Guitar Jam

[Tag]

I'm looking to surprise my wife with a pretty nice mountain bike, she has wanted one for a while. I'm looking to spend $500-600 or roundabouts there, and so far I've been looking at the women's bikes from Trek and Specialized....anything else I should be looking at?

Also, will I be able to go into a bike shop and tell them my wife's height and get the right size? I want it to be a surprise, so I'd like to get it before she knows...

Thanks a million!

[Kevman]

Go here to get the most bang for your buck. No sh*t.

I would seriously consider this.


It's $499...Try and find a better spec at that pric point....I dare ya.

[gtrdave]

I bought my wife a Giant hardtail a couple years ago.
Giant is not a bad brand and they give you some bang for the buck.

[ajcoholic]

You cant go wrong with anything from Ritchey, Giant, Specialized, Rocky Mountain, trek, Gary Fisher, Kona, etc. Just go to a decent bike shop and see what they have. Stay away from full suspension in that price range IMO, ie, stick with a suspension fork only.

I bought my (now ex) wife a Giant a few years ago and it was a great bike for $600. I ride a Gary Fisher myself (but its a $3000 bike) but they have some nice entry level bikes in your price range too.

AJC

[cucamelsmd15]

Stay away from the full suspension, and you should be set. I would echo the Giant or Specialized route myself.

[Tag]

Awesome! Thanks for the informative replies so far. I was planning on front-suspension only, because full is probably overkill for her anyways. We will be riding some local trails, but nothing involving 6 foot drops or anything.

Is it possible that I can go to a shop and tell them her height, and get the right size? Of course, after I give it to her, we can go back and size the seat/handlebars/etc...

[laker]

Yes, a good bike shop can will help you get the right size for her. Tell them her height and they should be able to get the right frame size.

[Tag]

Originally posted by laker2
Yes, a good bike shop can will help you get the right size for her. Tell them her height and they should be able to get the right frame size.

Sweet. Ok, if you guys were choosing between these two, what would the choice be:



Info:

Frame
Alpha SL Aluminum

Front Suspension
RockShox Judy J1 w/preload, light spring, 80mm

Wheels
Alloy front, Shimano RM60 rear hub; Bontrager Camino rims

Crank
Shimano MC09 42/32/22

Rear Derailleur
Shimano Deore

OR:



Info:

# Women’s-specific Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum frame w/ Designs for Women geometry and double butted front triangle w/ ORE DT

# RockShox Tora 318 SL Le Femme 80/100mm suspension fork w/ motion control damping smoothes the trail and improves control, w/ adjustable preload, rebound, and lock out

# Lightweight butted alloy rise bar

# Powerful and reliable Avid BB-5 mechanical disc brakes with 6” Roundagon rotors

# Smooth shifting Shimano Deore/LX shifters and derailleurs

# Truvativ 5D crankset w/ alloy outer ring

# Sun DS-2 disc-specific alloy rims



I think they are roughly the same price...I like the look of the Trek more...just looks beefier, and the color is cooler, but I know that isn't everything, ha.

What do you fellas think?

[HCarlH]

Originally posted by gtrdave
I bought my wife a Giant hardtail a couple years ago.
Giant is not a bad brand and they give you some bang for the buck.

+1 :thu:

I have two Giant bikes...Iguana Disc (mountain bike) and OCR2 (street bike).

Giant gives more value than other brands I've seen. I'm really pleased with both of my bikes.

Whatever you do, go to a dedicated bike shop...not a generic sports store like Sport Chalet.

