Trek Mamba

[CannondaleF9]

I have been looking around at 29'er bikes and stopped at the Mamba. Is the Mamba a good bike for singletrack trails and slightly more rugged trails, or should I look at the following bikes instead.

2013 Scott Scale 960
2012 Raleigh Talus Elite 29
2013 Trek Cobia
2013 Cannondale SL2 29'er

[bikerNik]

In my opinion - NO! Please look at the Trek Cobia
Did you look at Specialized Carve?

[Wardy1]

There's nothing wrong with a Mamba. The new one has hydraulic brakes, which is the only upgrade I'd suggest over the old model I have. I put XT's on it and believe it will last me quite a while till it get bored with it. It's a great value.

[CannondaleF9]

I looked at the Carve on the Specialized website. It costs so much more than the Cobia and I would probably prefer the Trek. Is the Cobia worth $200 more than a Mamba? I have heard that the Elixir brakes are harder to maintain. I will only get a Cobia if it is significantly better than a Mamba.

[bapski]

had the Mamba and had fun with it...

[cbd5600]

I had the same decision and settled on the Cobia (last year though)

[CannondaleF9]

Do you think that a white mtb is bad? Cobia has lots of white spots.

[IntenseSense]

I bought my '11 Mamba about a year ago for $760, I love it. Best purchase I've made in a long while. She's got about 800 miles on her, still all stock, besides front tire and a few tubes. The brakes do kinda suck(my only real complaint), and will be upgraded soon, probably slx or xt. I'm 6' 150lb and the 19" frame feels perfect.

I've demoed a few higher end 29ers( stumpys, superflys, niners) and I have just as much fun and confidence on my Mamba.

[CannondaleF9]

What are the differences between a Mamba and Cobia. I would like to know all the advantages of the Cobia before I spend the extra cash for it.

[IntenseSense]

Upgrades from Mamba:
RockShox Recon Silver air fork
SRAM S800 crank
Shimano Deore front derailleur
SRAM X5 rear derailleur & shifters
Avid Elixir 1 brakes(suck)

[grnd0]

Cobia vs Mamba. Weight diff probably around 2 lb.

[IntenseSense]

Buy the Mamba and upgrade as necessary...

spend the extra 200 on xt/slx brakes.

[grnd0]

The fork is the biggie. Mamba spring vs Cobia air.
Cobia is a better buy. It boils down to how much
money you want to spend. If you want to buy a
Mamba and upgrade the crap out of it, why get
it in the first place????

[Badmeat]

I think a good question to pose is- what's your budget?

[CannondaleF9]

My budget tops out at around the mid $900s. I visited my local Trek retailer and they said they could get a Cobia for $960.

[grnd0]

My budget tops out at around the mid $900s. I visited my local Trek retailer and they said they could get a Cobia for $960.

Is that for a '12 or '13??? I love the look of the red 2012.
Make sure the size is right, and get it.

[cbd5600]

Do you think that a white mtb is bad? Cobia has lots of white spots.

The saddle is the only thing (white) on the bike I cannot keep clean. Everything else is not a problem.

[CannondaleF9]

I would probably change the saddle on the Cobia if I got that bike. I will try my best to get a Cobia ('13), but it is another $130 more than a 2013 Mamba from that same shop.

[IntenseSense]

You won't be disappointed either way, as long as you get out and ride... The shock on the cobia is definitely better and probably makes it worth the $130. I ride long technical black diamond trails on the regular with my mamba, the Tora shock handles it just fine. Riding one of the homies Reba is like night and day tho. Which color scheme do you like better?

[CannondaleF9]

I prefer the orange/black on the mamba over the blue/white.

[CannondaleF9]

My local bike shop said that there are only two more Mambas that they could order in the orange/black from certain warehouses. Do these warehouses get replenished over the year?

[Fred Smedley]

There's nothing wrong with a Mamba. The new one has hydraulic brakes, which is the only upgrade I'd suggest over the old model I have. I put XT's on it and believe it will last me quite a while till it get bored with it. It's a great value.

How does the Niner fork effect handling given the Trek Fisher Collection uses a 51MM rake and I have seen any stock forks with that rake.

[_Alberto_]

The fork is the biggie. Mamba spring vs Cobia air.
Cobia is a better buy. It boils down to how much
money you want to spend. If you want to buy a
Mamba and upgrade the crap out of it, why get
it in the first place????

I have a Mamba with an Argyle damper which adds compression adjustability full soft to full lockout. It went from waaaay too soft to very usable for my weight-210lbs.

My friends Cobia even with the fork at higher pressure than recommended is much too soft and hes only 170lbs. Tons of people write off the XC32 forks but I rarely see people spending $60 on dampers before spending $300+ on an air "upgrade". I'd rather have compression adjustability than unlocked/locked air anyday.

Of course the air forks are lighter no denying that.

With that being said my Tower Pro arrives today. And yes I upgraded the crap out my Mamba that's a personal decision lets not start the "just buy a better bike" mess...

[exploder]

I just bought a new bike and I am looking to get rid of my 19'' Mamba. If anyone is interested in it. 11' model year. Looking to get 400 for it.

[CannondaleF9]

I will buy a Cobia in the spring. The dealer will sell it to me for approximately $960. It is a great deal!