Mountain Bikes?

[Pike2350]

I'm getting married at the end of the month and thought I'd buy the future Mrs. and myself new mountain bikes as a wedding gift (Spacecase....please keep this quiet from Jen ) I haven't been on a mountain bike for years (probably close to 20 years now), she has ridden bikes a little bit more...but only in town and for trips to the store/Jordan River pkwy and such. Both are very inexperienced I'd say.

I was looking at 2 new Cannondales....both more entry level.
Hers would be the Foray 4. http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bi...4cb-4235-8ff4-10f5dfdc3c5b&parentid=undefined
Mine would likely be a Catalyst 4. http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bi...f38-4335-9f56-c6eb8c4f125e&parentid=undefined

Does anyone know if these are good bikes? I'm not willing to spend the $ on many of the bikes I see out there now.....neither of us are hardcore and just want bikes to be able to ride around town and maybe take to Moab here or there (if I can go and not wheel) If you are familiar with these bikes, would it be worth it to spend the little bit extra and go to the level 3 on either of these bikes?

 

[shortstraw8]

Yes, these are great bikes.
The only thing is if you are a bigger guy like myself (6'2" 255lbs) you will want a stiffer set of rims, but you can get a good set for 250-300.

These are the same bikes my buddy bought his wife and himself for lighter riding and they love them.

Also if you plan on doing any big jumps or drops you may want to look into something else if you are bigger like me.

 

[Pike2350]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm smaller then you (5'9" 205lbs) so it may work. I've now been told I should look at hydro brakes...which come on the level 2 of each bike. I did stop by another bike shop and got a quote for 2 2016 models of different brands for $900 pretax so I'm debating that now. Those bikes are a Diamondback Apex Elite and a GT Backwoods comp. I'm torn on which direction to go honestly.

 

[Unimog]

Probably personal preference, but I would go for the Cannondales. Hydro brakes have a better feel, but cable disk brakes are stupid simple to maintain and work quite well.

 

[pkrfctr]

Look at bikesdirect. Com. I grabbed a motobecan a few years back and have been super happy with it. A similarly set up name brand bike would have been twice what I spent. Same components as the name brand guys without paying for the name.

 

[shortstraw8]

Probably personal preference, but I would go for the Cannondales. Hydro brakes have a better feel, but cable disk brakes are stupid simple to maintain and work quite well.

This is true, I have never owned a bike with Hydro brakes, but have rode a few. With how light these bikes are hydro IMO is just another thing to maintain.
The only bike I ever wished had hydro was my Downhill santa cruise nomad with full coil rear suspension and it is cause it was a beast.
Hydro does feel a bit smoother though.

As for diamond back bikes (unless they have changed in the past 3 years) I would stay away from, you can get a better Scott brand bike for about same price that will last you forever or till you are ready for more bike.
I bought a 1 year old hard tail xl frame from a friend, and beat the hell out of it and it just keep going till I sold it for the nomad. And my cousin has a 2016 rc(I think) whatever the hard tail is called, and he loves it.

 

[Kiel]

Love our Kona s with hydraulic

 

[crosbike]

Ive always liked Specialized personally. Id check out the Hardrock for you and the myka for her? Same price point as the cannondales.
As far as cable vs hydro brakes. Ive never had an issue with my hydros and bleeding a brake system isn't rocket science.

 

[DevinB]

...cable disk brakes are stupid simple to maintain and work quite well.

I was recently in the market for a bike for my son. I had a couple different people tell me hydro brakes were less maintenance, as once they're set up they hold up very well for a long time. The cables, on the other hand, will stretch and will need adjusting through time. Whether or not I was being fed a line of BS to get me to upgrade, I don't know. I ended up with a Specialized Pitch with cable brakes, as I got a killer deal on that specific bike. Otherwise I would've paid the $100 difference for hydro brakes and a couple other upgrades.

 

[Tonkaman]

Cables on disk brakes are a bit more finicky that's true. The big contributor there is that with v brakes the ability to adjust each pad away from the wheel is pretty easy and versatile. Adjusting the brake pads on cable type disc brakes is a very small window of accuracy, and the further out from the disc the more they feel squishy.

Agreed that hydro brakes a absolutely worth trying to get if you can stay in budget. Honestly I'd rather have cable v-brakes than cable disc brakes.

 

[Kevin B.]

Agreed that hydro brakes a absolutely worth trying to get if you can stay in budget. Honestly I'd rather have cable v-brakes than cable disc brakes.

Me too. Hydro disk over cable v-brakes over cable disk brakes.

 

[Unimog]

Why would you guys prefer v-brakes over cable disc? I've got all three and I honestly can't think of a reason why. The amount of ongoing adjustment required on the v-brakes and cable disc is pretty much the same. I prefer the operation of hydraulic disc brakes, but my only beef with that is I have to bleed them a couple of times a year because I hang them upside-down from the ceiling of my garage and they definitely don't like that.

 

[Kevin B.]

I can fiddle with the pads on a v-brake setup to prevent squeal. That's not been a feature on any cable disk brake I've had. It's not a feature on my hydro either, but I'll live with it for the better stopping power.

 

[Unimog]

Fair enough. Squeal can be a downside of disc brakes. In my experience, if you keep them very clean, the newer disc brake setups have almost solved the squeal problem. It's my older ones I have to fiddle with. The worst is a first generation XTR disc brake setup...

 

[Tonkaman]

It's a lack of adjustment for me. In a new bike it's no problem but as parts wear in or get a little out of shape the discs are more picky.

 

[crosbike]

Ive never had my discs squeal. V brakes on the other hand, ive had some horrendous squealing

 

[Kevin B.]

Ive never had my discs squeal. V brakes on the other hand, ive had some horrendous squealing

What disks? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[crosbike]

Older hayes disc 8" rear and 6" front on my big hit, backwards I know.

 

[jeeper]

I am looking into a new bike to basically ride around camp with. I didn't know I needed hydro brakes until I test rode some bikes today. The guy at the shop told me to get a trek Marlin 6. He says it's the corvette of trek bikes.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ountain-bikes/marlin/marlin-6/p/2016600-2017/

I know nothing. Bikes without engines seem silly to me. I want a 29" wheels, and hydro brakes. Any other models or brands I should look at?

 

[moab_cj5]

I am looking into a new bike to basically ride around camp with. I didn't know I needed hydro brakes until I test rode some bikes today. The guy at the shop told me to get a trek Marlin 6. He says it's the corvette of trek bikes.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ountain-bikes/marlin/marlin-6/p/2016600-2017/

I know nothing. Bikes without engines seem silly to me. I want a 29" wheels, and hydro brakes. Any other models or brands I should look at?

I love my Norco Torrent. It is an 27.5+, so a 27.5 Rim but a 29 tire. It's smaller than a fat bike, but still rideable all year. It's a hard tail, and if all you're doing is riding around camp, it'd work great for that. I am thinking of selling mine to get a full suspension setup. Let me know if you have any interest.