[laker]

Originally posted by Tag


Sweet. Ok, if you guys were choosing between these two, what would the choice be:



Info:

Frame
Alpha SL Aluminum

Front Suspension
RockShox Judy J1 w/preload, light spring, 80mm

Wheels
Alloy front, Shimano RM60 rear hub; Bontrager Camino rims

Crank
Shimano MC09 42/32/22

Rear Derailleur
Shimano Deore

OR:



Info:

# Women’s-specific Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum frame w/ Designs for Women geometry and double butted front triangle w/ ORE DT

# RockShox Tora 318 SL Le Femme 80/100mm suspension fork w/ motion control damping smoothes the trail and improves control, w/ adjustable preload, rebound, and lock out

# Lightweight butted alloy rise bar

# Powerful and reliable Avid BB-5 mechanical disc brakes with 6” Roundagon rotors

# Smooth shifting Shimano Deore/LX shifters and derailleurs

# Truvativ 5D crankset w/ alloy outer ring

# Sun DS-2 disc-specific alloy rims



I think they are roughly the same price...I like the look of the Trek more...just looks beefier, and the color is cooler, but I know that isn't everything, ha.

What do you fellas think?

Between those two bikes i'd go with the trek. I agree with the guys who like the Giants. Giant puts out a great bang for a buck. I have a Cannondale,Schwinn Homegrown,Specialized Stumpjumper. I bought my son a Giant and I was blown away with the quality. It rides as nice as my $1000 -$2000 bikes. I paid $500 for the Giant! :eek: Find a good shop and try out as many brands as you can. You might find a deal on a last years model. Good luck.

[Moggo]

I have a trek 4300 that is very similar to that one there (obviously it's a guys one though :cool: ) and it's a fantastic bike - feels solid and is well specced. Will last an age and looks cool, I'd recommend any Trek.

[mtnb1kr]

Bang for the buck you can't go wrong with Giant. Of the two you showed I like the Trek. Of course I live 15 miles from the factory. Even though that model is made in Taiwan.

I think you need to consider where she will ride though. Will she ever be off-road? I mean on a real mountain bike trail. If alot of the riding will be on a city bike path or rails-to-trails paths then I would consider what they call a multi-trek bike.Trek has one in womens specific called the 7.6 FX WSD. Links at the bottom. Something with 700c tires and a more road oriented frame. They still come with a front suspension and suspension seatpost but will be more practical for that style of riding. I realize the Mountain bike has the cool factor, I thought the same way, rode my full-suspension everywhere, till i got my first cheap road bike. I realize why it's called a road bike now. Now my road bike is worth more than my mountain bike. Making a Camagnolo upgrade this spring, Full Chorus.

Actually both bikes are worth more than my car. YES, I have my priorities staight.

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1343003&f=26

[Tag]

Thanks for all the input guys...

As far as a road-bike or hybrid - we live out in the boonies, so this thing will almost never be ridden on pavement. Always trails. So full-on MOUNTAIN BIKE it will be.

Now it's just a matter of finding the right shop I suppose. Slightly OT, but I was in Walmart the other day, and they had MONGOOSE bikes there! I couldn't believe it. Mongoose was a pretty respected name when I was into BMX in my youth. (5 years ago. ) Seems like they sold out to the man?

[cucamelsmd15]

Originally posted by Tag
Thanks for all the input guys...

As far as a road-bike or hybrid - we live out in the boonies, so this thing will almost never be ridden on pavement. Always trails. So full-on MOUNTAIN BIKE it will be.

Now it's just a matter of finding the right shop I suppose. Slightly OT, but I was in Walmart the other day, and they had MONGOOSE bikes there! I couldn't believe it. Mongoose was a pretty respected name when I was into BMX in my youth. (5 years ago. ) Seems like they sold out to the man?

They were bought by Pacific Cycle. The stuff you see in Wal Mart is absolute garbage.

I have a Mongoose Wing Pro from back when they were actually Mongoose, and it rocks. Their quality went severely downhill after being bought.

[Telefonic]

Another tip, you might want to check into upgrading the saddle. A nice, comfortable, designed-for-women saddle will greatly increase her comfort and allow her to ride longer. A suspension seatpost might be a nice add as well.

[gtrdave]

Originally posted by Tag
Thanks for all the input guys...

As far as a road-bike or hybrid - we live out in the boonies, so this thing will almost never be ridden on pavement. Always trails. So full-on MOUNTAIN BIKE it will be.

Now it's just a matter of finding the right shop I suppose. Slightly OT, but I was in Walmart the other day, and they had MONGOOSE bikes there! I couldn't believe it. Mongoose was a pretty respected name when I was into BMX in my youth. (5 years ago. ) Seems like they sold out to the man?

