I forged my mountain bike skills in a town that had access to trails with 3,000+ feet of vertical elevation within walking distance. The usual ride was a 1-2 hour climb with a half hour of sustained downhill descents. As I became a better rider, I built a better bike. The idea was for the bike to allow me to compete in local downhill races and endure sustained downhill descents. When I finally built the bike, I moved out to pursue professional career goals that landed me in Chicago.
Now, I'm one of the only people in Chicago that rides a 7 inch mini-downhill bike everywhere. Its not easy by any means, but it's still fun.
This past weekend, I was pleasently surprised to find a Mountain Bike Demo going on in the Palos Forest Preserve. Mountain Bike Demos are events sponsored by bike manufacturing companies that allow riders to test-ride (usually 45 minutes), their latest models. They generally represent a great way to get hands-on experience with new bike models before you jump in and buy them. When they are held close to the local trails its even better because you get to compare how these bikes handle in familiar trails. It's also great for someone who is interested in riding mountain bikes but doesn't want to necessarily start off in a low-end bike or some terrible loaner bike. Mountain Bike Demos usually involve industry experts and mechanics that will fit the bike for your needs.
I know I had a blast taking my wife to the Rocky Mountain Demo day hosted by
The Bike Hub so she could experience mountain biking with some of the best bikes the industry can offer. She had a blast.
On this occasion,
Kona Bikes had a van fully equipped with bikes and mechanics to get people testing some of their latest models. This was my one chance to get properly fitted on a more adequate bike for my current surroundings. Enter their latest titanium hardtail offering, the
Kona Honzo Ti. I liked this bike because it has bigger wheels that make for more efficiant pedaling on the flat and act as suspension. It also gets rid of the extra pivot and bearing maintenance one has to do with full suspension bikes. I was pleasently surprised to experience how bike geometry and technology has advanced to the point where hardtails are a blast to ride.
Coincidentally, I had a very similar experience with the Rocky Mountain Demo day. I tested one of their lowest price models, the
Rocky Mountain Growler (retails for $899), which proved to be a monster of a bike. My takeaway from these two experiences is that sometimes less is more. Currently, there is an absurd amount of bikes to pick from. Most of these bikes are overpriced and way to complicated for beginners or even people like me who just want to have fun and not break the bank. Although most bike manufacturers push their top of the line products first, please remember there are other lower priced options that are still quite enjoyable. To those wanting to get involved in mountain biking, check out those cheaper hardtail models. And for those of you experienced riders, consider rediscovering the joy of simplicity with simpler bikes.
If you still don't believe me, check out the raw video of my test ride below:
Please check out the following upcoming Demo Days:
Palos Meltdown - Demo Day: Hosted by
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