It looks like an all mountain rig is in my future and I've got it narrowed down to these two options right now. I'm trying to do a little digging and find the good and bad news about each of these.
I'm looking for something that will handle some abusive trail riding, but I live in SoCal and most of the riding here doesn't involve big jumps or drops. I tend to hit trails that require a pedal up for the bomb back down. However, I would like to have a rig tough enough that I won't be worried about it when things get rough, particularly if I travel to new trails (I do have a dedicated DH/FR rig for the big stuff). I tend toward bikes with short seat tubes and longer top tubes (6'1") and I like slack head angles. From what I've read, both of these bikes seem up to the task.
A few other points:
Tomac - I like supporting smaller companies, but I know these guys have been in and out of the grave a few times already. The carbon stay on the new model also makes me nervous.
Trek - I like that these guys are everywhere and that Shandro is on the design and test team. However, I've heard that they use a funky BB and rear hub spacing size on some bikes. I haven't been able to confirm.
Thoughts/experiences?
I'm looking for something that will handle some abusive trail riding, but I live in SoCal and most of the riding here doesn't involve big jumps or drops. I tend to hit trails that require a pedal up for the bomb back down. However, I would like to have a rig tough enough that I won't be worried about it when things get rough, particularly if I travel to new trails (I do have a dedicated DH/FR rig for the big stuff). I tend toward bikes with short seat tubes and longer top tubes (6'1") and I like slack head angles. From what I've read, both of these bikes seem up to the task.
A few other points:
Tomac - I like supporting smaller companies, but I know these guys have been in and out of the grave a few times already. The carbon stay on the new model also makes me nervous.
Trek - I like that these guys are everywhere and that Shandro is on the design and test team. However, I've heard that they use a funky BB and rear hub spacing size on some bikes. I haven't been able to confirm.
Thoughts/experiences?
