igotadroid

Biting the bullet and going to pick up a bike this weekend. I've narrowed it down to the following:

2012 Trek 3900 Disc https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...es/3900_disc/#
2012 Jamis Trail X3 https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...railx3_wh.html
2012 Marin Pioneer Trail Disc https://www.marinbikes.com/2012/bike_...eer_Trail_Disc

does anyone own any of these? any recommendations on which to pick up? 80% road 20% trails(til I get in better shape). All are basically entry level and priced under $600. All I know is that I want a good warranty, disc brakes, and good in wet/dry.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Going to bike shop tomorrow and taking all 3 out again and buying one of them tomorrow. Anything I should should know?

pics:

trippn1

I have a 2011 Trek 4500 Disc and it's been an okay bike but I'm going to be going to a 29er in a few months. I'll be selling my Trek very soon if you are in the Florida area ....I know Jamis and Trek are both good companies so I would say go with the one that feels the best for you.

igotadroid

I'm just looking for an entry level bike for now. Pretty out of shape solid I crash and puke it won't be on a $2000 bike haha. Seems that Trek and Jamis have the best warrantys. Trying to find what's a better tire, the treks Bontragers or Jamiss csts. Tough decision buying a bike. [TABLE="align: center"]
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3speed

You should always post links for such threads. People are more likely to help you if they don't have to search out each bike for you in order to give you their opinion. The little world symbol with a sideways 8 above where you type thread replies is the link button. You just highlight the word that you want to link, copy your link, click the world/8 button, then paste the link and click OK.

Trek
Jamis

In any case, I personally think that(assuming both bikes fit you equally well) the Jamis is slightly better. It also has a lock-out fork, which will be better for the road riding that you plan to do a lot of. I would highly recommend you pick up a set of road slick type tires for it, though. 80% road is going to kill any knobby pretty quickly. They'll also be much less efficient. I have the LT3s that come on the Trek and I can tell you first hand that they are definitely not decent or even sort of efficient road tires. I doubt the Jamis will be any better. You might even be able to find a pair of tires at a decent price that are basically slick in the middle, but have larger knobs on the sides for light trail riding(which is probably all you'll really do at first anyway). This is "ideally" of course. You can ride the biggest softest knobby tire on the road if you want to. Just don't expect to go very quickly and know that you'll wear yourself out a lot more quickly.

igotadroid

Thanks 3speed. I was on mobile when I made the post. Hopped on puter and added the links to the OP. I just got back from a little night ride on a Trek 3700 (2008). Utter crap to be honest. Then road a $3000 Cannondale Slice 5. wow, doing 1 mile on the 3700 made me exhausted. Rode 5 miles in barely just over the time i did a mile on the 3700 and wasnt even winded. Amazing how a road bike is so much easier to roll on. Atlast I dont have that kind of cheddar to spend on a bike.

I like the Trek name. Naturally was my first choice when I thought of getting a bike. But what I hear on them is 50/50. They either break every other ride or they go 1000's of miles with no problem. As far as marin...I can't even find that kind of info on them. Jamis seems to have more of a 80/20. Everyone says they go great.

Think I'm going to go with the Jamis X3. Gonna see how it fits tomorrow/today. I'm 5'11. Was told a 19 inch frame is what to look for. I did hear that Jamis hold up to us fatter riders better than Trek's also. Seeing as I'm 280...with that Cannondale, I could see me having barely any trouble doing a 20 mile loop that I plan to ride daily. With more rolling resistance on a mtn bike, I'm honestly hoping I can do 10 miles. I'll ask the shop guys if they can cut me a deal on a better set of meats. I'll post back when I get back from shop tomorrow. If its Trek or Marin, I wont be bringing anything home, as they only have demo models at the shop. Jamis...I'll be bringing her home haha.

3speed

I'm sure they'd cut you a deal on some tires if they have them in stock or if they're something they can order easily. Don't confirm buying the bike. Just say that you're interested, but pretty much at the top of your budget, and was hoping they'd be able to help you out with some tires that will roll better on the road. That will make a huge difference in your ride. Even a MTB will fly with road slick dedicated tires compared to a MTB with big soft knobbies. I suppose you'll want something in between, but more road oriented since that's where almost all of your riding will be(at least at first). You can always ride the MTB mostly road until you get in a little better shape, then put some real trail tires on it and pick yourself up an old steel road bike for ~$100 to ride on the road. Even a fairly low end old steel road bike from the 70-80s will ride much better on the road than knobby MTB tires.

igotadroid

Ultimately my plans are after shedding some of this weight to transfer from going mostly on the road to mostly just doing trails. There is an amazing 5 mile trail at a reservoir near me. I couldnt even manage half a mile in my current shape. Of course, its a pretty intense trail. I'd like to use this current bike (whichever one) lightly for on road to strengthen my legs and lungs a bit and then throwing some upgrades on it to trail ride. Maybe 2 years from now, dump a bunch into a really nice bike. Man, feel like first day of school or something. All excited and cant sleep wanting a bike haha. Plus tomorrow is my last day smoking. Day I start riding is the day I quit smoking. Big day for me lol

3speed

Hell yeah, dude! Sounds awesome. You should be excited. You can do it all if you keep your mind on it. I wouldn't be sleeping either.