buying a new mountain bike please help



The Jamis has 20mm more travel than the Trek. The Tektro discs on the Jamis are a little better than the Avid linear pulls on the Trek. Not by much though from what I have heard about the Tektro stoppers, but they will stop better in wet or muddy conditions. The rear derailleur on the Trek is one step up from the Jamis, though the differences between the Deore and Alivio line is one uses more aluminum than the other. Functionally they're the same. Either one is a good bike. I would test ride both and see which one feels better. It sounds like you would get a deal on the Jamis, and IMO I would get the Jamis.
 
graphixgeek said:
The Jamis has 20mm more travel than the Trek. The Tektro discs on the Jamis are a little better than the Avid linear pulls on the Trek. Not by much though from what I have heard about the Tektro stoppers, but they will stop better in wet or muddy conditions. The rear derailleur on the Trek is one step up from the Jamis, though the differences between the Deore and Alivio line is one uses more aluminum than the other. Functionally they're the same. Either one is a good bike. I would test ride both and see which one feels better. It sounds like you would get a deal on the Jamis, and IMO I would get the Jamis.
I'll second that. These bikes are almost the same. I will say that cheap V-brakes are better than cheap disc brakes, although I don't have any experience with the Tektros. I've been using the Avid SD-3's for a few years now, and haven't been able to come up with a good reason to upgrade.

The geometry of these bikes is almost identical. I can't imagine the ride being much different. If you can't get the Trek for close to $400, I'd suggest going with the Jamis. You may end up changing the seat or the stem just due to preference or fit. This will give you a couple more $$ to do it.
 
Tektro discs are horrible. I get asked to fix plenty of disc brakes which are either tektro or promax. Tektro's discs bend incredibly easily, and the pad are a pain to adjust. V-Brakes have better stopping power than crappy discs anyway. But tektro may have revised their designs. Also suntour forks are a corner cutter, cheap and not that great to ride. Go for the Trek IMO, but tis your decision in the end
 
I found a deal on the jamis at my local bike shop. its on sale for $400[/QUOTE]
Yep! i agree jamis has low end components,there was another post a couple of days ago guy looking at the rockhopper and the trek,brow's the coments.