MTB Choice

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I have been saving for a long time, and although I am not quite there just yet, I am after a mountain bike for my winter commuting, which is around 4 months of about 2,400 miles. This winter will be my third and I intend not to do it on the road bike again as it was a bit tricky some days, plus I live near Rutland and Grafham water and would like to do some MTB riding at the weekends. I also know this will be my only MTB I will ever buy so it needs to last a long time.

I have narrowed my choice down to a either a Trek 8000 or the Trek 9.7.

I know these are expensive and I have been saving like mad, but I am after peoples opinions on whether to keep saving and opt for the carbon frame, or just go for the Trek 8000.

Is the frame worth the extra £600.00, or is that just a bit much for no real advantage?, as my wife says, you go to work every day on it you have to be comfortable in your choice but I can't make up my mind.

Thanks for all who reply.

 

[MrGrumpy]

thats a hell of alot of money to spend on a "winter commuter"

bare in mind this expensive bike is going to get the worst of winter thrown at it. If you want/need to spend that sort of money I`d by two bikes one cheap bike components wise winterised ie proper mudguards etc Then the weekend play bike for MTBing ! End of day your money not mine, maybe if you let us know the kind of commute you do in winter and what your plans are for off roading.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Fair point,


I just don't want something that will let me down or wear out, my current road bike is 9 years old and still looks new, and it will be my only MTB till I die probably, so its going to last me along time I hope !

I have been looking at the Trek 6700 but then I just look at the next step up and there must be a reason why people buy the more expensive MTB bikes.

Winter commute is 34 miles a day, and I go every day, in all weathers, with the MTB there is a track I can go for 11 miles of the journey and the last bit on the road.

Weekend stuff will be the circuit of Rutland water, 25 miles of it or if I like this MTB maybe something more!

 

[Cubist]

Any reason why you favour Trek as a manufacturer?

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Dunno really, I always rode Raleigh as kid and my first road bike as an adult was a Trek, then the wife's bike was a Trek and my latest road bike is a Trek, once I settle on a brand I tend to stick with them, plus I have emailed Trek about my bike and they reply which is a bonus, and they have honoured a warranty on a Race X Lite wheel I have, which had a cracked rim after just 5,000 miles, replaced with no questions asked, so I like them. They have not disappointed me to maybe go to a different brand, and I like the look of the mountain bikes, plus the carbon frame on my road bike has a life time warranty, which is handy.

 

[MrGrumpy]

makes sense to stay with a trusted brand I suppose at the end of the day you ride your bike everyday so I suppose why not buy the bike you want etc, was only thinking about the wear on said bike in salty wet rubbish of winter. Your choice I assume you look after your road bike, clean it down etc after every ride of it looks like new 9yrs on If you clean and lube your bike after every commute then the components will last that bit longer, I`m just going to assume replacement chainrings cranks etc will be way more expensive on a £2k bike. Just thinking running costs

I have a MTB that i use for leisure and for the odd commute by train but my main commute steed is fixed wheel road bike but of course my commute sounds a lot easier than yours even though its 30 mile round trip.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Well I sold the car, well it failed the MOT and so I decided that I was not going by car anymore, so I need to take care of the road bike as it has to get me to work everyday without fail, but I have terrible OCD with things that I buy and I hate a dirty bike, and if the bike gets wet I tend to take it apart and re clean it nearly every weekend, not ideal but it keeps me off the streets !!

So although its expensive as a bike, its not too bad compared to getting a car say and running that and going to work.

Anyway back to my original question...

Do I go for the 8000 or 9.7 !!!

 

[marzjennings]

1, I wouldn't spend more than 500 on a commuter bike unless I knew it would be secure everyday. Do you have somewhere safe you can lock the bike up everyday.

2, Both are great middle of the road bikes that should last quite some time. Though you're are paying for the pleasure to ride a carbon frame with the 9.7 with slightly lesser components than the 8000.

If I were forced just to get one bike to do it all ( I'd prefer a commuter and a mtb) I would go for the 9.7. You never know if you'll be able to afford such a nice bike again and supposedly the carbon frame is a bit more comfortable to ride that the aluminium.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Plenty of food for though here guys, thanks for replying , much appreciated.
No decision made ..... !

 

[pshore]

What a dilemma !

A lighter MTB is always more fun to ride being more manoeuvrable and bunny-hoppable over technical obstacles.

Does a carbon frame mtb ride give more comfort over bumpy ground than a hardtail ? That could be useful locally as some local bridleways and byways are seriously bumpy due to tractor tyre imprints.

The only true way you can tell what you want is to ride them both. If I was you, I would try to get to a bike demo day where you can get to ride many of the manufacturers bikes properly off road.

I notice Rutland Cycling have a demo day in a couple of weeks. No Trek bikes by the look of it, but worth trying someone elses bikes to compare.
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/Article/65/Demo-Days.html


Normally people are scratching their heads over hardtail or full suspension. Almost always the answer is 'hardtail for the amount you want to spend'. However, if you are looking at spending £2k you could actually buy a decent full suspension with lockouts etc. The penalty would be weight.

 

[deaksie]

unless you are going to do a severe amount of technical stuff and want to spend more than £4k I wouldn't go for the carbon fibre one. but remember that you're not making a straight choice: one is top end hard tail, the other is lower end (for carbon) and full sus. What about a trek fuel 8 or something like that? full sus but not carbon? remember you don't have to lock out the rear shocks anymore, you will love and adore the rear sus at the weekends, and it will make your daily ride more comfy too.
remember that as Mr Grumpy says, the more expensive the bike, the more expensive the service - mine (parts only) was just under £300 this time, and that's just maintenance - I hadn't wrapped it around a tree or anything.
Regarding the wear n tear from daily commute - as long as you keep up with your home maintenance, make sure you keep the bike lubed but not gunky (this means taking the lube off and reapplying) and generally look after it, an Mtb is going to cope fine. I wouldn't be able to use a basic bike everyday when I had pride n joy sitting in the shed, wouldn't happen!
Incidentally, I do a lot of miles on my mtb and my LBS have suggested that I alternate through 3 different chains throughout the year to extend the life of the cassette etc - seems to be working well, and might be worth trying for you too?

good luck and enjoy, whatever you decide to do