Message #19876

[Svend]

Don rides his Kona hardtail because it's FUN.  He doesn't race with it.  He has done multi-day endurance stage races in BC before (this was his first BC Bike Race, but he has done others in the BC interior), and for those he always chooses a full suspension bike for comfort and performance over the very rugged terrain out there.

I really can't describe how gnarly the trails are out there.  On Vancouver Island I have ridden what they classify as easy trails, and found them plenty challenging to get through -- they would be rated as Expert here in the east.  Now I understand how such solid, bomb-proof bikes come out of the manufacturers based in the Vancouver North Shore area - Norco, Rocky, and such.  Anything less than super-burly build would just fall apart.  That said, Don has had good success with his Giant bikes -- he has replaced plenty of components on them, but the frames have always been reliable.