Please Help, Kona or Giant
 

I have a week to decide:

Kona Lava Dome
KONA BIKES | 2014 BIKES | TRAIL 29" HT | LAVA DOME


Giant Revel 29er
Revel 29er (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Thanks for your help.

I'd look at the Kona Rove or the Giant Anyroad/Roam.

Good examples of an all-around country bike. If you need ONLY one bike, consider them first.

These are cyclocross bikes, the OP is asking about 29ers.

They are very similar to each other except it appears you need to purchase pedals for the Giant (which, fortunately, it is about $110 cheaper so you're still saving if you get that one). Frames look very similar too but that may just be appearance. Try them both out and buy the one that feels best.

They are NOT CX bikes though many people mistake the country bike for one.

They are an all-around bike suited for off-road riding, errands in town and rides on the road. Something that 29ers are not that well suited to doing.

Grant Petersen used the term to describe the A. Homer Hilsen. A more detailed assessment of a country bike is as follows:

It's An All Day Bike:

It's an all-day bike that you can ride all day long in comfort because, by design, a country bike puts the handlebars at least as high as the saddle, higher if you prefer, to take the weight off of your hands, eliminating strain on your arms, neck and lower back.



Any Surface Will Do:


Versatile enough for roads, paths, trails, commuting, light touring, running errands, just noodling around or quick club rides. That's a country bike.



Rain Or Shine:

A country bike loves fenders. You might not enjoy getting caught in the rain but you'll tolerate it a lot better on a bike with fenders.
There's plenty of reason for the OP to consider one, not a 29er.

OK, I didn't know about that.

However, both are drop bars whereas the OP was asking about flat bar bikes; both have narrower tires than the OP was asking about, both are $1200-1800 whereas the OP was asking about bikes that were ~$600.

Whether or not I was wrong about categorizing the bikes, they were not at all like the ones that the OP was asking about.

Never test rode either myself , did you test ride either, yourself ?


with all the bikes coming out of 4 factories on one island , its more about Who Your dealer is than the bikes all at about the same price point..

That's a pretty vague ask with no background on you or how you intend to use it. As they are entry level 29'er hard tails i'd say there is virtually no difference that is worth noting. So ride them both and see which one you like better and buy it. Pretty simple.

Seeking decide between the lightest between these two, I have no chance to test, it´s a online sale.

for use in the forest and rarely road.

so I ask your help

Thanks

Both will likely be similar weight, and given that they are relatively low end, will be moderately heavy. However, I have a similar bike but about ~$1,000 and have enjoyed immensely. With the current tires, lowish knobbies, you can ride on paved roads, dirt roads, trails but you'd be pushing it to do really technical stuff (I think). Both are made by decent manufacturers so you should be good. Enjoy the ride!!!

I also commuted on mine for about 3,000km last year, including 2 back-to-back metric centuries (100km each day) although I switched the tires to narrower (32mm) smoother tires for better road riding so these bikes are quite versatile.

Thanks for tour support :thumb:

Which one has the closest dealership?

in my case it's the same, I live in México, so probably need go to the nearby in Texas or NM. 500 km from here.

You think both have the same weight? Both are strong?

They are most probably close to being equal in weight. Their components are all just about the same and they're both made from the same frame material.

Chances are, they're no more than 1 pound difference between the two...

Far far away dealers from Giant or Kona, so I need make the best decision between these two bikes.

which would you buy?

Thanks

Would you prefer 80mm of fork travel, or 100mm of fork travel?

Joa, I would go with the Kona. It's got hydro brakes which will be a step up from the Novela mechanical brakes on the Giant. Other than that, they appear to be very similar. Both will be strong and heavy. But fun for riding off road!

which do you recommend, I'm new to this topic.

Thanks!