help with hardtail decison

I'm going to be buying a new bike and over the weekend I went out and demo'd a whole bunch. I've narrowed it down to 3, trek 6000, kona cindercone and Marin hawkhill. The trek is my favorite but it's the only one with out hydraulic brakes( which was the only real difference between the bikes that i could feel) The main use of the bike is for pathways towing a trailer and the occasional dirt trail. The rep said the cable discs will get better over time but after riding with hydraulics im worried it will never be as good. Can any of you gurus help a brother out?

What stores did you test them at? What are the price range on these?

If it's mainly going to consist of path riding, get the bike that feels most comfortable and fits the best. Disc brakes will be adequate for such an activity.

Out of the 3, the only one I have tried was the Kona and liked it a lot. Ended up with a Giant XTC 1 at the end of the day though.

cable discs are more than suffice

Giant is pretty much impossible to beat for bang for the buck, and there is nothing "cheap" about them - they make many of the frames for other companies as well. I always recommend going to Pedalhead to buy, as well.

The Giant XTC line is excellent, and the XTC 1 and up have hydraulic disc brakes. Cable discs are fine for the pathways and such but they are not comparable to a good hydraulic brake if you ever plan on doing more than that.

How about for rack, helmet, shoes? The lower end bikes are they clipless too? I would think it's possible to spend the same $ on the accessories as the bike itself, if one do go the $200-300 range on bikes.

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Originally posted by bigbadboss101
How about for rack, helmet, shoes? The lower end bikes are they clipless too? I would think it's possible to spend the same $ on the accessories as the bike itself, if one do go the $200-300 range on bikes.

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You won't get much of a bike for $200-$300, and if it has any suspension at all it will be absolute crap. That said, if you just want a bike to ride around the neighborhood or whatever it will likely suffice. Cheap bikes don't come with clipless pedals, but you can put clipless pedals on any bike. A decent pair of shoes is $120-$150 or so. Helmets for casual riding can be had from MEC for very reasonable prices, really nice helmets (light, lots of vents, etc.) are $100+. So, yes, if you buy a $200-$300 bike it is not hard at all to go over the cost of the bike with accessories. Bike racks vary a lot in both price and design. A decent set of clipless pedals are ~$100 or so.

If you are looking for a good bike with front suspension and something that will last as long as you are willing to maintain it, $1000 is usually a good ballpark number.

My original plan was to spend $300 but that went out the door once I went into a dedicated bike shop. I'm looking to spend max. $1000 on just the bike and the 3 that i like are between 900-950. Me and a buddy who's in need of a bike too went to bow first and took out some bikes and he was mentioning that his brakes werent as sticky as he thought while mine were insanely sticky. When we went back the rep back told us mine had hyraulic discs and his were just cable discs. I always thought disc brakes only came one way, but now I know. The trek was a really good bike but brake wise it felt weak. So is it true that cable disc brakes get better once theyre broken in?

For your use cable brakes will be fine. When you get your bike tuned just ask them to either clean or replace your cables/tubes. I would get the bike you like the most, parts can ALWAYS be replaced/upgraded.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/166...09---185mm.htm

EDIT: to answer your question, they will prob loosen up a bit, they will never have the feel of hydraulic.

The simple pad brakes that grab your wheel would be even better for you since they're cheaper, lighter and you don't sound like you're going to be in several inches of mud or going straight downhill at COP (which is the point of discs).

Look at any road bike - they go 80+ km/hr and they use the same old pad brakes your bike as a kid had. And they stop fast enough that you'd go flying over the bars.

It's your money but again for path riding you're better to get a 300-400 dollar bike with a good helmet, light, and tire repair kit. Even clipless pedals/shoes sound like overkill.

If you need accessories cheap (helmet, etc), check out my post for the 20% Sport Mart discount on this site.

Pm me if your interested, I have an 05.cindercone I had good intentions of riding regularly but only got on 4 times. If you want to save a few and go used let me know its basically just sitting in my basemebt

I totally agree with you guys that hydro's are too much, it's just that if im buying a bike and have the choice to get hydro's for almost the same price why not right? I've settled on the trek 6000 so no hydro's for me anyways. Thanks for the help !!!

I was considering a new(ish) bike this year as well, my needs and budget were different as I was looking for a freeride hardtail good for some downhill days.

but what i did is scour the classifieds for a used one and got a sick deal on a norco rampage.

i found this one on the MEC gear swap page.

i suggest looking there, kijiji.ca, pinkbike.com and any other local(ish) classifieds you can find. you will likely end up with a much nicer bike for the same price or one of your choices for less$$. Many people upgrade from the entry level bikes way before they are actually used up, and many people buy with the intentions of riding alot and the bike never see's dirt.

good luck on your hunt.

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Originally posted by Stunt66
I totally agree with you guys that hydro's are too much, it's just that if im buying a bike and have the choice to get hydro's for almost the same price why not right? I've settled on the trek 6000 so no hydro's for me anyways. Thanks for the help !!!

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Good choice, that was on my list last year. But as to getting hydros for same price - there is no free lunch. They've skimped somewhere else to make up the dollars, whether it's wheels, derailers, you'd have to investigate.