Umpqua98

Looking for input on 2 bikes. I want to replace my 10 year old hybrid that I never really liked. I'm trying to choose between the Specialized Rockhopper Sport 29 and the Trek Marlin 5 Gen 2. Both would be mediums. I can buy both locally. The Specialized is discounted to $600 and the Trek is full price at $740. I am a male in my early 60's and fit. I like to ride on local fire roads and gravel as well as paved bike paths and, other than the saddle, don't plan to upgrade either bike. Thanks!

veganbikes

I mean none of the above really. But if I had to chose between the two the Specialized is a minorly better bike. Both have cheap coil suspension and low end parts but the Specialized is at least 9 speed so closer to this century in terms of modern drivetrains. The Elite would be the lowest I would go personally. You get a nice Judy front fork which is a long proven entry level fork and it has 10 speed Deore which is good reliable stuff. Nothing special and certainly the entry level bike in that line up (but in the RH they don't go any higher) however it would be a much better bike to spend the money on.

Umpqua98

Thanks Clark! Yes, the Specialized has 2x9 gears and the Trek has 2x8. Also, the Trek has Shimano and Specialized has MicroShift gears. My last 2 bikes had Shimano gears but I've never had a bike with MicroShift. I've looked at the Trek and have not seen the Specialized yet. I'm going to both shops today to check the bikes out thoroughly. My local Specialized dealer does not have the Elite in stock but I'll ask about it. Quite honestly though, it's looks to be more than I want to spend and may be more than I need for where/how I ride.

veganbikes

Having a good reliable bike is always nice. Quality parts you don't have to worry about and in this case provide a better ride and better shifting are well worth it. The air suspension is the biggest thing. Cheap coil shocks offer little adjustment and a poorer ride.

In terms of Microshift vs. Shimano at the low end it is all similar but Microshift Advent is a purpose built group that is a bit nicer for MTB or gravel. Sort of a modern wide range group in a cheaper form factor. In the end I would rather have Deore or SLX at my low end but would not oppose Advent X if the suspension fork is of good quality.

Umpqua98

Well, ended up buying the Specialized Rockhopper Sport 29. Actually bought 2, one for me and one for my wife. We liked these better than the Trek Marlin 5's and bonus is my wife could get a small with 29 wheels. I get what you're saying about the shock and shifters, but for where we ride and how we ride it may not really matter much. Plus both bikes were $565 each which is pretty easy on the bank account. Maybe I'll change my mind in a few years when I retire and can ride more, and if that happens I'm OK with it.

veganbikes

Enjoy the bikes!

pilotdoc

Generally when people ask about bike A vs bike B, they don't want to be offered another option for bike C that cost 50% more.

veganbikes

OK cool beans I will keep that in mind, not actually though because I do this for a living and I really care little about perceived budgets. Not saying I don't care about my customers or I am just trying to squeeze them for everything they got because that is false but I am trying to get people good reliable bikes that will last a long time and work well. There are plenty of times I don't sell anything and give away free advice that has them not buying when they came into buy so it is not a money thing. It is about knowing your product and knowing the parts on the product and being able to tell someone that it is good or bad and being honest with them.

A and B are just letters in the English Alphabet but there are 24 others as well. I don't love narrow thinking in many of these cases as they leave a lot to be desired or someone just doesn't know that there are other options out there. We have created such a binary world with two choices for everything but there are so many other things out there to discover that might be better or are at least worth looking at. Don't limit yourself and be willing to spend a little extra, that money is generally a drop in the bucket if you have that product for a long time and use it more. I haven't regretted spending more initially in most cases (I only say most because my brain is fried after starting a new job and not sleeping enough so I don't want to say all in case I forgot an incident) I mostly forget about those costs after using the product a bunch. When I bought a new laptop last year I went over budget but honestly I use that sucker a ton and it does nearly everything I need it to do pretty well and the minor issues I have are with some software compatibility issues which aren't a huge problem as it isn't mission critical software. At the time I probably should have not spent the money as it was pretty tight but now looking back I would have done the same thing over again because it really has been a fantastic purchase.

The only cheap stuff I have time for is Trick you just got to be careful you don't get arrested by the Dream Police (thankfully they are all in my head)...LOLOLOLOLOL sorry had to make the bad joke I haven't made a good Cheap Trick joke in a while!