Mountain Biking - Kona - Dawg Matic ??

I am thinking of buying a Kona Dawg Matic. I rode the bike and it was a pleasure. 19" fit me like a glove....5'11" 195lbs. I ride excusively x-country and no jumping or anything (45yo) like I used to. The bike seems perfect.

Questions:

The price is $1,300. Is this comparable to others in it's "class"?

Is "upgrading" to the Dawg above it worth it (+$250)?

The actuators are hydraulic/disk but the "pull" for the actuator is cable. Is pure hydraulic better for the money?

Any other brands I should consider?

Anything else???

Mark

spring the extra for the Dawg if you can. The fork is much better, as it is a true Marzocchi, not just a Suntour with Marz stickers. The rear shock is better and has propedal damping, which is well worth the extra (much less pedaling induced bob). The brakes are proper hydros, and everything else is just that little bit better. Will save you on upgrades later on. Try to test ride a Dawg as you will feel the difference.

I found with mine the rearward lower shock mount works better. Also mine is an 03 so it doesn't have propedal, but I want to upgrade the shock as I have tried an 04. Pity they don't come in green anymore ;)

I know where to get an '05 Dawg for $1500 tops brand new if somebody's up for it.
But I guess that's how much they are now, huh? I think I can talk 'em down to $1400.

spring the extra for the Dawg if you can. The fork is much better, as it is a true Marzocchi, not just a Suntour with Marz stickers. The rear shock is better and has propedal damping, which is well worth the extra (much less pedaling induced bob). The brakes are proper hydros, and everything else is just that little bit better. Will save you on upgrades later on. Try to test ride a Dawg as you will feel the difference.

I found with mine the rearward lower shock mount works better. Also mine is an 03 so it doesn't have propedal, but I want to upgrade the shock as I have tried an 04. Pity they don't come in green anymore ;)

Yup, what he said.....

Actually, I don't necessarily agree, although the above posters are right about the better components. The Dawg Matic is a solid bike, on par with other offerings in its price range, and perhaps even a little better than some, but it designed for some fairly hard riding. The Dawg adds another inch of travel front and back and is a little less XC oriented. It can do XC, but not quite as efficiently. The relatively new term for the type of riding the Dawg is designed for is all mountain.

My suggestion is to look at the Kikapu line, which is Kona's full suspension XC breed. The geometry will be a little better suited for climbing and it will be lighter, but it can still handle the rough singletrack pretty well. Compare them, if you get the chance, to the Dawg Matic and Dawg, as well whatever XC bikes from other brands your local shops offer. The Jamis Dakar is very similar in principle to the Kona Kikapu.

As for spending a little more to go one level up from what you originally intended, rare is the mountain biker who regrets doing so.

BTW, can anybody confirm that the Float R has Propedal? I didn't see any mention about it on the Fox website. If so, it could affect the choice of my new bike in the coming month or so. :D

Nothing wrong with the Dawg matic. I got mine about 2 weeks ago. My wife got it for me...she got it for a steal(about half price). I can't complain...whatever you get I'm sure you'll be happy with it.