okay...this entry was also after that long work day
now in the middle of another long work day; the funeral for former President reagan, I am going to take a break and spruce up this post a tad
not much
clean up and edits are not my thing, you should see my basement


this rider friend of mine that I have never ridden with before, nick, send me this amazing article on a KONA bike, the Kona Hoss Deluxe; it was an article in dirt rag. the article had some simple genius. it said so much, so clear.
this kona bike the HOSS DELUXE and this article from Keith Bontrager are about what we all dream the bike industry is about, but sadly this is not so. So much about the industry seems to be about making money, making it affordable, or making it....well, who knows what they are thinking. why does a 15 inch frame have the same fork as a 21 one inch frame? why do frames stop at 21 inch?
Why does the cycling industry thing that after 5'10" tall and 185lbs is ONE SIZE FITS ALL! When actually they are making a product where ONE SIZE FITS NONE!

not unlike snowboards....
snowboard lenghts are made for riders 140lbs-155, 155lbs-165, and then a longer board for 165-175, and finally a board for riders 175plus (and they tend to be wider for the taller bigger foot rider) Well, I think there is clearly a greater difference with 200 or god forbid 220 or 240, than 150 and 170lbs.

the 29 inch wheel bike seems to be an answer for the taller rider
perhaps it makes less sense for frames to get larger and larger and perhaps awkward for them to work with the 26 inch wheels.

I may be thinking of going 29 across the board
if I go DUAL SUSPENSION, dare I say it, it will definitely be 29 inch
and again
if nothing else because it will fit
it is like I have been wearing a size 11.5 shoe for the last 15 years
and just learned that they can make a 13
what took them so long to start making a 13?
when will there be more choices in a size 13?

yes it is true CUSTOM is an option, but not an option for me.
I can not justify the costs of some of these machines. it just does not make sense to me to spend so much money on anything, even a bike.
I had a discussion with a long time friend and Big Wheel Shop manager, Bennet. He said something that I agreed with about how the rider fits the bike, not that the bike fits the rider. In essence what he is saying is that we get a basic fit, and we adjust from there. It is a strange irony. In the sales situation there is always the TEST RIDE. And the customer rides many bikes. For the most part every bike should ride well out of the shop, and not much can be told in the initial moments of riding any bike. And there are always slight modifications that can be made to "customize" the machine, a shorter stem, seat height and position, riser vs. flat bars, etc. In the last many years I have made a number of bike purchases, never once has I ever seen or touched the model of bike that I was ordering. I had never even seen a Karate Monkey when I ordered one, I had never seen a Rocky Mountain Blizzard, I had never seen a Kona Huma Huma Nuka Nuka Ah' Pua Ah, nor had I ever seen the Kona Explosif. There was the reading of the reviews, a check at the frame size, and an a analysis of the components.
This test ride idea is extended to riding, racing, and training...
Most of my training is done on a 26" commuter bike, with and aluminum frame and rigid fork, then most of my trail riding recently has been done on my 29" wheeled rigid karate monkey, and then when it comes to race day I get on my 26" hardtail Rocky Mountain Blizzard. (well, that will all change if Mike can find the time to make the call to order my bike today)

with all that said
if I were a consumer without a hook up through a great shop and team sponsor, City Bikes
that Kona would be a no brainer
I am excited to check one of those things out
it comes in a 22 inch frame!
and it is catering to the needs of a bigger rider
I love it when the industry does something right!