Cannondale vs Marin Vs Trek

[skizilla]

I am buying a new bike and am torn betweeen the cannondale adventure 600
the marin saulsito
and the trek multitrek 7500

Cannondale is more expensive I think trek is cheapest all have lockout able shock. They are all fitness/hybrid bikes I want them to ride road/railtrail/easy dirt paths or roads. I have MTB roots so the ability to do easy trails and roads is important and is why I am doing a hybrid with shocks vs a true road bike.

Any experiences with these bikes or their companies. Is cannondale worth all the hype?

 

[Marc]

Real road bike and an Ellsworth Truth.....

 

[56fish]

I deal Trek/LeMond/Klein right up the road from Cannondale's home base. Great company to deal w/. Warranty issues (few to this point) are handled quickly.

7500 an easy sell for us. Our local rail-trail runs from DC to PGH. 7500 excellent for that application!:beer:

 

[molecan]

I cant speak for choices among those models, and I've never owned a hybrid, but here's my 2 cents.
I've never owned a trek or a marin, so I cant speak for their qualities.

Cannondale, on the other hand makes fantastic frames.
Unlike most bike manufacturers, they are handmade, in the US. (aside from their carbon fiber bikes, which are obviously not handmade, and not made in the us.)

I've owned 2 cannondales, one I've had for 14 years, one for about a month.
In that time, I've owned Bridgestone, Giant, Mongoose, and Gary Fisher mountain bikes, but I still own that Cannondale I bought at the onset of a blizzard in april 93.
I learned to love that bike on the 6 mile ride home in driving snow, and I still do.

I'm not so sure for the price point of those bikes if you are going to be getting a very good frame/component set, but it certainly should be useable for a year or two before upgrading components.

Basically, all bicycles in a set range of prices are going to have similar components, but talk to your LBS and see what your options are. Also, consider going w/a Mountain bike w/a hybrid wheelset, slicks, or city tires.



I'd go to your local bike shop(s), make note of the components on each, try the ride on each, and get whatever is the most comfortable, w/the best components.