# Beginner Bike Selection- Cannondale Trail 5 vs Scott Aspect 740 vs Ghost Kato 3



## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

Hello all,

new guy here..I have been reading threads for a while..wanted to get into mountain biking...previous experience, let's say none...I live in the Atlanta area and I believe we have decent trails within 30-40 min driving time. I don't know how serious i am going to be at this point, but mostly be limiting to single tracks and easy to moderate trails..for the past few weeks I have been actively looking at getting a mountain bike..I have visited several LBS' and REIs and test rode several bikes...since I don't know where I am going to take this hobby, I would like to limit my spending to $600-$800 range. I was also looking craigslist as well..mostly found older overpriced bikes (guess it's the season)... here is what I liked so far:

Cannondale Trail 5 29er Bike - 2015 - REI.com

Scott Aspect 740/940 Bike - 2015 - REI.com

GHOST Kato 3 27.5 Bike - 2015 - REI.com

I test rode other expensive/cheaper versions of these bikes, but not the exact ones..But I have a good idea.

What do you guys think? I am also looking at options to upgrade components in the future if needs change. Thank you very much in advance.


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## VitaVelNex (Jun 5, 2013)

I can only comment on the Cannondale, since I have that exact bike. It was a crash replacement for another Cannondale Trail. I had the same mentality as you, being that I have too much invested in other hobbies. I love the bike. I've switched out the saddle and pedals, and am in the process of replacing the fork with a better one. There are plenty of others on here that have much more experience, but for a less experienced rider like myself, the Cannondale Trail series is awesome. The research and experience I've had, is the factory fork doesn't give a lot, which is why I'm going for a Rockshox upgrade.


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## Bruce in SoCal (Apr 21, 2013)

At any given price point, bikes by any of the major players are mostly interchangeable. One may have a slightly better thingamajig, while another may have a better thingamabob. It will cost the same to upgrade either.


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## 779334 (Oct 10, 2014)

Scott and Ghost have the same derailleurs, which are slightly better than Cannondale's. Cannondale and Scott have the same XCM fork. The Ghost has a Ghost fork, so I don't know anything about that. 

However, I did hear that Cannondale aluminum frames are some of the best. I tested the Trail 5. Liked it, but bought a Rocky Mountain instead.


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## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

Thank you for your replies. I did like the ride of Cannondale Tail 6 (assuming Trail 5 would be slightly better, same frame), then Ghost, then Scott. Ghost is relatively new to the US market but seems nice. 

Regarding upgrading the fork and derailleurs in the future, how much I am I looking at roughly to upgrade to the next level (like Deore XT, Rock Shox, etc.)? Pardon my unfamiliarity with components.


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## rangeriderdave (Aug 29, 2008)

It's always cheaper to buy once,if you think you are going to upgrade within a year .You should spend more money now.When you spend more upfront your money goes father.Forks can be from $350 to $1000.Derailleur's are a lot cheaper.


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

AshevilleMtBiker said:


> Scott and Ghost have the same derailleurs, which are slightly better than Cannondale's. Cannondale and Scott have the same XCM fork. The Ghost has a Ghost fork, so I don't know anything about that.
> 
> However, I did hear that Cannondale aluminum frames are some of the best. I tested the Trail 5. Liked it, but bought a Rocky Mountain instead.


not a Ghost fork, URL says 'RST Blaze RLO'


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

ksp_530 said:


> Hello all,
> 
> new guy here..I have been reading threads for a while..wanted to get into mountain biking...previous experience, let's say none...I live in the Atlanta area and I believe we have decent trails within 30-40 min driving time. I don't know how serious i am going to be at this point, but mostly be limiting to single tracks and easy to moderate trails..for the past few weeks I have been actively looking at getting a mountain bike..I have visited several LBS' and REIs and test rode several bikes...since I don't know where I am going to take this hobby, I would like to limit my spending to $600-$800 range. I was also looking craigslist as well..mostly found older overpriced bikes (guess it's the season)... here is what I liked so far:
> 
> ...


Hello fellow atlantan 
I was in the same boat last month, I eventually bought a new-oldstock last years 2014 bike on discount.

