schmo

Hi all,
First post here, I am after a bit of info.
Getting a new bike, have a older bike but want to get into some riding on the weekends and to work. I plan to ride to work, which is on bitumen roads, and take it off road on the weekends, on trails, national parks etc.
Mainly after a well built bike with front shocks at the least, mabey rear shocks, disc brakes if possible and a half decent brand. I have been surfing the forums and net over the past week, and it seems the Trek 4500 and Specialized Hardrocks/Rockhoppers are generally given the thumbs up.
What is essentially the difference between these 3 bikes and the diff between the 2 brands?
Should I prehaps look at a giant equiv. bike? and if so what model(s) am I looking at? Are there any brands I have overlooked? I wanna narrow it down to perhaps 4 good bikes.
I ask these questions because I'm not up on alot of the lingo, speaking of which is there some sort of glossary on the net for bikes that's good?

Cheers

Schmo

Riles

hey mate,

Welcome !

There are a few other Auzzies here (not me)...

As for the Bikes, you will get some good advice here...

I went for a Trek in the end, as I wanted a lighter frame for poss future upgrade & more XC... I understand that the Hardrocks are more versatile than the Trek in the same range and can be used for more than just XC... many here love Specialized..

If I had the chance to choose again, I would just make sure I tried out more bikes before I decided - I didn't even consider Giant, who make great hardtails - here in the UK must be at least 50-60% of racers who used hardtails use Giant...

blue_neon

Hi Schmo!

Looking at the bikes you have mentioned it seems you will be spending around the $500 - $700 AUD price mark? In the end it all comes down to how much you want to spend and it makes it a whole lot easier with narrowing down the bikes. Keep in mind when buying a bike you will get what you pay for, a more expensive bike should have better components then the lesser expensive bike in the price range your looking for.

I am very farmilier with Trek since i build up these bikes regulary, they are an exellent quality bike however i think they are a bit overpriced for what they offer. (A $600 Giant will give you better value for your money then a $600 Trek).

In the Trek Range:
4500, 4900

Giant Range:
Yukon (about $600), Giant Alias ($1000 is way up there if you can afford it).

Specialized Range:
HardRock, Rockhopper. Not really too farmilier with the Specialized, but there are a few models of the HardRock and Rockhopper to suit you and your price range.

You should also consider the Kona Cinder cone.

All of the above bikes will be easily ridden on and off road, its just comes down to finding a good tyre to suit.

I would not be looking at a Full Suspension unless your willing to spend over $2000. However it should definatley have a front shock and most likely discs.

Good luck

JKWITS

Hi I'm from Oz too.

I have a Kona Fire Mountain which I picked up on special and have been very happy with. It think it is similar to the cinder cone but a bit cheaper. It retailed at about $900.

I ride it every day to Uni and take it out on the trails whenever I get the chance which it handles fine. Am about to upgrade to a full suspension bike but I agree that you need to spend a fair bit more to get anything decent.

I have ridden the Giant Yukon as well which is pretty similar but I much prefer the riding position of the Kona.

Aparently Giant are also having some sales down here in Tas so that might count for the rest of the country since their 07 bike come out at the star of the financial year (so I've heard) so you might pick up a bargain.

I think its also worth getting opinions on bike shops around your area to see who has the best service since this will be important when it comes to getting the bike serviced and if you want to upgrade parts etc.

Good luck.

schmo

Yeah i would check out the local shop cept i went down ther today and he doesn't get any of the brands we have mentioned so far.
Yeah the local bloke today said that the companies bring out their new bike in a couple of months, so that gives me time to do more research and perhaps get an 07 model or a cheap 06 model.
There is a bike shop in a town about 60 ks away, so i think ill have to go there and see what they have in the way of brands and the service side of things.
Few little details I missed out, I'm about 6" tall and about 70 kgs. Will that dictate anything when im buying the bike? I know it will dictate the frame, but what else?
Oh and budget wise, im happy to spend up to 900-1000 AUD if the bike is worth of it.
I have thrown full suspension out the window based on the comment that its 2 grand until you get decent ones. I hate to think what these 500 dollar dual suspension bikes ride like then.....
Does anyone know a good aussie site with prices on it to start at so I can get some rough prices for these mentioned bikes?

Thanks
Schmo

JKWITS

I have found just googling the bike I am interested in and including price in the search (i.e. Giant yukon price) and just searching Oz only can at least give you an idea.

If you only have one Local shop then if it seams reputable I would lean towards buying something from there since you don't have to travel for ages if something goes wrong or for servicing.

JKWITS

Just read comments above again... If your local shop doesn't sell any of the brands mentioned then maybe a bit of a drive is worth it.

Sorry