# Specialized VS. Trek VS. Felt



## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

Hello Guys and Gals  I have been in hiding reading and searching the forums. I figured I would join and say hello to everyone. I want to ask everyone for there opinion on 3 different bikes I have been looking at.

About 12 years ago. Gawd times flys. I road a Diamondback Sorrento (still have it in the garage). I would be on it daily unless it was pouring out. I got a car and then a motorcycle and got lazy. I have decided to get back into it for some excercise and to burn a few pounds. Everyone could afford to loose a pound or two no? Laughs... anyways... Here are the 3 bikes:

Specialized Rockhopper- I ordered this in yellow at my LBS since he didn't have any in stock. He didn't charge me to do this and will call when it is in. As you already guessed I wasn't able too test ride it. So far minus the test ride this is my fav bike of the bunch. Has the best color options in my opinion. I know what you guys/gals are thinking. I should be worried about the components instead. Thats where you guys/gals come in and help me pick the one with the best specs.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32234

Trek 4500- Test road and really liked it at another bike store other than the first one. I wasn't happy with the plastic brake levers and I think it needed to be tuned up a bit. Chain was pretty loud like something wasn't in place right. No biggie it will get tuned before I buy it. Brakes worked great. I think the fork on this one is better than the Felt. You can't lock out the Felt's Shock. Am I correct in saying the Dart 3 is better than the Dart 1 RockShox? It's amazing how light these bikes have come. Fit well and was comfy. 
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/mountain_hardtail/4_series/4500/

Felt Q620- Test road at the same store as the Trek. I liked this bike and was a similar fit as the Trek. I think I liked the Trek just a tad better. Had disc brakes but when I used them it seemed to take a little bit for the brake to work. Didn't work as well as the "V" brakes did on the Trek. The brake levers were metal and not plastic which felt better than cheap plastic on the Trek. The Felt looks like a sweet bike but I have never heard of this namebrand before. 
http://www.feltracing.com/08/product.asp?catid=1504,1516&pid=8761

So if anyone would like to give advice and opinions on the 3 bikes above that would be awesome! My budget tops out at $600 bucks. I think that should get me a decent ride :thumbsup:

In case anyone was wondering I am female and 5'3 if that matters in your opinions. What bike has the better specs? They are all around the same price of between $550 to $600. I do not want the "womens" version of any of the bikes listed above. The color combos they offer for the womens versions are gross :skep:

If you can recommend another bike that is better than the 3 listed above then go ahead and let me know that too. I am open for suggestions.

Since I road last things have changed in a big way and I have no idea what components are better than the others. HELP  and a big Thank You


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

Did the bike shop have another RockHopper at a different trim level? The frame geometry across the line of RockHoppers is the same, so if you ride a higher trim level model and it fits well then you'll have a good idea of what the RockHopper you ordered will feel like.

Looking at the specs, the trek has the best dérailleur setup, felt has the best brakes. Between the dérailleurs you probably won't notice much difference in quality/lifespan, and replacing them is fairly inexpensive anyway if they break and you want to upgrade. If you can swing the disc brake version of the bikes, that might be a good call for you. At least with the Specialized, the non-disc model comes with wheels that aren't disc compatible, so in the future to add disc brakes you'd have to upgrade the wheels before you could install the discs.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

nachomc said:


> Did the bike shop have another RockHopper at a different trim level? The frame geometry across the line of RockHoppers is the same, so if you ride a higher trim level model and it fits well then you'll have a good idea of what the RockHopper you ordered will feel like.
> 
> Looking at the specs, the trek has the best dérailleur setup, felt has the best brakes. Between the dérailleurs you probably won't notice much difference in quality/lifespan, and replacing them is fairly inexpensive anyway if they break and you want to upgrade. If you can swing the disc brake version of the bikes, that might be a good call for you. At least with the Specialized, the non-disc model comes with wheels that aren't disc compatible, so in the future to add disc brakes you'd have to upgrade the wheels before you could install the discs.


The only Rockhopper he had in stock was a 2007 in a 13.5 inch frame. A little too small and hard to judge size with it. I figured someone would chime in and say the disc brakes are better. Are they decent disc brakes or the cheapo ones on the Felt? Not even sure if I want Disc brakes. They look cool but are they really better? The Trek V brakes were way better in my test run. Oh the decisions... 

Thanks for the quick reply nachomc :thumbsup:


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## CougarTrek (Jan 27, 2007)

Cheap disk brakes are worse than decent to good rim brakes. Nice disk brakes really are nice. However, you are probably fine with rim brakes unless you ride in muddy or wet conditions (where the rim brakes really do start to loose power and disk brakes don't).

