Mountain Biking - '04 Giant Sedona LX

I'm looking to replace a very old MTB with an up-to-date bike, but mainly for use on paths & trails with very little true "off-road" rough riding, IOW what they seem to call a "comfort bike" these days. After checking out the Trek Navigator line a bit, I ran across the latest Giant Sedona LX yesterday. It seems a lot like what I'm looking for -- a comfort bike that leans more in the MTB direction. I can get the '04 model for about $470, and that includes disc brakes, which are pretty rare on a comfort bike I think. The shifters are the rapid-fire type, which sure beats my old friction shifters.

Any comments on this bike in particular or Giant in general?

Giant makes a great bike, but cheap discs scare me! I think you can get better performance from a set of rim brakes than a cheap set of discs.

As far as whether a comfort bike is right for you, it all depends. Do you EVER see yourself hitting some trails, or is it mostly a on-road, maybe gravel paths type riding.

L8R

Originally posted by DougG
I'm looking to replace a very old MTB with an up-to-date bike, but mainly for use on paths & trails with very little true "off-road" rough riding, IOW what they seem to call a "comfort bike" these days. After checking out the Trek Navigator line a bit, I ran across the latest Giant Sedona LX yesterday. It seems a lot like what I'm looking for -- a comfort bike that leans more in the MTB direction. I can get the '04 model for about $470, and that includes disc brakes, which are pretty rare on a comfort bike I think. The shifters are the rapid-fire type, which sure beats my old friction shifters.

Any comments on this bike in particular or Giant in general?

Giant's own disc brakes get pretty favourable write ups in the UK press. I'm not familiar with the Sedona, but I ride a Giant MTB and have been happy with Giant's customer care. To be honest in terms of quality I don't think in that price range there is much to choose between Giant, Trek and Specialized. As to a comfort bike, unless you are positive you're not going to want a little rougher riding I'd go for a true entry level MTB.

I have an '02 Sedona that I ride on trails, commute, but very little true off road. I don't have disc brakes, so I can't comment on that, but otherwise it's been a fine bike with no problems.