# Just Bought My 1st Bike (2011 Gary Fisher Wahoo)



## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

Hey all, I am a new member here and am also new to mountain biking. I have rode cheap mountain bikes in the past, only on paved roads. I am 33 years old and have recently taken up running to improve my cardio (have always been in the gym building muscle) and to shed my bulky frame down.

I recently had a itch to get into mountain biking. After doing research for a couple of weeks I decided on the Trek Wahoo Gary Fisher, my original budget was $400-500 range, I was looking at the Trek 3700 and the Trek 3900. As I continued to educate myself through my LBS, and most importantly this great forum, I came across the Wahoo. I then compared it to the 3700 and 3900 and it was a easy decision.

I happened to get lucky as well, my LBS was having a 10% off sale so I walked out the door for $660 after taxes, all in all I feel I made the right move for a beginner bike. I will be hitting the trails asap and I can't wait. Most importantly I will be going to buy a helmet this week along with some gear to protect my body. If anyone has any pointers for a noob like myself, I am all ears.

Some pics!


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## *Jersey* (Apr 6, 2011)

Awesome! You're going to love the Wahoo, I know this because I love mine...it's such a great bike! Anyway, Welcome! Jersey.


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## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

*Jersey* said:


> Awesome! You're going to love the Wahoo, I know this because I love mine...it's such a great bike! Anyway, Welcome! Jersey.


Thanks for the welcome man! I only took it around the block tonight because it was late, I did a quick 2 miles. The only thing I did not like, the pedals feel a bit small and cheap, so if anyone can recommend a upgrade on the pedals at a reasonable price, I would greatly appreciate it. I can already tell, this is going to be a expensive hobby.


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## Brandon5132 (Feb 17, 2011)

Enjoy the Wahoo I have an 09 and its been a great bike


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## mayonays (Oct 22, 2010)

That's a good looking bike! If you're looking for a good platform pedal, that's big with a lot of grip, check out the DMR V8. Can be had for about $30 shipped and come in a plethora of colors.


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## Ice Cold (Aug 20, 2008)

I almost bought a Wahoo, but the weight was an issue and ouch $660, my LBS was at $550. Nice bike enjoy it. Tried Trek 4500 Matte Onlyx next to the Wahoo and Wahoo was noteably heavier. Of course the Trek 4500 was $800, but I almost went for it when they told me $700. Its gotta be 5lb to 10lb less.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

Ice Cold said:


> I almost bought a Wahoo, but the weight was an issue and ouch $660, my LBS was at $550. Nice bike enjoy it. Tried Trek 4500 Matte Onlyx next to the Wahoo and Wahoo was noteably heavier. Of course the Trek 4500 was $800, but I almost went for it when they told me $700. Its gotta be 5lb to 10lb less.


5 to 10 lbs? There's no way.


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## JonathanGennick (Sep 15, 2006)

The Wahoo is an excellent choice. You did well, imho.

Good photos too.

Floor needs work though  . 

Hey, just kidding about the floor. Seriously, welcome to the world of mountain-biking.


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## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

JonathanGennick said:


> The Wahoo is an excellent choice. You did well, imho.
> 
> Good photos too.
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the congrats guys. I will look into those pedals that someone mentioned, above.

LOL I agree about the floor, unfortunately my basement was flooded during a heavy 3 day rain storm, so I had no choice, had to rip the floors up, they were destroyed


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## JonathanGennick (Sep 15, 2006)

mavven said:


> LOL I agree about the floor, unfortunately my basement was flooded during a heavy 3 day rain storm, so I had no choice, had to rip the floors up, they were destroyed


Every time I complain about the weather this season, I have only to look at the news and realize how good I have it.

At least your priorities are in order: new bike before new floor :thumbsup:


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

Nice looking bike but it's too clean :thumbsup: 

Now get yourself a nice helmet, gloves, and camelback and hit the trails !

Congrats


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## De La Pena (Oct 7, 2008)

That looks like a fun bike. I wish you many enjoyable miles.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

JonathanGennick said:


> At least your priorities are in order: new bike before new floor.


And now he can ride his bike in the basement without feeling guilty. :thumbsup:


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## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

s0ckeyeus said:


> And now he can ride his bike in the basement without feeling guilty. :thumbsup:


LOL YEP! :thumbsup: I actually have to have the entire outside of my home dug down all the way to the foundation, then it will have to be resealed and waterproofed. Total cost ranges anywhere from 10-18K... That is not happening anytime soon in this economy, saving little by little to get it done.


