Cornish_Rdr_UK

Hey guys, ive definately decided to buy a FS frame off ebay now, and depending on the fork, buy it from ebay or buy it new, ive decided to look at the Enduro frame, as i like specialized alot, and once i buy it ill swap the hardrock frame for this one, and the RST fork for a new fork in the 130 range.

I have a few questions though.

Im quite low on money and dont want to break the bank sorting this bik out, im confident all i will need is the frame, fork and a new wheelset in time which will also come from Ebay.

My Price ranges are £300 max for the frame, £250 for the fork and about £150 for the wheelset.

Ive found this specialized Enduro frame on Ebay, but im not sure about it, it doesnt look like its had much use, it will fit me, but I think its a 2000 model, which means it may be reaching the end of its life, but it looks very tidy, and it comes with lots of other bits.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...ayphotohosting

Next is the fork, i was looking at a Manitou Stance flow as they're pretty cheap and seem nice, only problem i have with this is im not sure what the maximum amount of travel the enduro will take before the bike starts to suffer, can anyone clear this up for me?

Heres a pic of the fork

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=5883

Can anybody give me any feedback on purchasing this frame? and the fork aswell? Also any suggestions about a better set up would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot..

Lee

hooligan

Lee? Are you asian?

The frame looks nice and tidy. Go ask him about how it's used and all that. Because you can make a bike look new, even if its been used heavily and on the verge of breaking. On the other hand, if it's barely been used, then I think it wouldn't a bad choice. The enduro is an all mountain bike, Im pretty sure it's not meant for dirt jumping and really tough stuff, just some trail and small trail jumps. I love the black on that frame.

As for the stance look at https://www.mtbr.com/reviews/2005_fro...t_124411.shtml. Looks good, but im not sure if you want a stance on the on the enduro. I get the feeling that the stance is more of a Street/Dj but not really for trails as much. It's supposedly butter smooth, but at 6.2 lb, the enduro doesn't seem like the bike for it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that fork seems to be for a different mtbing catagory (street, dj, dh), than the enduro (trail/xc?) is.

hooligan

PErsonally, I think you may want a Kona Coiler frame, since you do drops and all that nice stuff. I don't think an enduro is for it, and the Coiler should be fine for XC and good for FR which is a nice combo, if thats what you wanted to do. Considering you seem to like your hardtail and your drops, I'd probably suggest an FR FS, which is why I'd probably choose the coiler. If youre just going to use the FS for trails, Id go for the enduro.

seely

The Coiler is NOT an XC bike in any form. The bottom bracket is too high, weighs 36lbs + and the head angle is too slack. Pushing a 7lbs fork uphill sucks.

What you would want to check into is the Dawg. Its a very heavy duty all mountain bike , and what most Kona employees have as their main do-all bike. The old ones are 4" of travel, the new ones are 5", the only difference is the linkage plates on the frame. The frame in my theory is identical to the Coiler, only difference being the linkage plates (so you get a lower BB and better head angle). Its very beefy without being excessively heavy.

seely

For travel on old Enduros I would go 120 or *maybe* 130. I would advise against buying a used FS without inspecting it first hand... new pivots and bushings can set you back quite a bit of money.

hooligan

I said dawg, but changed it to coiler because I knew cornish would dish out some stuff on it. I didn't think he'd be the guy to do XC unless hes only hucking on his ht and xcing on his fs. Dawgs appearance, to me, seems to be sort of fast, but more "breakable" (don't mistake me, Im not saying that you can break it easily) than the coiler.

seely

Its the same frame and swingarm (99.9% sure) just less travel and way more trail friendly.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Thanks alot for the help guys! Really appreciate it..

Ok, so a few more Questions

I like the Kona Dawg and all, but, the air shock scares me, is going off big drop 6 - 7 foot to flat probably going to wreck the shock? Maybe even the frame? Im with Hooligan, the Coiler looks so much more beefy, and the type of riding i will be doing now is mostly freeride as even my XC rides turn out to be more like All mountain rides now lol...

