trek vs cannondale vs giant vs…….

[mappencil]

trek vs cannondale vs giant vs specialized vs jamis vs huffy vs any others

i got some good info about types of bikes, now anybody got an opinion on brands? i’m looking for a trail bike that’s not gonna break the bank but i don’t want to buy a piece of junk just because it’s cheap.

and i just put huffy in there as a joke.

[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks!….

Here I go…..

You almost got me worked up by mentioning Huffy in the same breath as the others…. 😏

Ok….

Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, & Giant all have bargain-basement bikes that are only one step above Huffy, Kent, & Jeep in terms of quality…. And that’s a pretty small step.

So, now the question remains; hardtail or full-suspension?

For a good quality hardtail, with quality components for under $500, go with a Diamondback Response Comp. Trek, Giant, & Specialized’s hardtails with the same component spec & frame quality come in at $2-300 more than the DB. The Response Comp is easily the best entry-level MTB I’ve come across. And a simple stem & handlebar swap will really wake up the bike, as well as lighten it up some.

As a quality entry-level full-suspension bike, the Jamis Dakar is hard to beat. They’re not the lightest, but for the money, you get a bike comparable to rides two or three times the price.
Jenson has the ’05 Dakar for $462, and the ’05 Dakar Expert for $1388. I’ve seen some pretty amazing things done on the basic Dakar, proving to me at least that the bike will not limit a skilled rider!

Also, Pricepoint has their house-brand, Sette. The Sette Riddik frame is $369, and that’s a steal! The frame is high-quality, comes with a FSA headset, and the Manitou Swinger SPV 4-way is an excellent pick. Combined with a Pricepoint SRAM X9 build kit ($680) & Marzocchi XC600 fork ($329), the total build price is $1378, not including S&H/tax. That’s a nice as hell XC bike too, and comparable bikes normally come in at $1500 or more.

GT, Schwinn, & Mongoose are all one & the same, and I’ve never really liked the first two, with the high-end Mongoose bikes being my favorite of the three brands. Both Diamondback & Mongoose have made a nice comeback from being strictly Wally-world deathcycles. Schwinn is still at that point, and GT’s offerings are neither spectacular nor mediocre. Some people love ’em, though.

Trek & Specialized are deep in a brand war (each with their own component line as well). Good things happen when there’s competition, and both have come a long way in terms of frame design in the past 3-4 years. I think Specialized has always had the edge with technology, but you’ll pay a small premium for it, compared to Trek. Trek isn’t a slouch either, but their bikes definitely show the influence of being designed in the flat Midwest.

With these two brands, the quality is always high. Each has their own entry-level lines, but they’re still all several hundred dollars above Giant/DB/Mongoose/GT

Cannondale, K2, & Haro entry-level rides are adequate, and fall somewhere between the Trek/Diamondback prices. However, with Cannondale’s insistence on using their own fork designs (Headshok & Lefty), you’re somewhat limited on upgrade fork choices. The frame quality is on par with GT & Giant.

Giant is the largest bike manufacturer in the world, and they’ve got a huge catalogue of bikes. Even so, they haven’t stooped to making Wallyworld-level bikes, so even at their most base model, you’re still coming out ahead. I haven’t seen any deficiency in their frame quality, but at the lower price-points you’re not getting much in the way of components.

And then there’s the mid-level boutique brands; SantaCruz, Jamis, & Gary Fisher (owned by Trek). Fisher bikes are very good, as well as the Bontrager parts that they come with (also a Trek brand). I’m a SantaCruz brand-whore, so I’m kinda biased there. And I mentioned Jamis earlier. Jamis is the cheaper of the three, Fisher comes in second, and SantaCruz the most expensive. However, a mid-level SantaCruz is still priced & spec’ed about the same as a comparable Trek or Specialized offering.
I’ll mention Turner, Norco, Rocky-Mountain, Intense, Marin, IronHorse & Kona. All of these bikes cost no less than $1400 for a new ’07/’08 frame. Older frames for all of the above brands can be found for up to $500 less. All of them are excellent quality, and most license their suspension designs from either Specialized, SantaCruz, IronHorse, or Ellsworth.

And lastly, there’s the true exotics. Yeti, Ellsworth, Foes, Moots, Felt, BMC, & a plethora of small-batch singlespeeds/29’er bikes. These are for when you’re serious about the mountainbike world, and have the cash to spend. Quality and design is so close at this level, being happy with your chosen bike is more a preference in aesthetics than price/design/quality.