I wouldn't look for which bike had disk brakes or not, but I would want to make sure the bike was upgradeable to them in the future should I choose to. This means you want a bike and fork that have disk brake tabs and if at all possible disk compatible hubs on your rims. You don't want to have to replace your wheels to get disk brakes (could get expensive), and if you don't have the tabs you are basically SOL.

My Trek 4500 has all of that and didn't have plastic brake levers (but I snapped one anyway and had to replace them, fairly cheap to do so), but it is a few years old now and honestly I think they've reduced the component specs on that model (whilest raising the price, how nice...). I really like mine though; it has treated me well 

You want to base your purchase first on fit then on the big ticket components: frame, fork/suspension/shocks, wheels. These are what will cost you should you choose to upgrade. Changing stuff like shifter/brake levers, stem, handlebars, grips, and even derailleurs is "cheap" comparatively (unless you want to go straight to carbon fiber and XTR, in which case it gets pricey, but that's not necessary). In fact if you know you don't like one of those smaller items talk to the shop about changing it right away as part of the purchase. Sometimes you can get a pretty good deal that way, especially if you have a good shop to work with.


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

CougarTrek said:


> Cheap disk brakes are worse than decent to good rim brakes. Nice disk brakes really are nice. However, you are probably fine with rim brakes unless you ride in muddy or wet conditions (where the rim brakes really do start to loose power and disk brakes don't).


IMO, after going from rim brakes to the Avid BB5s, the difference in stopping power was HUGE. Discs should also offer less fade than rim brakes and you don't have to worry about wearing through the rim on your wheels (which does take a long time to happen but still does). The main thing is cost. If she thinks she might upgrade to disc in the future, she needs to buy the wheels, then the brakes. If she upgrades now it's about $100 (looking at the difference between the RockHopper and the RockHopper disc), which should be much less than the cost of a new wheelset and brakes.


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## lyndonchen (Nov 8, 2007)

I agree with nachomc. You'd be better off future-proofing by getting a disc brake equipped bike now. Upgrading later from v-brakes would be expensive.


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## CougarTrek (Jan 27, 2007)

nachomc said:


> IMO, after going from rim brakes to the Avid BB5s, the difference in stopping power was HUGE. Discs should also offer less fade than rim brakes and you don't have to worry about wearing through the rim on your wheels (which does take a long time to happen but still does). The main thing is cost. If she thinks she might upgrade to disc in the future, she needs to buy the wheels, then the brakes. If she upgrades now it's about $100 (looking at the difference between the RockHopper and the RockHopper disc), which should be much less than the cost of a new wheelset and brakes.


I don't think I'd consider the BB5s "cheap disks" since I've heard good thing about Avid mechanicals and the BB7s are supposed to be wonderful. Honestly though I went straight from rim to hydraulic disk (which I most certainly don't need given my riding conditions and style, but they are nice).

Yes, it would be foolish to buy a bike without disk compatible wheels if you intend on upgrading. Just because the bike doesn't currently have disks on it doesn't mean it doesn't have disk hubs/wheels on it (mine has disc ready hubs and has never seen disk brakes).

I have no idea if the bikes the OP is looking at have disk hubs on them or not (my Trek 4500 did, but I've heard the new ones do not which stinks). If they don't I'd definitely go up to the ones with disks if at all possible, even if you end up upgrading the disks later having the wheels is worth the $100.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

Thank you everyone for your input  

The only bike of the 3 that has disc brakes is the Felt. I thought the V Brakes were better on the Trek 4500 than the disc brakes on the Felt. Did someone click the link for the Felt bike? Are they cheap disc brakes or decent ones on it? How much would it be to upgrade to a decent set of disc brakes from the stock disc's? I wonder if the disc brakes were out of alignment because they sure as heck didn't stop as well. 

I do not like the color choices for the Rockhopper Disc. I want the yellow Rockhopper and can't get it in the Rockhopper Disc model. I do like how the Disc's look though. 

Of the 3 bikes mentioned in the first post what one would you recommend? Forgetting about the brakes for a minute and looking at the other components? I really really like the Rockhopper and I hope it fits me well. If it does I will probably get it. But I am not 100% on it if you guys/gals can change my mind for a valid reason. What is the reputation for the 3 bikes? Any complaints or issues? I read how the one guys Trek frame snapped near the rear wheel on his brand new 08. Ouch!!  

