Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - WBSIG?: The hardtail 29er edition.

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Askel
03-11-10, 03:16 AM
(What Bike Should I Get?)

I always appreciate input from my fellow product durability testers. :D

There's a couple events on my radar this year that my Kona Hoss and Unit 2-9 aren't exactly perfectly suitable for:

http://www.chequamegon100.com/

And if that doesn't kill me:

http://www.transwisconsin.com/

I'm in the process of clearing a couple slots in the stable and that should give me about $750 for a new hardtail. I get good discounts (up to 30%) on Jamis, Kona, Scott, Norco, and Marin.

I'm sort of thinking Kona Kahuna: http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=kahuna

Although I do kind of like the Norco Jubei 3, except the rims kind of suck: http://norco.com/bikes/mountain/29er/jubei-3/

Any input or experience with anything above is appreciated.

douchebagonwhlz
03-11-10, 10:29 PM
I got a Gary Fisher Rig single speed used last year and I have kicked the crap out of it, and it came out smelling like a rose. Well, the frame did crack at the seat weld. But, it cracked when I was seated pedaling through some too bumpy terrrain, it was bad riding I should have just stood up. It was warrantied and it might have cracked because the seatpost was so long and made a longer lever to pry the weld apart. As far as riding, I rode it rigid and beat the hell out of it. This would lead me to beleive that their off the shelf 29er hardtail the Mamba could be decent. It is beefed up where mine cracked at the seat lug. Any of these 29ers that are off the shelf and less than 1K should be pretty good deals. When you start pricing wheels alone for 29" they get spendy quick, add a suspension fork and a built geared bike that is ready to rip is a nice thing at that money.
30% or close could be haggled out of a bike of almost any brand right now I would imagine, especially last year models in this economy. In michigan the deals could be even sweeter.
Askel
03-12-10, 05:10 AM
Forks seem to still be the real money killer in 29ers right now. If you want anything other than a dart 3, you're automatically looking at the $1k+ price range in new bikes. Honestly, there's a good chance the suspension fork will get ditched for a rigid steel fork...

Wheels seem to be getting more reasonable. Lots of 26" rims have been adapted to 29" size. Sure, they're heavy mofos, but so am I. :D

I'm leery of the GF bikes. I've read enough anecdotal stories of frame breakage that I'm a bit wary. I know Trek/GF takes excellent care of their customers in these instances, but that doesn't help me when I'm in the middle of nowhere as I often am.