well I just bought a gt avalanche 3.0 for myself and a diamond back sorrento SE for my girlfriend got them both from ebay for under 400 with shipping the sorrento was used but in perfect shape (according the the seller)

Not ugly, the parts are bad.

lol

(also ugly though...)

The GT looks to be a pretty good choice too!

What are your guy's thoughts on the Trek 4300 and Giant Rincon?

Trek 4300 (https://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Mou.../4300/index.php)

Giant Rincon (https://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030...145&model=10764)?

I'm new to mountain biking and don't want to spend too much on a bike. I have about $350 to spend. Just wanted to know your thoughts. Thanks for your help.

The Giant comes in red. The Trek don't.

it really depends on how you want to ride the bike.. i prefer an urban/dj bike so i like short standover length & i like the saddle almost touching the rear wheel. if you're like me.. i suggest maybe a hardrock sport ($450-500CAD)& in the future if you got some more dough, get a new fork and maybe front disc brakes (avid mechs).

An '04 Hardrock Comp also comes with a MZ COMP & a set of discs. but the canadian edition comes with tektro disks & they're not that good so I just suggest buying a hardrock without discs and upgrade to hayes or avids afterwards.

Also, I don't really find a difference for rear v-brakes & rear disc brakes.. they're really not that different unless you're into professional mountain biking... like DH or something

I have my new MTB choice down to these bikes...
'04 Trek 4500 - $425
Fits me nice and not a bad price. At my LBS but almost 45 minutes from my house.
'05 Rockhopper - $475
More $ than the 4500 but the LBS is closer to my house.
'05 Mototbecane 600HT - $400
Lacking on the frame (I think) compared to the others but has better drivetrain than the other two (LX). Can buy on ebay and there is a LBS Motobecane dealer close to my house. They only carry the road bikes. I will have to pay about $50 for a tune up after put together.

...anyone have any other thoughts?

NEWBIES SHOULD NEVER BUY ONLINE!
Having said that I'd recommend the Specialized.

im thinking about getting a new bike, and currently i have a trek 3700. I ride this bike very hard and it takes a beating, and i was thinking about upgrading to a trek 4500 with comp. disk, or either a specialized hardrock with comp. disk. I wanted to get an opinion on which bike would be the better bike to have when riding long rugged trails and doing a little bit of dirt jumping. Only about 5ft tall at the most. So i would appreciate it if i could get some sugguestions.

if i were u i'd go with the trek, u can't bet the quaility of their bikes. if u ride hard then get the trek becasue of the great warranty they have on thier bikes

Just a friendly reminder!

From the Forum Guidelines:
Posts which intend to disrupt the topic of conversation or steer the topic away from the focus of the forum and related news. Disruption can include harassment, multiple user profiles, multiple posting of the same post and posting completely off topic messages. Please do your best when it comes to grammar, punctuation and spelling. Consistent use of "AOL'ese" and "hAx0r" talk can be very disruptive.

Please! Y-O-U, not just "u"!

So I am looking at getting a new bike soon, and I have narrowed it down to 3. (All bikes are 2005's)

1. Specialized Hardrock Comp Disc (we all know the components)

2. Giant Iguana:


frame - Supersized ALUXX butted aluminum, integrated gusset, XTC geometry, Disc brake mount
fork - RockShox Pilot C, 80mm travel
derailleur - Front: Shimano Alivio, Rear: Shimano Deore
derailleurshifters - Shimano Deore, 9-speed
cranks - TruVativ G-Sport, 22/32/42T
pedals - Steel w/ resin body, toe clips and straps
handlebar - Alloy 1.25" riser
stem - Giant 1 1/8 Ahead
headset - Integrated Ahead 1 1/8"
levers - Shimano Deore
brakes - Hayes MX-2 Disc, 6" rotors
saddle - WTB Speed V Race
seatpost - Giant Alloy micro-adjust, 27.2mm, QR Seat lever
rims - Alex CR18, 32H doublewall, black w/CNC sidewall
hubs - Alloy Disc, 32H, QR, w/ double seals
tires - WTB Weirwolf Comp 26x2.1
cassette - SRAM PG-950, 11-34T, 9-speed
spokes - Stainless Steel 14G

