# Trek vs Specialized vs GT vs Giant Vs....Diamondback?



## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

Hello all, I am a new member here looking to spend less than $500 on a new mountain bike. In this price range, its pretty much the same components
- Suntour M3030 or XCT
- Shimano Tourney 
etc, etc. I am lost on what to do. literally everyone, including Raleigh, Cannondale, GT, all the big names make bikes with these components.
Recently, I have seen Diamondback Axis bikes that have XCT's and Acera's for cheaper than most "bike store" brands. Should I trust these bikes? for $400 I have not seen better component combinations. 
Also, I have read that GT's are considered "Wal Mart Bikes" yet they have pretty good components too. What is the consensus here? I appreciate all input


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## qdavison (May 10, 2015)

At your price level, they are all pretty much the same. There is this Schwinn that gets your the same level of components for less. http://www.pricepoint.com/Brand/schwinn/Schwinn-Rocket-2-Hardtail-27-5-Bike.axd
But at the low end, it's more going to be about which bike feels better to you (because each frame will be a little different). So find local places that have the bikes your interested in and test ride them all!

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## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

I feel at the lower priced, entry level bikes, you get a little better value from Giant, but they are all decent and going with a good local dealer to be sure you have good service (unless you are sure you can do all your own maintenance) would be more important than the brand.


I have not heard that about GTs.


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

Buy used and get something better!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Diamondback makes okay bikes. They have some high end stuff, but they specialize a little more in the lower end stuff these days. Their frames will be a touch less fancy and a little heavier than the "big names" like Trek, Specialized, and Giant. One thing that bumps Diamondback's prices a little lower is the fact that they've more or less abandoned the small independent bike dealer in favor of big box sporting goods stores and online dealers. They're definitely not walmart level. One thing to point out is that there are ways to get big discounts on Diamondbacks in a number of places.

My wife bought a closeout Diamondback gravel bike for somewhere in the neighborhood of 45% off recently. If you're an IMBA member, you get access to the ProMotive pro deal website, where you get similar discounts on them (and other brands).

I'll be honest, though, that if sub $500 was my price point right now, unless I found a good price on a used bike or a good closeout price or something, I would not be getting a very trail-worthy bike. New bikes at that price point are fine for neighborhood riding, campus beaters, that sort of thing. If you look closely, you'll see that tire choice is somewhat reflective of this purpose. You'll find "dual purpose" tires with a smooth center tread for pavement on these bikes. 

A trail-worthy entry level mtb is going to cost more. Usually over $600, but those will really only be good for lighter occasional trail riding on easier trails. For hard off-road riding, I think the price is more like $1,000. And generally, it has more to do with the suspension on the bike than anything else. The low priced stuff has suspension with poor to nonexistent damping and bushings that wear out fast under hard use. Plus they tend to be non-serviceable so you ride it till it wears out, then buy a new one.

If you really can't even save up $1,000 in a reasonable amount of time for a new one, this is where it's helpful to buy a $1,000+ bike that's a few years old and buy it used in your price range. You will probably have some maintenance to do on it, but if you factor that into your purchase price, it can be a good value.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Terranaut said:


> Buy used and get something better!


+1 on this. You can find some used bikes within your budget with a bit more features. I am picking up an Intense Uzzi VPX with a bunch of upgrades done to it for $800 later on this week. You never know what you find until you search!

Also, consider what you want to do with the bike. That will help you figure out what you are looking for.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ new bike already?? Nice!


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

LOL yeah it didn't take long. After riding single track with my 29er, I realized that I am too competitive for my own good. My brother-in-laws both have FS bikes and love the way they feel on the track. I want to go faster on my local single track and definitely need something better. The bike I am picking up is an 05 VPX with 160mm rock shox domain fork, saint cranks, 26" mavic 823 rims with Chris King hubs, XT brakes, Fox DHX coil, and a few other things. I will probably start a new thread on it later on after I pick it up and get a few rides in.


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## snowboardgeek1 (Jun 1, 2016)

matthepanther said:


> Hello all, I am a new member here looking to spend less than $500 on a new mountain bike. In this price range, its pretty much the same components
> - Suntour M3030 or XCT
> - Shimano Tourney
> etc, etc. I am lost on what to do. literally everyone, including Raleigh, Cannondale, GT, all the big names make bikes with these components.
> ...


I was in the same boat a few weeks ago. I considered a used bike and did some research before I purchased my bike. I went with the "new" route because I didn't want to end up with someone else's headache. I also wanted a warranty in case anything happens to the bike. I went with a GT Backwoods Comp at Performance Bike. Cost was $500 (original price is around $7-800) and although it has entry level components, for the type of riding I do, it fits me perfectly. Plus its tough to beat Performance Bike's warranty. I actually purchased an XS initially, put 20-30 miles on it, and felt it was too small. I went back to a different Performance Bicycle, asked to get a S/M, and they exchanged it, no questions asked. Keep in mind, if you go with the Backwoods Comp, the XS and SM sizes do not have the triple triangle frame. You'll need to go with at least a S/M.

Before I purchased the GT Backwoods Comp, I looked at similar bikes from Diamondback and Trek and found that the GT offered better components for the money.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

+1 ^^ Starting out is always best to have support, and I feel the same about buying someone else's problems unless I knew a whole of a lot about bike mechanics and what to look for. 

If you stick w/the sport is inevitable you will upgrade your bike at some point anyways. The newer will sell better than an used one IMO.


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## LibertyDeath76 (Jun 3, 2016)

I have to say go used. If you only have $500 you can find a very lightly used one that is only a couple/few years old in like new condition. There are plenty of people out there who get a bike with every intention of riding it and just don't.

