Old Gary Fisher bike vs. 2005 Specialized

babim

hello everyone, I hope I get some replies in time.

I am conflicted between buying one of two bikes but leaning towards the Gary Fisher bike. Here are the specs of the respective bikes.

Gary Fisher- $375
-Rock Shox Judy front suspension
-complete Shimano Deore XT drivetrain
-AT-17 Arya ultra light alloy wheels

This bike is in mint condition and looks incredible






Specialized Rock Hopper Comp DirectDrive - $400
I don't have much details on this bike except for a few pictures






I've been doing mountain biking with semi-aggresive trails (rocks/roots) and got my bike stolen so I'm looking into getting a new one. I'm 5"10 male. My right hand fingers are amputated which is why I'm leaning towards the disc brakes because they provide more power.

Thank you!

The Rookie

The Spesh will be much better for serious mountain biking, the Judy forks are pretty aweful.

babim

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19655846#p19655846]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

The Spesh will be much better for serious mountain biking, the Judy forks are pretty aweful.

You think it's better to get the bike with a slightly better fork over better components? I read reviews on both forks and I couldn't find much positivity towards them. I could upgrade to a better fork in the long-run.

cooldad

The Gary Fisher looks to have a crazy long head tube. You might struggle to find anything to fit, especially in 1 and 1/8th V brake compatible.

The Spesh has really old bits, and looks a bit tired.

Neither look like decent buys IMO.

joebristol

I'm assuming you're in the us as you're quoting dollars and I'm on the uk so don't know what prices are like over there. But both those bikes sound expensive for what they are. The gary fisher looks ancient and has a weirdly long head tube. Forks don't look great and v brakes are pretty retro. The specialises looks a bit newer, but has had a hard life.

Over here in the UK £400 would get something much better second hand, and would even get something better brand new. The group set would be significantly lower but you could get hydraulic disc brakes and a fork that would last you for a while at least.

babim

Thank you for the replies. I am currently residing in Canada, $400 is about £285. I find it very difficult to get a bike with decent components here, especially in densely populated areas (Toronto).

For example, a specialized Hardrock Disc with Tourney components and a crappy SunTour 75mm fork would cost about $600 before taxes and $680 after taxes. Unfortunately I'm on a limited budget and I can spend about $400. The used bikes found here are either extremely expensive full suspension bikes, or low end store bikes. Rarely do you find bikes like these.

I could get a full tuneup/cleanup for the specialized bike for around $50.

passout

For serious MTBing I'd go for disc brakes generally speaking. But for riding around town / general leisure / transport, I'd go for the Fisher. This assumes its the right size.