shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Right now I'm looking at a trek 4900, it's at a friend of mines shop he works at guessing it's a year or two old (it's in their bargain bikes) they are asking 599$ for it. Guys got any input? It's been along time since I bought or even looked at bikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) Have I ever spammed my MTB forum/site/disease support group? if not, here goes: http://www.huckingkitty.com Now's a great time to buy - spring is when most manufacturers dump last year's model at rock bottom prices. Need to know your goals before you buy it. Riding around on the roads? Or will this be a full time climbing bike? Maybe somewhere in between on dirt trails? Since it's in the bargain bin, make sure you will FIT the bike. The frame could be too big or small. Riding a bike that doesn't fit you will remove a lot (if not all) of the joy from biking. The 4900 is a hardtail, so beyond light offroad biking, it will be a difficult to ride on rougher trails. The front fork is also an entry-level fork that is very basic. Everything else looks OK - the low-mid-range Deore hardware and gearset will work well. Overall it's a mid-range bike and will hold up to light to moderate biking. Price-wise, $600 (new old stock) is what you'd expect to pay for the bike at most local shops especially considering it's not the current model. Remember, it's like our firearms affliction - yet another disease that hurts your wallet. Edited February 7, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 I seem to recall a time when "having a Schwinn" was a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue109 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 " Remember, it's like our firearms affliction - yet another disease that hurts your wallet." I was a little out of control for a while lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) The 4900 is the white one poop my other post didn't go?!? Edited February 7, 2014 by shepp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Try this again, last time I bought a bike I was 12 I'm now 32, it was a trek 830 and I rode it this past summer. I want to upgrade but don't want to spend a mint (not yet). I started riding around town last year then dirt single wide trails with a friend (which I loved!) so I'd like a bike I can do both on more dirt trail then anything tho. I'm 6"2' with a 30-32" inseam. The 4900 is a 19.5" frame with 26" wheels and he's also got that mamba (the black bike) in 17.5 with 29" wheels for 600 also. I would be willing to spend a few 100$ more too, I told him that tonight I hear you on a bike being the wrong side not being fun I grew an inch or three since I bought my 830 and I damn near paid for it a few times this past summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) $hit, blue, that's not a sickness... THIS is a sickness!!! :ugone2far: :cookoo: Edited February 7, 2014 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Here's my pile.... ....and the kids' pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 $hit, blue, that's not a sickness... THIS is a sickness!!! :ugone2far: :cookoo: Hey go hijack someone else's thread!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) Try this again, last time I bought a bike I was 12 I'm now 32, it was a trek 830 and I rode it this past summer. I want to upgrade but don't want to spend a mint (not yet). I started riding around town last year then dirt single wide trails with a friend (which I loved!) so I'd like a bike I can do both on more dirt trail then anything tho. I'm 6"2' with a 30-32" inseam. The 4900 is a 19.5" frame with 26" wheels and he's also got that mamba (the black bike) in 17.5 with 29" wheels for 600 also. I would be willing to spend a few 100$ more too, I told him that tonight I hear you on a bike being the wrong side not being fun I grew an inch or three since I bought my 830 and I damn near paid for it a few times this past summer 20-21" should be right for you but go test ride the 19.5" as well as different sizes. 15-20 minutes is enough for the numbness/aches and pains to show up. The 26" is typically more nimble while the 29" (a fad, IMO) is more like a steamroller (you'll roll straight over everything). The first thing you'll end up doing is probably upgrading the fork. See if you can get a good deal on something with a front air-sprung fork - buy once, cry once, otherwise you can pick up a used one off ebay or something later. Gears, hardware, etc, if you're looking for upgrades, I have tons lying around so give me a shout. Now for some MTB battle scars. Edited February 7, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Thank you for your input, I had someone else tell me 20-21" also. The guy that's got this bike at the shop he works at rides a 19 (he's a touch shorter then me.) problem with test riding there's 24" of snow on the ground right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'd say 90% the scares on my legs are from bikes lol at one time I had a 4 sprocket teeth tattoo'd into the inside of my left calf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) As a comparison, I'm 5'3" and my S-Works is a "Large" while my roadie is an "XS". Find what's comfortable for you. That's the most important thing if you want to do some serious biking. BTW, Don't get me started on my dirt bike wreck when I was in the military..... 