Originally Posted by
BengeBoy
I don't know why, but I'm currently obsessed with seeing whether the wise heads contributing to this thread could come up with a bike (or bikes) that fit the OP's original question - given that he could buy a Salsa, Surly, Rocky Mountain or Scott at a discount, which should he buy? He didn't mention how much of a discount he can get, but I'm guessing he could get a Crosscheck complete for $700 to $800-ish. Does he need to spend more?
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heck no,,,the money would be much, much more useful on the road. If there's a $1500 budget I'd much rather hit the road on a $500 bike with $1000 for adventures along the way. The focus on what's possible is partially driven by what's available,,and that's primarily because there's a bunch of nuts willing to spend $2k-$3k for a bike.
Go for the best value for the least amount of money, not the biggest discount on a $3000bike.