I know this is a little off topic but does anyone ride a motorcycle as well as a bike in here?

Keep the replies coming... :arf: 

PS. Who is in PA? Where does everyone ride?


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## lyndonchen (Nov 8, 2007)

The disc brakes on the Felt are a Shimano mechanical, and I don't know how those stack up to the mechanical brake I'm familiar with, the Avid BB7. However, it's not uncommon for new disc brakes to lack power. They require a break-in period to deposit pad material onto the rotor, and once this happens power picks up REAL good.

Ok, brakes aside. There's not a whole lot of difference between the three bikes. Drivetrains are pretty much equivalent; the Felt and Trek do have Deore rd as opposed to Alivio on the RH, but there's not much in that. All have Dart forks, and the Dart 3's on the RH and Trek are better than the Dart 1 on the Felt. Hard to say anything about the wheels, appear fairly equal. Same with the frames, all appear to be good ones with manipulated and butted tubing.

Your fit on the bike is going to be the most important thing. One of these bikes will probably fit you better than the other two, go with that one.

You're right about the yellow RH, that does look nice.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

Thank You Lyndonchen. You gave me some good input. Making it a harder decision though... laughs...

One thing I liked about the Trek and Rockhopper was the better Dart 3 Shock vs. the Felt had Dart 1. I will be able to make my mind up better once I see the Rockhopper in person and give it a test ride


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## upNdown (Jan 12, 2004)

bikergal78 said:


> Thank You Lyndonchen. You gave me some good input. Making it a harder decision though... laughs...
> 
> One thing I liked about the Trek and Rockhopper was the better Dart 3 Shock vs. the Felt had Dart 1. I will be able to make my mind up better once I see the Rockhopper in person and give it a test ride


All in all I like the Trek best. I has the best fork, the best brakes, the best derailleur, I think the best shifters. I think disc brakes are way overrated for most riders in most situations. I have no idea how good (or bad) those shimano mechanicals are, but I'm willing to bet they stink. I think the only places disc brakes are totally necessary are for downhill riding or ridning in the snow (when rims and cables tend to ice over). So I say be happy with a decent set of v-brakes. I'm not sure if those wheels are disc compatible, so if you think you might want to upgrade to discs in the future, that's something to consider, but I'm telling you, unless you're gonna be doing a lot of snow riding (and obviously you won't be taking that Trek downhilling), you'll never need disc brakes.

All that said, if one bike fits or feels better than the others, that's the one you should get. These are all entry level hardtails, and they'll all be pretty similar, performancewise (which is pretty amazing compared to how an entry level hardtail performed 10 years ago.)


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

CougarTrek said:


> I don't think I'd consider the BB5s "cheap disks" since I've heard good thing about Avid mechanicals and the BB7s are supposed to be wonderful. Honestly though I went straight from rim to hydraulic disk (which I most certainly don't need given my riding conditions and style, but they are nice).


I guess we need to define "cheap". BB5s are $45/wheel at REI. That's not expensive.



> Yes, it would be foolish to buy a bike without disk compatible wheels if you intend on upgrading. Just because the bike doesn't currently have disks on it doesn't mean it doesn't have disk hubs/wheels on it (mine has disc ready hubs and has never seen disk brakes).
> 
> I have no idea if the bikes the OP is looking at have disk hubs on them or not (my Trek 4500 did, but I've heard the new ones do not which stinks). If they don't I'd definitely go up to the ones with disks if at all possible, even if you end up upgrading the disks later having the wheels is worth the $100.


The RM30 hub on the Trek doesn't seem to be disc compatible. I can't tell if the frame has the tabs on the rear. For the Spesh bike, the description of the wheels between the disc and non-disc version specifically state that the wheels are disc ready hubs on the disc version, which makes me believe they are not on the non-disc version. I dunno, I guess it's all personal preference, but as someone who is an XC rider (I don't jump or do DH or crazy stuff), I'll never go back to rim brakes.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

This thread is posting posts out of order? Weird....  

I had to just delete my post because it wasn't making sense since it was in the wrong order... :skep: 

Posted on April 14th 2008 at 3:12pm


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## 417markg (Nov 20, 2007)

bikergal78 said:


> This thread is posting posts out of order? Weird....
> 
> I had to just delete my post because it wasn't making sense since it was in the wrong order... :skep:
> 
> Posted on April 14th 2008 at 3:12pm


You need to switch to linear mode (bottom left on the page).