I picked up a 2011 Breezer Jet stream comp which sold new for $1700 and whoever owned it never rode it. I picked it up 2 months ago for $450. The frustration you will feel quickly with owning a budget "NEW" $500 bike that is not worth upgrading sucks. Especially if you are willing to do some research into the "off brands" and find out which ones fly under most peoples radar. Save the frustration buy used! 

Look and see if there is a bike swap coming up in your area, that's where some good to great deals can be had. I really like nice things, I buy used so I can HAVE nice things.


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

There is a plethora of people who spend good money on a new bike, ride it a handful of times and then park it for a few years before selling it. This is what I would look for. A few years old but like new. When starting out in this sport having a "real" bike makes all the difference in both your enjoyment and success as a rider. If you can test ride a bike you like and everything works with no visible damage...you have a winner. Adding a bit of chain lube or doing a brake bleed is no big deal and worth the savings.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Terranaut said:


> Buy used and get something better!


Yip. Get a bike some fat guy bought and has ridden once. You'll get a lot more bike for your your money.

If you want new then no one brand makes the best bikes. Look, try and buy what feels good. The only thing I will say is a brand like specialized will hold its value better and be easier to sell when you want to upgrade. A lot of people think Specialized is the best brand of bike. I don't know why, but they do.


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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

Hey guys, I took all your advice and spent the past month researching bikes and looking used. I couldn't find anything I liked on the used market and I searched for weeks throughout the whole state. I bumped my budget and went with the GT Karakoram Elite. I got it for $600 with lifetime adjustments and a great warranty. I almost went with the backwoods elite but it was a tad out of my price range.


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## Kiwi_GR_Biker (Nov 17, 2012)

Congratulations on your new bike! :thumbsup:

Enjoy.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Congrats! We need tangible proof via clean/dirty pictures.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Congrats on your bike! Post a photo when you can! It's awesome you were able to get lifetime adjustments too.


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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

thanks guys, I'll post pics soon; she hasn't seen the trails yet so she's still clean


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

Great! Now post up those pics!

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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

Okay guys here's a couple pics I have. i've only had her a week so she's only seen pavement. Haven't had any time to get some good pictures outdoors. The aluminum color actually looks sharp in real life, I am kinda disappointed how bad it looks in pics. Also the remote lockout stopped working today so I guess thats been a big bummer because I like using the lockout on smooth roads. Might start a thread for it.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Looks sweet, just remove those reflectors before you hit the trails.  Enjoy the heck out of it.


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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

jcd46 said:


> Looks sweet, just remove those reflectors before you hit the trails.  Enjoy the heck out of it.


thanks, I do use it to commute as well as ride trails so by law I have to have the red reflector at night. I'm trying to find a hassle free way to get it on and off between trails/ road


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

Replace the red reflector with a removable light. Much safer anyway.

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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Something like the one below it was like 25.00 on amazon (not my MTB but you get the idea) Easy to remove or transfer to another bike.


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## mcbiko (May 22, 2015)

I'm about to bite the bullet and purchase the GT Karakoram Elite for my nephew - What are your thoughts so far? Any idea of the weight? What type of trails are you riding? thx


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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

mcbiko said:


> I'm about to bite the bullet and purchase the GT Karakoram Elite for my nephew - What are your thoughts so far? Any idea of the weight? What type of trails are you riding? thx


I love it so far. As for weight, I can't tell you exactly but I would bet ~ 30-33lbs, average hardtail weight for the price range. The XCR fork, compared to the XCT, XCM, is better, however not too significantly. I'm just going to take it on some basic trails and some light singletrack; I'm not good enough for anything technical yet.

Really, you can't find a bike this equipped for the price anywhere else. I would double check the geometry on GT's website to get an idea of the sizing compared to some of their other bikes and maybe stop in a shop to check them out.


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## agauna (Oct 26, 2016)

matthepanther said:


> I love it so far. As for weight, I can't tell you exactly but I would bet ~ 30-33lbs, average hardtail weight for the price range. The XCR fork, compared to the XCT, XCM, is better, however not too significantly. I'm just going to take it on some basic trails and some light singletrack; I'm not good enough for anything technical yet.
> 
> Really, you can't find a bike this equipped for the price anywhere else. I would double check the geometry on GT's website to get an idea of the sizing compared to some of their other bikes and maybe stop in a shop to check them out.


I gotta say, great purchase for a beginner bike. I bought the 2014 Karakoram Sport and have given mine hell on some gnarly trails. It's taken some abuse and still feels and looks brand new (the wheels could use a little straightening now though). It's a super solid frame with some decent components. I did upgrade to some knobbier tires which certainly helped. I'm in the market for something new right now (around $2,500) but have decided to keep my GT because it rides so well. Don't be afraid to let it loose on some tough trails!


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## bob13bob (Jun 22, 2009)

dimaondback are better rides for the $ spent compared to other brands. especially if there is a DB sale or deal, the other local brands are waste of money, often talking about ocmponents two tiers down for the same price.


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## matthepanther (Jun 7, 2016)

agauna said:


> I gotta say, great purchase for a beginner bike. I bought the 2014 Karakoram Sport and have given mine hell on some gnarly trails. It's taken some abuse and still feels and looks brand new (the wheels could use a little straightening now though). It's a super solid frame with some decent components. I did upgrade to some knobbier tires which certainly helped. I'm in the market for something new right now (around $2,500) but have decided to keep my GT because it rides so well. Don't be afraid to let it loose on some tough trails!


I agree, I've rode it at least once a week by me over the past few months. Taken some good abuse and its held up. Also agree on the tires. Going to have to upgrade those soon.


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## WWCRider (Nov 25, 2016)

My first mountain bike was a 2013 Trek Wahoo... It was about $750, and I've had it up until now- I just bought a 2016 Specialized Stuntjumper FSR Carbon.


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