luck.

Thanks! I think I'll start out with a Marlin 7 and upgrade as needed!

I was just trying to check what are the options out there.
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      01-18-2016, 10:09 PM   #5
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There's a lot of good bikes out there. I have a Giant Talon and had a Specialized Rockhopper before that. Best advice? Pick up last years model at a discount and upgrade to the parts you want. I picked up the Talon for $549 on sale, retailed new at $1300 so shop around before you pay full price...
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      01-18-2016, 10:33 PM   #6
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Quote:
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There's a lot of good bikes out there. I have a Giant Talon and had a Specialized Rockhopper before that. Best advice? Pick up last years model at a discount and upgrade to the parts you want. I picked up the Talon for $549 on sale, retailed new at $1300 so shop around before you pay full price...
Is there a recommended online site for me to look for discount bikes?

I don't want to be too cheap..I want to at least have this bike last for years.
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      01-18-2016, 10:46 PM   #7
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I cut my mtn bike teeth on a Trek and loved it but my second mtn bike and every one since has been a Specialized. This started in 1991 though, when Trek and specialized weren't over priced. I picked up my latest mtn bike in 2012 and it was also a specialized. BUT.... if i were to buy a mtn bike today, i'd be looking long and hard at what Giant has to offer. I'd estimate that you get about $300 more bike for every $1000 spent with Giant over Trek and Specialized.

If you enjoy riding trails and given your location, i'd encourage you to spend a little more. If your going to continue to ride, that Marlin won't carry you for too long before you find yourself wanting to upgrade again. It used to be that with bikes, you really do get what you pay for and I think that still holds true until you get over $2500. Seems that after $2500 you get less and less for that extra cash.
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      01-18-2016, 10:57 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hau_nguyen91 View Post
Is there a recommended online site for me to look for discount bikes?

I don't want to be too cheap..I want to at least have this bike last for years.
Not really a site for discount bikes. You can go to your LBS once you find a model bike you're interested in and see if they have any 2015 models. Or find the bike you want and see if you can find a nice used one.

This Giant is a sweet bike.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...4038/#overview


Santacruz makes a very nice bike, excellent build quality from what i've seen.
http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/us/highball-29


Specialized still makes a great bike.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...jumper-comp-29


This is a Trek that you can grow with and ride for a long time.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...p/2076600-2016



All of those will last a LONG time, years and years. I had a Specialized Stumpjumper for 13 years and only changed it because i wanted a full suspension bike. Still have the frame and am considering making a retro build out of it.
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Last edited by Mr Tonka; 01-18-2016 at 11:07 PM..
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      01-18-2016, 11:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hau_nguyen91 View Post
Is there a recommended online site for me to look for discount bikes?

I don't want to be too cheap..I want to at least have this bike last for years.
You'll just have to check your local shops and see what they have. As MNoob said, many still have last years models in stock and will often sell them at a discount if pressed even if they are not advertising them. I also agree with Mr Tonka, Giant has come a long way and offer better components with their bikes. I absolutely love my Talon. I went with the 27.5 as its a bit more nimble for navigating our jungle trails here on Guam.

