Mountain Biking - Torn between two...

Maybe you guys can help me out. Im having a hard time deciding between these two bikes , keep in mind i am a beginer and have a price rane of about 400.00

http://trekdg.com/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=48271

http://trekdg.com/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=47520


Both seem to have about the same stuff , i guess what i want to know is one really any better than the other when it comes to relability? I wont be doing any serious mountain trails just some light off road bmx style stuff and gravel/mud trails that i live by.

hehe...the fisher is basically the same bike...since fisher is owned by trek...but...either one will work for what you have in mind.

however, go to your local bike shop (lbs) and go test ride a few bikes to see what size you need and which one you feel most comfortable on.

Well...really they are virtually the same bike. The big differences are the Gary Fisher has a more "standard" 44/34/24 chainring set up and perhaps the shifters are a bit better. The Fisher I think is set up a bit more for some light trail riding while the Trek (which owns the Gary Fisher name btw....just in case you didn't already know that) looks to be more for the commuter crowd with a little weekend fun maybe. Personally, I think the Fisher has better aesthetics, but it would be the same bike even if was pink, purple and green. Just be aware that at that price point, you seriously should not be doing jumps and stuff like that...you'll trash it faster than you can imagine.

^^^ My 3900 aint trashed... yet..

lol.

OP, go with the one that fits the best.

jamis have nice bikes in your price range.
http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/index.html
just a bit nicer than trek if you ask me.
specifically, check these out:
trail x2 -- http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/hardtails/trailx/09_trailx2.html
trail x1 -- http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/hardtails/trailx/09_trailx2.html
trail xr (rigid fork) -- http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/hardtails/trailx/09_trailxr.html

i've got an xr 12" on back order and i can't wait to ride the thing.

go with the one that fits the best.

^ wisdom.

seriously, bike fit is your most important factor, then features/components, then looks/style.
click on 'geometry' on whatever manufacturer's catalogue pages you're viewing and check the standover and top tube length. your clearance above the top tube, and the reach to your handlebars will largely affect your enjoyment.
if you're unsure about your approximate/ideal standover, get a tape measure and drop it down from, ahem, between your legs to the floor and get the number in inches, centimeters, and millimeters (multiply cm by 10 of course), and there you go. you want at the very least 1" or 2" clearance between your family jewels and the top tube.
as for top tube length and the reach to the bars, take the same tape measure and get the distance from your armpit to your fully outstretched arm to your fist... compare that to the effective top tube length of the bike you're considering. is your reach about equal or more than the tt length? then you're good to go, you'll be able to grab that handlebar with some elbow bend room for leverage.
sorry if this seems pedestrian/obvious/unnecessary - i just learned all this stuff.

you mention 'light off road bmx style' - are you looking for a 7 speed / 21 speed / etc? or would a single speed suit you? if so, consider a single speed dirt jump or trials bike.

Thanks for the replies guys. I did not know trek had bought the gary fisher line or name. Im fairly new to all of the this. I bout a bike about a month ago from a big box store a mongoose snare. While the bike performed ok i went to adjust the disk brakes on it cause they were grabbing the front disk they wouldnt adjust . So lastnight i took the bike back for a full refund and told the wife im just going to a LBS and fork out few extra bucks for a bike that i should be able to trust.

When i said light bmx style stuff i was talking about a track about a mile long some folks made in the woods near me that has been here for about 20 years . There is no really big jumps and the jumps that are there have ride around paths to skip them. Most of what i will be on is just alot of up and down small hills and paths that consist of gravel/dirt/mud , the i&m canel bike trail wich is 100 miles long . I was looking into somthing with speeds a single speed wouldnt cut it has the bike will see alot of road time to .

The jamis bikes are nice but my nearest dealer is about 120 miles from me and they dont stock them and told me its about a 3 week wait . The two bikes i posted above are at another bike shop in stock in 3 diferant sizes. This was another factor for me picking these. Unless sombody posts somthin to change my mind i think i will go with the gary fisher mako , just for the colors since the two bikes are pretty much the same.

Well i ended up getting a trek 3700 acid gold in color ,they had sold out of the gary fisher in my sizes.

Frame -Trek Alpha White Series aluminum
Fork -SR SunTour M-2025, 63mm-travel
Rims/Wheels -Matrix 550
Hubs- Aluminum
Spokes- 14-gauge
Tires -Bontrager Connection 2, 26 x 2.0
Crankset -SR SunTour XCC-T208
Chainwheel -48/38/28
Front Derailleur -Shimano
Rear Derailleur -Shimano Acera
Rear Cogs- Shimano, 7-speed: 14-34
Shifters- Shimano
Handlebars- Bontrager
Tape/Grips- Bontrager Select
Stem -Bontrager
Brake Levers- Shimano
Brakes- Tektro linear-pull
Pedals- Wellgo platforms
Saddle- Bontrager
Seat- Post Bontrager

After talking it over with the bike shop guy he thought this bike would fill my needs and anthing above it would be over kill. Im glad he was honest cause when the mako was gone i was looking at a gary fisher opie wich was a nice bike but about 150 bucks more in price.

based on all you've said, the gary fischer is a good hunch to go with.

go with the one that fits the best.


^ wisdom.

ok...the world no longer makes any sense whatsoever now :crash:

based on all you've said, the gary fischer is a good hunch to go with.

Well i wanted the fisher based on color , but they had sold out of my frame size :(

ok...the world no longer makes any sense whatsoever now.
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