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## gemini9 (Mar 23, 2011)

Nice bike! I like! Congrats on your new purchase. Hopefully you can get your house repaired. But hey, even if your house needs work, you've got an awesome bike! Screw the house! 

Hmmm. I like those tires. Not too smooth, not too knobby. What are they?


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## great_big_abyss (Apr 4, 2006)

gemini9 said:


> Nice bike! I like! Congrats on your new purchase. Hopefully you can get your house repaired. But hey, even if your house needs work, you've got an awesome bike! Screw the house!
> 
> Hmmm. I like those tires. Not too smooth, not too knobby. What are they?


Pretty easy to see from they pictures that they're Bontrager XR2's.


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## great_big_abyss (Apr 4, 2006)

Nice bike, btw. Happy trails.


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## Kamil (Apr 22, 2011)

s0ckeyeus said:


> 5 to 10 lbs? There's no way.


Ya thats impossible. I went to my lbs to try it out, and all I can say is that if this is going to be one of your first 'real' bikes, you will be really happy with the weight. I picked it up by the frame with my thumb and index finger...


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## mattpie (Apr 29, 2011)

just bought the same bike, love it so far!


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## Inf3rn0_44 (Apr 23, 2011)

I have same bike! you gotta swap them tires and pedals both are just dangerous. I'll post pictures when I get home. You have to wear your brakes in little by little, they will squeak. Consider getting some cone wrenches to tighten the hubs cause mine seem to get loose pretty quick.


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## michschi (May 8, 2011)

sharp looking bike!


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## VanillaEps (Aug 24, 2010)

Nice looking bike! Enjoy!


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## Inf3rn0_44 (Apr 23, 2011)

Congrats Same bike


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## Kamil (Apr 22, 2011)

wow thats a beautiful bike Inferno, 
does it feel solid? and how is the fork?


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## OnaMTBtrailisME (Jan 8, 2011)

I really like the color scheme on that bike! Everytime I see pics of it I tell myselft that is a good looking bike and that I should get one.


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## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

Inf3rn0_44 said:


> Congrats Same bike
> View attachment 613406


Hey Inferno, this is my first bike and you are dead on about the pedals, I can't stand them. FTR I have only put 2 miles on the bike, I have a physical agility test coming up, for my local Police Department, so I am not chancing riding trails until after the test.

Once I complete the test, I will be changing the pedals, as far as the tires are concerned, could you please elaborate some more, as to why they are dangerous? And as I stated I am new to all of this, you mentioned a cone wrench to tighten the hub? I look forward to hearing back from you.

I'm glad you posted here, I hope you can teach me a few things :thumbsup:


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## Ice Cold (Aug 20, 2008)

It looks better in person the matte blue is awesome quality through and through I test rode this and it was #2 on my top five dead or alive finals list. Deal breaker was its gotta be 30+lbs in weight shes a fatty.


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## newnan3 (Sep 30, 2010)

If you move the brake levers in to where your index finger sits in the hook end of the lever you should be able to get away with one finger braking.


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## Inf3rn0_44 (Apr 23, 2011)

Kamil said:


> wow thats a beautiful bike Inferno,
> does it feel solid? and how is the fork?


yeah for me its a real sturdy bike, I am a light rider at 145 pounds. I think it feel fine well into 250 pound riders and possibly higher. The fork is better than the Trek 4300 I tested at my lbs, it seems to smooth out the bumps nicely. Set your Preload on the bike to give you a 15% sag on the fork with static weight. Remember "-" is softer and "+" is harder.


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## Inf3rn0_44 (Apr 23, 2011)

mavven said:


> Hey Inferno, this is my first bike and you are dead on about the pedals, I can't stand them. FTR I have only put 2 miles on the bike, I have a physical agility test coming up, for my local Police Department, so I am not chancing riding trails until after the test.
> 
> Once I complete the test, I will be changing the pedals, as far as the tires are concerned, could you please elaborate some more, as to why they are dangerous? And as I stated I am new to all of this, you mentioned a cone wrench to tighten the hub? I look forward to hearing back from you.
> 
> I'm glad you posted here, I hope you can teach me a few things :thumbsup:


Yeah those pedals are just painful to use, I changed them as asap. The tires to me were very twitchy and unpredictable under braking. In areas of sand and loose dirt I felt the loss of grip. I wanted to know why this was happening and I changed the new tires for my old ones and found to have much better grip, control and confidence in trails. After about 6 months of solid every day riding. My rear hub came loose, and I noticed it when the rear wheel wobbled significantly. I took it to my lbs and got it fixed up new. The cone wrenches are for tighting the hubs. This bike uses a 15mm Cone Wrench and a regular 17mm wrench for the lock nut. Hey, I am learning myself  also I hope you do well on your test


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## solarflare (Apr 24, 2011)

Glad to hear alot of good reviews about the trek wahoo, it is in my top five for a new bike.


