spectastic

I'm looking for a low end beater

option 1:
kona blast deluxe hard tail (recently serviced) $250
disc brakes, but no room for rack


option 2:
giant rincon (needs rear tire and service) $95
I can put rack on it


option 3:
vintage diamondback $40

I'm leaning towards the giant. I can service it no problem.. unless the kona is a much better deal. I'd take the diamondback, but not in the mood to deal with 20 year old stems and freewheels.

dksix

I agree on the Giant, that's a nice looking bike for under $100.

spectastic

even if it's 5-10 years older than the kona?

dksix

Yes, as a low end beater. I like Kona's, have rode a few and if I was going to choose 1 you posted for my one and only bike I'd choose the Kona but I took it that you're looking for a +1.

spectastic

weeeellll. I kinda also want to do some trail riding with it too. I looked up the giant, and it's at least 5 lbs heavier... trying to decide if that's too much. I'm riding a vintage beater right now that weighs about the same, and I kind of hate it because it's so hard to get going.

cobba

It has rack mounts doesn't it?

If it does, you can get racks that have more clearance for disc brakes.

A couple of examples.
https://topeak.com/products/Racks/Sup...bularRack_disc
https://topeak.com/products/Racks/Exp...Rack_discMount

If you already have a rack, Jandd makes a spacer to give extra clearance.
https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FDBFA

dksix

Oh, misunderstood the intended purpose, the racks being a concern I thought you were looking for something to do errands and such. If I was actually going to hit the trails I want the lighter bike with disk brakes. No doubt it had better shifting and drive components and after tires, maybe cable chain and cassette the price is going to get up close to the Kona pretty quickly. Those things are likely going to be needed to serve as a reliable trail bike.

osco53

Kona's got a Rock shox and disk brakes,, But then again I ride single track and would have no use for the other bike.. Just sayin'

Canker

Yeah really comes down to what you want to do with the bike. If you actually want to use it as a mtn bike the Kona is way better than the others. If you just want an around town beater I'd probably go for the diamondback assuming it has a rigid fork and the drivetrain isn't shot. Suspension forks especially lowend junk ones like what is on the Giant are annoying for road riding.

trailangel

Not actual question was asked... hence no answer.

spectastic

ok so at the moment, kona seems to be winning, because I do want to get into off road stuff. the question now is can I trust the kona to be a beater in a big city? will it be a much bigger target for theft than the others?

Storming

I would recommend to pay a little more and buy proper cheap mountain bike which lasts more. I had one old Specialized Hardrock and it took me $250 - $350 on 2 years to get it rolling - the price for a new cheap bike. Hubs, rims, brakes, derailleurs, they all were dead on used bike after few months.

Gallo

kona

any bike can get stolen mitigate the risk with a ulock

the kona is easily 150 more in value over the giant

jimc101

Agree, the Kona looks far better than the Giant, also, the fork on the Giant look to have seen better days (there's a lot of stanchion wear visible in the photo), and they are of the disposable type.

For racks, should be easy to fit on the Kona, good options above, or replace the seat clamp with something like this Post-Lock | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles and use P-clips on the stays

osco53

It's a crime of opportunity, bike theft. They steal them because they are there.

It goes like this in the crooks simple mind, "Hey, I can defeat that lock and not get caught",,,,,, that's it.
He does not read the label on the things he steals..

roccobike

If you're worried about it being stolen, the DB is the best buy of the three you mentioned. I don't see much difference between the Giant and the Kona from a theft standpoint.
As for which bike to buy, you seem to have decided you want the Kona and that's probably the best of the three you posted. Better go buy it before it's gone.

osco53

This should do it...

spectastic

i don't know.. the drive train looks a little exposed

Wingsprint

Get the Kona.

osco53

I second the Kona...

spectastic

la kona! with le rack!

I'm a roadie, and this feels like riding a harley. I'm probably going to slam the stem and make the handlebar shorter. is there a rule of thumb for determining ideal handlebar width?

Canker

Leave the bars alone for awhile. It isn't a road bike. You want the bars wider.

osco53

Wider bars help slow things up a bit, help control bigger wheels and the Increased Gyro effect they generate. Bigger wheels are heavier and If not built better they flex more. Unless your punching/tomahawking down a rock garden or railing super fast sweepers use caution and common sense going wide..The other reason for wider bars would be to open up your lungs for better breathing..

Drop and give me 20 ! Push ups man ,,Get down, Fall forward into the push up position from a standing position, Your riding a mountain bike so you should be able to do this.. Your hands should naturally go to the most stable and strong width,,,,
Measure this, that's your best bar width.. be accurate,,where on the grips do you like your hands,, 10-20mm makes a big change..

I ride In the woods, I have tree's, tree's love wide bars,, I can hear em laughing sometimes when they snatch me off the trail and into the bushes

Strip that bike down,, get a Camelbak..

spectastic

the pushup position is about 4 cm from the actual position. i'll test it out a bit before shaving off the extra 2 cm on ea side