As for the bikes, I'd get the rockhopper disk. The price isn't much more and the bb5 disk brakes aren't bad. I had them for awhile until I upgraded to magura hydraulics.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

417markg said:


> You need to switch to linear mode (bottom left on the page).
> 
> As for the bikes, I'd get the rockhopper disk. The price isn't much more and the bb5 disk brakes aren't bad. I had them for awhile until I upgraded to magura hydraulics.


Thanks about the thread advice. It worked. I had it on hybrid mode so no clue why it would be all out of order like that (and who would want it that way). For the first few posts it was fine then all of a sudden it was all messed up. Laughs 

I don't like the color of the frame for the Rockhopper Disc. I am set on the Yellow one :thumbsup:


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## 417markg (Nov 20, 2007)

bikergal78 said:


> I don't like the color of the frame for the Rockhopper Disc. I am set on the Yellow one :thumbsup:


To me the color of a bike is a secondary decision; pick the trim level first, then pick the best of the available colors.....

Oh well, I'm sure you'll look great on the yellow one


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## rckhopper87 (Jan 25, 2008)

I am very biased since I have a Rockhopper but I , again, recommend my bike. I have not ridden the trek or the felt. I didn't even look at the specs of the other bikes because it seems most bikes in this price range are pretty synonomous with the exception of geometry. What i can do is attest to the great things that my 07 Rockhopper disc has to offer; The frame is awsome and durable. I put myself out there with all confidence in this bike and it has never let me down. I don't ever see myself selling this frame because I think later on when I upgrade I will just keep this bike as a solid backup. I know you said you don't want the disc version and that is probably just fine for you but that really depends on your intended use for the bike. If you wanted to do something more aggressive you may want to upgrade to discs which would be a bit more expensive b/c the non disc version doesn't come with disc compatible wheels. Buutttt, the wheelset that comes stock is low end and if you were into cycling enough to want discs then maybe you'd want to upgrade wheelsets as well. 

Maybe this doesn't help you much but what I am trying to say is that the Rockhopper can be upgraded to the max or min of your desires and still be an awsome bike for you. Good luck with your search.


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## JSD303 (Jun 15, 2006)

bikergal78 - It's been said many times, but I like to beat a dead horse: fit is most important factor. If you can, drive to another shop with a Rockhopper in your size, and give it a test ride. If it doesn't fit right, then who cares if it comes it a beautiful yellow that you like? In the immortal words of Johnny Cochran, "if it doesn't fit, your riding will quit."


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

JSD303 said:


> bikergal78 - It's been said many times, but I like to beat a dead horse: fit is most important factor. If you can, drive to another shop with a Rockhopper in your size, and give it a test ride. If it doesn't fit right, then who cares if it comes it a beautiful yellow that you like? In the immortal words of Johnny Cochran, "if it doesn't fit, your riding will quit."


Thank you for your advice "rckhopper87" 

JSD303, I am not going for just color. Laughs... I would never just pick a bike on color alone. I am just saying the Yellow one caught my eye and alot of the bikes out their are dead ugly as far as color is concerned. What were the bike manufacturers thinking?? I ordered the Rockhopper so I could test ride it first since the LBS didn't have one in stock. Mentioned this in my first post  If it fits me then I will decide. :thumbsup:

Does anyone else want to chime in as far as the 3 bikes listed?


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## specialized13 (Apr 16, 2008)

As you can tell by my user name I am a big fan of Specialized. I use to be a big Trek guy but found that Specialized was a better bang for my buck when I needed my next bike. I currently ride the Rockhopper Pro Disc and a Stumpjumper FSR Comp. I think you will be happy with the basic Rockhopper as a start. Here is your fair warning IT BECOMES ADDICTING. I ride in Southeastern PA mostly so I do encounter alot of wet and muddy conditions. Disc brakes are great when it comes to this. The biggest thing you have to decide is what conditions you are going to ride in. Since you are 50/50 with road and mountain I don't think you'd be disappointed with the Rockhopper, equally at home in both environments. Hope this helps.


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## bikergal78 (Apr 9, 2008)

Thank You Specialized13 for your input. :thumbsup: 

I called the bike shop about 4 days ago asking how they were doing trying to locate the Rockhopper. He told me they are having some problems getting it in the yellow color. He said it might be a wait till June! He was like this isn't acceptable and he was going to continue to find one for me.

Fast forward to today... He calls me up and tells me he found one and will have it in about a week. He said he would call me when it is built.  

After all that I hope I like it and it fits me well...

I almost went back to the closer LBS and looked at the Felt/Trek again. And purchased one of the two because I wasn't going to wait till JUNE!!!


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