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## mavven (Apr 19, 2011)

Ice Cold said:


> It looks better in person the matte blue is awesome quality through and through I test rode this and it was #2 on my top five dead or alive finals list. Deal breaker was its gotta be 30+lbs in weight shes a fatty.


You had me curious as to what the bike weighs, so I decided to put my bike on my scale. Bike is bone stock as in the pics I posted above. My bike weighs exactly 27 lbs.


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## Kamil (Apr 22, 2011)

For the past 4 weeks I've been itching to go and buy the bike but every time i find a free moment it starts raining, and my lbs wont let me take it for a test ride in the rain 
I hope you're having fun with yours though!


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## Kamil (Apr 22, 2011)

By the way, does anybody have any more pics or videos of it, in action maybe?


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## Inf3rn0_44 (Apr 23, 2011)

I'd gladly flim it on my trails, but its in the shop till thurs


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## Kamil (Apr 22, 2011)

That would be great, thanks


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## rnc_forever (Sep 27, 2011)

I see that your Wahoo has a lock out on the front suspension? Im considering the wahoo but I guess it's the trek model with out a lock out?

Anyone know the other differences between the trek GF and pure GF versions?


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## Alex774r (Jul 22, 2011)

Just bought a 2011 wahoo off of ebay with deore xt upgrade front/rear derailleurs, cassette and crank as well as avid juicy 3 dic brakes for $400+$100 shipping!!! also bought a new wheel set valued at $250 for $100 at my local st. Vincent depaul!!!!!! now the hardest part is waiting for the bike to be shipped here.


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## Faralon (Oct 3, 2011)

Nice!


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## Nottheliving (Oct 4, 2011)

Beautiful bike... Quick (noob) question. When you go to your local bike shop are the prices negotiable or are the prices firmly set?

Thanks


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## Call_me_Clyde (Oct 27, 2004)

*Very little wiggle room on price*



Nottheliving said:


> Beautiful bike... Quick (noob) question. When you go to your local bike shop are the prices negotiable or are the prices firmly set?
> 
> Thanks


In general, profit margins on bikes are pretty low. If you can get the shop to come down 5-10% on a current model year bike, then you're doing OK, especially on lower end bikes. It's probably best to negotiate a package deal that in addition to the bike would include some of the necessary accessories you will need such as a helmet, gloves, shorts, lube, jersey, shoes, spare tubes, patch kit, Camelback, etc.

I hope this answersd your question.

Bob


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## chuyler1 (Oct 7, 2011)

I just joined the Wahoo club as well. Mine is a 2010 model. Looks about the same except the color is matte black instead of matte blue. So far it has been great. It's been 10 years since I last rode so this bike is worlds better than my previoius Gary Fisher Big Sur with grip shifters and rim brakes.

Pedals aren't great...but I'm going to ride them until I can decide whether to go clipless. I used to ride with basket clips so I miss being able to create extra power with my stroke. 

Tires are good for the terrain I've been on. I've only had issues in the wet, but I suspect that might be the case with most tires. I lost the rear tire going too fast over a damp wooden plank bridge. I've also spun the rear tire on steep climbs over damp rocks...again probably typical of most tires. I'm actually surprised how much grip they create with such small knobs. I used to run much more aggressive tires. I've got them around 37 psi. Is that about right for most XC riding?

Everything else is just great. Seat is pretty comfortable, dimensions are good for my 6'3" frame, and the fork seems to be doing its job. 

I will have to check the preload setting before my next ride though. I've heard some odd sounds on fast descents akin to bottoming out...but I think it is topping out on the rebound.


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## rnc_forever (Sep 27, 2011)

Inf3rn0_44 said:


> I'd gladly flim it on my trails, but its in the shop till thurs


What were you in the shop for? How have things been going with your Wahoo as well as others. I'm still in the market, but concerned about the rim...

http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/trek-wahoo-vs-marlin-dangers-single-walled-rim-743735.html


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## Mushkin (Oct 11, 2011)

sweet


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## ShawnCS (Oct 11, 2011)

Awesome! Nice bike. I can't wait to get mine.


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