need advice on xc race bike
 

i am in need of some advise. i currently have a 2004 kona dawg deelux, which i love. however, i am wanting to get serious with off-road triathlons and feel i might perform better with a lighter xc specific bike. i am considering the specialized epic, trek fuel, or kona kikapu primo. i would like to stay below $3,500 or less if possible. i am willing to consider other brands as well but, those which i have listed are readily available from reputable shops nearby my location.

All of those are great choices but also check out the Giant NRS. It is a great bike and in your price range. You could also look at the Santa Cruz Blur XC that is supposed to come out next month.

Check out www.mtbr.com for reviews on all of the bikes to get an idea of what other riders think of them then go for a test ride on the bikes that are at the top of your list. That is really the only way to make the "right" decision. The truth is, at your price range they are all great bikes.

What length Tri? Shorter ones I would go hardtail for sure.

Longer might call for a short travel full sup. I really liked the Klein Palimino I test road, certainly better for XC, than the stump jumper full sup that I tested. (full sup stumpy's not a bad bike, just not the best XC type. More all mtn.)

I agree.

Also, I would look at 29" hard tails too if the course maintains a fairly constant speed.

i plan on doing the xterra in aug, but i also plan on doing everything from adventure races to sprint triathlons. i need an all around machine. another question.... how critical is weight? i raced my dawg deelux (30lbs) at the mountain man tri in hawaii and took 12th overall (including the pros), 2nd in my age group in a field of about 140 racers . im just looking for that extra edge. should i just try to shave some weight from what i already have?

Look towards Cannondale...
they're expensive, but my gosh...
they are fine peices of equiment. I just bought a Jekyll 800, and I've basically dumped my girlfriend for the bike. Im in total love with it. Almost all Cannondale XC bikes i've tried are feather light. And the Lefty fork, or the Headshock fork....cant be beat. Check out Cannondale

www.cannondale.com

Not sure what you want to spend but I like these bikes:

Kona kikapu primo
Trek Fuel line (the TopFuel 110)
Yeti AR-S or ARC depending if you want a ht or fs
S.C. Blur XC as mentioned
Giant Trance 1 or 2, if you want to keep the price down the NRS is not bad either.

SInce you are used to racing the Dawg any good XC specific bike will be an improvment when racing. Are you going to keep the Dawg? I would so you still have a nice trail bike to cruise around on and get a race specific bike for the races. The Kikapu, TopFuel, Blur and the ARC will be the easiest bikes to carry if you have to because of the frame design.

Of the Cannondale line the Scalpels are the only bike I like of theirs and those would be very nice as well.

:beer: