My bike finally bit it, and it’s time for a new ride.
I’m looking at the Big Honzo, Growler, Fuse or maybe the Devinci Kobain. They’re all similar price and spec, just wondering if anyone is riding any of these bikes who might like to share their opinions on how they feel on the trail.
I’ve been reading tons of reviews, but they vary widely and I figure nothing is better than the opinion of someone riding the same trails as you.
I’ve ridden the Fuse and Big Honzo. I ended up buying a Torrent because it was a little slacker and had more fork travel.
I’ve been drooling over the Torrent for a few years now, I love the spec on it. Unfortunately it’s just out of my price point.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll lower the price of the 2021 model… and a local shop will have one in stock.
Wishful thinking.
I tried a honzo and my heels were super close the the chainstays
I bought a used Torrent frame and Fox 34 then built it with the parts I wanted. It cost me less than a new Torrent and it has a far better drivetrain and wheels.
Thanks for the input, that is one of the reasons I started this, since I can’t actually ride anything now. Last I checked Cyclemsith only had a small. I’m cooling on the Big Honzo as an option anyway. The 2021 model is on the Kona website, they lowered the price and the specs just aren’t as good as the 2020 was.
I’ve considered buying a frame and building it up. I wanted to buy a complete bike to get me back on the trail quickly, but from what I hear from retailers it could be Christmas before anyone has any floor models to test. So maybe a build-a-bike might be the way to go after all.
For Hardtails I tried the Honzo, Big Honzo and ended up with a Trek Roscoe, only thing I don’t love about it is the boost 141 rear spacing but that seems less an issue now as a lot of the higher end hubs are convertible.
Another option to consider with the Roscoe.
Do you find the fork has enough travel? I have it in my mind that I want 140mm, since that was what my last bike was. I know larger and wider tires (my old bike had 26"x2.35" tires) eat more of the trail, but I seem to have it stuck in my head that I want as much travel as possible.
I disagree. There are very few Boost 141 hubs available, and the ones that can be converted are expensive. The cost of a replacement set of wheels for a 141 spaced hub often exceed the value of the bike, since 141 is usually spec’d on entry level hardtails.
I havent tried yet but the Gold 35 has spacers in it and you can increase travel up to 160 although I think 160 would be ill advised. I am debating making it 140 bit weighing the pros and cons of geometry changes
True that several are higher end, but Several of them (Dt350, dt370, hope pro 4,i9, etc). There are cheaper options as well (formula, novatec, shimano). I disagree on a wheelset with convertible hubs costing more then the bike. You can get a decent set of dt1700’s with dt350 hubs for under a grand and Dt1900 with dt370 hubs are even cheaper. There is a set if race face wheels with novatec hubs for sale on here for $450 which to my understanding are convertible with an axle kit. So there are options
And to my knowledge the honzo is 130mm
Boost 141 is a dead end standard created to use up the excess of QR dropouts in the chinese frame building factories. There are zero benefits associated to it other than its lower price.
I guess I misread, I though the discussion was about the availability of hubs?
The discussion is about hardtail recommendations. A dead end hub standard isn’t a smart buy.
You could say the same thing about any standard…how did 26” wheels make out? Thats the game of making money on parts. That certainly is one way to look at it. If you are buying a bike to use for many years than certainly take into consideration, but again so was buying a 26’er. Lots of companies makes hubs that will fit, I personally wouldn’t replace a wheel and use a low end hub so to me its a non issue
Pretty sure I said my only complaint about it was the Boost 141