34 days in a coma. Last thing I remembered was my FN-GPMG (i.e. M240B) hitting me in between my legs, square on my nuts. Edited February 7, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmist Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) Hey Shepp, I'm in S. WI too: hit that bigger shop in Madison on W. Wash., IIRC it's a Trek store too right on the train tracks/old depot... Edited February 7, 2014 by greenmist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htbde Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Buy a quad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue109 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Nice fleet tom! Lol. Shibi...is that an old klein in the background? That was a wet dream bike way back in the day. My advice to anyone who thinks they may get into riding is buy used. Bike depreciation is brutal. My $4800 Jamis only cost me $2400 because it was a dealer sample that had never been ridden. I modded it pretty heavy and sold it for $1800 less than 2 years later...and I considered it a good deal. bikepedia.com is a great reference for original value. If you think light easy trail riding will be the extent of your biking, a $500 factory fresh hard tail is the best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) Nice fleet tom! Lol. Shibi...is that an old klein in the background? That was a wet dream bike way back in the day. My advice to anyone who thinks they may get into riding is buy used. Bike depreciation is brutal. My $4800 Jamis only cost me $2400 because it was a dealer sample that had never been ridden. I modded it pretty heavy and sold it for $1800 less than 2 years later...and I considered it a good deal. bikepedia.com is a great reference for original value. If you think light easy trail riding will be the extent of your biking, a $500 factory fresh hard tail is the best bet. Yup, that' the old Klein Mantra Comp. Picked it up used for $500 and rebuilt it from scratch with a mix of new/original parts. Great bike for climbing. I combat depreciation by building or buying used/"old" bikes. :)) I learned the following: buying the latest/greatest bikes only leads me to being broke. buying a new "budget" bike will lead to constant upgrades, and therefore becoming broke later. cheap stuff breaks when you're pushing the bike to the limit latest & greatest bike parts add up to a lot of money, and so I end up eating ramen I can't leave anything alone - gotta mod something or other So, I end up getting used frames (usually top of the line frames) that are a couple years old for a song and then build the bikes up with the parts I want, and I get my jollies from putting them together, tinkering with them, and trying destroying them on the mountain trails. It's not very different from our AR's (even though I bought a complete 308AR). Shepp, looks like you're on a good path so far. Get an older model - most bikes don't go through radical changes between model years. It's mostly the hardware on the bike that determines what kind of abuse it'll put up with. A hardtail will cover light to moderate trail riding. All you need from the frame is a good fit. If you have the extra budget, spring for something with better parts (SRAM X.7 or better, Shimano LX or SLX and up), perhaps an air fork. The difference is the bike will last much longer with the better quality group sets and components instead of having to change parts out incrementally over the life of the bike. Edited February 7, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Haha I own a quad that made me fat just like spoons. Funny thing is all the guys I ride with I used to ride street bikes with now we're all on peddle bikes with helmets ah the joys of getting old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue109 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 I built/bought all of my nice bikes by hustling old bikes, but it's a skill that can't really be taught on a forum. You need to be intimately familiar with value of parts, and know where to find customers. It's the same way I built my rifles. Broke ass folks gotta hustle to have nice stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) I built/bought all of my nice bikes by hustling old bikes, but it's a skill that can't really be taught on a forum. You need to be intimately familiar with value of parts, and know where to find customers. It's the same way I built my rifles. Broke ass folks gotta hustle to have nice stuff! ^^ BINGO! I am a big ebay person for that reason. Edited February 7, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Nice bikes shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Put money down on it today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Nice bike! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted February 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 It is pretty nice, went to the shop my buddy works at he had this and the mamba 29er. Think the 4900 will fit my riding style alittle more, and from what he tells me it's alittle better bike too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 What's a good online store to buy accessories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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