Mountain Biking - Which of these would you recommend for local trail ripping?

Hey Y'all!

I am at a bit of a crossroads (no pun intended) and am hoping to get some help here.
I live in Northern California (the Bay Area, Berkeley/ Oakland specifically).
I am an avid roadie and am looking to take advantage of some of the trails in our area.
I am seriously in the market for a new bike and I've narrowed it down to a few (all complete bikes, based on specs, price and very limited test rides).

Santa Cruz Heckler
Kona Honzo
2012 Cannondale Flash Alloy 29er 3

I know these are all very different bikes… I am trying to narrow this down based on the terrain and which bike would be most suitable for the riding in this area.

Other than riding around the block near a bike shop/ parking lot, there is no way for me to really test 'em all out to compare in real life situations.

Basically, I just want to have a lot of fun ripping around.

One thing I was considering is that I will probably be actually riding the bike to the trails (as opposed to driving to the trail w/ bike in vehicle)… like up Old Tunnel road and all of that. Not sure if it would really matter, but the Honzo is a 1-9 (no front derailleur) and is also like 33 pounds. Seems like it would be a lot of fun in the dirt though!

So yah, a full suspension AM, a steel hard tail kinda dirt jumpin' 29'er or a XC 29er… what do you guys/ gals think?

Thanks!
DS

I like the Santa Cruz name a ton. But your selections are pretty good. I would list them in "my preference" just as you have them listed. I personally like XC riding, but if you see yourself wanting to hit the berms and flying high, you might consider a 26in bike for dirt jumping. I am old and am suspicious of these 29ers. How much do you weigh?

I like the Santa Cruz name a ton. But your selections are pretty good. I would list them in "my preference" just as you have them listed. I personally like XC riding, but if you see yourself wanting to hit the berms and flying high, you might consider a 26in bike for dirt jumping. I am old and am suspicious of these 29ers. How much do you weigh?

Thanks for the input. I am 5' 8" and weigh around 160.

You may also see if you can find a Santa Cruz Blur LT on sale. I've read really good things about them, and when I have enough money to build up a FS I will probably go that route unless some other good frame that fits me is heavily discounted. For a steel hardtail I would probably go with a Blue Pig X. 29 vs 26...meh..with a good bike either will be a blast to ride. 29 over straight line stuff, 26 in more curvy tech stuff. Take a 1.5-2 inch high root for instance..the 29er would roll over it pretty decently, but the 26 sees this as a nice little mini ramp. I think that if you like it a bit rougher the 26 usually lends itself to being a bit more fun overall.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/2848786426.html

Like this one? ;)

I think that if you like it a bit rougher the 26 usually lends itself to being a bit more fun overall.

The question is, who doesn't like it rough?

Haha... good one!
Looks like I am leaning towards a FS 26. Trying to keep it around 2k, so maybe something off of CL that can be upgraded. Almost had a really sweet Blur yesterday, but someone beat me to it.

I am not sure because I am about 3 or 4 years from being able to afford one, but I think there are different Blurs, some with more and some with less travel. I think the Blur LT stands for long travel. You just may want to make sure before you pull the trigger on something.

Get the Flash 29er and ride it up/down Mount Diablo. Perfect bike for one of the best East Bay rides!

The Kona Honzo is peerless...

I mean...What's there to deliberate?

- Slim :lol:

like Daspydyr said, if you wanna jump fly and drop and such, go with the 26."
as much as it pains me to recommend a bike that is not a 26", for your area, i would go with the Honzo. IF you plan on riding that bike on other trails not in your area, i would say the heckler, but it's more bike than you need for that area.