Originally Posted by common man

because i want a bike with tires 2"+ wide, slack geometry, handlebars a little higher due to geometry, reputable company like trek that gives lifetime warranty, good value (can you beat this for $860?).

the karate monkey is indeed tried and tested. i don't know if this is as good of a value as the trek. i'd want a karate monkey with (1) durable, tubeless ready wheels. i don't care about weight (2) deore shifters + derailers + crank (3) avid bb7 disc brakes. i hear that it is cheaper to buy a complete bike like a trek cobia than to buy individual parts. i imagine that the karate monkey will be significantly more expensive but i'll check it out. i do like the fact that it is steel though.

as for brakes, a lot of bikes come with either hydraulics that need to be bled once a year (i don't need the extra stopping power) or mechanicals like the tektro novela or avid bb5s which have horrible reviews and need constant adjusting. the bb7 is easy to adjust, isn't a pain like the bb5s or the novela, and doesn't need to be bled.

i am being very specific with what i want.

trek cobia: 860
avid bb7 + sd7 levers: 100
surly karate monkey fork only: 70
tax: 0 (will drive 20 minutes to delaware)
total: 1030

ebay: i have spoken to several people and should be able to sell the fork for $200. these promax hornets are supposedly 125 per wheel (nonsense!) but i'll sell them for $100. total is $300 - 15% ebay fee = $250.

1030-250 = 780 easy. not bad!

as for having the lbs do a swap...this is a pre-order where the bike will come partially assembled...i'm not asking the lbs for any refunds so that's not a problem...as for the labor...i'm not sure...if i have to pay a couple of bucks (i doubt it)...i'll do it...but these guys are professionals who do this stuff quite easily everyday...man it's good to have some nice bike shops near me!