FR bike advice?

Dan.

Dan.

Active member
I ride alot of cross-country, and use my cc bike to do some light dh/fr, but want a dedicated setup for that type of riding. I am willing to spend up to around 2000 or so, but less if possible. When I was in a shop today, the guy had a kona coiler from last year that felt really nice, and he wanted only 800 for it, is that a good bike to start out on or should I opt for a higher end bike? I have a p2 as well that I used to dj with and it has a 66 on it which i would probably toss onto the bike I am buying because I love that fork, but yeah, suggestions?
 
it was really shitty at first, but then got amazing once you got used to the geometry, its amazing what rich friends with lots of parts and a rainy saturday can lead to
 
2004 i got a kona stinky deelux for 2 g's used for 1 year but i knew the guy and he only rode it 4 times at a mt. he was sellin it so he can get a dirtbike. it had 1000 worth parts and upgrades. basically it still rips and is fuckin sick. best bike ever. id say look for a old stinky. i mean like really old when they usta use gold tubes for marzochii's umm 2g's is perfict. or look for a cheap banshee scream. id say stinkys have the best geometry. i moved to a stinky form a gary fisher sugar 4+ i usta be in the same situation as you and it was a good choice to go with kona.
 
This guy knows what he's talking about. My friend rode a 2004 Stinky up until just this spring (with upgraded parts), he coulda kept going but he finally made enough money to buy a Morewood frame. Cheap old Banshee's are sick too.
 
I would definitely go with the Kona Stinky!!! Unless you dont mind getting another bike eventually.. I have a Scott that I use for everything, and its really fun, but if I did pure fr then i would get a Kona.

Where do you ride at?
 
am i the only one who thinks the Stinky is a piece of crap? i rode one for two seasons and i'll never buy another part from them. i suppose it's ok if you're just trying to get into the sport, but they really aren't that good of a frame.
 
i would try to getranything but a kona. the rear end flex on those things is ridiculous. not to mention mad brake jack unless u get the d.o.p.e. floatinf brake arm bullshit. go norco or specialized or ironhorse or santa cruz or anything but kona!!! uve got all kinds of options under 2gs.
 
a little over 2k, but the specialized sx trail is a pretty baller fr bike and for the price you get really dope components too.
 
get a specialized sx trail from last year or 2006 and put your 66 on it ... Is a perfect match. U dont have massive rear-travel on that bike, but definately enough to have mad fun in a park, and in slopestyle. I have the big hit, but I have rode the sx a few times last year, and in my opinnion it is prefect for freeride. 
 
thank you... glad i'm not the only one thinking everyone yelling "get a Kona!" is offering terrible advice. my advice would be to get on Pinkbike.com and do some research before you spend 2 grand. although many of us ride here, as this thread proves, many of the users here don't really know what they're talking about (ie- "get a Kona!").
 
i bought a 03 specialized big hit( with the 24" rear), slapped a 8" travel link in the back and love that bike to death. i always think about sellin it til i get on a dh trail and smoke all my friends. i dont think i could ever get rid of it... free ride on its good to. it has a good low center for easy manuvering and most the weight is in the tail so its easy to hold manuals if u have too to get over somethin like a cliff at slow speeds. sometimes my front end will blow around in the wind when i go off drops though. thats the only time shits starts to get scary.
 
Jea, the old big hits were the best ones ... now I wouldnt by them anymore. A friend of mine has one from last year, but only a III I think. This one is always a pain in the ass. Just shitty parts on it and I dont like the geometry anymore. If I would by a new Spec it would just be a demo or a sx trail
 
I just got a Commencal Supreme 6.2, going to take it to the Alps for the summer (ski park in the morning, bike in the afternoons), can't wait. Haven't ridden it yet, so can't really reccomend it, but bought it based on some good reviews, plus a really cheap price for last years bike. The rest of the Commencal range looks pretty sick as well.
 
sub 2000 beginner? go for a stinky. great beginner bike, but as you start to get better and use it more it will fall apart. overall, good starter though!
 
