Santaria

I've done some side work to replace my SS MB (which I sold) and am down to two (albeit cheaper) mountain bikes that I'm looking at.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...cname=Mountain

vs.

https://www.cannondale.com/pri/eng/Pr...s/1291-0FS5-F5


I just picked up my road bike recently, so I'm at my financial limit with one, but not both of these bikes.

So my questions for you guys:

Which one is the better bang for the buck?

Shocks are low budget, as are the drive trains. Which is going to be the easiest to upgrade over time to something like X-7 or Shadow Deore?

Both ride well, so I'm really just down to which one is really worth the money to have a quality frame to keep when parts start breaking after a year or two of doing switchbacks, etc?

samburger

I like the Rockhopper. I tested a few lower-priced Cannondales & Specialized bikes last summer &, on top of liking the styling better, the Specialized bikes all felt more comfortable to me. That said, test them both & pick the one that feels best to you.

pablosnazzy

id go specialized, cause it's specialized and not cannondale. like sam said...try the both, get the one that is more comfortable and fits better and feels better.

Zephyr11

I'd go Cannondale because the Specialized is a 29er and the Cannondale is not. Ride 'em both. They're not going to ride the same.

dminor 

Yeah, one's a 29er and one's an Abomination. Yer on yer own . . . .

Santaria

Ended up going with the upgraded Specialized, the Expert 29er. Had a better shock, and deore on the backside.

Felt like the better ride all around.