in 1998, i bought a Motiv Vortex from Costco for 400 bux. i used it in college and now i'm mountain biking with it. it does have a full suspension sorta and that is the only bike i have for the mountain trails. most of my buddies who ride the mountains owns a specialized stumpjumper fsr and i am leaning more toward specialized because of that...however i know that at my level of riding, it really doesn't matter if it's a felt/specialized/cannondale/etc...

so one of my LBS is having a closeout sale, something they have every year from the beginning of the winter season till the end of the winter season. i can pick up a 2010 specialized epic comp for 1900 instead of 2900 brand new still in the box. i have been thinking about it for a year now whether i should buy a mountain bike since i only go to the trails when my buddies go. if i'm riding by myself i usually ride my roadies. so as often as i am willing to hit the trails would be about twice a month during warm weather in northern california.

should i buy that epic or just deal with the trail on a costco bike???

I hope you didn't pay much for that college education........

lol, not too bad, i'm not smart enough to make it to the ivory league

sounds like the full suspension Motiv Vortex is the way to go on this one. save the 1900 bux for something else.

I agree with pablosnazzy. Both are awesomely worthy bikes for shredding the gnar. You wouldn't notice much of a difference between the Motiv and the Specialized anyway. Rock on, dude!!

LOL! Tough crowd.

I'll go ahead and say what the previous posters are trying to do in their veiled attempts - the Motiv bike sucks. At least for enthusiast mountain bikers. To the laymen who ride once in a blue moon, yeah it's ok, save your money for something else.

You live in an area that offers up awesome riding, Skeggs and Wilder Ranch come to mind. I used to live in Mtn View and had fun riding all over the Bay Area. If you're really going to get serious, then by all means spring for the Specialized FS bike. BTW, which shop is offering the closeouts? I got my Stumpjumper FSR on closeout for pretty cheap from GoRide bikes in Redwood City a while back.

BTW - it's not Ivory League, it's Ivy League. But since you din't go from any of those schools I wouldn't expect you to know.

Sounds like an Ivory League elitist hack to me. 1998 was a good year for Motiv. Do your thing and don't waste your money.

Or perhaps get a cheaper bike. I don't think a beginner needs a bike that originally cost ~$3000 anyway.

Just get yourself something that fits you well (most important part) and has decent components on it. Nothing crazy since you'll just be wasting your money if you don't ride it that much anyway. Be reasonable with it, but not totally cheap ($250 bike kinda cheap), get something a step above entry level for the fork, and have fun on the trails! If you really get MTBing next year, you can always head back to the close-out and get a nicer bike then, and then it'll have the latest technology and pricing which will probably be a little better than what the Epic has going for it now.

The actual time off road is minimal, so does it warrant a $1900. purchase? Sounds a bit rich to me. If the Motiv works and is enjoyable, keep on riding. If you want to become a serious MTBer, the $1900 is money very well spent, that is a rockin price.

sorry about the ivy league thing, i had to google it to figure out that ivy league is a style of clothing for me usually worn on campuses in the east, it's also an athletic conference of a group of schools. sorry about the ignorance.
concerning the motiv i think all it needs is a tune up because the grip shifts stalls for about a second before the rear derailleur actually shifts. it has bottom sram components and it worked fine last season. i did buy the specialized epic comp today because i had already spent a year thinking about it since the 2010 model came out. besides it is a decent deal, from an LBS in redwood city called Go Ride Bicycles. i bought a 2009 specialized tarmac comp from them last year during close out as well. the only reason that i bought the bike was because i do want to get more serious about mountain biking and now that i have the epic it is safe to say that i won't ever buy another mountain bike because that's how hardcore i will get. i don't even think i will ever get another road bike because i'll never be able to outride the tarmac

btw, thank you all for responding, it was very helpful, even the ones about ivy league schools, hehehe

^^ If your determination, attitude and wallet are all in sync - you, my Friend, will be an incredible cyclist.

Up Grade but you don't have to get that specific bike. Look around and see what you can find.

Its time for the pictures-you didn't really buy it if you don't post it1 rules is rules!

35% off MSRP is a great deal, and I'm sure the updated suspension is much better than my '05 Epic Comp. If you've already spent a year thinking about it, then you certainly know what the bike is all about.

Talk one of your friends into letting you test out their bike. (don't thrash it). This should be a quick decision maker for you. A good shop might set you up with a test ride of something similar also. The Epic Comp is a nice bike; it'll take you as far as you need to go with riding. I had one and it was considerably faster than my Titus X 29er. I always picked the 29er for rides and let the Epic go.