Dual Choices, some advice please ( Australia)
 

I know the world needs another " what bike should i buy " thread like Calista Flockhart needs a diet but i was wondering if you guys could give me a little advice when it comes to dualies.

Having ridden / raced a hardtail for a few years Im looking at purchasing a dualie toward the end of the year when the newer models come out and have so far narrowed it down to 3 bikes that im considering. Im looking at spending around $4500 aus (yes we get screwed here), and im looking for a bike i can race ( XC ) but also somthing that ill be comfortable hitting the local trails with and have confidence that the bike will take some abuse. im not looking at freeride style stunts( i dont have the kahoonas) and the techist this bike will get is rock gardens and small drops. Aggressive trail i guess. For those that come from NSW australia, i like riding Ourimbah, Richmond, Arcadia Etc. anyhoo, the 3 bikes are:

Specialized Epic Comp Disk - Seems like the pick of the litter to me, however i have some concerns over the brain shock. given that it sits out to the side, what are the chances of it being torn off in an accident? Also, are replacements avaialiable ? The frame seems quite thin on these and i was wondering if anyone knows how easily they dent or bend? On MTBR some people have stated that the bikes small bump repsonse isnt so good , is this due to the brain, or do they just not have the bike set up properly?

Kona King Kikapu - seems like an all round good bike however maybee a little low specced. anyone have any comments on how well they ride / race?

Giant Trance 1 - not yet fully avaliable in Australia but a few have made it through here. Not a pure race bike but seems to be a good all round bike and has a great fit out with the Mavic Crossmax's . XTR etc. Given that its a brand new design im a bit cautious that it will take a year or 2 to iron out the kinks. Note - Im not interested in the NRS 1 ( no response system?? ) being 1) a plastic bike and 2) i dont like how hard the rear shock needs to be set, it feels like riding a heavy hardtail. Hence im looking to the Maestro platform instead

anyhows, if anyone has any comments , corrections or oppinions id really like to hear it as im having a pain of a time deciding which way to go.....

If you don't like the NRS (No Resonance System) then perhaps do not look at the Specialized Epic. The NRS is designed to emove any bobbing when pedalling yet still react to bumps etc. I think it does this pretty well. It does behave a lot like a hardtail. The Specialized Epic I believe tries to do the same sort of thing. I've heard a reviewer in a magazine say that the Epic was not a bike they would own. This was due to the way in which the suspension worked - in that it only worked under certain conditions. The reviewer didn't like this as they were never sure whether it was going to be active or not.

The Trance gets good write ups - well at least the ones that I've seen. Seems to be a pretty good spec for the price.

You might struggle to find one in Australia though. There are a few around but I think you'll find it difficult.

Good luck.