Hey gents,
I recently finished building a Chromag Samurai hardtail (from a used frame) and after having ridden it for a while, I am starting to find that I prefer the snappiness of the Chromag to the muted feel of my Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon. The Nomad has been in my stable for going on 4 years now and though it has treated me very well, my riding style is shifting and being out of college and having a job has given me opportunities to own potentially own more than just one "do-it-all" bike.
I will never be able to stray from Whistler for too long, so I'm starting to think that I may buy a trail bike now and then save for a DH/park bike with a purchase date sometime in the middle of next season. When I say trail bike, I'm specifically looking at long/low/fun bikes that blur the lines between particular categories - the Kona Process 134/153, Yeti SB66 and Banshee Spitfire are all very appealing. I'm looking for something that will be snappy and responsive, at least more so than my Nomad, while still be burly enough to handle some of the lines that I used to ride my Nomad on. I don't expect this bike to bang out laps on Top of the World like I used to on my Nomad, but a couple of rips down Dirt Merchant or even Blue Velvet shouldn't leave me checking for frame cracks and such.
I also want something that will be raceable as I plan to start training for and competing in the NW Enduro series next year. I am a downhill rider at heart but just so happen to have the legs and lungs to pedal pretty well, so that's why I'm taking this discussion to the DH forum. What have you guys ridden and what do you own as your "little bike", and what do you think makes the bike awesome? Experienced impressions of the Kona, Yeti and Banshee that I mentioned are very helpful.
Cheers
I recently finished building a Chromag Samurai hardtail (from a used frame) and after having ridden it for a while, I am starting to find that I prefer the snappiness of the Chromag to the muted feel of my Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon. The Nomad has been in my stable for going on 4 years now and though it has treated me very well, my riding style is shifting and being out of college and having a job has given me opportunities to own potentially own more than just one "do-it-all" bike.
I will never be able to stray from Whistler for too long, so I'm starting to think that I may buy a trail bike now and then save for a DH/park bike with a purchase date sometime in the middle of next season. When I say trail bike, I'm specifically looking at long/low/fun bikes that blur the lines between particular categories - the Kona Process 134/153, Yeti SB66 and Banshee Spitfire are all very appealing. I'm looking for something that will be snappy and responsive, at least more so than my Nomad, while still be burly enough to handle some of the lines that I used to ride my Nomad on. I don't expect this bike to bang out laps on Top of the World like I used to on my Nomad, but a couple of rips down Dirt Merchant or even Blue Velvet shouldn't leave me checking for frame cracks and such.
I also want something that will be raceable as I plan to start training for and competing in the NW Enduro series next year. I am a downhill rider at heart but just so happen to have the legs and lungs to pedal pretty well, so that's why I'm taking this discussion to the DH forum. What have you guys ridden and what do you own as your "little bike", and what do you think makes the bike awesome? Experienced impressions of the Kona, Yeti and Banshee that I mentioned are very helpful.
Cheers