Bike choice

[Mark Larson]

I am a newbie to mountain biking. Well, actually I’m a pre- newbie. I actually will not be a newbie until I buy a bike. For a variety of reasons I have decided to get a 29" hardtail. Right now I am trying to decide between a Salsa Dos Niner or a Gary Fisher Paragon. Any thoughts or advise about the 2 or other choices that would compare?

[fleetwood]

Well, I can’t comment specifically on the two bikes you are asking about, but welcome the club. Keep us posted on what you decide.

[jboyd122]

I ride a Gary Fisher 26" G2 hardtail and I love it. Gary Fisher has a lifetime warranty on the frame and that carries a lot of weight for me.

Ultimately though the fit of the bike is the most important thing. I know both Salsa and Gary Fisher make solid bikes so you’re looking at 2 good options. Make sure the bike fits well and that should be the most important factor in your decision. Also I like having a good local shop to work with. To me that is the second most important factor in the decision making process. I like to do most of my own work on my bike, but it’s good to have people to talk to when you get lost or when things break.

I’d say you should test both of them out before you buy. If you’re leaning toward one of them but the fit is just a little off, your shop should be able to trade out the stem/handlebars/etc to help get a better fit.

Those are my initial thoughts. You’ll get a lot of input from people much smarter and with more experience than me here.

Welcome to the forum.

[BryanLeague]

I am also new to MTB trail ridding. I rode alot in my teen years but now im really into it. I bought a cheap Mongoose XR200 Mtb from walmart. Not bad for the 200 bucks i spent. Kinda heavy tho. It does everything i need it to do. In the past 2 months i’ve put about 70 miles (trail) on it. The derailur broke (plastic parts) but an overnight at the bike shop fixed it right up. When my skill level comes up i may look into getting one of these really expencive bikes like you AMs and Pros ride. For novice or newbie riders this bike is great. Mongoose XR200.

[Mark Larson]

I looked at the new Scott 29" bike, the Scale 29er. It is less expensive than the Paragon or the Dos Niner. It seems to have a nice frame, wheels, brakes, and front fork suspension. The other components might not be top of the line (or middle of the road for that matter). My gut feeling is that the basic set up (frame, wheels, brakes, and suspension) are the most important. One can always upgrade the other stuff later. For you experienced bikers, is that a good assumption?

[enoeht]

I demo’d a Paragon, I like it even though I am not a fan of the 29ers. For some reason I keep demo’ing them to get a fell for them, but just not for me. Of the 3 I keep demo’ing when the lbs is out, the Paragon feels, well comforatable and balanced. They both have a good foundation, try your best to demo them both.

[F7Cannon]

Love my Paragon, not to familiar with the Salsa. Looked at a Scott 29er, it seemed like a nice bike but was really heavy compared to my Fisher and I don’t know much about the brand.

All I can say like some of the others on here is try to test them out and see which one fits you the best and go from there. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with the Fisher. Also if your really set on a 29er check out the one’s from Specialized. They have some killer 29er’s in their line up and if your local shops that carry Specialized are anything like the one in my area you can get a crazy deal right now. Good luck!

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