[Skeeter97]

Ok so I know we've had a million of these "which bike" threads so I'm hoping another won't hurt 😊

I am completely torn between the two. Price better on the airborne but the trek has better shock and more proven brakes. Wheelset goes to the goblin, drive train in my opinion is a toss up. Trek will have LbS support but I've heard airborne has top notch service, so no issue there.

Geometry wise they are pretty close. I threw a leg over the stache today and loved the setup despite the frame being too large. Just felt very responsive and the components meshed together well. Made me think my idea of selling my stumpy fsr isn't so crazy after all. Can't touch an airborne before it's mine, but have read they make good things. Thanks for the input!


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[lilsanch]

If i had to choose between those two, I go stache every time. But....and here it comes... if you can stretch the budget that much, why not shoot even higher? 2500 will get you some killer bikes, the best of which I wouldnt say is the trek. Niner ros 9 for one, if youre looking for the 120mm travel type. Personally, I get somebody's used carbon HT garage queen that's only seen like 100 miles.

Edit: Salsa El Mar 2 at $2300

Edit Edit: Just saying that these are top shelf bikes. Not that Trek makes a bad bike, but I'm always a sucker for those frames you dont see everyday

 

[LyNx]

For me that's easy, the Stache8 any day. Reasons....Prefer Shimano over SRAM for drive train and definitely for brakes, no comparison, the SLX brakes will give you no trouble and work well, can't say the same for the Avids. Also, being able to just walk it right into a store if you need help instead of trying to deal with someone through e-mails and phone callas and if something needs to be done, possibly shipping the entire bike back.

 

[Epic_Dude]

I'd probably go Trek Stache 8 but I've not ridden one, so my vote shouldn't count for much.

 

[sandwich]

Do you want a nu-skool agressive 29er, or last years frame with ISCG mounts? The stache missed the boat on aggressive geometry, it's not in the same league as the konas, canfields, diamondbacks, gobble'n (not that 17.1 is crazy short), or anything else.

If the parts on the stachu tickle your fancy, then go for it, but if you want a bike to go carve trails, look elsewhere. It's amazing to me that trek didn't figure that out.

 

[BigRed390]

I've got a Stache 8, so my vote has to go there. As was said before, the brakes are awesome. The drivetrain has been great. Wheels, you say? The Dusters on the Stache are pretty damn good. I've repeatedly beaten them over some large rocky patches of trail and they've performed admirably. The stock tires are awesome, and it's an easy tubeless conversion with the Bontrager kit. I added a RockShox dropper post and haven't changed anything else, as it doesn't need it. The whole is really more than the sum of the parts here, and the parts are all good to start with.

Someone mentioned the ROS9. I've ridden one of those too. Even money, I might go for the ROS9 over the Trek, but mostly because it's steel and that blue paint is pretty. Ride-wise, they're very close. That being said, they're not even on the money issue. The ROS is about $1,400 more than the Trek. If you've got the extra scratch, go tubeless on the Stache and add a dropper post and take the remaining $1,000 you've still saved over the ROS and buy some beer. It's an awesome bike. I know half a dozen guys who own these bikes, and none of them regret their purchase.

 

[leider]

I'm not a fan of Trek, but its always nice to ride a bike (and like it) before you buy.

 

[jeffj]

IMHO, the ROS and the Stache are two different bikes with respect to design intent.

The ROS is big, beefy, and heavy. It's built for real AM hardtail duty moreso than the Stache is. If that is what you're looking for, look in that direction. A good bike to compare the ROS to IMHO (again) would be the Diamondback Mason.

A riding partner of mine LOVED riding the Stache. Enough so that he wanted to build one up but couldn't source a new Stache frame by itself (he wanted to build the bike up). He recently got a ROS hoping it would be the bike he wanted in the same vein as the Stache. The ROS is an awesome bike in it's own right, but it really isn't what a Stache is. Two different animals.

The Goblin Evo and the Stache are as close to each other as it gets with respect to design intent. I have not ridden the Goblin Evo, but would love to. I did have a Stache to test for a couple months, and liked it so much, I bought one for myself.

