GT Karakoram 3.0 29er Bike - Any good?

[TenaciousTJ]

I haven't ridden a bike in years, but would absolutely love to get back into it. I've had my eye on this particular bike for quite awhile. I suspect it's entry level-ish, which is just perfect for me right now. I plan on riding around town, lots of trails, and taking on longer trips attached to my Jeep or trailer. So this bike just went on sale and it seems like a killer deal and has everything I want (including a bad *** flat black paint job). Only thing missing is disc brakes. Is that something I can add at a later date? Would appreciate any and all feedback you guys have, as I'm looking to pick this bike up next week, before the sale ends.

http://www.rei.com/product/812663/gt-karakoram-30-29er-bike-2011

 

[TenaciousTJ]

A little further research shows that the exact same model in 2012 form now has disc brakes, but it's also over $450 more. Any idea what size would fit me best? Have a feeling I'm gong to have to order this online so I'll have to figure out what's the best fit....I'm 5'11.

 

[FJR Colorado]

I would be very leery about buying a bike from REI. I endured a horrendous customer service experience with them last weekend.

If you want a good basic 29er, check out the Diamondback on ********'s Sporting Goods site... I picked one up at a smokin' deal....

 

[TenaciousTJ]

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunatley I don't have a ********'s Sporting Goods too close to where I live, it's a bit of a drive over there. However, I did get over to REI today and checked out the bike I mentioned above. It's SWEET, but again, no disc brakes. They said they could add them for $170/free labor. No too bad, I think. I've bought alot of stuff from REI and haven't had any bad experiences yet, and their return policy is top notch. I also had the chance to ride a Trek Marlin (Gary Fisher 29er) with disc brakes. This was at another bike shop. It had disc brakes and if I upgraded the GT with discs, that would make both the GT and Trek the same price and same options.

 

[FJR Colorado]

Free shipping at ********'s.

I paid $5 extra for 2-day shipping and it arrived right on schedule. I put it together today. Great bike for the money and the disc brakes are superb.