3. DiamondBack Topanga Comp

Frame - Topanga Comp 7005 Trail Frame w/ Zero-Stack Head Tube, “Near Diamond” Down Tube & Snake Stays
Fork - RockShox Judy TT 100mm w/ preload adjustment, aluminum sliders
Headset - ATB zero stack 1 1/8" threadless
Bottom Bracket - Power Spline
F. Derailleur - Shimano Deore
R. Derailleur - Shimano LX
Shift Lever - Shimano Deore 9-spd Rapid Fire Shifters
Cog Set - Sram PG-950 11-34T 9spd
Chain - Sram PC-950
Hubset - Shimano 475 disc
Spokes - 14g SS
Rims - ALEX DM21 double wall w/ eyelets
Tires - WTB Weirwolf 26 X 2.1
Brakes - Hayes HMX-2 w/ 6" rotors
Brake Levers - Shimano Deore
Pedals - Steel cage ATB
Handlebar - ATB 40mm riser
Grips - WTB Dot Grip
Stem - Diamondback Chaos
Seatpost - Alloy micro adjust
Saddle - WTB Speed V Comp

Here is how I ride. I ride the streets when I have my daughter in tow in her trailer. (20% of the time) I ride the trails (77%) typically used for jogging and horse (nothing to adverse) but every so often I get the itch for a downhill run here and there. (3%) Nothing extreme, but I would say once every month I am searching for that killer climb only to get the rush of coming back down. I need a sturdy frame too as I am 6'1 200lbs. So I would say the bike I need needs to be a good all around bike. I pretty much settled on the specialized until I saw the components on the Diamondback for the price. I have never owned a DB or know much about them, so I thought I would ask here. The same goes for the Giant. Obviously the overall deciding factor will be which one fits me the best and feels the best while riding. But I need to hear some advice from the guys who are up to speed as I have been out of the market for about 5 yrs.

Any comments/advice will be appreciated. Thanks

What kind of downhill is it? Very bumpy very rocky?

The Iguana looks pretty good too.

How much for each one?

The downhill is pretty rocky, it's like riding on a dirt road, with the occasional big rock peeking up through the dirt, some spots have been washed out by the spring thaw, so obviously those parts are rocky.

As far as price goes, My LBS quoted me $500 + tax + $50 towards goodies for the Specialized comp. The other bikes, I haven't got a price on yet.

neither of these bikes is in any way intended for dh. the hardrock comp, is the best all around, the other two are more like begginer xc

Specialized has my vote

I realize that they are not DH bikes, I was just trying to explain my riding style to help with the recommendation. Like I said, I do it about once a month, and it is like slow speed downhill, just steep, like on fire roads or fire line trails, through the trees, brush etc. I basically need a good all around bike that can handle variety.
Thanks.

That's why I asked him to describe his downhill, it's not very rough so he should be fine.

I don't fully know which bike you should pick though as I don't have too much experience with them but $500 seems like a good price for the Specialized.

Wow, I would almost look into a cyclocross bike. Easier to climb and isn't as bulky for haulin the fam. It will also still be able to handle the downhill you described, as well as any road rides that you might get into down the line.

okay i was reading a lot of the responses, and the feeling i got out of it was that the Hardrock has the most bang for your buck? or am i wrong?

PanPanX, the Hardrock might not give you the best bang for the buck depending on what you think is most important. Take the DB, deore up front LX in the rear, where the hardrock has Acera up front and Alivio in the rear. Also the DB and Giant are both 9 speeds, whereas the HR is only 8, but on the other hand I think the hardrock has the best fork out of the 3. So I don't know, I suppose the hr has the best name out there as well. I am still researching and tossing things back and forth.
Thanks.

How about NOT abbreviating everything sparky?

whats DB?

Diamondback

I got a '04 HR Comp Disc and I got a friend who has an '04 Kona Scrap. They're a pretty good comparison and somehow, my friend got it for like 710$ wholesale price somehow and that's about 10$ more than I got my bike. The Kona Scrap is a bit better in comparison like It has an alivio up front as opposed to an Acera. It has Shimano m-475 discs.. and they're a bit better than the Tektro's I have. The Scrap has better ground clearance.. cuz it's a DJ bike and the HR is more of an XC bike. The Scrap has a bashring too but the HR has an extra 3rd ring giving it more speeds. The Scrap also comes with Jack**** platform pedals.

The Kona Scrap would obviously have a better bang for the buck because you're getting alot of better components for just 10$. BUT it is extremely hard to get a Scrap for that price.