Davek

I'l start off by saying I'm another new guy to mountain biking, I plan on riding a lot more with the new bike(mostly XC)

Today I went to my LBS in search of a new HT. I saw a few Treks but was not impressed, the Gary Fisher Tassajara felt great and with a $529 year end discount it is quite economical(considering it's made in the USA and has the Pilot XC air-supported shocks)

If you have owned/ridden this bike please give me your opinions on it.

You may have seen my thread about the k2 zed 4.0, this is the other bike I am considering, so if you think the k2 is better or worse let me know.

montlake_mtbkr

not to burst your bubble but gary fisher is a trek brand. the rock shox Pilot is a pretty crappy fork for a $529 bike on discount. don't get me wrong though, the tassajara is a good bike, just sounds a bit expensive for what you get IMO.

montlake_mtbkr

I checked your thread on the K2. Looks very nice, but again $600 for a used '02 seems a tad pricey. You could try offering him $500 since it didn't sell...

Otherland

I LOVE my Tassajara, I've had it a little of 4 months now (I think). I'm still a newb and this is my first real bike but I like it a lot. I do mostly XC and road riding (about 15 miles a day combination). So I think I have around 1600 miles on the bike so far. (60 miles for sure in the last 4 days.... new bike PC) Mind you this is NO extreme stuff just XC and road riding. Ohhh and I weigh about 195lbs and the bike is holding up so far (KNOCK ON WOOD) The seat that comes with it does suck and this weekend i'm upgrading to my first set of clipless peddles (wish me luck LOL). I paid $450 for my 2003 model as the 2004's were coming out. Check out the reviews here

https://www.mtbr.com/reviews/2003_har...t_121348.shtml

good luck with whatever you do choose to get.... main thing enjoy it, use it because it doesn't matter what you get if it just sits and collects dust

rasheed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davek

I'l start off by saying I'm another new guy to mountain biking, I plan on riding a lot more with the new bike(mostly XC)

Today I went to my LBS in search of a new HT. I saw a few Treks but was not impressed, the Gary Fisher Tassajara felt great and with a $529 year end discount it is quite economical(considering it's made in the USA and has the Pilot XC air-supported shocks)

If you have owned/ridden this bike please give me your opinions on it.

You may have seen my thread about the k2 zed 4.0, this is the other bike I am considering, so if you think the k2 is better or worse let me know.

yeah, like montlake_mtbkr mentioned, gary fisher is a trek owned brand.

i have the ’02 tassaraja disc. i bought it on closeout back in august as my first real bike and rode it solid for a good couple months before i got my norco fluid 3.0. i think it’s kind of pricy for an entry level bike, but it’s a good one to get started on. it’s also kind of heavy though, for a xc bike, weighing in at around 30 lbs.

i have no real complaints about my tassajara and although i haven’t ridden it much since i got my fluid, i’m still planning on keeping the tassajara for those days when i don’t feel like jumping off and over stuff.

the genesis geometry, from many of the reviews i’ve read is either loved, or hated. some have said that it helps a lot on the climbs, some have said it hurts and makes it hard to keep good traction in the rear. for me, it ain’t so bad. i like the overall feeling of the bike, but at times, especially on longer rides, my back gets a bit tired from being streched out due to the longer top tube. other than that though, the bike’s great and you should have a lot of fun on it.

Davek

thanks for the comments guys!

Otherland

While at the bike shop today i saw a 03 Tassajara for 399 (new).


Ohhhh and let us know what you end up getting Davek....

Davek

jeez, too bad you dont live aroiund here, if you did I could ask him to match the price.

Right now I'm leaning towards the k2 zed 4.0

fore

i have an 04 tassajara. i work at a fisher dealer, i could have gotten something nicer no problem, but the tassajara is a good enough bike for what i use it for.

sure, the fork may be ****. sure, it's "only" got deore. sure, it's a little heavy.

but it rolls.

i may come across as a reverse-bike-snob or whatever, but i've raced it a few times and it's fun riding right by people who spent four times as much on their bike with all the fancy xtr bits here and there.

it's true that fisher is a trek owned brand, but it's not like that's a bad thing. the tassajara is a fisher design, not a trek, which is what matters. genesis geometry is no hype marketing bull****, it works.

a2psyklnut

Let me start by saying, I recommended a Tassajara to a co-worker.

I think it's a good bike and the fork is comparable to similarly priced bikes. To say it's junk is being a SNOB and I have problems with that. It does it's job and is a good spec for that bike. The fork is no Marzocchi Z1, but the Z1 costs as much as the entire bike.

The Deore components are good components and what I consider the "work horse" level from Shimano. They're not superlightweight, but they are durable as heck. As a beginner you will be more abusive on your bike/gear. As skill improves and you learn to become a smoother rider, you can upgrade componets. Don't worry about this as a newbie. Concentrate on having fun and less with keeping up with the Joneses.

The Tassajara is a good choice as is the K2. Go with the one that "feels" better regardless of component spec.

L8R

Davek

Well I went to anothe LBS and tried both in the same day. What I found is that the k2's frame from seat to handlebars is short which I love. On the fisher I noticed I streched a bit which was uncomfortable.

Therefore I decided on the zed 4.0. I ordered it from REI and its in the mail. Thanks everyone!

montlake_mtbkr

nice choice, don't forget a helmet!

fore

why not buy it from the LBS you test rode it at?

Davek

It was $100 cheaper online

fore

the things the LBS offered that REI didn't (couldn't), such as being able to examine the bike in person, professional assembly, test rides, follow up service, etc. weren't worth the $100 you saved?

you're the reason shop employees (like me) can sometimes be grumpy disgruntled sons of *****es.