I want a new Mountain Bike

[jmdjax]

How is this one?

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/sport/29er_sport/mamba/#

Flounder? You still around?

They also make a Mamba WSB but I can't find the difference...

I have an Old, old (early or mid 90s?) Trek 6500. Big upgrade to get a new one?

 

[sven]

WSB=womens specific bike...or something like that.

 

[jmdjax]

It's WSD, not WSB, I just checked.

 

[sven]

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/womens/

 

[jmdjax]

Gotcha! Thanks.

 

[jmdjax]

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bik/2871993630.html

Or there is this for much less expensive. Which is a better deal?

 

[Christophe Noel]

That's a perfectly fine bike. That's kind of a sweat spot for entry level, or slightly higher, 29er hardtails. Given that, you'll find lots of other bikes of equal value from a variety of manufacturers.

Felt Nine Sport: http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2012/Mountain/Nine-Series/Nine-Sport.aspx
Rocky Mountain Trail 29: http://www.bikes.com/main+en+01_102+TRAILHEAD_29_.html?BIKE=1000&CATID=1&SCATID=2&Y=2012 (slight bit higher in price)
Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62111&scid=1100&scname=Mountain
Kona Kahuna: http://konaworld.com/29er_hardtail.cfm?content=kahuna

There's really not a bad choice in here. If I had to buy a bike from this list today, I'd lean towards the Rocky Mountain for reasons that are purely my own. I just think it's cool. Second on the list would be the Specialized.

But...I'd also save my pennies for another few weeks and bump my price up a touch to get into the Rocky Mountain Vertex 930, one of my favorite bikes of 2012 and the Specialized Carve at $1300ish.

It's probably also worth noting that Cannodale and Giant also have bikes in this range that are no better or worse than anything else. Again, tough to go wrong with any of the bikes above.

My only stand-out component I'd avoid are Avid hydro brakes. They have a terrible reputation. We warranty so many Elixer brakes it's crazy.

 

[Airmonger]

I bought a Giant 29er last year. I have been very happy with it other than every single component has a large "Giant" sticker plastered all over it.

 

[jmdjax]

Cool! Thanks guys..

Is it still okay to get a hardtail if I want to do some of the technical trails we have? Most people I see doing them are on full suspension bikes..

 

[jmdjax]

Ok I bit the bullet on Friday. I rode the piss out of it all weekend on the toughest trails we have here. A couple things. I'm not used to riding with clips on a mountain bike. I suppose I'll get used to it. Secondly, I find that the handlebars are way too wide. I was told this is normal on a 29er though. I clipped the ends a few times on some narrow parts of the trails. (and subsequently remembered I was clipped in a little too late)

All in all? I love it. It was between this and a cannondale but I went with the trek because I've always had treks. And because it has an extra gear. This thing is geared so low I can pedal fast and almost not even move!

Huge upgrade from my 6500...

 

[a.mus.ed]

Congrats on the purchase!! I'm looking forward to mine...

 

[phsycle]

...Ok I bit the bullet on Friday. I rode the piss out of it all weekend on the toughest trails we have here. A couple things. I'm not used to riding with clips on a mountain bike. I suppose I'll get used to it. Secondly, I find that the handlebars are way too wide. I was told this is normal on a 29er though. I clipped the ends a few times on some narrow parts of the trails. (and subsequently remembered I was clipped in a little too late)

All in all? I love it. It was between this and a cannondale but I went with the trek because I've always had treks. And because it has an extra gear. This thing is geared so low I can pedal fast and almost not even move!

Huge upgrade from my 6500...

You'll get used to the clipless pedals. Expect to fall a few times, so loosen the tension a bit. Also, whoever told you about 29er-specific handlebars, they were either yanking your chain or clueless. That's like saying you need a 29er saddle.

Anyway, nice Trek. One thing I like about Trek's is the warranty. Great service, from my past experience. One thing you should do is a tubeless conversion. Look up "Ghetto tubeless" on youtube. I did the gorilla tape version several years ago and it's been great. Split-tube method works well, too.

 

[jmdjax]

What's the advantage of going tubeless like that?

 

[sven]

Most Treks already have tubeless ready bontrager rims. All you need is the rim strip and sealant. Should be less than $20 for the setup. Tubeless allows you to run lower pressures than tubes.

 

[phsycle]

What's the advantage of going tubeless like that?

As Sven said, lower pressure for better traction. Less prone for flats (you add sealant (like Stan's) and if a thorn goes through your tire, it just seals up). Better performance overall. It is definitely more tricky to set up than regular tubes, but I feel it is worth it.