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Fuji Vs Giant for beginner?

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DDDESM88

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am looking to get into riding more and will be buying my first bike soon. With that if anyone could give me some insight on which bike would be best for the money i would greatly apreciate it! Any advice is apreciated!

I am looking at the Giant Revel 29er vs the Fuji Nevada 1.9 or 1.7 29er. The Nevada 1.9 is best priced at 489 with the other two at 550 but i dont know enough about brand and components to decide. The Fuji has longer travel on the fork (100mm) compared to Giant(80mm) but i hear good things about the giant name. Id like to believe i could get the Nevada 1.9 29er with the price point of 489...

Fuji Bikes | MOUNTAIN | SPORT - HARDTAIL | NEVADA 29 1.9

Fuji Bikes | MOUNTAIN | SPORT - HARDTAIL | NEVADA 29 1.7

Revel 29er (2014) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | United States

Riding back ground: For the past two years ive rented a bike to do a race that includes a mountian bike section and i love it. Would like to have one that will handle that race and allow me some regular trail riding in my area.
 
#2 ·
If they are both available from LBS and will get support from the LBS, I'd go with the Funi 1.7. Slightly better build list. If the Fuji is from online and you're assembling it, there are much better bikes for the money.

The Giant and the 1.7 are good bikes and comparable. They are intro bikes, and you will probably find yourself limited by their capabilities. However, you shouldn't have a problem selling them if you want to upgrade bikes. Do not get the Nevada 1.9 because it uses a 7-speed freewheel instead of a cassette. Cassettes are easier to replace, and are pretty much the norm for any high quality mountian bike. Also able to upgrade the cassette down road to a 9 or 10-speed (but it will require other parts too). The 7-speed freewheel cannot be upgraded. The giant has a much better rear cassette in the way it transitions from one cog to another. Avoid anything that say's "mega-range" or has a large gap between the number of teeth on the rear gear cogs. One of the better 8-speed cassettes is the Shimano HG51 11-32T, look it up on Amazon for more info on it.
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
They are both from LBS so i think you've helped guide me to my purchase. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and helping me differentiate. Those cassettes look fairly easey to change out also.
 
#6 ·
You definately get a better deal online. All my bikes are from bikesdirect (nothing against airborne, BD just had what I wanted), and although they are great for the money, they require you to learn how to work on your bike. Not a bad thing, but if you don't have the time or desire to wrench, the cost of taking it to your LBS will outweigh the savings. If you do get something online, I'd recomend at least in the $5-600+ range and something with a hydraulic fork (Rockshox XC28/30/32 or Recon). Huge difference over the Suntour XCT fork.
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
Watts888,

I wouldnt have an issue learning how to assemble and work on my own bike and initailly planned to do that but the girlfriend(who worked at a bike shop in the office) claims they are much more complicated than i suspect and they had people come in there all the time to fix what they did when trying to assemble. What could i expect for a learning curve and tools? I wouldnt want to buy online only to pay the local shop to assemble it...
 
#8 ·
DDDESM88 said:
That would require me to assemble? I've heard that is not as easy as i would like to believe.
Click to expand...
Here's a good thread on what to expect when you receive a bike from ordering one online from Airborne (and generally other direct companies ship their bikes in the same state of pre-build).

http://forums.mtbr.com/airborne/eve...rne/ever-wondered-how-its-boxed-whats-needed-assemble-your-airborne-890379.html

We've sold thousands of bikes now direct to consumers and most do their own assembly with little to no issues. That's not to discount the value of buying a bike at a shop or taking your bike there to have final assembly done.

We are very up front and open with folks and sometimes will tell someone after speaking with them they are better off with the help of a local shop. Some folks aren't mechanically inclined and/or need the constant support a local shop can give.

For folks that already know how to wrench on their own bike or are willing to learn and get some basic tools, buying direct or online isn't a bad way to go.

Good luck on whatever you decide; its great that you are going to buy your first mtb and ride more!

Jeremy
 
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#11 ·
From the bikesdirect side, their gravity 29.4 is a really good deal right now. Don't know how much longer it'll be at this price though. $700 for a rockshox recon, SRAM x7/X9, and 3x10 is really hard to beat. I have a 29.2 that I upgraded with a recon fork and BB7 brakes, and love it. Handles everything I can throw at it, plus it's good for the stuff I'm not ready for yet. Odly enough, very similar in specs to the Trek paragon listed above. I like the Orbea too, and that price is fair if it's in good condition.
Save up to 60% off new Mountain Bikes - MTB - Gravity 29Point4 29er Mountain Bikes

Putting a bike together isn't that hard, especially since the introduction of youtube. Basically, there's a video for just about everything you'd need to do. Plus, if you have questions, I know where a couple hundred thousand semi-knowledgeable people lurk who can give advise. Not always the best advise, but advise none-the-less.
 
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#13 ·
I'd say a 19" frame will be a bit small, but still ridable. I'm 6'5" and a 21" frame feels a little small, but I still ride one. Won't know until you try it out. If all else, it's still a good bike to get started on, learn what you like and don't like about it, and sell it next year. Probably wouldn't be out anything other than maintenance costs and a small amount of depriciation. As a reminder, expensive bikes cost more to repair and maintain. It's usually worth it though. Just letting you know up front.

Here's a link that goes into detail on assembling an online bike. It doesn't cover everything, but a fair amount of the initial set-up is talked about.
http://forums.mtbr.com/beginners-corner/about-get-bike-delivered-what-check-893588.html
 
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#17 ·
I guess I will be "that guy" and say that since you're a beginner buying your FIRST bike, you should get it from the LBS. Fit is #1 priority. Having a chance to sit on the bike and ride around negates any savings from buying online. Once you're well-seasoned, know what the geo numbers are, etc., then I'd say buy online, if you want.

I bought all of my bikes at the LBS from 97-'06 (Five, I think). Then it was all online, as I bought from boutique companies usually. But the bikes I bought in person really helped me make the online purchase decisions really easy. Plus, LBS support for various things going wrong isn't bad, either. Nothing more frustrating than not being able to fix something and having your bike just sit.

Lastly, warranty support is something to be considered as well. Remember, most of the online dealers want you to fork up the shipping for at least one way (sometimes both ways). Then you have the downtime, waiting for your frame/bike to arrive. I had an issue with my bike I bought locally once, so took it down to the shop, they fixed it the same day. I rode the next day.

EDIT: As far as the bikes, I'd say Nevada 1.7. Plus, Fuji helped out Cafe Roubaix
 
#18 ·
The most important part of your bike is the fork for trail riding.
The Orbea has a Reba fork. It is a top end component for performance.
It will take you the farthest in your skill development. It will get you there the fastest.
 
#19 ·
The value of having a local shop to deal with cannot be over stated. While Airborne bikes are nice, I highly recommend you consider carefully all of the advice given regarding component quality and see what you can do with options at your local shop. Since they sell Giants, I know you can get a nice bike from them that will meet your needs, no matter what they might end up being. As time passes, and you gain some level of comfort working on your own bike, maybe your next one can be "More bang for the buck" or maybe by the time you upgrade, you'll be fond enough of your LBS you won't mind helping keep their doors open.
 
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