Mountain Biking - giant yukon fx

anyone have experience with this bike? i'm just wondering how it would it compare to a trek 4500.

thanks for any info

I don't have either, but i'd buy the yukon. ( i have an anthem so i'm biased lol)- I did however ride a trek 4500 and didn't care for it. In short, either is proly fine. Buy which ever you think rides better, looks better or buy from which ever bike shop you like more.

edit: specialized has some good moderately priced hardtails also.

The Giant's are nice. I opted for the Trek 4300 Disc personally, just felt more comfortable for me and he LBS gave me a good deal on it since we bought a Specialized Hard Rock for my wife at the same time. I'll agree with Cornercarver78 though, you're right in the price range that has some nice Specialized MTB's, and certainly in the Cannondale F7 disc range.

-Roger

here's a link to the giant yukon fx http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/mountain/1382/29355/ my one lbs wants around $800 for one. i can get the trek 4500 for $420 from another lbs. i just don't know how much nicer the yukon fx would be with the rear shock and disc brakes, since the trek has neither.

The thing is, it depends on what your going to do with it. If you plan to ride a lot, ride with a group, or try xc racing, you might want to spend your whole budget on a hardtail because it should be lighter and have better components than full suspension bikes in that price range (the giant xtc looks cool). However if you want a full suspension bike, go for it. All of the brands being discussed deliver a lot for the money, so its hard to go wrong. If it were me though i'd get the best hartail I could, just make sure you have enough left over for a helmet and shoes + peddles if you can.

I've looked very seriously at that bike to get my wife on a full-suspension mtn. bike. Seems to me to be a sound entry-level full suspension. Yes, there are going to be more effeicient-pedalling designs but they're not going to be under 1K.

You will get a lot of advice here, I'm sure, to go with a better-spec'd hardtail; but you would be giving up the joys of full-suspension for a slight savings in weight and a few better expendable bits and pieces.

MBA mag has a shoot out this month featuring that bike. They liked it better than any of the hardtails in the same price range.

I rented a Giant Yukon in North Carolina last weekend. The drivetrain was a tiny bit lacking, but it was a rental so who knows how well everything was adjusted and I could see that NOTHING was lubed. Even so, the bike rode quite well and I enjoyed myself immensely. I have no experience with the Trek, but if I were in the market for that type and price of bike, I would give the Giant a good look.

EDIT - I just realized you are talking about the FS version. The one I rode was the basic Yukon hardtail w/ discs.

I would also recomend a hardtail. The Giant is nice for what it is I guess, but it has its pit-falls. The fork is nothing to write home about, cant say much about the rear fork though as I have not put it thru much during a test ride. We have one at the shop and I was considering buying one, but decided to spend a bit more on a nicer hard tail. I personally dont think its worth it to go fs unless you are going to spend the money and get something good from the get go. The Yukon does ride ok though, but I prefer my ht over it any day of the week.

my crappy 1.3765 cents

thanks for the info guys. after test riding both i went with the trek 4500. i really like and have put about 8 miles on it since getting it today. now i just have to figure out how to stay awake at work tonight since i haven't slept today. lol.