I actually has some Hayes Prime Pros on the Stache for a while and although the XT/SLX brakes are becoming like a reference standard for hydros, the Primes are nothing to sneeze at. The Charger wheelset is good too (I had issues with the Dusters on the test bike, but keep in mind that I am a good sized clydesdale). The SRAM crankset is plenty good, but it isn't quite as sexy as the Race Face Turbines, but I could certainly deal with the rest of it being SRAM. the biggest question I would have would be the frame and fork. I would pick the Fox over the Rev.

The frame is the biggest question mark for me. I don't know how refined the Goblin Evo is compared to the Stache (which has a LOT going for it in spite of not having the in-vogue super short chainstay length). The Goblin Evo doesn't have the internal cable routing or ISCG tabs or G2, but personally, I could probably live without those if needed. And, what I don't know is, if everything adds up on the trail without riding it. IMHO, it's a genuine dilemma. The Goblin Evo is priced to make it worth taking a shot, and the Stache is worth taking a shot at for Airborne.

 

[BigDaddyFlyer]

For me that's easy, the Stache8 any day. Reasons....Prefer Shimano over SRAM for drive train and definitely for brakes, no comparison, the SLX brakes will give you no trouble and work well, can't say the same for the Avids. Also, being able to just walk it right into a store if you need help instead of trying to deal with someone through e-mails and phone callas and if something needs to be done, possibly shipping the entire bike back.

We don't use Avids on the EVO. We use Hayes Prime Comps. I've spent a lot of time with the Hayes brakes this past year on my own personal rigs and that's the reason I chose them for this model. They work great, feel great, and have a no question lifetime leak-proof warranty.

Jeremy

 

[Skeeter97]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm about to head out to check some more things out but as of now the stache is the front runner. Any of you that own a stache come from full susp? No idea why but selling the stumpy fsr for a trail HT just feels "right" to me


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[LyNx]

Ah, sorry for the miss-info then, I actually like the Hayes Prime's, have thought about getting a set for myself because I have a set of the Trails and like the lever design being parallel to the bars almost when extended, but XTs are just such a sure bet I'm not wiling to gamble just yet. This would partially sway my decision if I liked Avid drivetrains, but I like Shimano.

We don't use Avids on the EVO. We use Hayes Prime Comps. I've spent a lot of time with the Hayes brakes this past year on my own personal rigs and that's the reason I chose them for this model. They work great, feel great, and have a no question lifetime leak-proof warranty.

Jeremy

 

[Skeeter97]

And to confuse matters more I rode a fuel ex8 today and it felt great. Still leaning towards the HT but the idea of a 120mm full susp is a little intriguing. Wish I could find a stache in my size to ride


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[jeffj]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm about to head out to check some more things out but as of now the stache is the front runner. Any of you that own a stache come from full susp? No idea why but selling the stumpy fsr for a trail HT just feels "right" to me.

Spent the prior two years riding a Giant Anthem X 29er, and had a Giant Reign for five years prior to that. Still have the Anthem X 29er, and I also have a Stumpjumper FSR 29. The Stumpjumper FSR 29 is a lot of bike for much of the riding I do. It's nice to descend on, but a lot of bike to climb with. The Stache has 120mm up front vs. the 100mm on the Anthem X 29er. For most of my riding, I like the extra 20mm travel in the fork more than I like having rear suspension. If I lived somewhere rockier (as in having more rocks than dirt), I might feel different and now I have the Stumpjumper FSR 29 for the days I do ride that stuff. To me, the Anthem X 29er is kind of redundant with the Stache and I don't ride it much anymore soooooo, it will be moving on to someone new . . . . soon.

Most of the people I ride with have full suspension.

I'd still recommend you ride one in the dirt to see for yourself if it's for you. Some folks just like that FS. Ride what makes you happy.

 

[johnD]

And to confuse matters more I rode a fuel ex8 today and it felt great. Still leaning towards the HT but the idea of a 120mm full susp is a little intriguing. Wish I could find a stache in my size to ride

If I'm spending that much @ the trek dealer it would be on one of the 29er ex bikes...without question.

