Hi everyone. I am new to this site and new to bikes, a beginner, so I hope someone wil be nice and help me out I have been on the internet and telephone for days! with these questions, I guess I am getting more into bikes than I thought. Anyway, I have decided to get a MArin Pine Mountain, for approx. 70% road, 30% off-road. I will use it everyday for transportation as well as touring around, thru potholes, cobblestones, etc. The shop I went to has two 2000 models leftover (that they are eager to sell) and one is my size- it is very nice tho, I liked the ride a lot.
I am wondering tho - is the 2002 that much better of a bike to get? The 2000 is on sale for $850 including tax, the 2002 is about four hundred dollars more (around $1200) which I owuld get if I thought it would last longer. There are some differences- from an XT rear der. to an XTR on the 2002. Also- I am concerned about brakes- the 2000 has "V" (SD-20)brakes which I have been told are easier to repair should something go wrong, while the 2002 has "ball bearing disk brakes" which I was told would be harder to fix by yourslef, probably have to take it in a shop but that they are "so good, they'llnever break anyway"?? What about in rainy weather-I'm going to be going in weather crazy places. The disk brakes were said to be better for that- true?
(i am sorry for the heaps of questions! i just want to learn and it is hard to do with the people selling you the bike and even other bike places sometimes!) Oh- someone told me that it's minimal but that the fork could "leak oil" (??) because it hasn't been ridden for so long?? (referring to the 2000 model). The 2002 also has something called "threadless" parts (no idea)--
Can anyone give me some feedback on which one I should get?
I know this is a lot, but I willbe so happy to get help in this decision, which I have been researching forver!
Please send all replies to my PM at: emma_trust@hotmail.com
(that's one 'lower hypen' between first and last name just in case it underlines everything and you weren;t sure!)
Thanking you HEAPS in advance,
cheers, Emma