new shopping drama

Let me start off my saying I LOVE MY BIKE SHOP! These guys have taken great care of me. I finally decided to check out a mtn bike. I have a very limited budget so I internet shopped some bikes to compare componets yada yada yada. Yesterday I find out that my bike shop dropped the entire line of Gary Fisher. they said come in and look at our K2 and Kona bikes. The only thing I know about K2 is that I had a pair of K2 skis in the 70's!!!!

So now I have to check out unfamiliar brands at a place I trust AND brands I trust at an unfamiliar store. This isn't turning out to be the great fun I thought it would be.

Familar brands are great because they're just that. Even if the store is unknown at least you know the product will be good.

On the other hand, there's some great bikes out there that AREN'T familiar brands. You can stumble across some great stuff but this can be a bit experimental. However, if you have recommendation from someone you trust then it may well be worth checking out. And it's always good to support your LBS.

:)

Bummer! Kona has gotten some good reviews. K2 isn't as well known out here so can't say much. You know, I've gotten some really good info from the browsers over at bikeforums.net. You might just start a post and see what all comes in while you're during your research.

I <heart> my Kona, I'm riding a King Kikapu....

www.mtbr.com has lots of reviews and discussion of different brands/bikes

Irulan

Ooooh, Irulan you have the Kikapu? That is my new lust object. Anyway, I wouldn't be too tore up about losing the Fisher lineup. Well, if they had some 04s that would be cool, but they did a lot of bad things to the 05s like changing the travel of the front susp but not correcting the geometry for that change. At least as far as I can tell. When I was dabbling in the realm of reasonable/affordable bikes I really dug the Specialized Rockhopper which was about $400 or so. Jamis makes some nice upper end entry level bikes too, but I hated the dealership that sold them.

It is true though, familiar brands are nice when you're on a budget. Often times because those household names are big enough companies that production is a bit less, making a more affordable product for most. Yeah, stay away from names you don't know it will only make you commit deadly sins like lust, and envy. :) No sir, I didn't name my kitten Moots(ie) :D

love and cookies
-smurf

I tried the Kona blast and did not fall in love. I tried the Novara Pondarosa and wasn't charmed. I will go back and ride the rockhopper again. I tried it last fall and thought "cool" but I was really shopping for a road bike at the time. They don't have a fisher in that fits me yet. The 15" doesn't leave me much stand over room and I am rather partial to my parts remaining unbruised by top tubes!!!!

They make Fisher's in 13" too, but it is kinda late for a specialty size like that. I really didn't like how the Rockhopper felt, but for the price the components are fantastic! The geometry just didn't do it for me like the Fisher did. Then again, the Fisher dealer spent a lot of time and really worked with me on it. My Big Sur climbs and descends beautifully, and is nearly a perfect fit.

If you're used to a road bike, you might actually dig the Rockhopper, the geometry to me just felt, um, long? I come from riding performance horses, I like things in quick, tight packages.

love and cookies
-smurf

Yaaay! You're getting a mtn bike! :D

I bought (er... got for my birthday?) a rockhopper last april, and I love it. (i also ride a bianchi eros on the road :D)

the only thing i'd complain about are the cables... the bike store i bought it from (and actually, every other bike-store- built rockhopper i've seen) runs them along the downtube (rather than the toptube) and they tend to get gunked up if you ride a lot of mud and you end up with cable tension issues. that's pretty easily fixed, though....

my mom just bought a fischer cake and they run the cables along the top-- cleaner looking and better shifting.

other than that, the fork that comes stock on the 'hopper is great for a spring-fork (rather than air compression... don't know the actual technical term) and unless you have a bad back, it's about all you'll need for the mtn biking around SE MI (and Up North :))

*GASP* when you get your bike you have to do iceman!!!!! ;) it's supposed to be tons of fun, but register early (the race is in Nov, but registration often closes in Feb) www.iceman.com

oh, regarding K2 and Kona, I've heard great things about those bikes both... one of the guys on my team (one of the only two that I'd trust to touch my bike) rides a K2 (and does pretty well...), and the other guy i'd trust to touch my bike commutes on a Kona SS.

but i do <heart> my rockhopper :D

have fun and good luck!!!