o please dude. who do u think you are the bike god... i bet you rode a kona after 2003 2004 models. i specificly said to go with under 2004 because the frames are actualy built stronger... a lil heaver but solid as fuck. apparently u never road a stinky deelux... much better than the stinky. the geometry is perfict for soem people.

my brother has a specilized big hit and it rips but i still favor my kona because how the weight is distributed back. i have been riding for over 8 years and a kona is deff a sturdy bike that is strong. it all depends where you buy it, form stores i dont trust. i bought mine from a guy who is really in to biking so he had it tuned to perfection, i also keep it in very good condition so it rides smooth.

not only did i recomend a kona but i also recomended a banshee scream.. very good bike, befor i bought my bike i looked around for over 5 months so i think i did my research on the paper and riding. comming form a very simlar background cross country and all liek this kid i belive my recomendation is superior to yours. for the creator id look at your cross country bike and think how you ride it doing freeride shit. its all about the weight center or a lil back... i still belive you should get a older kona, it wont be in bad shape unless the seller is a jackass. built to last and rides smooth. you will be happy with this purchase. also iv had other bikes and they break down much faster and maby to these other kids will be a better choice but to u i belive this is the best choice.... and i do know what im talkinbg about un liek this kid said. personaly i belive im a far more knolagable source due to my biking background.
 
wouldn't catch me shredding on a 5+ year old DH/FR frame... i'm no bike god, but i've ridden and owned Konas, i was stoked on them to begin with, and after riding and working on my own bike and personally discovering the shortcomings, i would NEVER recommend a Kona to anyone. so, by all means, have a boner for Kona- they have a really rad, core image, have a sweet team, and use really cooooool colors- but i think i'll keep my opinion that they're shit.
 
do not buy a big ass bike, such as a stinky. I made that mistake when i first started biking, theymight be ok to learn on but they blow after awhile. Buy a sx trail or the kona cowan ds (forgot its new name) or maybe even a norco shore. Buy something that you can actually feel the trail unless you really want a DH bike.
 
you want to trade bikes?

???

1203908906Bike.jpg

 
Didn't read every post but check out pinkbike.com classifieds for some good deals. I honestly don't like any version of the stinky of bighit. You can go with a Demo 7 or an Ironhorse sunday of some sort.
 
prosnurfer, after reading beyond the first paragraph where you try calling me out, it's pretty obvious you're just a rider, not a mechanic. you clearly have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to purchasing a bike or maintaining one. have you been on that same Kona for the past 8 years? i wouldn't be surprised if you have. sure, there are some really great used bikes out there. hell, if i were to try to sell mine, with the exception of some scratched paint from my rack, there isn't a damn thing wrong with it. i tune it pretty much constantly, replace parts when they're worn, and after working as a mechanic for 7 years, i'm fairly confident that my ride is as good, if not better than when i took it out of the box. that being said, your best bet to find consistent quality is to buy a bike from a shop. there's often a maintenance program that comes with the purchase of your bike (free 30-day tune up, half-off a tune a year later, discount on replacement parts up to 30 days, etc) and having a shop build and sell you a bike means that they're going to stand by the work they've done and should help you with any problems you might encounter (and if the problems are their fault, they'll do the work to fix it for free). now, if you buy a ride from some dude, no matter how chill he seems, you aren't getting the same kind of service and support a shop would offer you. sure, if you've done your research, you know how to wrench, and you've taken a thorough look at the frame (welds, pivots, BB and headtube, rear der allignment, etc) and the bike looks good, then go for it. but these are high-abuse frames and parts that cost a lot of money, so your advice to pretty much buy exclusively from some chill dude you meet on the interwebs or whatever is absolute horseshit.

Kona is krap.

so, to answer your question, compared to you, yes, i am a bike god.
 
Definately do some research beyond NS. Pinkbike is a great site for buying used bikes, but nothing beats being able to see the thing and take for a spin. There is a company called Transition, out of Saettle I think, that makes some good bikes that are reasonably priced. I have one of their first models and I really like it. It still rides smooth and quiet, and I have been riding the piss out of it for a few seasons.
 
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