dickshoulders

Hey Y'all!

I am at a bit of a crossroads (no pun intended) and am hoping to get some help here.
I live in Northern California (the Bay Area, Berkeley/ Oakland specifically).
I am an avid roadie and am looking to take advantage of some of the trails in our area.
I am seriously in the market for a new bike and I've narrowed it down to a few (all complete bikes, based on specs, price and very limited test rides).

Santa Cruz Heckler
Kona Honzo
2012 Cannondale Flash Alloy 29er 3

I know these are all very different bikes… I am trying to narrow this down based on the terrain and which bike would be most suitable for the riding in this area.

Other than riding around the block near a bike shop/ parking lot, there is no way for me to really test 'em all out to compare in real life situations.

Basically, I just want to have a lot of fun ripping around.

One thing I was considering is that I will probably be actually riding the bike to the trails (as opposed to driving to the trail w/ bike in vehicle)… like up Old Tunnel road and all of that. Not sure if it would really matter, but the Honzo is a 1-9 (no front derailleur) and is also like 33 pounds. Seems like it would be a lot of fun in the dirt though!

So yah, a full suspension AM, a steel hard tail kinda dirt jumpin' 29'er or a XC 29er… what do you guys/ gals think?

Thanks!
DS

Daspydyr 

I like the Santa Cruz name a ton. But your selections are pretty good. I would list them in "my preference" just as you have them listed. I personally like XC riding, but if you see yourself wanting to hit the berms and flying high, you might consider a 26in bike for dirt jumping. I am old and am suspicious of these 29ers. How much do you weigh?

dickshoulders

Thanks for the input. I am 5' 8" and weigh around 160.

ShimmerFade

You may also see if you can find a Santa Cruz Blur LT on sale. I've read really good things about them, and when I have enough money to build up a FS I will probably go that route unless some other good frame that fits me is heavily discounted. For a steel hardtail I would probably go with a Blue Pig X. 29 vs 26...meh..with a good bike either will be a blast to ride. 29 over straight line stuff, 26 in more curvy tech stuff. Take a 1.5-2 inch high root for instance..the 29er would roll over it pretty decently, but the 26 sees this as a nice little mini ramp. I think that if you like it a bit rougher the 26 usually lends itself to being a bit more fun overall.

dickshoulders

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/2848786426.html

Like this one?

junkyard

The question is, who doesn't like it rough?

dickshoulders

Haha... good one!
Looks like I am leaning towards a FS 26. Trying to keep it around 2k, so maybe something off of CL that can be upgraded. Almost had a really sweet Blur yesterday, but someone beat me to it.

ShimmerFade

I am not sure because I am about 3 or 4 years from being able to afford one, but I think there are different Blurs, some with more and some with less travel. I think the Blur LT stands for long travel. You just may want to make sure before you pull the trigger on something.

Dilberto

Get the Flash 29er and ride it up/down Mount Diablo. Perfect bike for one of the best East Bay rides!

SlimRider

The Kona Honzo is peerless...

I mean...What's there to deliberate?

- Slim

pablosnazzy

like Daspydyr said, if you wanna jump fly and drop and such, go with the 26."
as much as it pains me to recommend a bike that is not a 26", for your area, i would go with the Honzo. IF you plan on riding that bike on other trails not in your area, i would say the heckler, but it's more bike than you need for that area.