 

[Skeeter97]

Spent the prior two years riding a Giant Anthem X 29er, and had a Giant Reign for five years prior to that. Still have the Anthem X 29er, and I also have a Stumpjumper FSR 29. The Stumpjumper FSR 29 is a lot of bike for much of the riding I do. It's nice to descend on, but a lot of bike to climb with. The Stache has 120mm up front vs. the 100mm on the Anthem X 29er. For most of my riding, I like the extra 20mm travel in the fork more than I like having rear suspension. If I lived somewhere rockier (as in having more rocks than dirt), I might feel different and now I have the Stumpjumper FSR 29 for the days I do ride that stuff. To me, the Anthem X 29er is kind of redundant with the Stache and I don't ride it much anymore soooooo, it will be moving on to someone new . . . . soon.

Most of the people I ride with have full suspension.

I'd still recommend you ride one in the dirt to see for yourself if it's for you. Some folks just like that FS. Ride what makes you happy.

Thanks for the info. I'm also on a stumpy FS 29er and feel like it's a bit much for 99% of the trails I ride here in AZ. Before the FSR I had a hardtail stumpy, to be honest it felt a bit "racy" to me which is why I sold it. Back then I wasn't aware of the "trail" hardtails with the slacker head tubes, so I went straight to the longer travel stumpy. Looking back I wish I would've gotten something more in between but didn't do my homework. From what I've read, the stache seems like it fits what I'd like out of a bike the most.

Ideally I'd like to have both, but budget won't allow that. I loved the FSR for park days in Big Bear, but that's only a couple days a year. If the stache climbs as good as I'm hoping it does compared to my stumpy I'll be happy..

Sorry for rambling on, I obsess over decisions like this



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[LyNx]

All depends, if your trails don't have the terrain/features for it, having a full squish can make them downright boring and that's where the slacker HTs come into play. The only reason I don't have one as my main ride is because I like to do long rides and on anything over 3 hours I just felt too tired from the constant work you need to do on a HT in aggressive terrain. I still enjoy the HT, but for shorter or less aggressive/slower rides.

If I'm spending that much @ the trek dealer it would be on one of the 29er ex bikes...without question.

 

[Skeeter97]

All depends, if your trails don't have the terrain/features for it, having a full squish can make them downright boring and that's where the slacker HTs come into play. The only reason I don't have one as my main ride is because I like to do long rides and on anything over 3 hours I just felt too tired from the constant work you need to do on a HT in aggressive terrain. I still enjoy the HT, but for shorter or less aggressive/slower rides.

I'd say 90% of my riding would be perfect on a hardtail out here. Really I'm torn between the stache and a short travel FS at this point. Can't seem to find a stache to demo unfortunately. I'd even consider a Process 111 if I found a good deal



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[Skeeter97]

Alright looks like I may be keeping the stumpy after all. So I'll just be upgrading things like bars, go 1x, and maybe wheels. Thanks guys for the info sorry I wasted time with this not going through on the stache. Won't get as much for my stumpy as I thought


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[LyNx]

I could suggest another alternative and that is to buy a frame only HT like the Stache, Paradox, Yelli and as you upgrade parts on your Stumpy, put the old parts onto the HT frame. Then once you get it pretty much built with everything except wheels and fork, just swap those between the Stumpy and the HT, isn't hard and doesn't take long

Alright looks like I may be keeping the stumpy after all. So I'll just be upgrading things like bars, go 1x, and maybe wheels. Thanks guys for the info sorry I wasted time with this not going through on the stache. Won't get as much for my stumpy as I thought


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[Skeeter97]

I could suggest another alternative and that is to buy a frame only HT like the Stache, Paradox, Yelli and as you upgrade parts on your Stumpy, put the old parts onto the HT frame. Then once you get it pretty much built with everything except wheels and fork, just swap those between the Stumpy and the HT, isn't hard and doesn't take long

Good idea I'll keep that in mind. I'm not too wrench savvy with bikes but that would be a good opportunity to learn since my ride wouldn't depend on finishing the job in time. Knowing me though I'd end up completely upgrading the bike right away, I'm impatient


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