Lastly, there’s all those different brands, with their own suspension & geometery. Everyone claims to have the best in terms of pedalling performance & suspension "activeness". I’ve made several lengthy posts on threads here relating to these. Check them out.
But in all reality, if you buy a mid-to-high end full suspension mountainbike, chances of you going wrong are extremely slim. Being unhappy with one of these bikes isn’t a matter of bad suspension design or frame quality, but one of proper fit. Make absolutely sure the bike you choose fits well; any good LBS can perform this service for you free if you decide to buy a bike from them.

[mappencil]

awesome! you appear to have done your homework. i’m pretty sure i’m gonna go with a hard tail so that i can get a higher quality bike without going so crazy on the price. i’m gonna check out your posts on geometry and such. do you know how each brand sits as far as firmness vs flexiblilty?

[Bombardier]

Heh, you’d be surprised at just how expensive a simple hardtail can get! 😮

For most of the big brands, their hardtails are going to be just that; hard. There are some manufacturers that engineer their hardtail frames so that the chainstays flex slightly, offering a bit of cushion for the rider. Salsa, Litespeed, Orbea, & Moots have hardtails designed specifically to do that, among others.
Gary Fisher bikes also have a good reputation for price, quality, and innovation. Specifically, the Fisher Genesis geometery. It stretches out the rider with a longer top tube and shorter chainstays. This also places the rider further behind the front wheel, centering the rider’s weight better on the bike, and making them more stable at speed & in technical terrain.

Then there’s the whole 29" wheel thing, and a lot of companies are offering 29’er versions of their 26" wheeled hardtails. That’s a whole ‘nother can-o-worms! With 29’ers, you get slower acceleration (inertia), easier coasting (inertia), and better obstacle clearance. Fisher started the trend with the first production 29’er bike.

Then there’s the softtail bikes. These depend on chainstay flex and a small shock behind the seattube. Salsa & Moots are notable manufacturers of these bikes.

For versatility, quality, and affordability, check out the Santa Cruz Chameleon. The Fisher Tassajara is cheaper, but still quality, and has the Genesis geometery.

If you’re looking for a compliant hardtail that won’t throw your bank-account (or significant-other 😉 ) into shock, I’d highly recommend a Salsa Ala Carte.

If you want to check out a 29’er, go look at the Fisher Rig. This bike also has the updated Fisher geometery, Genesis2. This new setup increases slow-speed handling, which was a weak point with the original Genesis bikes.

And lastly, there’s the Salsa DosNiner softail. Not only is it a softtail, it’s also a 29’er. Moot’s has a 26" wheeled bike called the YBB (Y-Be-Beat). But since it’s titanium and premium quality, you’ll need to sell a kidney or small child to afford one.

[alejocaro]

i buy a trek remedy 8 in september 2009 the cuality of paint is low
besides the parts are very few or no because the rim is 28 holes i doesnt recomend this brand not meet the guarantee that promise

[scout_about]

If you are going with one of the better brands i.e. Specialized, Trek, Giant, Rocky Mountain, Santa Cruz etc. it is more about preference than brand. Overall they all make good bikes. It is more about what you prefer in a bike.

[Dustin Gaddis]

Yeah, you can’t simply compare brands. They all make some really great bikes, and some crappy ones. Figure out your budget, then look at what each brand offers in that price range. Then decide which model you like.

[caseten]

Thanks Bombardier for the informative post. This post should be stickied.

Any possibility of a refresh of your comments above for 2010?

The wife and I just bought bikes for the kids, and now we are looking to get into mountain biking.

I’m looking for the best "value" trail/all-mountain full suspension bike for myself. Something between $1000-$1500.

Currently considering the following:

09′ BMC Trailfox 02 (internet special $1399)
09′ Giant Trance X4 ($1199 from LBS +tax)
09′ GT Force 2.0 SRAM ($1499 from LBS + 10% discount)

Might be able to work with my LBS to get a 09′ Mongoose Teocali Super into my budget.

Haven’t found sales that would bring the following into my budget:
The Trek EX or comparable Gary Fisher series seems out of my price range, as does the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp.

Can’t get find a professional review on the Sette Ace or Flight, or Jamis bikes to choose any of those.

Also, I need to get a value bike for the wife, something around $650.

Suggestions?

Was thinking of the K2 Base 2.0 or or a 09′ Giant XTC 2.

It would be helpful we could get bikes that we could grow into, and that would hold their value the best, should we decide to sell and upgrade at a later date.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

In that list, I would go for the Giant Trance. I have an ’06 model and I LOVE it.

Also check out this post:
http://www.singletracks.com/forum2/view … on+newbies

[Author]

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