Merida Matts 40/20/TFS and Trek 4300. Which one to buy?

[Shreelesh Kumar]

I went to BOTS and Wheelsports to check out the bikes and as of now
I'm looking at the below-mentioned models. Spent more than 2 hours
speaking to guys when I went to BOTS and with Rohan. Also went through
BZ forum reading about the cycle models and reviews. Found lot of
posts comparing these same bikes, but I want to know how these 3
compare with each other with the kind of use I've in mind. As I
understand, TFS is better than 40-MD with better components but is the
TFS meant to be as good an off-roader compared to the other 3 below or
is it more of a trail bike with its lighter frame?

Merida:
Matts 40-MD not D Rs. 25k http://tinyurl.com/afwg3x
Matts 20-MD Rs. 23k http://tinyurl.com/bdr2h6
TFS-100-V Rs. 25k http://tinyurl.com/brhb55

Trek:
4300 (V brakes) Rs. 22,805 http://tinyurl.com/ar4sep

Purpose - Weekends rides, off-road through dirt/mud, a few stunts,
commuting etc. Once I get to the fitness level, would certainly start
looking at doing 100km+ rides and trails. Maybe I'm being
overambitious, but I'm also dreaming to ride the TFN. (Used to ride
30-20 km usually everyday during school days, but that was about a
decade back)
Bike Weight - As light as possible. Unfortunately, none of the
manufacturer's list the total weight. I did ask when I went to check
the bikes but soon forgot.

What is the difference between Double Wall Black/CNC and Disc Alloy
rims. First one is seen on Merida bikes with V brakes and the latter
on disc brake.

I'm 5.8 ft tall and my inseam is 32'' so I guess I should get a 17"
frame (http://tinyurl.com/anuhq2) but none of the Trek or Merida bikes
have a 17" frame. They only have 16" and 18", so I dunno which one
should I go for.

Keeping the the use in mind, what would you guys suggest? Would
appreciate all your thoughts.

[Jagannath Moorthy]

Shreelesh,

You will get a lot of responses, and they will only confuse you
more. The fact is that all of these are extremely competent bikes and
we have a lot of satisfied owners of both brands. Save for a few, most
of the people in the group are not professionals and these bikes can
handle anything that we throw at them.

So, go with whatever your mind (and heart) tells you. If that is
not possible, there are time honoured techniques, involving dice,
coins, dart board etc:-) Whichever way you go, you can't go wrong.

regards
jagan

[iggy]

Shreelesh Kumar my formal welcome to BBC and Bikeszone if you are
looking for some Weekends rides, off-road through dirt/mud, a few
stunts, commuting etc. Plz do not look at the Matt at all. Go for the
TFS - 100v not because its not just good its the best now for the Trek
4300 its more of a comfortable ride and the feel and position of the
body is nice as well. This is all i have to say to you and the rest is
up to you

Regards
Iggy

[Rajat Agrawal]

The rear derailleur in the TFS is a deore. From the reviews the deore probably gives slightly better shifting than the alivio....

@Others: The deore read der is a 9 speed component although the drivetrain on the TFS is an 8 speed setup, is this a common setup? any downsides?

Since the price ranges are similar make sure you try out all the bikes and get the one that feels good, no point paying so much and feeling cramped or over-stretched on the bike.

-Rajat

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 5:57 PM, Shreelesh Kumar <shre...@gmail.com> wrote:

[srini]

yea rajat...
the RD on TFS-100 is a 9 speed component....
it comes as a 8speed setup from factory mainly due to competition in
pricing as to make it 9speed they'll have to change the cassette n
shifters
which will naturally increase the pricing of the bike...
as far a i know there are no downsides... well all i can say is now
there is one thing that does not need to be upgraded!!! :)
ridesafe
-srini

On Feb 21, 8:44 am, Rajat Agrawal <rajatagra...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The rear derailleur in the TFS is a deore. From the reviews the deore
> probably gives slightly better shifting than the alivio....
>
> @Others: The deore read der is a 9 speed component although the drivetrain
> on the TFS is an 8 speed setup, is this a common setup? any downsides?
>
> Since the price ranges are similar make sure you try out all the bikes and
> get the one that feels good, no point paying so much and feeling cramped or
> over-stretched on the bike.
>
> -Rajat
>

> On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 5:57 PM, Shreelesh Kumar <shreel...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
> > I went to BOTS and Wheelsports to check out the bikes and as of now
> > I'm looking at the below-mentioned models. Spent more than 2 hours
> > speaking to guys when I went to BOTS and with Rohan. Also went through
> > BZ forum reading about the cycle models and reviews.  Found lot of
> > posts comparing these same bikes, but I want to know how these 3
> > compare with each other with the kind of use I've in mind. As I
> > understand, TFS is better than 40-MD with better components but is the
> > TFS meant to be as good an off-roader compared to the other 3 below or
> > is it more of a trail bike with its lighter frame?
>
> > Merida:
> > Matts 40-MD not D Rs. 25khttp://tinyurl.com/afwg3x
> > Matts 20-MD Rs. 23khttp://tinyurl.com/bdr2h6

> > TFS-100-V <http://tinyurl.com/bdr2h6%0ATFS-100-V> Rs. 25k
> >http://tinyurl.com/brhb55
>
> > Trek:
> > 4300 (V brakes) Rs. 22,805http://tinyurl.com/ar4sep