I’m going to write about mountain bikes after all. I think a suitable time has passed.
Last summer my sister and I made an extravagant bet: $500 to the person who got her thesis turned in first. The only condition was that the money had to be spent on a single thing: purse, Jimmy Choo shoes … you get the idea.
Ironically, I won. Ironic I say, because her doctoral thesis committee raved about her work and passed her dissertation without a single rewrite, while my committee sighed and shook their heads sadly. I am still rewriting that (damn) thesis, but at least I have a great bike to ride on my breaks.
In any case I decided to spend the prize money on a mountain bike and it so happened that both Chad and his brother were in the market for new bikes as well. First, we used our library skills and checked out Consumer Reports (July 2004). Bikes were listed under four categories: Full-suspension, front suspension, hybrid, and comfort bikes. The only ones we were interested in were the front-suspension (all ~$500), so I’ll list those here:
6. Gary Fisher Marlin
7. Specialized Rockhopper
8. Trek 4500
9. Raleigh M60
10. Giant Yukon
11. Schwinn Mesa GSD
12. GT Avalanche 2.0 Disc
13. Mongoose Rockdile ALD
I listed all of them to be fair, but we only considered the top three. And after multiple visits to four different bike shops, we went with the shop within biking distance of Chad’s house. Not only was the bike seller an avid rock climber who loved Joshua Tree and gave us a good multiple bike discount, but his shop, CycleWerks, also offers free lifetime tune-ups!
Chad and I both got the Gary Fisher Marlin (although I got the Marlin GT, which is woman-specific) and Chad’s brother got the upgraded version of the Trek 4500. We are very happy with our bikes! (Although my sister has not yet paid up, I am operating under the assumption she will.)
Point of interest in the article – Consumer Reports actually warns its readers against buying mass-manufactured cheaper bikes, saying that they are poorly made and heavier; basically, you get what you pay for.