JeeperTim

Do you have any experience with either of these bikes? Do you like/not like? I'm likeing the Dew Deluxe in the biggest size they have but thought I would ask for other opinions. I've not seen the Clydsdale other than online but it's a lot more bucks.

Thanks.

bdinger

Clydesdale? Do you mean the Hoss?

I've heard good about the Dew, and truth be told had I known that the local Kona dealer had Dews in stock when I bought my Trek FX I may have considered one.

The Hoss is just marketing. It's a good bike, don't get me wrong, but you can get better suited big guy bikes for half the money. Everyone knows my preference on which one

JeeperTim

Yes, it's the hoss. I'm confused because I clicked clydsdale to bring it up on thier site.

Price wise the dew seems pretty reasonable for what it is equipped with.

Askel

I've had mountain bikes for years, but riding the hoss was a revelation to me. "This is what a mountain bike is supposed to feel like!" Everything else just feels really spindly underneath me. I've been racing, jumping, and generally beating the hell out of mine and it's been great. Probably not all that great for the road though.

FarHorizon

I've owned a Dew Deluxe (at 6'2" and 285#). I found the bike bulletproof except for the disc brakes, which became a source of constant adjustment. If I had it to do over again, I'd go with the base Dew (V-brakes never seem to need much adjustment). No matter which Dew you choose, I'm SOLD on Kona quality - Other than the brakes, the bike was absolutely great!

Happy Shopping!

andymac

I have a Dew Deluxe as my fair weather commuter. It is a nice bike for what I use it for and unlike the other poster I have had no issues with the disc brake adjustment and I have about 8000 miles on that bike now. However, if you look at the specs year over year you will see the disc brakes are a different make/model every year so we may be comparing apples and oranges. It does have some problem areas though (IMO):
- the wavy disc rotors are ok on the rear but on the front it makes the brake pulse enough that the fork starts to shudder when you are braking unless you are applying a lot of pressure, this is a bit unnerving. I put a regular (Aztec) rotor on the front for 15.00 that completely solved that issue.
- the stock rear wheel lasted 500 miles before it broke a few spoke and then another 1000 miles before it started to crack around the eyelets. The second issue was no doubt a byproduct of the first but the overall issue was that the wheel was not well built in the first place. The front seems fine and the new rear has 6500 miles on it without an issue.
- I hated the stock shifter/brake combo. They were low end Shimano that felt very flimsy and defied being adjusted into a position that allowed for comfortable braking and shifting, you could only have one of the two. I had a set of Deore XT from a prior bike that I put on.

On the plus side it is sturdy, the disc brakes are nice for my purposes, the gearing has a really broad range, the chromoly fork has enough give to soak up a lot of the little bumps, and it is pretty comfortable for me.
For me choosing between this and a Hoss would come down to what I intended to do with it. For commuting the Hoss wouldn't be that effecient and for anything other than a hard packed trail the Dew would be nasty. My solution is to have 4 bikes but if I had to choose only a single bike I would opt for the mountain bike as I could get a set of slick tires for it and commute with it if I had to where there would be no way I could make the Dew into a pretend mountain bike for the trails in my area.

JeeperTim

That's great info guys! Thanks and keep it coming! I have an older mountain bike with no suspension that I'm riding on paved trails most of the time now. I'm up around 100 to 150 miles a week and just getting in the mood for something nicer. I have knee issues and had to stop riding dirt so the weight and knobbies of the MTB just seem like a negative now. I've also been looking at a trek since my closest LBS is a dealer - but it seems I'll have to spend more to get comparable quality to the Kona. Just need your feedback to be sure I'm not overlooking something.

clearwaterms

if you can't ride on dirt, why not look at a flat bar road bike? lighter, better road tires, might suit you better

fifthcircle

At 100 miles/week, I would think you would be tempted to get a full on road bike. I have both a mtn, and road bike. Love them both, but have to be careful on the roady. I can't just hop curbs and run over sticks like I can with the mtb.

I like the look of the DEW. I have not owned a Kona, but have not heard one bad thing about them.

JeeperTim

The problem is if I'm riding along and see a dirt path take off - I might just take it to see where it goes. I had a road bike several years ago and was always messing a wheel up. Figure I better stay with something just a little more rugged. There are also some packed gravel trails in the area that tempt me some times if I'm feeling strong....

clearwaterms

cyclocross?

JeeperTim

Maybe - you are not the first to suggest that. I just don't know anything about it.

clearwaterms

go test ride bicycles. the kona jake is Kona's cyclocross bike. The surly cross check is another popular version. It's a 700c wheeled road bike, except with knobby tires.

Tom Stormcrowe

Think a good touring bike, but with a tad wider tires and a higher bottom bracket! That describes a Cyclocross bike well enough!

Fleet

I have a Kona Dew, base model in the largest size. Probably exactly what you want. I like it a lot - I'm 6'5" 290lbs, and no issues at all after 3 months. None. I have been careful to keep the tires fully pumped up before every ride to protect the wheels. It really seems like a flatbar roadbike - it's a lot faster than my Specialized Hardrock mountain bike. I considered the Dew Deluxe, but couldn't justify $200 more for disc brakes, which aren't the best disc brakes. Someday I'll get my weight down to 225 and I'll get a nice road bike, but until then, this Kona Dew appears pretty bomb proof.

BTW the Hardrock is pretty bombproof for a Hoss type Mountain bike.

I also looked at the Trek FX bikes, and the Dew fit me better, I enjoyed riding it, and it was $100 cheaper.

Good luck in your search.