Yes, Mongoose was a respected name back-in-the-day...even though I rode a GT Pro Performer , 'goose did make a very competitive bike.
Even a couple years ago, the Mongoose MTB was not bad. I had a DX5.3 as my intermediate bike (now I ride a 2000 Schwinn Moab 3, the last of the American-made Schwinn's) but a couple years ago Mongoose, along with many other big-name bike makers) shifted their focus from semi-pro and intermediate riders to the beginner and entry-level rider with a price point aimed at Wal-Mart, Toys-R-us, K-Mart, etc...really, really sad.

From my perspective, Trek, Giant and Specialized are the few brands I would look at for an entry-level/mid-level bike.
The framesets are usually good on most every low-end bike but the cheapness shows up in the shifters and derailleurs. Poor shifting can take what could be a great riding experience and turn it into hell.
That said, make sure the bike you choose has a decent shifter set (Shimano Deore and Truvativ are not bad for the money, imho) and know that you can always upgrade to DX or LX components (or whatever else is hot thesedays).

Best of luck in your search.

[Tag]

Originally posted by gtrdave


Yes, Mongoose was a respected name back-in-the-day...even though I rode a GT Pro Performer , 'goose did make a very competitive bike.

Heh, right on - I had a GT Interceptor. I don't know what GT is up to these days, but they used to make a mean bike.

[laker]

Originally posted by Tag
Thanks for all the input guys...

As far as a road-bike or hybrid - we live out in the boonies, so this thing will almost never be ridden on pavement. Always trails. So full-on MOUNTAIN BIKE it will be.

Now it's just a matter of finding the right shop I suppose. Slightly OT, but I was in Walmart the other day, and they had MONGOOSE bikes there! I couldn't believe it. Mongoose was a pretty respected name when I was into BMX in my youth. (5 years ago. ) Seems like they sold out to the man?

Don't buy a bike from any big box store. They may look nice but they are NOT the same as one from a real bike shop. Mongoose used to build good bikes until they got bought out and started selling them at wal-mart. Look at a pre walmart schwinn compaired to the what they sell at walmart now. Its not even the same bike. Its too bad it says Schwinn on it. Same goes for GT. You'll also get better service for people who know what they're talking about.

[aliensporebomb]

Mongoose isn't Mongoose anymore.

The original owners sold the company to a
large bowling equipment consortium and they
sold it again. I know from experience - the
stuff you see in department stores are
garbage. Don't do it. Same with the
department store Schwinns. I'll say now
that one of the parts on my high end mtb
costs more than the damn department
store bikes.

Plan on spending $600-700 if you want it
to be something she will enjoy for more than
a season. This is something you can do
together if you ride also!

I know you want it to be a surprise but your
best advice is to take your wife to a bike shop
(ask around in your area to find out what shops
get the best reputation) and have her fit for
a bike - women especially need seats that don't
hurt parts that don't like to hurt.

My wife looked for AGES to find a comfortable seat and once she got one it was no problems but for a while saying "bike" would make her flinch.

Do what my wife did for me, get in the car,
start driving around and pull up to the shop
and go "surprise - you're getting your bike
today!" Have her shop around a bit. It's
hard to resist the excitement but have her
try a few out and see what she likes.

I started out on a hardtail with no suspension
(the Mongoose) then went to a high end dual
suspension bike.

My recommendation is to look at some of
the Trek bikes because they have
womens' specific sizing and seats too
so that's a big plus since women tend
to be smaller and even small mens
frames tend to be a bit large for some
of them.

Good luck!

(owner of four bikes, yes, it's an addiction almost as bad as music gear)

(here's my bike website: http://pod.ath.cx/bikedecide/bikedecide.html)

[tompetty]

Bottom line....Buy from a bike shop....If you wanna surprise her then take her out for dinner and on your way home turn in to the parking lot of a bike shop and get her fitted.Let her,with help from you,and someone who's qualified pick it out.....Bikes are like guitars in a way...

Edit...I just read what the dude above me said and he is bang on...