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Old 08-29-06, 10:05 PM
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roccobike
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: South of Raleigh, North of New Hill, East of Harris Lake, NC
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Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Specialized Roubaix, Giant OCR-C, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, Stumpjumper Comp, 88 & 92Nishiki Ariel, 87 Centurion Ironman, 92 Paramount, 84 Nishiki Medalist

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We (my two sons and I) have four suspension mountain bikes and three rigid fork bikes. I have two road bikes. (I also have several yard sale specials that I don't count.) The road bikes are a nice diversion from trail riding, but I always come back to the trail.
We have a Trek 820 and it is a reliable, fun bike. But for mountain trail riding, I moved up to a 05 Rockhopper late last year. There is no comparison. The Trek 820 is a great all around bike, but the Rockhopper is very much at home on the trail, easily outperforming the 820 at everything a mountain bike is supposed to do. Its not just me saying this. My 18 year old took the Rockhopper out for the first time about a month ago. When he returned from the trail, all he could say was "Wow, what a bike!".
If you are set on a Road bike and you're handy at bike repair, consider yard sales. I was amazed at the mid-priced bikes from the late 80's and early 90's that pop up every now and then. And there is always the old low end Schwinn or Raleigh Record that usually sells for about $10-20. I recently found a 86 Raleigh Technium 12 speed with really nice components. It's a nice smooth riding road bike, just add new tires and new front brake pads.
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