Santaria

I'm pretty much down to dropping the credit card info on one of two bikes.


Specialized Rockhopper LTD 29er (stock)

or having a custom rig built.

Vassago Bandersnatch frame
X7 rear derailleur and X7 shifter (1x10 setup)
FSA XC-290 wheelset
Paul components Chain guide
Rockshox Recon RLT 29er
Cane Creek headset
Truvativ 32t 175m crank
Avid Elixer 3 160mms
WTB rocket seat

I originally posted this in the mountain bike forum, but I think it probably is more appropriate here. This is going to become my replacement for my Karate Monkey which saw 85 percent commuter duty, and 15 percent xc riding. The price on the Vassago is going to be about $250 more after taxes and shipping costs, so I'm not sure if that nullifies the benefits.

tsl

Nope. IMHO, getting exactly what you want and need is worth every penny.

gerv 

Doesn't seem like a huge difference between a stock and custom bike.

But the real question is: which of these bikes fits and feels better. I'd want to take a lengthy ride just to find out.

rekmeyata

I have an idea, don't buy the bike thus not using the credit card and end up paying obscene interest charges for god knows how long? Why not wait and save the money and pay cash? Or buy a bike with whatever you can afford with the cash you currently have on hand? I know, keep my opinions to myself, I can hear it now.

contango 

+1 to this

If you buy with your credit card (assuming you're not planning to pay it in full at the end of the month) you'll be fenced in with interest charges. I know it's an unpopular world view these days but if you can't afford it you can't have it.

Of course if you want to be in hock to the lenders for an unknown amount of time and end up with a $1000 bike that cost you $1000 to buy and another $300, $500 or more in interest, go for it.

DX-MAN

Financial questions aside, there's a 'feel' to riding a bike with your own parts pick that a showroom bike just doesn't have. It will cost more, but I will never buy off he floor at an LBS or anywhere else, unless the parts pick on the stock bike is so close to my pick that it's irrelevant. So far, that hasn't happened.

Ironically, while shopping around for a bike for my daughter, the Sette Flite is DAMN close....... If I needed one right now, I'd be looking HARD.

CCrew

Maybe he has the cash to pay the credit card bill when it comes? Some of us actually do that. You're supposing a bit much.

Ordering a bike online like he is pretty much requires a credit card. How he pays the bill is his concern.

sauerwald

+1 I use a credit card for many purchases, but do not carry a balance on the card.

himespau 

How I roll as well. Last time I paid interest on a payment was for an engagement ring that I just didn't have quite enough cash to cover. Well I could have paid cash, but then I would have pretty much killed my savings and I wanted to have a bit of a cushion in case of an emergency. You never know when something's going to come up and you'll need cash now, so I figured it was in my best interest if I wanted to spend that kind of scratch on a ring to do it in a way that I could pay it off in less than a year (with minimal interest) and still had the safety net. That was 6-7 years ago and haven't paid interest since. Would like to buy a house (and will need a loan for that), but that's going to require a move and a job change (something that's in the near future for both the wife and I).

LesterOfPuppets

I think your Bandersnatch build is easily worth the 15% premium over the Specialized.

I'm a steel junkie, though.

Scheherezade 

Yup, I put just about everything I can on my discover. I don't carry a balance, I can see how my spending changes from month to month in various categories, and I score 1% cashback. Some people are curmudgeons.

LesterOfPuppets

I dunno dude. Maybe try it in here again but don't say credit card. It's getting a little too Dave Ramsey in here.

Although I agree with the Ramsey-ites wholeheartedly. You don't wanna finance a bicycle. Ever.

fietsbob

I tend to just use the card over the phone/web, in person a check has no processing fee.

ask if paying cash, the fees that are not paid to the bank to process the card
might be a credit towards an accessory purchase, at point of sale.
shaving off that small % would help some..

Santaria

It's a bank card because you can't pay cash over the interweb.

My wife convinced me to hold out and buy the parts one by one so I can get exactly what I want instead of cutting corners on things like my gear choice. I personally want nothing less than a1 by x0 for the quality of the frame. I will however treat myself to my brooks finally.

