I'm new to the whole biking scene so I've been doing some research on what bike I should buy. I have buddy who recommended that I start off with a good hardtail so that if I decide that I want to stick with it I can always upgrade if need be. Good advice or what? I am looking at the 2003 models and have come up with a few ideas, tell me what you guys think about these:

Trek 6700
Cannondale F400
Raleigh M80
Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo

The type of riding I will be doing is mostly riding local bike trails, nothing too crazy. Also, I will be doing a little commuting in the city. Some other info about me that might help you in giving me advice would be that I am 68 inches tall and weigh 150 lbs. I don't know what else you would need to know. If you guys have any suggestions let me know because they are greatly appreciated.

Before I finish I have seen the KHS XC504 @Jenson for like $700, would that be a good bike to start with.

Are disc brakes worth the extra money?

Mike

Luckily, you're in a pretty easy situation. First off, your friend is absolutely right. I would definitely start with a hardtail and upgrade parts when the time comes. The bikes you have chosen are all pretty similar, so nothing really stands out in comparison to the others. Now, the absolute best thing to do is to go out and test ride each of the bikes. Try to get them out on a trail instead of a parking lot. You'll be able to develop a much better opinion of each bike on dirt than on pavement. The main thing you want to focus on is how the bike fits you. A large Trek and a large Fisher are both larges, but will fit entirely different. As for parts on each bike, you want to pay attention to the fork and the wheels. They are going to be the main parts that decide how each bike rides. The parts you do not want to sway your decision in any way are things such as saddle, pedals, grips, or tires. The likelyhood of finding these parts that you like on a stock bike is not very likely, but they are easy and usually cheap upgrades. As for the disc brake delimma, they aren't a necessity. They are another thing you will want to try before you buy. In my opinion, you can save money by staying with vee brakes and apply it to some place better. Although, if any of the wheels on those bike have disc hubs, that would make a future switch to disc much easier. As for the KHS on jenson, I would stay away from it. You may save a little cash, but it's worth the extra money to have a good relationship with your LBS. It's something that you won't get on any online retailer.

The bottom line is you should go ride each bike and buy the one that you like best. You can't make a decision just by parts specs or what someone else like. Even if one bike has better stuff on it, you still may like how another bike rides better. So go out to some bike shops, try each one for as long as possible, and make your decision on your own conclusion. Good luck

Well the generic answer is to ride them all and get the one that you feel most comfortable on. But.....I don't like the Raleigh for the judy tt fork. The others are all spec'd pretty similar as far as I can tell, except- you did say 2003, right?- the 03 C-dale f400 had a headshok (now has a manitou axel) and, um, well I personally prefer industry standards over proprietary designs. I've never ridden any, but GF's genesis hardtails are said to be pretty good. And Trek is Trek.

Your friend is right the good hardtail thing, focus on getting the best frame you can afford, components can always be replaced or upgraded.

As far as the KHS at jenson- yes it is a pretty good deal, but for a first bike, you don't really know yet what geometry is right for you. Plus, a good relationship with a good LBS is a nice asset. I suppose you could find a local KHS dealer and try out a xc504 to see if it fits you. Or, after you ride the other bikes, compare the one that fits you best to the KHS measurements (top tube, seat tube, head and seat tube angles). But for the type of riding you're talking about, a hardtail will be fine.

Disc brakes. Hmm....worth it? To me, yes. To you, maybe not. It depends on where you ride. In wet areas, discs would be a plus. But, I would say that good v-brakes are always better than bad discs.

hope this helps.

oh wow. I took too long to write my post. what Dude said.

oh and- Butoch!

A couple others worth a look are the Giant Rainer and the Kona Cinder Cone. If you find dealers near you, give them a shot. Both these brands offer decent value in this range.

Also, keep an eye out for good deals on closeout '03 models. If you're lucky you might find a $1000+ bike marked down where you can afford it.

