I’ve decided to begin bicycling again, and have been scouring ebay and craigslist for used bikes.
Visits to bike shops seem to indicate a lot of favor for Trek, but I’d like to know the pecking order for the various bikes. Maybe a ranking from WalMart to Fezzari, or similar. I realize it’s subjective, but I’d really like to hear the opinions (and advice) of the SDMB before making a purchase.
I’m interested in a bike suitable, for lack of a better term, for “mild offroading”. It would be used in my hilly neighborhood, and on several bike trails here in Texas. Mostly trails like Mineral Wells and Caprock Canyon. These are places I’ve frequented in the past and while you could call them “mountain bike” trails, they’re actually fairly level and easy. Obvious in some of my other thread postings, I’m eventually hoping to take my dog along via a small trailer on some trips (he weighs 30 lbs).
If it matters, my old bike is a Nishiki, but is 25 years old, and is too expensive to refurbish.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Gah… I swear I can spell. Any mods care to correct “manufacturers” in the title?
I can’t really rank them, but I’ve been riding Specialized for about 15 years now, and really like them. Hubby’s been riding them even longer. No complaints at all.
And if your last mountain bike is 25 years old, you’re going to be in for a treat. The technology’s come a long way.
You couldn’t rank them en masse for mountain bikes - Specialized, Trek and Giant would be the big 3 who make bikes for every differerent type of riding, they’ll be small strengths and weaknesses separating different bikes in different areas ; a giant glory may be slightly better than a spesh demo8 in the downhill range, or vice verca depending on the rider. Maybe a giant anthem has an edge over a trek top fuel for xc racing, there’s nothing in it in quality of design or workmanship terms, but again one rider might dramatically prefer on over the other.
It’s probably fair to say that none of these companies make a shite bike. All of their production is in Taiwan, as it is for 99% of quality MTBs (Giant has always been a Tiawanese company, whereas the other two are US). So again there’s nothing in it in terms of heritage or made in the US considerations.
There’s plenty of other reputable companies, some big, some smaller - Cannondale, Turner, Lapierre, Santacruz etc. The only drawback to buying something from one of the big 3 is that like any thing designed for mass appeal, they’re a bit off the peg, cookie-cutter designs compared to something you might get from a smaller outfit. This has never been more true now that anyone with a CAD program can get something custom built in Taiwan. This is hardly a consideration for a (re)entry into the sport though, and something from one of these big companies will be great - just choose the one that first, fit’s you best, second, is a good price and third, is a good colour.
There may be more of a hierachy of manufacturers on the road - some of the road makes are quite old and command a lot of respect for their heritage. I know less about them as most of my riding is on dirt.
I don’t cycle, I can barely tell a mountain bike from a road bike, but my in-laws do and they have all splurged for custom-made Mariononi’s though they might not have the style you’re interested in.
I think that generally speaking in any particular price range the bikes are all equivalent. You want a $1000 bike? You’re going to get the same model running gear, the same or equivalent brakes, and the frame will be much the same. It just comes down to geometry for personal ride comfort, and styling.
I don’t know a lot about bikes but I do know that I love my Specialized Crosstrail. I bought it about a year ago and have put quite a few miles on it. It’s kind of a mountain/road hybrid.
I have had my Trek 2000 for 7 years now, and have never felt the need to upgrade. It’s taken me on 2 800+ cross country rides with only one problem: it needed a gear adjustment. It’s the bottom of the line (I paid $700.00), but it’s been a great bike.
For mid-grade bikes (i.e. above department-store bikes, and below hard-core enthusiast/competition models), there isn’t much difference between brands. The frame production is mostly outsourced to Taiwan, and components are all standardized. Most bikes use Shimano or SRAM parts for major drivetrain components.
In a way, it’s more important to know the parts grades:
Personally I think 2 steps down from the top (LX/105/X9/Rival) is the sweet spot - they work almost as smoothly as the top end model, and only a little bit heavier.
There are also a few models that don’t fit the above system. E.g. Shimano’s Alfine/Nexus series which are intended for city/commuter bikes.
I’ve had Specialized and Giant bikes and both were fine.
Amusing anecdote - when I was younger my Specialized bike was stolen. When the cop came to take down my information, he asked what brand the bike was. I didn’t know, I just knew it had been “specialized” for me because it said that on the frame.
I used to ride a Trek road bike and loved it. It was an excellent bike, although I did replace most of the parts over the years, upgrading derailleurs and gears.
I’ve used Specialized and Cannondale road bikes as well, and liked them just fine, especially my Cannondale.
Since I moved to Vegas 15 years ago, I’ve been riding a Diamondback frame (yes, the same frame), and I still love it. Again, tho, I’ve replaced nearly everything but the frame itself, including the handlebars and the rims.
My advice: find a frame you like, then put the parts you want on it.
Seems that the way things have gone, the name on the frame is not all that important anymore, it is pretty much a badge job.
I’ve noticed in the last few years, and colleagues seem to confirm this, that a new player will try to break into the market and sell their brand of machine at a significant discount compared to others. Once this market share or market intriduction has been achieved then the price soon rises.
Giant did this with the TCR 1 carbon frame machine, as soon as it became brand popular the price went up around 20%. This also happened with CUBE and PlanetX.
My advice to you is to go for some up and coming name. These seem to crop up quite regular, the frames are largely made in the same 3 factories anyway.
Do not get a Cannondale, you will come to regret it. I did, and one or two friends did.
I got a Specialized Rock Hopper in 1993 that I took trail riding nearly every day, really beat the hell out of it, and it held up beautifully. It made it down some runs in better shape than I did, frankly. Loved that bike. Then I got married, and my wife sort of gravitated to it, then decided it was hers. So I bought myself a Univega something-or-other, and I hate it. We don’t ride much, and when we do it’s only on the road (2 young kids now), but the whole geometry of the Univega is off for me.
My advice- take a lot of bikes out for a test ride- a good shop should let you. Like, 20 or so. Find one with a geometry that just works for your body. That’s your bike.