I have recently purchased both a Trek 820 and a Giant Boulder. Both bikes were purchased used. I am not sure of the actually age or original price of either bike. ( bikes were purchased from a friend of the family)

I am new to cycling as of this summer, and most of my rides have been on old rail trails around my house, about 25-35 km rides.

In the spring, I plan on taking ONE of these bikes to a local shop for a tune up, and anything else it may need.

My question is, which bike is the better one to sink a few bucks into?

Remember this is only for casual riding, and I am not in a position to buy a new bike or spend huge $$$.

thanks guys! or gals!

cheers:beer:

Trek:



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Giant:



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In my opinion Trek is the better brand Giant tends to put out some high end merch but also alota low end crap,not saying the bike you have is crap just speaking in general,Trek would be the one id upgrade.

from what I can tell by the pics the giant looks like it has some better parts on it. while trek makes awesome bikes the trek you have there is a very low end trek, I would ride the giant

Which bike fits you better? That's the most important thing.

There is almost no difference in frame quality among Asian-manufactured bikes (Giants are from Taiwan, and IIRC that Trek was made in China).

That Giant is a little newer, and definitely has better brakes. It has an aluminum frame instead of the Trek's steel frame, so it MAY be a little lighter.

I would go with the Giant.


If you end up taking the Trek into a bike shop, ask them to check if those cranks were part of the huge 1997 recall. You may get a free crankset out of it! Here's the recall notice:

http://www.cpsc.go...rhtml97/97149.html

Posted by tick Which bike fits you better? That's the most important thing.

Absolutly, one hundred percent correct.

Posted by tick There is almost no difference in frame quality among Asian-manufactured bikes (Giants are from Taiwan, and IIRC that Trek was made in China).

Agreed, that this is now true of mass produced midrange bikes. There were, and perhaps still are, exceptions of some Japanese frames that were more hand crafted.

Posted by tick That Giant is a little newer, and definitely has better brakes. It has an aluminum frame instead of the Trek's steel frame, so it MAY be a little lighter.

I like the steel frames. But this is strictly a matter of opinion.

Another issue to consider: Which one needs the least work?

The Giant has a nicer frame and nicer components all-around. And looks a lot nicer. And I think the tires are a little fatter

But yea, whichever one fits you better/feels better to ride

Just like the rest have said...the giant. Higher quality right off the bat. I used to work at a bike shop and the Trek 820 was the cheapest bike we sold.


also fyi next time take the photos from the other side so the important bits are visible

I would put some fat boy slick tires and light on the Trek and use it as a city bike. I'd remove the reflectors and set up the Giant as my off-road machine. This way you have an off-road bike for the trails and an on-road bike for commuting or store runs.