LesterOfPuppets

If you went with the Spec, you could go 1x9 really easily. Remove FD, front shifter and a couple of chainrings. Add Paul chain guide. I'd add a bash guard too.

truman

I ride 29er's in the dirt, but I haven't commuted on one in years.
I've ridden my brother's Rockhopper 29er, and I've ridden my friend's Bandersnatch. I liked the Bandersnatch a lot better. I suspect this was in part because of a much better-spec'ed wheelset on the Vassago, but also because I prefer steel.

Maxxxie

You make sure you hold onto that woman! She's worth her weight in gold. Let us know how you get on with the new bike

Max

rekmeyata

There's the key word, "some of us"; in the real world most of us have debt with credit cards.

I buy stuff online all the time and use a credit/debt card, but my card has no credit limit it just deducts out of my designated online checking account. But he mentioned he was going to drop his credit card on it thus one can only assume he attends to make payments. Like another poster said if you can't afford it maybe you shouldn't be buying it?

I never said it was my concern how he pays his bills, just advising against using a credit card and paying interest on it.

In case you didn't realize this is a forum about giving advice, it doesn't mean the person has to follow it.

I can tell from your response your probably hugely in debt because you took it so personally, but I'm probably supposing a bit much with that statement huh?

bigbenaugust 

1x10 drivetrain. That is the right kind of crazy. I would have the Vassago built for that alone.

fietsbob

10x1?, why not get an Alfine IG hub , no chain line problem , and as Nigel Tufnel
says .. it's better because it goes to 11.

CCrew

Geez guy, do you have to try to be an asshat or does it come naturally for you?
Based on the rest of the responses I'm not alone in paying my bills so as not to accrue interest. So, since as you say, "this is a forum for advice" I'd advise you take a different track, because you lost this one and I'm not getting into a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Didn't your failure in the touring forum when I called you on giving totally wrong disc brake info teach you that I abhor stupidity?

F'in tool. Stop pissing on the OP's thread to try to advance your ego.

contango 

That's how I operate, it's just that whenever I hear people talking about their credit card specifically it usually means they are planning to pay it off over some unspecified period, incurring interest along the way.

If the OP wants to pay interest that's their concern, just not something I'd advise anyone to do. If the OP is planning to pay off the bill when it comes and not pay interest that's great. I thought the idea of a discussion board was to discuss.

CCrew

Contango, I'm with you... but I'd have to say that the interjection as to advise of how to pay the bill (or not) is not really our business versus answering the OP's question of which bike makes the most sense. Don't you think?
Opinions on the bike choices he's asking about would seem to be the relevant subject before someone personalized the thread IMHO

exile

<He's using a credit card, buy both and forget about the rest. This is bike forums people; N+1 remember! We recommend bikes (which means we recommend any bike he lists). If he wants money management advice he has to go to another forum ;-)>

Hopefully you can tell I am joking.

contango 

Threads getting personal never help anyone, I agree. But even with the question the OP asked (i.e. do I buy bike A or bike B) I don't see anything wrong with suggesting bike C, nor suggesting buying neither bike for some other reason.

Had the OP merely asked the question whether bike A is better than bike B that's all there is to it, but the mention of the credit card does rather invite suggestion that credit card debt is generally a bad thing, even for a dream bike. If they want to go ahead and saddle (haha!) themselves with huge debt that's their call, just like it's their call if they get a 100% agreement here that bike A is better but choose to buy bike B anyway.

But on the subject of the bikes. I've got a Rockhopper with 26" wheels and absolutely love it. For regular commuting over any distance I'd probably look for something else - for me the 21" Rockhopper is a little too small to get a decent streamlined position and the 23" has a top tube high enough to help me discover my inner soprano if I ever had to jump off the saddle in a hurry. With hybrid tyres on mine (Schwalbe Marathon Plus) it can handle trails reasonably well (although with a worn rear tyre it doesn't do mud very well any more) and offers very low rolling resistance. In the highest gear on the flats at about 50-60rpm (estimated, not measured) I'm going about 25-28mph so if you're wanting more speed you might want something with higher gearing.