Let's face it, it's gonna come down to paint job and price. You'll most likely go for the best component mix for your $ or the best markdown from MSRP, that's usually what happens. You're supposed to get the best fitting bike but this is nearly impossible as to find out if a bike fits you well you have to ride for like an hour on singletrack which almost no bike shops (well none actually) will let you do. So just get one you like :)

Take everything I just said with a grain of salt. I'm being facetious. I'd say try to find an '03 Giant Rainier though. They've got the best value on the market. Gary Fisher probably makes the nicest bike out of the ones you listed.

Well the generic answer is to ride them all and get the one that you feel most comfortable on. But.....I don't like the Raleigh for the judy tt fork. The others are all spec'd pretty similar as far as I can tell, except- you did say 2003, right?- the 03 C-dale f400 had a headshok (now has a manitou axel) and, um, well I personally prefer industry standards over proprietary designs. I've never ridden any, but GF's genesis hardtails are said to be pretty good. And Trek is Trek.

Your friend is right the good hardtail thing, focus on getting the best frame you can afford, components can always be replaced or upgraded.

As far as the KHS at jenson- yes it is a pretty good deal, but for a first bike, you don't really know yet what geometry is right for you. Plus, a good relationship with a good LBS is a nice asset. I suppose you could find a local KHS dealer and try out a xc504 to see if it fits you. Or, after you ride the other bikes, compare the one that fits you best to the KHS measurements (top tube, seat tube, head and seat tube angles). But for the type of riding you're talking about, a hardtail will be fine.

Disc brakes. Hmm....worth it? To me, yes. To you, maybe not. It depends on where you ride. In wet areas, discs would be a plus. But, I would say that good v-brakes are always better than bad discs.

hope this helps.
What are you talking about when you say headshock or the manitou? Could you explain, I'm new to the game so I don't understand.

Let's face it, it's gonna come down to paint job and price. You'll most likely go for the best component mix for your $ or the best markdown from MSRP, that's usually what happens. You're supposed to get the best fitting bike but this is nearly impossible as to find out if a bike fits you well you have to ride for like an hour on singletrack which almost no bike shops (well none actually) will let you do. So just get one you like :)

Take everything I just said with a grain of salt. I'm being facetious. I'd say try to find an '03 Giant Rainier though. They've got the best value on the market. Gary Fisher probably makes the nicest bike out of the ones you listed.
I'll check into those bikes. I am living in Europe right now, Luxembourg to be exact and I have only found like one bike shop so far. They sell Bianchi, Peugot, and a brand called Viper. Do you know anything about these bikes and if so which model of these bikes would be a good place to start looking?

What are you talking about when you say headshock or the manitou? Could you explain, I'm new to the game so I don't understand.

they are forks. headshok is a C-dale thing where the suspension is in/on? the steerer above the crown. Manitou is a brand of forks, Axel is a model. I think Axels and Rockshox Pilots and Judys are the common forks for the price range you're talking about. As for the RS Judys, like I said before, try to avoid the TT model.

I'll check into those bikes. I am living in Europe right now, Luxembourg to be exact and I have only found like one bike shop so far. They sell Bianchi, Peugot, and a brand called Viper. Do you know anything about these bikes and if so which model of these bikes would be a good place to start looking?

Well, that puts a different spin on things, being in Europe and all. Bianchi's a good bike, not sure about the other too. Check the review section of this website. Basically you've got to get to know your hierarchies of products. You need a minimum Deore deraileurs (check the shimano site for the hierarchy) and then you'll want to look at reviews on other components to get a feel for where they stand, then get the most bang for your buck or test ride any/all that you can.

The 2003 Raliegh M80 Disc was my introduction bike and I love it, I upraded the pedals to clipless, added bar ends and I might(big might) upgrade the crank to XT whenever it goes, I'm not horribly pleased with the fork but I can deal with it for now. I love the disc brakes, esp. since I do a lot of riding in muddy & wet conditions. They obviously aren't the top of the line discs but they are good for me. One draw back in my opinion is the weight, I'm a big rider (6'4", 220+/-) so it doesn't bother me too much really, but a smaller guy might find the weight more of a pain to deal with.
When I was looking, I compared the Fisher Marlin and the M80, the MSRPs varied by around 300, but the LBS had the M80 for the same price so it was bit of a deal.

oh wow. I took too long to write my post. what Dude said.

oh and- Butoch!

heheh

funny man you