[ScottJensen]

ok guys, have narrowed my choices down to the specialized p seires and kona hard tails. i i rode a kona scrap and a p.2. there were some subtle difference that i picked out. my question is, have any of you ridden the other kona hardtails or p seires HT's ? what would be the diff in buying say a p1 compared to the p3. or in kona's case, the cowan or the shred, besides obvious price? would it be better idea to start out with the cheapest, and use the saved money to upgrade the fork? any ideas would be great! thanks yall

 

[JacobDW]

I personally wou save some cash and go all out on the first bike instead of adding part by part... that can get expensive.... on the other hand, you may be able to find some good deals on used stuff to upgrade with.... the choice is yours, but personally i would buy the best one, that way all the parts have a warranty.... you usually dont get a warranty with used parts....

 

[ZHendo]

i'll second what JacobDW said. buying a cheapie hardtail has been one of the most regrettable things i have done when it comes to buying bike stuff. the frame was pretty nice, but the fork was crap, the brakes were crap, cranks were crap, bb was crap, whole drivetrain was crap, cockpit was crap. it all works fine for the first month of two, maybe longer, but as your skills progress and the parts take more of a beating, they really start to show the reasons they were so inexpensive. the difference in buying a nicer bike, is of course the componentry. my friend had a scrap, and i rode it a few times. the frame was ok, but the parts were absolutely terrible. his fork felt like a pogo stick and the derraileur broke 4 times, not from being smacked on the ground or on rocks, but from being bounced around during regular trail rides and dirt jumping sessions. save your hard earned cash and go for a nice bike. look at some of last years stuff. there are plenty of great deals out there, but getting the cheap bike is probably not the way to go.

 

[kona-ryder]

Go for the Kona. They make great bikes (that I know for a fact). Dont get a scrap though. Go for a Cowan, Cowan DS, or even maybe a Stuff. The Stuff is a little more free-ride (can accept a dual crown) than the Cowan, or any of the P-series. You might want to also give Transition bikes a look. If they fit in your price-range, then the Trail-Or-Park or Vangrant fit the bill perfectly. Dont go for a cheapo bike, even if the frame is good. My bro made the mistake of getting a Trek Bruiser for his first DJ hardtale. Within 4months he had replaced the fork, cranks, bottom bracket, wheels, brakes, drive-train, handle bars. He ended up buying a $550 bike, and putting about $700 worth of parts on it. Only thing left stock is seat, tires and stem.

 

[BikerBoy28]

Specialized is my favorite brand, but for hardtails, I'm gonna say Kona.

 

[kinggonch]

niether, kona [in the uk anyways] have one of the worst reputations for warranty jobs, speccys are 'ok', but no way near the cream of the crop.

either save your cash and get somthing half way decent, or look second hand and find a top notch frame.

 

[RideHard]

dont go for a cowan if you want a strong street and park bike... The tt is crazy high on them, they are basically a freeride hardtail labled as a dj/park bike. However if only dj is your thing than def consider one... After riding one for a season my bud finally ditched his for a cove sanchez and couldnt be happier...Myself, i ride an evil doc 26inch rims and also couldnt be happier. I know many people who are running 24's on them and love em to death but i just cant get used to a smaller wheel.

I suggest the P series, Cove sanchez, evil doc, evil imp, or a nemisis street fighter.

 

[kinggonch]

if you can,, get a 24 bikes moon,,, they are freekin awesome.