[chono12]

hi. i'm new to the world of mtn biking. not done it in 15 or so years. am in the market for a new mtn bike. was looking at the

trek 6500
gary fisher tass... (dont know spelling off hand)
maybe navara ponderosa (rei brand,.. got decent parts i believe)

didnt want to spend too much $$$ in case i dont like the sport too much. so hoping to spend around $500-800 or so.

sorry dont have specs for each bike, dont know how to attach links, lol.

are sram and shimano gears equal in craftmanship? or just personal pref??

dont really care for disc brakes at the moment. just want to know about derailures and shifters and shocks to start with.

thanx, chono.

 

[imageWIS]

I have a 6500 Disc, and it has an SRAM cassette, and its perfectly fine. If you haven’t ridden for 15 years, a 6500 should cover all of your needs. If after a while you feel that its not enough, you can always upgrade :love: .

The fork on the 6500 is OK. It’s a 80mm Manitou Axel. Nothing special at all, but it works and has a lockout feature, which helps when hill climbing. The rear derailleur is a Shimano XT, and works really well. The front derailleur is just a plain old Shimano Deore, and while it could work better, you really don’t utilize your front derailleur often, so it’s a moot point, at least at this stage in the pricing game.

Jon.

 

[bjanga]

Out of the three listed, I like the tass the best. If you plan on riding anything wet, you should seriously consider disc brakes.

 

[chono12]

thanx for the response. gonna test ride them next week since im heading sbing this weekend. hope the still be some good snow. it rain last week on slopes,.. SUX.

anyone else have any additional opinions??

i rode the ponderosa and it shifts good. the handle bars are shoter too which is good. i like the shimano xt on the trek but the bike shop guy say the tass has better crank, brakes and stuff. i guess it all come down to how it fits on me.

one more question, if im 5'8" will a 15.5 in bike be too small??
the 17.5 feels ok but i get about 1 in or less of clearance. just wondering cuz i have yet to ride a 15.5 in bike yet. basically what im asking is, is everything the same size on the bike except the frame??

thanx again.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

dont get either one. get an iron horse hardtail.

 

[VaNIlLin81]

Ironhorse has bad warranty problems, and dropout problems

Birdman would know

 

[BrandonMiller]

Gary Fisher cobia