Here's a link to the bike I have if you want to see the specs.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...4/14783/66102/
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      01-18-2016, 11:24 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hau_nguyen91 View Post
Is there a recommended online site for me to look for discount bikes?
If you do find a bike you like at a local bike shop, before you pull the trigger, definitely check on line to see if you can find a better deal.
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      01-18-2016, 11:25 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 08njSTEP View Post
My last bit of caution is bikes can get retarded expensive once you get the itch.
Isn't that the truth. I have issues.
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      01-19-2016, 05:11 AM   #12
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I agree on buying year old at discount and giant makes a good bike also. Here's how I got my $3500 trek for $1500. Went to bike shop and rented a demo. Did that 3x with rental $ applied to future sale. In Aug when shop was paying for new year inventory they sold rental at their cost. I was only renter and had damaged derailure on last rental so they were worried if I kept renting it I would break something. So bought it and they repaired it, then 3 weeks later I ripped derailure off bike. So they were right. So if in your shoes I would look into demo and never pay full retail. Bike tech changes so fast that 1yr old bikes can be found at significant discount.
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      01-19-2016, 05:45 AM   #13
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HAVE FUN! My best advice is learn to tuck and roll. Too many people freeze up when they crash and thats how body parts break. Be limber like a drunk guy! I agree with all the above, but get the best component package you can. I have always been a Shimano guy and the XT level of components holds up well but doesnt have the astronomical price like XTR to save weight. I ride SRAM stuff now because it came on the used Santa Cruz I bought. I would never buy new. Find a good quality unbeaten example of the model you like online. Ebay and Craigslist are your friend.
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      01-19-2016, 07:52 AM   #14
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I have been a cyclist for 30+ years, so my unsolicited advice to you is to buy for fit first, with quality being a close second. There are some really sexy looking bikes out there, and it's very tempting to buy something that looks good, but if the fit is off, you will never get to enjoy the bike to its full potential. The problem is that you'll never know if the fit is off I live in a ski resort town where we have 300+ miles of trails to ride in the summer, so having an all round (cross country) bike was important to me. I had a local retailer measure me for a Turner 5 Spot some years ago, the final build was in the $7 500 range. The bike is built by an American company with a stellar reputation for quality and superb handling. Coming off of a shitty bike, I simply could not believe how the Turner has allowed me to consistently ride beyond my abilities. Turner currently has a closeout sale on their Sultan model, a superb bike for the price; see here: http://www.turnerbikes.com/bike/models/turner/sultan

They only have X-Large in that model, so you would have to be over 6 ft tall to make that a reasonable choice. The Czar, while more expensive, would also be a fantastic bike for you, and it is available in are sizes. Just an FYI, if I had been able to save all of the money I spent on shitty, ill fitting bikes over the years, I could probably have a more glorious stable of bikes than I currently possess. I like American builders, at the high end of the market they build bikes that one only need to purchase once. I currently own four US bikes, a Borealis snow bike; a Moots road bike, a Santa Cruz XC bike and the Turner 5 Spot XC, the only foreign bike in my stable is a Time RXRS VIP, and the only reason for that is that it is built by hand in France, the only carbon bike manufactured in this manner (other than BMC), more importantly, it fits like a glove. You should also consider Niner, Moots or Ellsworth, three solid US builders. Hope this helps!
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      01-19-2016, 08:09 AM   #15
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I deleted my post was confusing Marin with Marlin

Last edited by overcoil; 01-19-2016 at 08:25 AM..
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      01-19-2016, 02:29 PM   #16
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Test ride, test ride, and test ride some more. Preferably on the terrain you plan to ride most frequently. Fit is the most important aspect of a bike. All good bike shops will allow you to demo. Take advantage of that and buy the one that's fits/feels best.
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      01-19-2016, 07:01 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MNoob View Post
Switching from a $300 Walmart bike I'm sure you'll be happy with this one if you get it. Treks tend to run high in price for what you get. Maybe cross shop for a similar bike (front suspension, aluminum frame, 29er) to see if you can get something at a similar price point with better components (shifters, brakes, etc). That's where this bike is saving $. This time of the year you can sometimes find last year's model at a significant discount.
I just found this for $550 at sport authority!

Huge saving from $800 MSRP

http://www.diamondback.com/bikes-mou...verdrive-sport
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      01-20-2016, 03:24 PM   #18
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Ended up getting a Trek X-Caliber 7.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...p/2040600-2016
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      01-20-2016, 04:36 PM   #19
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Quote:
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Ended up getting a Trek X-Caliber 7.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...p/2040600-2016
Good choice. Should get lots of bang for your buck with this one and the items that will likely fail first are the ones you'd want to replace the most anyway. Granted, depending on use, those components (drivetrain) may last you for years. But if they don't, they are the easiest and not very expensive to replace/upgrade.

My first good mtn bike was an aluminum framed Trek hard tail. Probably right in line with this one. It served me well.

Hope you enjoy it! The best feature any bike can have is it's ability to lure you out to ride it! May it always be calling your name.
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      01-20-2016, 04:58 PM   #20
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Do your drive train a favor and keep it 1. Clean 2.lubed 3. Adjusted 4. (Most important) replace your chain every spring if you ride a lot. Chains are cheap but will destroy your cassette and rings if allowed to wear out.
Congratulations on your new ride. Get some lights and check out night riding. A whole different experience.
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