I went into it with the same hope, $700-800, but wow have bike prices gone up in the last 5-7 years. and realized I had to stretch a bit. I went over budget 

Coming from road cycling, I remembered how great the compact double was over a triple. So I really valued a 2x bike.
And from test riding (I highly recommend this) May 9 is an upcoming demo day for Santa Cruz at Blankets Creek..... from test rides/rentals I discovered I didn't care much for 29er.

So I narrowed my search to 650b and 2x drivetrain. And came up with this spreadsheet as I looked around









I'm currently looking for a bike for my wife... She wants to join now as well. In Hindsight, I ended up with a good fork. But many forum comments suggest the Suntour XC- series of forks use plastic bushings and are questionably safe for real singletrack riding. So I have modified the priorities to include fork while looking for women's bikes.

Not applicable to you... but could give you something to chew on.








Norco Charger 7.2/7.3 seems like a very good bike for the money. Well above several others.


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## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

Wow..that is a detailed analysis, thank you. That helps. Regarding the 29ers, I heard they are slowly going away making way to 650b's. Is that true?


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## 779334 (Oct 10, 2014)

Menel said:


> not a Ghost fork, URL says 'RST Blaze RLO'


Yeah. It said Ghost in the picture, so I figured it's made by Ghost. Oops.


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## 779334 (Oct 10, 2014)

ksp_530 said:


> Wow..that is a detailed analysis, thank you. That helps. Regarding the 29ers, I heard they are slowly going away making way to 650b's. Is that true?


Nope. Both 650Bs and 29ers are going strong.


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

ksp_530 said:


> Wow..that is a detailed analysis, thank you. That helps. Regarding the 29ers, I heard they are slowly going away making way to 650b's. Is that true?


29ers are selling well.

It was a personal choice, that I preferred 650b. Many do like 29er. You'll have to figure that part out on your own


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Consider used. Your $800 budget can buy a bike on offer for $1000, which cost ~$2000 2-3 years ago. Please don't limit yourself to Craigslist locally. Try pinkbike too.


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## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't know about pinkbike.


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## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

I haven't had much luck with CL/Pinkbike. REI has sale this weekend on Ghost and Scott bikes. I test rode Scott Scale 770 yesterday at an LBS, thought it was a great bike, but didn't think it was a good fit for me. I so wanted to go with LBS, but REI's return policy is enticing, if things don't go well. Will be checking out some Ghost bikes tonight and likely that I pull the trigger on the Kato 5 GHOST Kato 5 27.5 Bike - 2015 - REI.com

Any last minute advise? Will report back. Thanks all for your inputs.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

At least you gave it a shot. While I like that you can specify a price range in Pinkbike, you can't specify a location, or distance from you. That's a pain if you want something relatively local or your budget doesn't justify shipping the bike.

Let us know how the Ghost is.


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

ksp_530 said:


> I haven't had much luck with CL/Pinkbike. REI has sale this weekend on Ghost and Scott bikes. I test rode Scott Scale 770 yesterday at an LBS, thought it was a great bike, but didn't think it was a good fit for me. I so wanted to go with LBS, but REI's return policy is enticing, if things don't go well. Will be checking out some Ghost bikes tonight and likely that I pull the trigger on the Kato 5 GHOST Kato 5 27.5 Bike - 2015 - REI.com
> 
> Any last minute advise? Will report back. Thanks all for your inputs.


Check out the Diamondback Apex Comp
Tapered headtube for future upgrades
Rockshox, while coil and less tunable, some say they are more robust than the Suntour brand
2x drivetrain

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ksp_530 (Apr 27, 2015)

Finally bought the Ghost bike at REI on Friday night and rode it over the weekend. I was so excited that I put 13 miles total, most of them on a flat trail (big creek greenway), and 1 mile on a beginner mountain bike trail. I have to tell you that riding on the MTB trail was a hell lot of fun than riding on the flat pavement. I also inspired a friend of mine who ended getting a Scott 770 at LBS. Looking forward to ride more on the MTB trails. Here is a picture of the bike.








Thanks all for your help.


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