ANd Hooligan, no, im Not asian, im British living in the UK

mindbogger

Plenty of asians over there

Coiler looks good but is weight an issue for you? If so, look else where.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

No, it isnt an issue in the slightest, been doing XC runs on my DMR for a laugh, so defintely not

I found out the coiler is only two years old so it may be difficult finding a 2nd hand one...

hooligan

Yeah...I was searching for that too. Anyway, I find kona usually gets what you want. For the price, you get the upgrades in the places where they count.

As for the air shock, you may be able to find a coil shock for cheap or ask the second hand seller for one, if they do have one, should you even find a person selling their kona frame. (I'd still go with the coiler anyway. Looks better for what you have been doing and what you're going to do. Coiler is better for fr, in my opinion.)

Also, I asked about your origin because you "signed off" with "Lee" which is a common last name for asians.

hooligan

As you may be able to see, the top tube of the coiler is slightly larger than the dawg's and where the top tube and bottom tube meet, is bigger on the coiler, at least I think it looks like that.

seely

Nope, I measured the two frames we have in the shop right now... identical as far as I can tell.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

I cant tell the difference, they look the same :S

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Although, the chainstays do look abit beefier on the Coiler frame, and the rocker (I dont know what its called) is Solid, rather than on the Dawg which has holes in it...

hooligan

Then don't mind my posts on the geometry. Sorry for my misunderstanding. On the arm holding the shock, the holes are filled in on the coiler, yet open on the Dawg.

seely

My reason for recommending the Dawg was he was looking at an Enduro which is NOT a freeride bike, but a long travel aggressive trail bike, like the Dawg. It will work ok for some FR but be forewarned it (especially on a 2000 model) is not a freeride bike.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

The most nutty thing i will be doing on the bike will be 6 - 7 foot drops... the rest of the stuff i do is aggresive trails and stuff like that, more all mountain than freeride, i just enjoy doing the drops

Would the frame hold up to that, because it doesnt look like ill be able to afford the dawg or the coiler, as they seem EXTREMELY rare second hand and i cant afford a brand new one

seely

The Coiler would be a better option for drops like you are doing, though I know for me personally the Dawg would be ok with me on it doing a 6-7ft drop (I'm a lightweight), but I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone else because that really is outside of its intended function.

I really would steer you away from an Enduro. There are guys using them as FR bikes for sure, but again its outside of what the bike was designed for, especially on the older models. The new ones are longer travel and quite a bit burlier.

I personally would just keep my eyes peeled for a Stinky, Coiler, Bighit FSR or something along those lines.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Now, Stinky, now your talking
Do we know how much a Stinky frame weighs roughly? And the amount of travel on the 2002-03 versions?

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Also, can the stinky accomodate a single crown fork instead of a double?

Dont want this frame to be built up like a tank, want to keep it in the 35 to 40lb mark if possible, decided light isnt really an issue, as my riding is no long long xc runs, i usually ride to a drop or an area to freeride in...

seely

The older Stinky's were like 6" of travel and easily within the sub-40lbs category since they were then what the Coiler is now, essentially. The new ones have significantly increased the travel and become a hardcore FR/downhill bike more or less. The Stinky's all originally had single crown forks, with 5 or 6" of travel as I recall.

DjRider04

On the Kona website the Coiler is just Kona Clump 7005 Al. the Dawg is Kona Clump "light" 7005 Al. Im guessing its not as strong....and I would never do constant 6footers on that dawg, its not made for that. The Dawg is a trailbike, simple. The Coiler is a starter FR bike. The Dawg is meant to take drops on a trail like 3footers, doing anything over 6feet is silly. Sure you can say the frame will be ok, but what about the other components? Not to mention blowing the RP3.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Sounds perfect for me then

Do you know what year the 5 or 6 inch travel stinky frames finished?

seely

I believe the 7005 is the same used in both frames... they have no differentiation between the two frames on the actual frame. Both just say Kona Clump 7005. Anyways, my recommendation was based on the fact he was looking at an Enduro, which in my opinion is not a bike for a 6-7ft drop. I never said the Dawg would be a good idea for a 6-7ft drop. You will noticed I stated that riding it like that is well outside its design parameters.