Which is a better overall mountain bike: Trek or Giant?
When it comes between which of these two brands are better, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Giant makes really nice bikes. I have looked at Giant over and over again. Giant is THEE largest bicycle company in the world. China's Giant bicycle also manufactures many of the frames for a great majority of competitor bike brands, Trek being one of them. Except for the ultra Madone series bikes, most of Trek's bike frames are manufactured by Giant, though designed in America. Giant's claim to fame is its global reach with its wide variety of some type of bike for everybody. Yet, I can better relate to Trek, located in Madison, Wisconsin. They design and manufacture bikes, with a unique design language. The ideas of Trek better resonate with my imagination of what a bike company should be. Trek has distinguished itself being the bike manufacturer that won the Tour de France six-times. This places the Trek among the elite in the race world. If you look around the world is on bike, might as well be a Trek. It might as well be sourced from Madison, Wisconsin instead of main land China. It might as well be my money to fuel Trek's coffers over Giant's massive bike system. I am not one who believes in strictly buy American, but I like my chances with the underdog from Madison.Best Mountain Bikes (MTB) Under 1000 Reviews | Ultimate Infographic Buying Guide
Can i convert my mountain bike (trek 4300) into a road bike? How?
It depends on how far you want to go. What type of racing? If you're speaking of road riding you could fit road type tires for little money. That would get you the single greatest increase in speed. A smaller rear cassette would give you a better range for road speeds. The next step would be drop bars and road shifters but you're getting into some real money there and you'll still be stuck with a heavy frame and fork with cantilever brakes, heavy wheels and MTB geometry. It could make a good commuter bike but unless you're really talented I can't see it ever being a competitive road race bike.
Mountain Biking: What are the advantages of rigid forks on a 29er?
Rigid forks in general provide advantages not offered by suspension forks. Namely, they're much better at destroying cartilage in your shoulder joints and requiring a rider to maintain 100% concentration when mountain biking, as line selection becomes the single most important task when riding a rigid fork. Suspension forks allow a rider to be sloppy in line selection yet still be able to traverse highly technical sections. Of course, a rider might very well be looking for an intense ride in which focus and execution must be at their optimal levels. In this instance, a rigid fork is the way to go. It also provides a spiritual connection with the bike and Gaia (Mother Earth), eschewing the high-tech gizmos present in most suspension forks. Of course, the irony is that the riders who most expound this Eastern mystic hippy connection with their bikes (always uttering "keep it real" or "back in the old days" or "all these fancy gizmos on bikes aren't for me") are usually the ones that drive up to the trailhead in their 2011 BMW 760iL with V12 motors. Carbon rigid forks sometimes can do a good job in soaking up trail chatter. Ultimately, the question of whether you want to ride rigid or not can best be summed up with another question: If "keepin' it real" is your goal, why don't you replace your bathroom with an "old skool" outhouse? Then do yourself a favor and throw a suspension fork on your 29er.
What's the best mountain bike fork in the $150-$300 range?
I agree with this Bike Radar review:This is one of Trek’s Gary Fisher Collection bikes, and the extra cash you might fork out for the RockShox XC32 fork is money well spent. The relatively fat stanchions make for better tracking and less fluttery responses than with cheaper suspension options. You also get a decent lockout, an effective preload dial and rebound damping adjustment.
Will a Trek 930 'Single Track CroMo Hardtail make a decent road bike?
Depends how old it is and what condition it is in. In 1998 Trek added a suspension fork, which is not very desirable if you plan to ride on the road. The models from 1997 and before are better. However, gearing on this bike is low for road use, particularly if you install narrower slicks which will have a smaller diameter than wider tire effectively lowering the overall gear ratio even farther. If the bike is in good shape, and it doesn't have a suspension fork, this bike would be good for short to medium distance rides
Trek vs schwinn bikes?
The difference is not noticable to the novice by looking at them but by riding. The Trek will have better components, forks, shifters, derailluers, and everything else. The Trek will come in different sizes while the department store bike is only one size. I bought several Walmart bikes and had a problem with everyone of them. I do not recomend them at all. The good Schwinn bikes are sold at bike shops not department stores. The Trek will be assembled and adjusted correctly and you can get service if something goes wrong or needs adjustment. You can get a Trek 820 for around $300 and get twice the bike of the $200 schwinn.
Which is better trek 3700, kona fire mountain, norco bushpilot or giant revel 1?
The Trek is available disc or no disc brakes so I would assume you are looking at the disc version to compare similar bikes. I would chose the Kona Fire Mountain as it should give you the best performance for your money. A Rock Shox fork and Shimano Hydraulic brakes make this one a winner plus Kona frame geometry will make this bike handle better on the trail. Probably a few bucks more than the others but you get what you pay for. Second chioce would be the Giant, then Trek.
I need help buying a cheap but quality mountain bike in Australia. What do I look for and what advice can you provide?
If it’s your first purchase, it would be easier to buy a whole bike from a reputable manufacturer instead of assembling one part by part. If there is a local bike shop in your area, make friends with them. It’s a good idea to have somewhere to go and knowledgeable people to consult if and when something breaks. As far as components go, these are what I would look for if I had to buy my first bike again:Make sure the frame is the right size for you.Disc brakes are pretty standardIf you are looking for “cheap”, you’ll get more bang for your buck with a hardtail.1x Drivetrain - this means a single chainring in the front. Fewer controls to fiddle with means I can focus more on the trail.For more reading, this is a good place to start:How To Choose Your First Mountain Bike.