kona five-0?

[clarkenstein]

anyone have a chance to ride the kona five-0? if so, whaddaya think?

i'm looking at a beefier hardtail that's a slightly larger frame size than my DJ bike so i can take it on trails as well as jump. i was thinking of building an on one 456, but then i saw the kona and it looks like it'll be much cheaper to pick up as a complete bike.

 

[don]

clarky - whatcha riding now as a DJ bike? I had a Sinister Ridge a couple years ago and that thing was a great all around bike. Paired up w/ a Pike fork w/ U-Turn I could ride XC trails in the AM and hit some DJ's in the afternoon (after swapping out a shorer stem). They are great riding bikes and a good compromise between burly and light weight.

Pic at the Stowe Bike Park a while ago. I rode the Town Loop that morning with it.
http://defconfour.com/other/islandlake/stowe_park_don_tabletop_lo_.jpg

 

[clarkenstein]

i've got a GT chucker - one size fits all size, which is small for me. i popped the seat up, and i think i could get away with trail short rides, but i think anything after 4 miles and it'll start to suck. with my height the DJ frames are just too small for trail riding i think... that's what got me thinking about a different 'do-it-all' hardtail.

i was looking at the ridge too - looks like a great ride - what's the price point on the ridge? the kona looked tempting for the money.

here's my chucker:

 

[don]

I am not sure but I think a Sinister Ridge will run about $800 for the frame. Not cheap, but it's handmade and I think by FTW himself. I would say, to get the Sinster and swap the parts off the GT but giving the GT a look, it seems not many would transfer over.

They Five-0 looks pretty good. For a complete the price seems right. I guess it comes down to what you want with the new bike - XC rides with an occasional XC style jump thrown in or something that you can bring to real DJ trails and be able to hit stuff but also get a small loop at a smaller XC place. A good DJ rig should be SS, short stem, short and stiff fork, and smooth tires. Lower standover helps a lot too.

Another frame, if you can find one, is an Evil Sovereign. Maybe also a Santa Cruz Cameleon.