Hulley

There is a guy in my local Triumph group that rides a Lynskey 29" HT (I want a Lynskey Ti) and we are same size, I'm trying to meet him sometime to take his for a spin. He likes his 29". He's the main reason I'm getting back to MTB, he told me of a ton of places to ride all within 45min from my house.

Hulley

That TransAm is pretty sweet looking!

dminor 

Transition is a great semi-small company based in Ferndale, WA (nearly the same neighborhood as Kona Bikes in fact). Kevin and Kyle are awesome young forward-thinking guys, have a solid engineering background and a real feel for imparting a great ride to their creations. They design each bike - - they are not just pulling designs out of a catalog. And they still work hard to give a lot of value for the dollar spent.

Hulley

I'll be honest, I can't get the TransAm out of my head! Beautiful bike and when I look at it, the first thing that pops in my head is, that's what I'm looking for! I love the Bermuda Blue but if it came in a bright orange that would be perfect. The TransAm comes in a level that is $1899, right in my budget. Part of me would love to do a build but I know I would spend more in the long run and it would take me a few months to complete it, that's time spent not riding. The closest dealer is in NC and I'm going to contact them on monday for some info. I'm really excited about a steel frame MTB and glad they're out there at a reasonable cost.

Hulley

Well, I've decided on what I'm going to buy. I drove a little over an hour yesterday to visit a bike shop that carries Kona. I wanted to check out the Explosif model but they had sold the two Explosifs the day before, but I did get to check out the Unit which is a 29" SS based on the same frame as the Explosif. I've been wanting to try out a SS pretty bad and when I took the Unit for a spin, it was awesome! I still dont like the 29" wheels too much. The shop was great and staff were very friendly. They are checking on frame availability and I'm leaning towards building myself a SS Explosif. If I join their club, I'll get a 30% discount on parts so the build may not be too bad. You guy there has two Transitions and even he recommended a TransAm 27.5" if I don't like Kona, but the shop was great and I'd rather give them money than an interent store.

So there you have it, A Kona Explosif SS! I'm willing to bet I can find some great deals on take off parts and build this up at a good price.

Thanks for all the suggestions I really appreciate it.

keepamonte

Same happened to me. I bought a Scott scale 29er (unable to demo but got a killer deal) and hated every ride! Too big, bulky, awful experience (size medium for 5'8 160lb). Demod a Jamis 650 Dakar xct and bought it the next weekend(our racing team shop carries Jamis Cannondale BMC). I'm 46 and love the FS and was willing to pay for it. Moral of my story is demo and get what is comfortable and within budget!

Daspydyr 

It is good to build a relationship with a brick and mortar shop. I'm looking forward to the pictures.

Wooden Tiger

Scott Scale. All day, every day. The Scale is amazing. One of the most comfortable bikes I'd ever ridden and climbing was very efficient, thanks in part to the really short chain-stays.

Had I not gotten such a good deal on my '12 Cannondale Flash Alloy 2, I would've bought the Scale. Hell, I STILL want that Scale!

Hulley

Ok, pretty bummed. Kona is out of the Explosif frames and complete bikes until spring 2015. I just put an email in to the closest Transition dealer and hopefully see where that goes. I'm pretty sure I can't go wrong with either frame.

Wooden Tiger

There's a company called "Airborne," who make some pretty cool bikes for decent prices, around the $2,000 mark. I've heard their name come up in more than a few conversations, and they make some nice bikes.

Hulley

I figured I'd update this thread. I ordered a Transition TransAm 27.5, cane creek 40 series headset and Fox Evolution fork over the weekend. When the shop gets the frame they are gonna install the headset for me then ship the parts. Hopefully I'll have them in a few weeks. Pretty excited!

Transition were out of Bermuda Blue but had 1 Silver left until next spring! I'll post pics when I get the parts.

dminor 

Very good. I have complete faith that you'll love it. I thoroughly enjoyed both Transitions I had and wouldn't hesitate to own another someday.