Hey guys, new to the forum and new to offroad riding as well for the most part, and could use a little help determining my next purchase. For a bit of background, I've done some recreational trail and mountain riding here and there with friends on my 2011 Trek 3 series, but used it mostly as my college commuter, campus explorer, weekend adventurer kind of bike. However, recently some friends of mine and myself have decided to really try to get into habitual trail and mountain riding. The 3 series has been a solid bike with little problems (Really was impressed with the durability of the bike, little problems over the years), but it's obvious to me that I'll need something better/more tailored to offroad riding to take the next step towards becoming an intermediate, frequent rider. (I've actually been an avid dirtbike trail rider since I was young.. but I'll be the first to admit the obvious mechanical and technical differences there.)

Like the FAQ thread suggested, I've visited several different bike shops, spoken with the store representatives, and gotten a feel for several different bikes. My price range (which probably fits with the level of experience I've had/what I might NEED next) is just a little under $700. I've been shopping around a couple weeks now, and three of the bikes that I've been looking at have stood out to me and had a good feel while riding them.. but because I don't have much experience with different brands/models, it's difficult for me to tell which one may actually be the best fit for me and give me the best "bang for my bucks" as far as features goes. Anyways, here are the bikes I'm thinking about.

A) Trek Marlin 6

B) Giant Roam 2

C) Cannondale Catalyst 1

Any suggestions at all between these three bikes (or brands) would be greatly appreciated. Or recommendations to check out any other bike in that price range of course. Really looking forward to riding more, something I've always loved and wanted to really get into. Also it seems like a great forum here to me already, learned a lot just from reading other posts. Thanks again

All good bikes and brands, test ride and go with the one that feels best to you. Also the best shop should be a consideration.

Would discount the Giant, as it's not a mountain bike, for the other 2, do you prefer red or green or orange, do you want 27.5 (current wheel size standard) or 29" (slightly older but still current standard) otherwise, and this goes for most bikes at the price range you looking at, they will be very similar equiped, probably with a Shimano Atlus groupset and Suntour forks.

One thing to think about with the forks, you can upgrade these to a higher spec via Suntour USA for a discounted rate if you want to improve these - SR Suntour North America

for Giant you should look at talon

Probably not the response you're looking for, but try the used market. You can get a much nicer bike for that amount of money off of craigslist if you know what you're after.

Thanks hg4s, yeah that's a good point about the shops. Used to take my od Trek back to its shop for tune-ups and advice, really helpful staff.

I'll check out the Talon too there's a Giant dealer not far from me. If I remember correctly the exact model I looked at was a little pricey, but I'll check again. Appreciate your help

Ohh gotcha, yeah didn't know that about the Roam. Thanks for the advice, would have sucked to spend the money on a mountain bike that isn't a.. mountain bike haha. Yeah if it came to color I'd go with red or orange, but from what I've read about bike stability/ground contact for beginners, and the fact that I probably won't be doing anything strictly downhill soon, I'm leaning towards 29". Hadn't heard anything about the Suntour upgrade system tho! That's awesome could really come in handy sometime, thank man

Thanks Bikernator yeah I haven't done much searching in the used market, not opposed to it at all, just not too sure I'd know what to look for/what a good deal might be. Any suggestions on a bike that might frequent the used market that a would be ideal for a serious beginner?

That will depend a lot on what's local - both with trails and with shops. If there's a popular Trek dealer near you, then you will likely see a lot of Treks for sale. If it's mainly cross country, then probably quite a few hardtails/short suspension bikes.

If you find one then just google it. See what they're selling for new and what the seller wants. Is it the right size? Does it have the componentry you're looking for? I think there's a site somewhere that's kind of like the Kelly Blue Book for bikes. You can definitely get into the intermediate or even higher end bikes with a little luck in the used market at your price point. Good luck!

Thanks, man! I'll keep all that in mind for sure. Found that bike blue book website you mentioned, looks really helpful