So I want to get into biking again. I used to be pretty active with it when I was younger (didn't necessarily know what I was doing, but I biked a TON). Broke the fork on my Trek Antelope 830 and never got around to getting it fixed.
Thinking it's time to just buy a new bike.
I've narrowed things down to:
Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc
or
Giant Rincon
The RH I can get for $679 through the end of tomorrow (sale), so I need to decide fast. The Rincon I can get for $500. The RH is from a bike shop about an hour away, while the Rincon would be from a local shop that focuses on Giant (their personal favorite), will be carrying Specialized in the near future but they don't yet.
I like the look of the Rincon better than the RH, but that's not a big deal. The local Giant shop admitted that the RH has slightly better hardware.
The local Giant shop will also offer me 20% off accessories at the time of the bike sale, and 10% off for a year.
I'd be doing a mix of road and trail riding, with a preference for trails but probably end up going on roads with friends a lot. I'd call myself "intermediate" skill level.
I'm leaning towards the Giant since it's the local shop I'll be going to for service almost exclusively, the discounts on accessories, wanting to build a good relationship by buying my bike from them, and saving $180 on the bike to begin with. However, the local shop said they'd be happy to work on Specialized, and that they do all the time. My concern is Specialized gets recommended over Giant quite frequently, and I'm not up on the hardware enough to know just how much of a leap the quality is between the two bikes. Am I going to regret not springing for the $180 at the onset?
Advice appreciated. Thanks!
Thinking it's time to just buy a new bike.
I've narrowed things down to:
Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc
or
Giant Rincon
The RH I can get for $679 through the end of tomorrow (sale), so I need to decide fast. The Rincon I can get for $500. The RH is from a bike shop about an hour away, while the Rincon would be from a local shop that focuses on Giant (their personal favorite), will be carrying Specialized in the near future but they don't yet.
I like the look of the Rincon better than the RH, but that's not a big deal. The local Giant shop admitted that the RH has slightly better hardware.
The local Giant shop will also offer me 20% off accessories at the time of the bike sale, and 10% off for a year.
I'd be doing a mix of road and trail riding, with a preference for trails but probably end up going on roads with friends a lot. I'd call myself "intermediate" skill level.
I'm leaning towards the Giant since it's the local shop I'll be going to for service almost exclusively, the discounts on accessories, wanting to build a good relationship by buying my bike from them, and saving $180 on the bike to begin with. However, the local shop said they'd be happy to work on Specialized, and that they do all the time. My concern is Specialized gets recommended over Giant quite frequently, and I'm not up on the hardware enough to know just how much of a leap the quality is between the two bikes. Am I going to regret not springing for the $180 at the onset?
Advice appreciated. Thanks!
