I was in almost the exact situation as your father, I just got my first mountain bike. I also have been a road biker for decades, and I plan on riding the same type of terrain as your dad.
A little full disclosure here: I work part-time in the bike department at REI, so take my comments with that in mind. At the store where I work, we sell Novara, Scott, GT, and Marin bikes and have all those in 29er configuration. As I said, I am retired, and I just bought my first mountain bike, so between selling and buying, I've done a fair amount of research and riding. Here are a few of my observations.
First, try to narrow the bikes down (which you have done to some extent), but the key will be in getting your dad on them to see how they each feel. For me, the Novara's had a longer top tube (and reach) than the others. I was leaning over more on their models and at my age, would feel more comfortable in a more upright posture. The Scotts and GTs were pretty similar in that I was able to be a bit more upright and more comfortable. The Marins were the most upright (and seem to be throughout their product line). As far as components, they are all so similar at any given price point - the $700 bikes are going to have similar quality components, and when you bump up to the $1000 level, those bikes will be similar. When you move from one model (say from the Scott Aspect line to the Scott Scale line), you most likely are going to get a better frame and better components. In talking with all the techs and hard-core bikers where I work, they all said I should get as good a bike as I could afford - even push it a bit if possible. And they also were mostly concerned that the brakes were hydraulic and that the shock was the best possible (for the money). None of them were impressed with the SunTour shocks - they recommended either Fox or RockShox. (Again, that's not a fact, it's an opinion.)
As far as the 20% deal coming up - that is the most you will ever find for an in-store deal on full price bikes at REI (other than close-out prices). And as you state. the 20% is only for Novara bikes. The other posters are correct when they talk about resale, but in my testing, the frames were quite similar at the given price points. (Note: During the Anniversary/Memorial Day sale,
all of the bikes are 15% off - that would be the best time to buy a non-Novara bike.) The other thing is that since Novara is REI's brand, there generally are a few upgrades in components over the other brands at the different price points.
So, what to do? Here is my
opinion - again, take it for what it's worth. If I had a $1000 gift card for a bike, I'd look at these in addition to the ones you listed (and maybe wait for the Anniversary Sale for the 15% off):
GT Karakoram 1.0
GT Karakoram 1.0 29er Bike - 2013 at REI.com
Marin Palisades Trail
Marin Palisades Trail 29er Bike - 2012 Overstock at REI-OUTLET.com
and this one has fans on this forum -
Cannondale Trail SL 29er 4
After looking and trying lots of bikes, I ended up ordering a Cannondale Trail SL 29er 1 for my first mountain bike. The key for me was the feel and the components (but my budget was a bit more than your father's). He really will need to get on a few bikes to see how they feel - then, the bike will most likely choose him. If you want any more opinions or observations, let me know.
Have a great time looking for his new bike!
Dean
