Mountain Biking - Trek Fuel EX or Cdale

Hello
I have been lurking on this forum for a while wanting a f/s bike for some local trails and knock around. I notice all sorts of names mentioned but not much buzz on the trek fuel or Cannondale Prophet. I looked at both of these bikes brands and some of the giant as well, and liked the Trek fuel ex7. Around here these are the brands the lbs carry. It seems that you have to spend in this price range $1500 or so to get a decent f/s bike.
Am I on the right track or should I continue the search.
Solman

Your theory on price is pretty good. generally the rule is around 1000 or up.

some very good options in that price range. in 02 i was in your place and 3 full seasons later i am very happy with my giant but get what feels right in terms of fit etc.


may also benefit to check out www.mtbr.com for reviews of all your option

as for the trek vs c-dale i give a strong vote for prophet and have ridden both

-mike

Get the prophet.

having ridden both, both have their strengths and weaknesses. which one fits you better?

i worked in a shop this summer that sold cannondale. The prophet is a solid bike that has less limits than the trek. The trek is more xc oriented although the cannondale still steers quickly for as much travel as it has. The deal breaker for me would be the lefty. Some people love it, some hate it. Me, personally, its alright as a fork, but really limits your future hub and stem choices. Also it means you need a special mount to mount it in a truck bed or on top of a car. Its a solid fork, but id go for the trek because i dont like the whole idea of the lefty. Its just another way for cannondale to keep everything in house. Which can be a good thing, but id take a reba or a fox anyday over it

i worked in a shop this summer that sold cannondale. The prophet is a solid bike that has less limits than the trek. The trek is more xc oriented although the cannondale still steers quickly for as much travel as it has. The deal breaker for me would be the lefty. Some people love it, some hate it. Me, personally, its alright as a fork, but really limits your future hub and stem choices. Also it means you need a special mount to mount it in a truck bed or on top of a car. Its a solid fork, but id go for the trek because i dont like the whole idea of the lefty. Its just another way for cannondale to keep everything in house. Which can be a good thing, but id take a reba or a fox anyday over it

When I build mine up I'm planning on reducer cups and a 2006 Fox Talas RLT.

Thats definately the route id go with the prophet too. Everything else on that bike is sweet, but cannondale has to just put a normal fork on the dam thing

http://mtbr.com/reviews/freeride_full_suspension/ go here to read the reviews on if, if you haven't already. But if I were you I'd get the trek:)

I just picked up a EX7 a couple of weeks ago. It's my first duallie and, to this point, I've been really pleased with it. I'm still playing with suspension setup, which is new to me on the rear end, but it's coming together. I've ridden it more in the last two weeks than I've ridden my SS hardtail in the last year. For me it's a great compromise, a fantastic way to test the MTB waters again after not having been off road much in the last few years. It's not crazy light and doesn't have high zoot bits on it, but it rides well and has proven to be stable under my body. I'd base the decision on fit first, but if that's a wash I can't see you being disappointed with the Trek.

I did it!
I Picked up a Trek Fuel ex7 and I love it. I will give more complete review in a few weeks but I just had to have this bike, it feels like a good old pair of worn in shoes.
The lefty fork on the Cannondale did not impress me at all,
Solman

nice choice, i hope your happy with it! I was skeptical about the lefty till i rode a prophet owned by a C'dale rep here. was a great bike and the fork was surprisingly stiff.Would i own one? hmm hard to say, but i think its a good system, and they are nice bikes

I know a few people with Fuels and Fuel EX's and all love them, so i hope you do as well! Ill be getting a EX9 when the new series comes out.

Hi, it's my first post here and the name is Dave and I'm in Ontario. I'm a 45 yr old with a few lbs to shed and was in your same shoes just last week. I have a Cannondale F500 CAD3 now and really like Cannondale. BUT,,, I went into this purchase with an open mind and narrowed my choice of bikes to a Cannondale Prophet 6oo or 800, a Giant Trance3 or a Trek EX-7. A local shop gave me a good price on a Prophet 600 but the idea of having to wrench the front wheel off and having to have a special reciever for the fork did me in. So I looked around here in the Niagara area and found a sweet deal on a Trek EX-7 for 1900 CAD. I think the bike has the best parts on it for the money. Around here the EX-7's have LX cranks on them instead of the Bontrager, so that was a bonus. I did some research on MTBreview on the parts on the bike and didn't like what I saw about those JONES AXC (sp?)tires that are on it. Apparently, they're crap and downright dangerous, so I bought a set of Continental's Vapors for it (LBS recommendation).
I've put 40k on it on the road and really like it. I find myself going for the ditch every once in a while just to play with that suspension. I do have a little bob in the rear even in the lockout position while I pedal fast but it seems that the gate adjustment has an effect in the lockout position too. I'll have to play with it but the rebound is set properly for bounce. For a 30 lb bike, it sure rolls down the road easily. Tomorrow I'm going to get it muddy for the first time, can't wait. Dave